You're Invited: Bras and Brunch Featuring Lauren Rothman

Bras, Brunch, Puppies and our fave DC Stylist. It doesn't get much better than this! Thanks to Ask Miss A for passing along the info.

Luxe Life: Deacon & Belle Do Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Greetings from NYC, Deacon Fans!

We're racing around the Big Apple this weekend, dashing from the Tents at Bryant Park to the Meatpacking District, through Tribeca and back again to the Upper East, all in search of fashion, (plus some food and fun) in the country's fastest-moving city.

Natch, we're hitting some of the best shows - yesterday's madhouse of a Christian Siriano bash, the hipster-esque Generra show, and today's Adam and Arise Collective presentations, among many others.

Don't ya love it? We've got show reports below, plus a few of the best spots we stopped - and of course, more to come!

Deacon also wants to take the chance to introduce guest contrib Belle, a fashion-forward Great Pyrenees, and her loyal mom, Ms. Kristina Libby, social media whiz and eco beauty magnate extraordinaire. She'll be updating you from time to time about NYC's great happenings. You can also find her DC coverage about the arts and culture over on Ask Miss A.

So, on to the recaps!

Siriano
Deacon was too busy to attend the Christian Siriano Fashion Show under the tents, so I got to play around there instead. Lucky me. First off, Fashion Week is everything you’d expect: people with attitude, a lot of black and so much eyeliner Duane Reade must have had to stock extra. In this kind of situation, a bright blue dress, a book on Africa and a little bit of kindness can bring you a whole lot of attention. In my case, the very kind attention of a Fashion Week veteran who showed me how to get the better seats and told me all the inside gossip.

So, from my third row seats at the front of the runway, I saw a few things that make even my big fluffy white tale wag. First off, a floor length silk dress with full length sleeves and the slightest train. It evoked all the best nautical affair images and reminds me of a long coveted dress worn by the heroine of the Bond movie where they tumble around the pyramids in Cairo. The movie title? Hardly as important as the dress.


He also stole the show with a huge flouncy, pleated draped and decorated florescent pink ball gown. Puffy with a train, the dress was the best re-make of an 80s prom dress that I have ever seen. Not only that, the model wearing it was amazing. It takes a heart of steel to hold up and wear this dress.

Finally, my least favorite number--- its was stripped and metallic and a suit and oh goodness, I think its been blocked out of my memory. Not every outfit can be perfect, right? I think the show didn’t blow anyone away and there were only one big moment when people gasped and coo-ed. So, on a rating of shows it probably isn’t a ten. Everyone is a cynic in NYC though; for this naïve little fashion week newbie—the show won me over.

Generra
We'll be honest - Generra was a bit of a generic bust. The venue, the ultra-hip Hiro Ballroom, an asian fusion resto and bar/club, looked like a great place to enjoy a laid-back dinner before hitting the town. That said, the not-so-packed show debuted its fall looks of rather blah fairaisle-inspired sweaters, floaty skirts and peacoats that honestly looked as if they'd been plucked straight from the discount racks at a bad TJ Maxx. For a line we normally enjoy, this collection is not one that we hope will make a statement in stores come fall.

Fabulosity
So after a bit of a catch up (coffee at Guy and Gallard Cafe), we ran back to the flat and readied ourselves for a warm-up on the town. We opted for Upper East's fab Italian joint, Bella Blu, where we enjoyed amazing isotto, a delish Ferreri Cabernet and the conversation of the best service we've had in ages - thank you to Neil, our bartender, for the perfect biscotti and Moscato to cap off the meal.

We then cabbed it to SoHo, where the SoHo Grand was rocking - think sweet DJ sets and NY society at its finest. Calling it an early night (by NY standards) we rolled back in and are headed out now to enjoy brunch and a few stops at Bergdorfs, Bendels and Barneys before hitting the tents once more.

If you've got a stop or a sight we must check - drop us a note on our Blackberry - we'd love you to keep us buzzing all day long!

You're Invited: Summer Swing Under the Stars

Thursday, we encourage you to dance the night away at Summer Swing Under the Stars at AKA White House (1710 H St. NW) in support of The Courage Cup and Work to Ride, the first African American polo program designed to help at-risk youth.

For just $30, enjoy music by DC Swing! while you practice your moves on AKA's roof top, and enjoy gratis bubbly and apps from Barefoot Bubbly and Entree Metropolitan.

This event is being held in lieu of the annual Meadow Matches competition, which is being expected to return in 2010.

Ticket prices directly benefit The Courage Cup, an IRS designated 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation which was established to help at-risk urban youth. Purchase tickets here.

Deacon Exclusive: DC on TV

Yes, Deacon fans, it's true - reality TV has descended upon Washington.

In addition to Blonde Charity Mafia, which is rumored to have been picked up for a second season before the show even premiers July 7th on the CW, DC has become host to two other reality franchises.

Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise has begun scouting for cast members (they've reportedly got 25 finalists from which to choose, among them Ask Miss A's Andrea Rodgers) and MTV has finally landed a house (we hear) and begins shooting its 23rd season of "The Real World" soon.

Half Yard productions is working on a series about PR and Media types, tentatively titled "Inside Washington," where Tommy McFly and Rachel Cothran are rumored potential castees. 44 Blue Productions is also casting about for another reality series about young DC women, tentatively titled "Young Washington."

Deacon Says: He's Just Not That Into You (and a blast from the past relationship special edition)

Yes, we've been excited about the movie debut of He's Just Not That Into You for months now. Not only does it have an ecclectic cast (Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, ect.) but it's a subject that hits close to our hearts, and not just because it was shot in Baltimore.

The book, along with The Rules and of course, Sex and the City gave us endless hours of amusement and enjoyment throughout our college careers, and of course shaped some of our own ideas about both writing and relationships. Call us Carrie Bradshaw, right down to the massive shoe closet.

Some of you may know about Deacon bloggger McLean's past life as "She Said," head relationship columnist for her alma mater's newspaper, or her column on AskEJean.com, home page of E. Jean Carroll, relationship colulmnist for Elle magazine.

In celebration of the work's movie debut, we're attending a girls get together on Friday night to see the screening. The film itself might be dumb, but it will for sure be entertaining.

And for your own entertainment, we'll be posting a few of our favorite old columns in the weeks leading up to Valentines day, and might even add a few new ones.

We might even have to remind Miss A, another Demon Deacon alum, to watch out ... because quite frankly, our columns blow yours out of the water.