OBAMA Nail Art: Wearing Your Heart on Your Nails

With only a few days to the most highly anticipated election since well….the last election, we opted to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new administration by shopping for the most innovative and fashionable campaign paraphernalia. Surprise, Surprise- the award goes to Natasha Ray , SE nail maven and East Coast Minx Nails representative. Natasha.Ray@msDainty.com (202-538-0142)

Never heard of Minx Nails? Darling, it’s a clever new nail coating that has no drying time, no chemicals, and comes in hundreds of different designs from French to our favorite, “OBAMA.” Whether you get your nails done today or next week be sure to represent your candidate in style AND PLEASE VOTE!

Pssst...Diversity Comes to VOGUE

i started making collages like this 5 yrs ago-hot girls collected over a span of 7 mos

Claiming Beauty…the Power in that and the dissemination of it to the young women who follow us, is as serious….as boys pointing cannons at oil wells. –Audre Lourde

There is great power in fashion, beauty and style. Power to elevate the mind. Power to conjure a mood. Power to inspire young women to walk outside the lines commanding attention with each step.

Fashion magazines are conduits for this power. Each image, interview and advertisement communicates a standard for beauty and style…for some. For others, magazines and runway presentations have loss a bit of their relevance.

After attending a forum on the dearth of black runway and print models sponsored by Bethann Hardison, famed fashion photographer, Steven Meisel, decided to take a bold step and reverse the tables. In the spring of 2008, Meisel teamed up with Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani, to create an historic July 2008 issue with 100 pages of pictures, interviews and stories featuring iconic models of color, including, fashion veterans Tyra Banks, Iman, Veronica Webb, Naomi Campbell, Pat Cleveland and new comers Arlenis Sosa, Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn.

With diversity finally invading Carrie Bradshaw’s New York and even threatening to penetrate the White House, it is time to expand the very narrow beauty standards currently espoused. How, darling? Well for starters, let’s make the July issue of Italian Vogue the best selling one ever. I for one will be buying each of the four covers twice. ☺

Interview with Mariessa for CLUTCH magazine

Excerpt from a June 1, 2008 Interview for CLUTCH MAGAZINE

by By Nikki J. Duckworth

http://clutchmagonline.com/fashion/mariessa-terrell-simones-butterfly/

The exclusive design vs. the knockoff is an issue that’s as old as fashion history, but with high profile companies like Diane Von Furstenberg bringing their fight against copycats to the forefront in the form of lawsuits, trademark infringement has once again become a hot button issue. And while budget conscious fashion lovers may be crossing their fingers in anticipation for the next Louboutin knock off, designers both established and emerging are trying to figure out ways to protect their creative vision. Enter fashion lawyers like Mariessa Terrell. Terrell is the founder and CEO of Simone’s Butterfly a company that works with clients on everything from brand management and promotion to contract negotiation. We caught up with the style maven to talk fashion law and find out about more about her work on the D.C. style scene.


Clutch: Many emerging designers are focused on their art and may be unfamiliar with the business side of the industry or the importance of branding. How important is it for a designer to establish a unique image?

Mariessa: I believe that in today's saturated fashion marketplace it is crucial for designers to develop a unique and arresting business image through branding. Many times, unique brands, logos, and slogans are the easiest way to distinguish one fabulous black dress from another.

CLUTCH: The subject of copyright infringement seems to be coming up more often as we're reading about very high profile companies being involved in litigation. Some retailers have basically knocked off a garment before the runway show is even over! How does the law make the distinction between "inspiration" and "stealing"?

Mariessa: Current law does not provide much protection for fashion designs. If the Design Piracy Prohibition Act becomes law it will create a special, limited three-year copyright in fashion designs, with penalties of $250,000 or $5 per copy for violations. In May 2007 the Bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.

The best way to protect clothing is to obtain a trademark and build brand recognition. Designers gain notice for creating consistently marvelous clothing under one label. Diane von Furstenberg is a great example. She perfected the wrap dress not by preventing others from copying it, but by marketing her wrap dress under her brand name. Her advertising campaign has been so effective that wrap dresses bearing her logo are seen as superior to those dresses marketed under a different name.

Protecting and registering a trademark and creating clothing under this label are the best way to protect fashion designs.

CLUTCH: Besides your work in fashion law, you're also a journalist and a photographer. Have you always had a passion for fashion?

Mariessa: There is great power in fashion. My mom was and is a fierce style maven who paid attention to fashion trends even if she did not always follow them. Mom believed that your style of dressing (up or down) had the power to not only alter your mood but could drastically affect those around you. She taught me the importance of creating a personal style that could elevate a mundane occurrence into a signature event. Since then, I have always had a zeal for fashion. I recall many dreamy afternoons at Martin Luther King Public Library pouring over the biographies of style icons like Eartha Kitt, Diana Ross and Audrey Hepburn. They, like my mom, had monumental individual style. I learned from the best.

CLUTCH: How did you get involved in a career as a fashion lawyer?

Mariessa: During my second semester of my third year at Howard School of Law, I took an elective class on trademark and copyright that forever changed my mind about the law. Here was a discipline that combined creativity with sound legal reasoning. I was hooked. Thankfully, after graduation, I was hired as a Trademark Attorney at the US Patent and Trademark Office, the only place in the nation to obtain a federal registered trademark. I was assigned to Law Office 106 where I prosecuted trademarks for the top cosmetic and fashion companies in the world. After a few years at the USPTO, I was ready to start my own trademark law firm specializing in fashion.

CLUTCH: How would you describe your personal style? Who are a few of your favorite designers?

Mariessa: Funny Face meets Mahogany. I love to glam it up with looks inspired by my favorite cinema characters…Laura Hunt in Laura; Tracey Chambers in Mahogany; Pola Debevoise in How to Marry a Millionaire. Most of my shopping dollars go towards the purchase of vintage Chanel, Christian Dior and Herve Leroux with a sprinkle of Dolce and Gabanna for a bit of modern appeal.

CLUTCH: When people think of D.C. style the words conservative or buttoned up may come to mind, but we know that you're working to change all that! Tell us a little about your work with to establish DC as a major fashion capitol.

Mariessa: I grew up in Washington, DC and watched the recent construction boom with much enthusiasm. I decided to get involved with politics to help ensure that some of the new retail space was marketed to unique independent boutiques. In 2007, I drafted legislation to create a Commission on Fashion Arts and Events tasked with developing a fashion incubator for emerging designers, fashion career technical programs for DC youth and a fashion retail corridor to recapture the millions of dollars lost when DC citizens shop in neighboring Maryland and Virginia malls.

CLUTCH: Do you have any words of wisdom for anyone who may be thinking about pursuing a career in fashion law?

Mariessa: My advice to any aspiring fashion lawyer would be to strive for top grades in law school…any law school. The fashion industry is very competitive. The largest and most coveted fashion law firms and corporations want the top students. If you are one of them, you increase your chances of success exponentially.

Creative Economies at the Dekka Boutique Opening (1338 U Street, NW)

It’s April 5, 2008 and our words of advice to the fashion minded are, “ Don’t let DC meter maids force you to shop outside of your hometown!” Instead, recapture those dollar bills and save them for DC’s new miniature mall featuring 10 upstart designers, make up mavens, musicians and painters. Three cheers for Joshua Tiktin and wife Luciana for coming up with a novel idea to keep fashion alive and well within the city limits!

A Fete through the Renoir

One must never let go before having managed to set down one's first impressions. –Pierre Bonnard

Beverly Perry, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Pepco Holdings, Inc. with a friend.

Playing Alice in Wonderland for an evening was a lark after stepping into the former home of Duncan Phillips (aka Phillip Collection) for the museum’s annual fundraiser inspired by the seminal Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir. After a decadent dinner featuring lobster salad, filet mignon and close proximity to breathtaking original masterpieces by Degas, Bonnard, Diebenkorn and others, guests strolled over to the tres elegant Anderson House located at 21st and Massachusetts Ave, NW for an extended evening of dancing and divine desserts. (Doesn't Beverly Perry of Pepco look fabulous?)


The Anderson House boasts breathtaking art, dizzying ceiling heights and sumptuous furnishings. In addition to serving as destination for DC’s most exclusive receptions, the Anderson House is one of the few palatial residences of the 20th century and served as the winter home of Ambassador Larz Anderson, III (US Ambassador to Belgium and Japan) and his wife, Isabel. Isabel Anderson gave the home to the Society of Cincinnati (http://www.hereditary.us/cin_anderson.htm) when her husband died. In 1837.

Darling, you can find fashion in the most unusual places. Did you know that up until 1812 US diplomats like Larz Anderson designed their own uniforms? Mine would be nipped to form a wasp waist a la Christian Dior with butterflies embroidered on both lapels! Yummy.

Required Reading at Christian Dior

The Marvelous Wall Hanging in the Christian Dior boutique in Chevy Chase.

Fashion is an act of faith. –Christian Dior

Chatting with French Attorney Marie-France Pochna, author of Christian Dior the Biography at The Collection in Chevy Chase rekindled my belief that beauty is truly egalitarian and exists all around us, even in daily life. During the April 1st book reading and fashion presentation, Ms. Pochna illuminated the life and times of Christian Dior whose beginnings seemed to have little to do with fashion but who later made “luxury and dreams fit perfectly.” A man of extraordinary good taste, Christian Dior lives, according to John Galliano as “an eternal symbol of beauty, grace and joi de vivre.” Magnifique!

Jair Lynch Speaks Fashionably about Urban Planning

Architecture is Fashion…its all about proportions. –Coco Chanel

March 26, 2008 the National Building Museum featured Jair Lynch and his grand plans to provide a marvelous edifice on U Street, NW that can serve as places to live and work. The new Soleo community will provide Washington, DC’s creative economy with much needed and much more affordable housing options. Lynch, urban planner extraordinaire gets what others in DC government don’t - without a creative class, we will lose the one thing that makes us different from our neighboring suburbs…variety.

History Lesson at the Hillwood Estate

Still wondering where Fabulous lives? In Washington, DC she lives on Linnean Avenue at the Hillwood castle, the former residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post. On March 19, 2008 forty ladies and one gent gathered together for a mid- afternoon lecture on the French House of Callot Soeurs presented by Assistant Museum Curator, Howard Kurtz. The presentation was one of a series of fashion discussions on Mrs. Merriweather Post’s favorite fashion designers. After the lecture and slide presentation, guests toured Mrs. Post’s closets and viewed the exquisite Callot Soeur garments up close.

Marjorie Merriweather Post ( 1887-1973) was a “fourteen karat symbol of social supremacy“ who “was so extraordinary beautiful and had such lavish jewels and clothes and lived in such a grand style that people were awed and frightened.” Mrs. Post was well known for dressing in a dizzying array of lavish outfits. According to Kurtz, she would change her apparel at least four times a day. Her closets held hundreds of dresses from the best fashion houses of the day, all expertly tailored and coordinated with matching hats, shoes, gloves and furs. In the Post household, everything had a place and there was a place for everything: a closet for hats, a closet for shoes and even a closet for furniture which she changed often.

In 1971, at the age of 81, Mrs. Post was still considered to be one of the best and most expensively dressed women in the world!

Darling, what did I tell you? We’ve been fashionable for years!

CREAMY March-April DC Fashion Events

Hey Guys and Dolls:

Before I forget, here are a few CREAMY fashion happenings in and around DC.

1. March 17 TONIGHT: Mayor Fenty's Art Awards at the Kennedy Center- 6:00 pm. IT IS FREE but when you see him be sure to thank him for signing the Fashion Bill!
2. March 15-18: Meet The The Sartorialist at the Adamson Gallery and preview his most celebrated photographs capturing street style from all around the world. The Blogger himself will attend the Wednesday night reception! (1515 14th Street, NW) 202-232-0707
3. April 14: 1st Annual WHS Fashion For Paws @ the Embassy for France. Fashion for Paws will feature forty of Washington, DC ’s most celebrated personalities as the models, with decked out designer dogs in-hand. http://www.washhumane.org/Phone: 202-723-5730, ext. 250
4. April 23: Style Image Network Beauty Night Out sample sale @ The Carnegie Library from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm
   

Enjoy!

WDC: A Fashionable Recovery

The Washington that I grew up with was a bit schizophrenic. With multiple personalities, it was quite understandable, really. Consider that in the 1980's and 1990's WDC was simultaneously the capital city, chocolate city and murder capital of the free world. She had her own Embassy Row, Georgetown, Gold Coast and Crack Epidemic. But, under Mayor William's leadership, WDC decided to freshen up, literally. The resulting construction boom left many of us terrified that she might never recover after going under the knife. But she emerged fabulous and no worse for the wear...

So what's next for our super heroine? Today, we have a unique opportunity to actually re-invent our beloved DC. We are limited only by our creativity. So why are we building one rectangular eye sore (Newseum) after another? Why are we recruiting giant retail chains to fill our newly constructed retail space? Why do we insist on looking outside of the Beltway for solutions to local issues when locals have great ideas, too?

It is time for the WDC creative class to engage. We can prevent WDC from reverting back to her old ways and days of limited options.

The recent transformation of 14th Street between Irving and Park Row was a victory for the status quo. How do we convince DC's Retail Strategists that we want more than a Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Lane Bryant and Marshall's in every new development? (We're not the only ones baffled by the retail selections in the new Columbia Heights Target development...check out The Politics Hour with Kodjo and Johnetta on March 7, 2008.)We are not the only DC residents complaining that the stores do not match the income levels and panache of its surrounding neighbors.

Never one for complacency, we have been waving the pink banner for over five years. Unable to find support from within any existing government agency, we petitioned the City Council to create a Fashion Commission in WDC.

The Fashion Commission will be tasked with 1) developing a luxury retail corridor (gasp) within the city limits; 2) creating fashion related career technical programs for school aged children; 3) developing a fashion incubator; and 4) promoting the city as a fashion destination.

Today...after a year of stiletto clacking and tapping up and down the halls of the Wilson building; meeting with DC City Council Members, local retailers, developers, educators; writing articles, proposals, grants and even drafting the legislation...the Bill (17-173) to establish a Fashion Commission was introduced in WDC in November 2007. In February 2008, the Mayor signed the Bill! FAB-U-LOUS!

A Fond Adieu to the Alex boutique @ 19th and I, NW

The closing of Alex (boutique) today marks the end of an era. If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to the District Sample sale tonight, you were rewarded with one last hurrah for a DC boutique that offered up a bit of whimsy with every purchase. Thanks, Liberty for adding a dash of Euro chic to my wardrobe. (Picture of Jackie, runway model and former Alex employee at 2006 Capital Catwalk wearing a yellow satin gown by DC's own April Reddick)

Ode to Alex:

When news spread that Alex would be under new ownership, couture aficionados throughout the area shed a collective tear. Would their beloved downtown boutique still present a reason to take a 2 hour lunch? Don and Liberty, proprietors since October 2004, put an end to the questions with their eclectic mix of vintage and modern fashion “forward and replayed.” Known for having the best sales in the area (sometimes as much as 75% off), Alex offers everything needed to be a stunner; unique shoes and boots, hand crafted jewelry, Latico wallets, French suits, and top designer brands including, Tracey Reese and Chanel. With Tower Records around the corner, you'll have at least an hour to make up your mind and load up the car. (An Excerpt by moi taken from Unique Places published December 2006 by Crown Guides)

Fashion Is as Fashion Does: Lou Stovall

Fashion is not the overvaluing of the superfluous rather it is a pointed attempt to recognize the beauty that exists all around us. The fashion minded individual steadily seeks to interject beauty whenever and wherever possible. The result is a flourish in daily dialogue, an individual pink peony on the breakfast table, a jeweled butterfly at the shoulder, a whimsical Lou Stovall print above the bed. Visit Lou Stovall

"On the Greening of the Artist" an excerpt
by Lou Stovall

It is a magnificent power that we have
to find beauty and charm in things.
To make special of a room that could only be reached
from the back of the kitchen
or from the third floor back stairs.
That was my gift...
the ability to make something possible
is perhaps the greatest gift of all.

Mr. Lou Stovall, celebrated Artist and Print Maker will participate in a panel discussion with Paula Sanderlin Dorosti, Director Visual Arts - District of Columbia Public Schools and Paul Richard, Art Critic - The Washington Post.

February 23, 2008
3:00 pm until 5:00 pm
Second Baptist Church of Washington
816 Third Street, NW / Washington, DC 20001

Fashion Credibilty

Who is Simone (aka Mariessa) anyway? Well Darling, quite simply, I am the self proclaimed DC Style Maven on a mission since 2003 to brand WDC as a world class fashion destination! I was born at the Columbia Hospital for Women in the 1970’s to two hard working DC public school teachers. My family of five stayed during the great PG County migration. Today, I am the Founding Partner of Simone’s Butterfly, a boutique trademark law firm specializing in protecting fashion goods and services for upstart designers and entrepreneurs. (simonesbutterfly.biz ) I have lived all over WDC from Hillcrest Heights to Capitol Hill; from Columbia Heights to Brookland. Presently, I live in Mt. Pleasant with my husband and my cat, Chaka Khan.

To say I love fashion does not really capture my zeal for the industry. I love what fashion represents. To me it is an ideal that allows you to be at your best and most creative. It is less about logo laden accessories and more about personal expression. Fashion is possible without any money and without any prospect money. In fact it is an attitude, a swagger that comes from within. “Tracy” (that effervescent fashion designer in Mahogany) displayed it as she stood in a Chicago welfare line. I believe that fashion is contagious. So, I entreat you to pass it on. Finally, DC has caught it. And I am pleased as punch!