Fall 2016 Style Workshop at Lilith Paris, City Center DC

Last week we had the privilege of partnering with Lilith Paris at City Center DC for our Fall Style Workshop. We host at least one workshop per season and we were thrilled to work with a new retail partner this time around. Attendees enjoyed an intimate evening of sips, treats and the latest in fall style — plus some one-on-one personal shopping with the DC Style Factory team!

For the presentation portion of the evening, we featured models wearing  our favorite Lilith Paris pieces. Lilith Paris pushes the envelope with silhouette and pattern. There is a heavy dose of volume and drape in the its pieces, and I know from experience, this can confuse and perplex many a woman.  Before I agreed to take on this partnership, I had to believe in the clothing. I knew the  29-year-old reputation of Lilith, and I knew the loyalty of its customers. Lilith women are known to pull out and wear their beloved Lilith pieces that are a decade old or more.

But, I had to know that the pieces could work for the DC woman. I had to be able to show women that the pieces could easily be worn in their daily lives at the office, out for drinks, with their families. I had to see that the craftsmanship, quality and style was worth the investment.  I was not disappointed.

To get folks who may not know Lilith Paris to understand it, I likened it to a brand everyone is familiar with: It is Eileen Fisher with an edgier,eclectic European aesthetic. Sizing goes up to a 16-18.

During our presentation, we demonstrated how to  wear the pieces for work and off-duty. The Lilith pieces push the envelope, but they aren’t fly-by-night trendy. You’ll see a tailored blazer that looks very classic from the front, but has a gorgeous curved back hem modeled after a riding jacket. You’ll see  a vest with asymmetrical buttons. You’ll see skinny pants with textured, unusual fabric and tonal details that make it more than just an ordinary pair of black pants (our clients dubbed the pants at Lilith “miracle pants!”). What you won’t see are trends that come and go quickly like the wedge sneaker or shredded tees or crop tops.

We showcased the pant suit (and we are not talking your old Ann Taylor pant suit here), cropped wide-leg pants (hello again, gaucho/culottes), the dress jumper (oh yes, ’90s, we know you are back), layering turtlenecks under dresses, menswear-inspired pieces (the vest was one of the most popular pieces of the evening), the statement choker (by local jewelry designer Denisa Piatti), and the cape.

The beauty of highlighting these trends with Lilith pieces is that the brand’s way of accessing what is current does not go out of style. For example, the Lilith jumper is not in a denim or an a-line silhouette that can easily feel junior. It is in a stiff raw silk-like fabric that has a ladylike fit-and-flare silhouette.

As with every DC Style Factory workshop, we love not only working with retailers we know our clients will love, but also featuring models that are local entrepreneurs, creators, designers and entrepreneurs. This time we were so thrilled to have jewelry designer Ruth Barzel and custom designers Betsy Garcete of Zophia helping us out!

It was a wonderful evening filled with amazing women. My favorite part of the evening is looking around and seeing what I have come to appreciate about the DC Style Factory woman — we are such an amazingly diverse group!  We are 20-something and still finding our way in our careers and life. We are 40-something boss ladies. We are 30-something and moving up at our law firms. We are creatives. We are entrepreneurs. We are stay-at-home moms. We are fashionistas. We are NOT fashionistas.  We are size 2. We are size 18. We are petite. We are tall. The common thread? We all know the power of dressing.

We hope you’ll join us at our next workshop!

Photography by  Emma McAlary.