In Washington, D.C., the residents tend to crave power more than fame or money—their clothes in a psychological sense have come to resemble the defense industry. It’s overprotective office wear. Intelligence is power in D.C., so D.C. fashion statements tend to be deliberately boring. A Brooks Brothers suit says absolutely nothing. It’s completely content free… D.C. fashion statements read like document released under FOIA; they betray no relevant or interesting information whatsoever. The D.C. fashion statement is redacted.
Cintra Wilson, just killing my hometown on Studio360. It’s pretty undeniable that “official D.C.” doesn’t tolerate difference well, that the unstated dress code is don’t stand out. But I’d say that outside the traditional corridors of power, in the neighborhoods and nightclubs, D.C. holds its own, stylewise, with any other city of similar size. We have a pretty nice monolith here, but D.C. style is not monolithic.