In this town of scatterbrained workaholics, we are in dire need of sensations that clear our heads and reduce our existence down to a single, simple pleasure. Fortunately for me, the Dolcezza in Dupont Circle has two such options: iced cream and fine coffee. The beans are as bold as owner Robb Duncan’s decision to serve it two doors down from a Starbucks, yet highly advisable for gelato given the surrounding Italian restaurants, Tomate and Sette Osteria.  Not to mention the sweaty nature of a DC summer, the number of District fashionistas who spent time studying in Italy and how our citizens go hysterical for similar treats like cupcakes and frozen yogurt.

Dolcezza’s Valrhona Chocolate Amargo gelato (above), made with 70% dark chocolate, is like a frozen whipped ganache that resembles all the potential energy of a freshly made truffle (Valrhona is the same French chocolate used by Co Co Sala in Chinatown and routinely ranked as one of the world’s best). Cocoa aside, my favorite Dolcezza flavor is Blackberries & Cream and there are several others to choose from.  Customers are encouraged to try before they buy.

Continue reading “Vendor Profile: Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato” »

In April the nonprofit group Albus Cavus (latin for “White Cave“) began a public art project called Give Me a Vote to raise awareness on the lack of Congressional representation for the District.  To educate and inspire citizens on this issue with partner DC Vote, their artists are creating 100 gigantic hand sculptures that will be planted throughout the city. You might have seen some of these colorful palms outside Busboys & Poets on 14th Street or at the N Street festival earlier in August, where I caught DECOY with a blue & gold version. If you spot the hands and post any pictures to their Flickr group, leave us a note and a link in the comments.  We’d like to see them.

Continue reading “Pressing the Sculptural Flesh to Give Me a Vote” »

You might remember Suzanne from Honfest, I ran into her again at the Montgomery Agricultural County Fair.  On Saturday evening near the fried dough stand, I approached a cowgirl and said I was taking portraits of people in attendance.  Suzanne took one look at me and started laughing.  Yet it took me a minute to realize who she was.  The last time I saw her was inside the canopy tent at Honfest where girls were stuffing newspaper into their beehive and hairspray clouded the air.  It’s a small, small world.

Suzanne started a club for straight women and men to embrace their inner drag queen.  On the group’s Facebook page it reads, “What to do if you’re not a transvestite cabaret performer, but you still have the urge for drama and excitement? You don’t need to be a tranny! You need us!”  They have an ambitious schedule coming up that includes a rodeo, bingo, picnics, vineyards and a Juliette Lewis concert. Plus we may try to coordinate something for the Maryland Renaissance Festival (maybe on Pirate Weekend).
Photo Credits: Joshua Yospyn (please ask permission to use our images)

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Last night, Worn Magazine went behind the scenes at the Phillips After 5 for an exclusive presentation of Jason Wu’s Fall 2010 TSE cashmere collection. Inspired by the work of Robert Ryman, who’s Variations and Improvisations is currently on exhibit at the Phillips Collection, the flowing white fabrics and soft textures were reminiscent of the breathtaking inaugural gown Wu designed for First Lady Michelle Obama. Other elements of the collection included geometric cuts, thick brushstroke-like accents, and angled pockets referencing the bold sweeps of acrylic paint and collage details of Ryman’s paintings. Neiman Marcus prepared the models to be living works of art, while Dolcezza provided guests with a taste of their delicious gelatos. Check out the photos below for a peek inside the dressing room and an up close look at Wu’s designs.

Continue reading “Jason Wu’s Cashmere and the Crowd at Phillips After 5” »

Grant season is upon us and Nicole and I have each applied for the 2011 Artist Fellowship Program funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH).  As part of the process, DCCAH worked with The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery at Smith Farm Center to create “11 x 51,” an exhibition that opens Friday at 6pm and contains an example of numerous applicant’s work.  In my case, it’s a 36″ x 29″ box-framed c-print from the 2009 Renaissance Festival and Nicole created a 13″ X 19″ print of an image that will appear in the next hardcopy edition of Worn Magazine.  DCCAH says each artist’s work will “receive exposure from residents, art aficionados and the press” but I imagine it will also be evaluated by anonymous grant panelists.

Please join us for the opening if you can.   The Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery is located at 1632 U St NW and also has hours on Saturday 11 am – 3 pm.  This event contains an incredibly diverse range of work from some of DC’s best artists, so it should be quite the visual feast.

Photo Credit: Joshua Yospyn (please ask permission to use our images)

Did you enjoy reading this post?  Then please support Worn by purchasing our magazine.

While photographing the Sweet Charity fashion show I ran into a local celebrity, Kate Michael, otherwise known as K Street Kate.  Since her reign as Miss District of Columbia 2006, Kate’s been running an online magazine focused on the advent of DC culture, philanthropy, and style.  Then in early 2009, she took it to the next level by producing the The District Dish, a lifestyle talk show that’s the TV version of her blog.  I left Kate a voicemail Monday night to wrap up the interview but after visiting her Twitter, I realized she was at the Miss Black USA pageant.  (Note to self: check interviewee tweets more often).  I’m very grateful to Kate for her time and glad I was able to use these photographs of her.

As a former Miss District of Columbia, how is life different after your tenure compared to before?  Were there any radical changes (lifestyle, perspective, social life) or did things pretty much return to normal?  I’m curious about this because Jen Corey, who was Co Co Sala’s model for Sweet Charity this year and Miss DC 2009, recently passed on her title to Miss DC 2010 and I’m wondering what she’s going through.

It’s definitely hard to give up the crown!  There are so many new and wonderful experiences during a year as Miss District of Columbia. It’s hard to imagine what life will be like post pageant.

What I do day to day is very similar to what I did during my year of service.  Having started my online magazine in 2006, the year I was Miss District of Columbia, I have mirrored my professional career after my reign, having a lot of fun while showcasing all of the fabulosity this city has to offer.

Continue reading “The Fabulosity of K Street Kate” »

“I thought someone had taken a photo in progress,” says GAIA about seeing a picture on Flickr similar to the one below.  But it wasn’t an image documenting the early stages of his giant chicken and hands mural painting. In fact, the photo was taken much later when, as Lauren Gentile with Irvine Contemporary explains, a manager at Whole Foods responded to neighborhood complaints by painting over it.

“If you knew GAIA personally you would feel extra bad about the situation. I mean, the guy slept in that alley overnight to protect his ladder so nothing would stop him from completing the commission,” says Lauren. She also explains how the gallery has permission from Jim Abdo, who owns the block of buildings, to use the alley walls for art projects curated by Martin Irvine.  ”It’s just unfortunate that the Whole Foods manager wasn’t in the loop. He said he would watch for new work and know what to tell people [next time].”

Continue reading “Painting Over GAIA” »

On the north side of the Convention Center you may have noticed gigantic portraits covering all the windows.  Back in April we told you about the 51 Portraits of DC competition and this is their latest stop.  I was particularly impressed with the size and sharpness of Christylez Bacon (bottom left).  My iPhone doesn’t do justice for the real thing, so make sure to see them for yourself on N Street NW between 7th and 9th.

It’s just a slice of what’s available here, as the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) gears up for its Arts on N Street Festival with a kickoff meeting on Wednesday, August 4th to present the next phase of their “Windows into DC” program.  The event takes place 12:30pm at 760 N St. and make sure to RSVP to dadkinson@wcsa.com or call 202-249-3449.

If you can’t make the kickoff, the N Street Festival is occurring August 7-8 and 14-15 from 10am – 4pm each day.  Check out Google maps for an idea of the location. It’s free and will feature local artists, music, fashion and businesses.  View a list of participants on DCCAH’s blog.

Early Friday morning, hundreds of soon-to-be brides stormed through the doors of Filene’s Basement in Friendship Heights for the annual Running of the Brides. They camped out overnight (McDonald’s opened for them at 4 am) in hopes of snagging their dream dress at a super bargain price (gowns were marked down to $249-$699 from up to $10,000.) Worn Magazine was there to capture the dress mania as bride “teams” lined up before the big opening. Team members wore matching t-shirts, tiaras, face paint, and came armed with their own stand up mirrors, posters, whistles, and pictures of the bride and groom.

When the doors opened at 8am, hundreds of hungry shoppers stormed the store and stripped the racks bare in a matter of seconds. Women (and the occasional male helper) grabbed as many dresses as they could hold and fled to a corner of the store to try them on. Since the gowns weren’t organized in any particular order, those that weren’t lucky enough to grab their size soon ventured out from behind the racks to seek out women of similar sizes and corner their prey. Others walked around with signs describing the sort of dress and size they sought, ex. “Size 14, Mermaid Cut!” or “8-10 Rouching Ok!” While the cameras of local news stations rolled, moms and bridesmaids stripped the brides to their bras and spandex and pulled dress after dress over their heads. You knew that a bride had found the dress when you heard screams and applause in a far corner of the room, and everyone rushed to admire her and get their pick of the rejects.

I likened this experience to shooting sports, except instead of being on the sidelines, you’re on the field getting tackled by the linebackers. Just like in sports, there are winners and there are losers. Some find their dream dress in the perfect fit, while others watch helplessly as their friends struggle to zip them into a size 2. Depending on how you think of it, the struggle and chaos ultimately has a happy ending, because these women were all there for the same reason. . . they’re all getting married! The real question remains (the Middle Eastern croissant vendor outside said it best) who will marry them?

Continue reading “Who Will Marry Them?” »

Until Saturday, my limited knowledge of roller derby was primarily through the artistry of Cory Oberndorfer.  Plus for the past two years I’ve been working with a guy who serves as statistician for the Charm City Roller Girls (CCRG).  So I’ve been very conscious of roller derby in the Baltimore and DC area, yet I kept missing their bouts.  Well, no longer.  I’m hooked.

Last weekend the Mobtown Mods took on the Suburbia Roller Derby from New York, after which the CCRG All Stars skated against the Mile High Club from Colorado.  I obtained a press pass and the gig was on.  Half the images in our video below are just off the flat track, while others are from a makeshift portrait studio away from the action.

The CCRG have a very curious aesthetic, it’s a mixture of feminine toughness and comic book sex appeal.  These superheroes on roller skates also come up with their own pseudonyms, such as the “Duchess of Torque,” “Deathany” and my favorite, “Joy Collision” (in contrast to the Mile High Club, who uses their real last names).

We’re not a sports magazine but I can’t ignore the (often tattooed) style and skating artistry of these women.  Make sure to catch their next bout on August 21st between CCRG and the DC Roller Girls at Du Burns Arena in Baltimore.

Photo & Audio: Joshua Yospyn/Worn Magazine (please ask permission to use our images)
Video Production: Jason Colston

Did you enjoy reading this post?  Then please support Worn by purchasing our magazine.