Tysons and Northern Virginia Magazine Fashion Show

There are malls and then there are malls.  Tysons in Northern Virginia is a for real mall. Growing up, Tysons was it.  It has a million stores and restaurants. Mostly notably in the 90's I was majorly into Rainforest Cafe and Limited Too. But even now, with a future metro stop, it's really convenient and I love the team that runs their media. Very responsive and sweet. I will bypass all malls for the Mother Ship when I don't opt for online shopping. This weekend I attended the 2013 Tysons and Northern Virginia Magazine fashion show with emcee Ms. Maryland and styling by Styleauteur. 

I caught up with Lauren Anne of DC Girl in Pearls front row to watch looks from C. Wonder, Anne Taylor, Gucci, Levis and more. See the shot below, first two girlies from the left of the frame? That's us. We both definitely lusted over a navy blue and gold skirt and enjoyed people watching. Check out these gems from Tysons Instagram: 

Themes for Fall 2013 from Tysons: 

• Merlot: This color is going to be here in a big way. Since Northern VA is wine country, I'm loving this trend. It's colorful...but you can pull it off with a variety of neutrals: Grey, black, cream and nude.
• Leather accents: Leather panels and patches within pieces are huge. For those who aren't ready to accept full on leather jackets or pants (That would be me), this is a nice way to add a current trend into a structured outfit.
• Animal prints: Yep, you're going to be seeing more leopard and especially dalmatian. You know I love leopard (see the shoes?), but dalmatian is drawing me in since I love black and white. 
• Highly tailored & skinny cuts:  I'm not talking spandex here, but from jeans to jackets, tweed pants to sweaters, everything is fitted to the body. This is the time to save some money (and the environment), by taking your current wardrobe to a fabulous tailor to redo the fits. I have a few things that need this sort of love as soon as I find a good tailor!

You all know I'm not a 'fashion blogger'. I love books about styling, putting together outfits, and shopping....but I'm by no means trendy, latest and greatest seeking. I fit so much more into the 'lifestyle' category. So needless to say, picking an outfit for front row was a little tedious. I went for what I know: classic with one or two bright or patterned pieces: This black sweater dress from J.Crew, low leopard heels, my kelly green Kate Spade and the best part? This vintage leopard shoulder pin that drapes and fastens on each side. I looove him... credit to the husband for that find. I had a mom and little girl stop me in the mall to look at my 'shoulder tiger'. I told them not to worry, it was domesticated

 Great job District Fete, Styleauteur  (Congrats on the book! I got one at the event, but you can get one in October and have it signed at C.Wonder at this event), and of course Tysons.