Moving to a new city often comes with an unspoken challenge: knowing you want community, but not knowing where to begin looking for it. For two years, Old Town Girlies has been answering that silent call for women across Alexandria. What began as a modest Monday night wine gathering hosted by co-founders Hannah Beth Sprouse and Meaghan Pawelczyk has grown into a vibrant, city-wide movement — connecting thousands of women, sparking genuine friendships, and transforming a transient town into a home.

There is a moment in every session when a child stops noticing everything else around them and looks right into my lens. Their sweet face softens, they open up, and suddenly it is as if I can see the whole world through their eyes. Capturing that moment always brings me so much joy, and takes on a whole new meaning when it is the beginning of an oil portrait project.

I love seeing Boxwood after hours. The shop takes on a completely different feeling when the doors are closed, the glasses are poured, and everyone is gathered around the table creating something. This October we have three very different creative evenings planned. Jewelry, flowers, and needlepoint are all on the calendar, taught by three incredibly talented local women we are so excited to welcome to the shop.

The Veronica Beard trunk show is always our biggest event of the year, and I have a feeling this year’s affair will be no different. They really have gone back to their roots with great suits and separates. I asked our resident model, Jen, to help out and called in another familiar face—and another Courtney—to help us out.

Almost everyone who has tried neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau) knows someone who came out feeling “heavy.” The brows sit lower, the eyes feel tired, and the forehead seems to weigh more than before. It’s one of the most common concerns I hear, and even experienced injectors see it. What matters is understanding who’s more likely to experience it and planning around that.

There’s something about fall that makes us want to reset. We reorganize our closets, refresh our routines, and start thinking about the year ahead. But while you’re swapping iced coffees for pumpkin spice lattes, there’s one thing that deserves a seasonal refresh, too: your business finances.

The story of Carlough & Co. began long before we officially opened our doors. My sister-in-law and business partner, Deirdre, and I first met in New York City while earning our master’s degrees at the Fashion Institute of Technology and working in the beauty industry. We quickly became close friends, bonding over a shared passion for art, design, beauty, and travel.

 When I am at market, I always ask my reps, “What is on your personal order?” I figure that is the best way to figure out what will be the popular items of the season. I mean, if the people who work there want it, then it must be good. Nobody knows a collection like the people that see it day in and day out. I thought I would share what my personal order would be for Veronica Beard if money were no object.