Last week, we gathered at Virginia’s Darling and toasted ten years of Alexandria Stylebook. Thank you to everyone who made it out on a rainy, windy (but warm) night to help us celebrate! And also for sticking to our theme of black and white with a pop of fuchsia - wow, you not only showed up - you shined. 

For those who don’t know me, I’m Rainbow Kirby, the managing editor of Alexandria Stylebook and have only been on this journey for six months. What makes this role so amazing is the common thread of entrepreneurship and community, of business and collaboration amongst our contributors, partners and readers. When we band together, we move mountains. Alexandria is our home, and we’re vested not only professionally, but personally. We want to see everyone succeed. 

When I was asked what event production company put our party together, I laughed. We didn’t have one, but actually we did. We’re lucky to have Rachel Gang of Helen Olivia Floral, one of our board members, at the helm. Her vision and attention to detail made everything vibrant and full of life. From the overall aesthetic to her beautiful display of flowers to the linens to the lighting, the vibe was warm and welcoming as soon as our guests stepped through the entrance.

We’re also incredibly grateful to our sponsors who helped make the celebration possible: The Patterson Group/Sotheby’s and our own Britt, Phyllis, and Margaret, DC Rental, DJ Theo of Electric Events, and Snap Entertainment who provided our photo booth. The booth was not approached until an hour into the party– cocktails help! And Renee of Renee Gage Photography, the woman behind the lens who produced our Street Style Gallery, which we proudly displayed on the walls, with many of the participants in attendance.

Other special features were our fashion sketch artist from Carbone Entertainment, an amazing spread from Mae’s Market and cocktails by Virginia’s Darling, and gift baskets from so many generous partners. 

To share the history, I handed the mic to Britt Patterson who acknowledged Elizabeth Todd, our biggest contributor and Stylebook’s founder. Elizabeth’s businesses include The Shoe Hive (which recently celebrated 20 years!), The Hive and men’s clothing store, Yellow Jacket. Elizabeth is sharp, funny and real. She shared that she and Angela Sitilides came up with the idea for Stylebook over a few cocktails…isn’t that when many of our best ideas spark? They were thinking something along the lines of Daily Candy…and they made it happen with the support of fellow local female entrepreneurs. Injected with local expertise, insights, and a conversational tone, Stylebook brought not only business owners together, but readers and followers looking to support and shop local. And the pandemic only brought everyone closer together. 

The heartbeat of Stylebook is our Contributors. They are the voices, faces and individuals sharing their expertise and their passion. I have never met a more kickass bunch of women and men. The common tie is the vast majority left a corporate career and went out on their own to pursue entrepreneurship. They wore fuschia flowers on their lapels, bags, and later in the evening…in their hair. 

They are: Rachel Gang of Helen Olivia Floral, Britt Patterson, Phyllis Patterson and Margaret O’Meara of The Patterson Group, Katelin Moomau of Family First Law, Adrien Cotton of Adrien Cotton Wellness, Amy Rutherford of Red Barn Mercantile, Penny Post and Pippin Toy Co., Danielle Romanetti of fibre space, Amanda Mertins of Patina Polished Living, Maria Elizabeth of Salon deZEN, Elizabeth Mandros of Mystique Jewelers, Lauren Sadlon of NEAT Method, Joanna Szczerban of Boxwood, Shara Posner of Back 2 Health, Kara Hill of Marks-Woods Construction, Celthia Corsino of Bellacara, Ali Hellmuth of ALH Style, Megan Podolsky and Katie Coslov of Mint Condition and 529 Kids Consign, Maura Murchette of Monday’s Child, Alicia McCaslin of Tullebox and Nicole Jones of Modest Bread which includes the space everyone was standing in: Mae’s Market & Cafe and Virginia’s Darling!

And a special shout out to our newest contributors: Kristin Try of Kristin Try Interiors, Kristen Mahoney and Katelin Buchanan of Women’s Therapy & Wellness and Alexandra Alvarez de Toledo of American in Paris. To the many other businesses and partners who have contributed to Stylebook over the past 10 years, thank you, we wouldn’t be here without you!

It was an amazing evening and so much fun to see all the love shared on social the next day. After sharing these pictures below – I’m sure there will be many more posts  to come! We expect nothing less from our local influencers and friends: Nancy Bhasin @basicbalance, Dani Sauter, Blonde in The District, Lauren Schab @thecattspjs, Dr. Stephanie Parkes and Pamela Wurst Ventrini. If you’re not following them – get on it!

And here’s what you’ve all been waiting for: The Photo Gallery. All of these photos were captured by DC photographer, Mauricio Cordeiro. There’s literally so many amazing photos, we’ll need a few followup posts – but this is the first:

This also makes me think we need to have more parties – let’s do it!!