The Corcoran’s 1869 Society hosted their annual Fall Fete last night. Saw a few people from my usual hard-core arty crowd (always fun) and a few people I did not expect to run into (also fun!). But what was really cool: several hundred people who were completely new to me. Not that I know THAT many people around town, but at an arty event, I expect to know more than a handful. This is a very good thing! I am always happy when art draws folks who might not normally spend much time with it.

In the picture above, my new good buddy Angela Valdez on the left, a great writer for the City Paper who moved to DC earlier this year and made her mark with a polarizing article about Late Night Shots. Don’t know what that is? You’re probably better off. Cute Ellen on the right played my arm candy for the night. I have to call her that because (1) she is very cute, and (2) she is one of four Ellens that I know. Over my right shoulder is a girl named Johanna whose funny fashion blog I read daily. When I first saw her there, I was irrationally anxious that I might end up on her list of DC fashion faux pas. But I also eagerly yearned for her to notice that I was wearing a flattering and unusual Vivienne Westwood frock – wish I’d gotten a full-length picture of this gorgeous dress with my sexy, strappy, spiky gold shoes.

Becky Jones and Anne Surak from Project 4 Gallery wearing exquisite vintage dresses, with art collector extraordinaire and all-around good guy Henry Thaggert in a smashing tuxedo coat.

Lauren Gentile, art director at Irvine Contemporary and a member of the 1869 Society’s steering committee.