Fall '13 District Sample Sale Brings 'Fashion For A Cause' To Sphinx Club

NORTHWEST -- The city's K Street power corridor was temporarily supplanted by philanthropy and fashion on Tuesday evening, as the fall 2013 installment of the District Sample Sale took over the halls of the Franklin Square Sphinx Club.

Billed as "the season's most fashionable charitable event", the packed celebration saw hundreds of the city's most stylish turn out for the chance to save up to 90% on various end-of-season clothing, shoe, and accessory deals.

With more than 25 of the District's top boutiques participating, competition was playfully fierce among shoppers to score coveted sizes and colors quickly given the amazing liquidation level pricing. Indeed, the savvy VIP ticketholders in attendance were more than happy to pay a small premium for admission in order to gain early access to the sale.

For each event, organizers select a primary beneficiary nonprofit with D.C.-based N Street Village serving as last night's deserving recipient. The more than 40-year-old community empowers homeless and low-income women to achieve a higher quality of life through a broad spectrum of support services and advocacy, coupled with an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Since the District Sample Sale was first founded in 2006, it has raised more than $300,000 for local women’s and children’s causes around the region. Past beneficiaries have included the Sitar Arts Center and the E.L. Haynes public charter school, among others.

In addition to ticket sales, funds that are to-be-donated are raised through a lavish silent auction, which boasted everything from gift cards to tasting menus to sports memorabilia and beyond. A raffle further upped the charitable ante, with a dapper army of men enlisted to encourage attendees to participate.

Beyond shopping, each ticket ensured purchasers access to a variety of premium services, including free hair styling from PR at Partners, eyebrow shaping from Shobha, and beauty makeovers from Nectar Skin Bar.

Helping fuel such stylish fun were over a dozen of Washington's top-rated restaurants and bars, including bites and beverages from P.J. Clarke's, Lebanese Taverna, Del Frisco's Grille, and the recently opened Federal Lounge.

Representatives from online fashion advice website Dress Your Guests also stood at the ready to connect shoppers with their community of stylists. And one lucky attendee even walked away with a free $500 gift certificate redeemable at any DSS boutique courtesy of the New York-based company.

Clearly, looking good and feeling good pair nicely with one another.