Fashion Group International's D.C. Chapter Makes Itself At Home At Casa Luca For Inaugural 'Rising Star' Awards

All photographs by Marcus Bennett for REVAMP.com.

NORTHWEST -- Questions over what exactly Washingtonians were wearing on Tuesday night happily swirled alongside those gauging how they were wearing it, as the D.C. chapter of Fashion Group International gathered for its first 'Rising Star' award ceremony.

Held inside the warmly decorated walls of Fabio and Maria Trabocchi's Casa Luca eatery, the celebration served to highlight some of the District's emerging creative talent.

NBC4 anchor Eun Yang served as the evening's emcee, where some 120 of Washington's most fashionable came together to toast the honorees during the sold out event.

Fashion Group International's founding New York City chapter has celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of the fashion industry's leading luminaries for more than 30 years already, during its much looked forward to 'Night of Stars' ceremony.

Over the years, awards have been doled out to everyone from Marc Jacobs to Tom Ford to Oscar de la Renta to Dianne Von Furstenberg.

Building upon such a sartorial spotlight about 17 years ago, the Group similarly created the 'Rising Star' awards to help identify emerging talent. Rent the Runway's Jennifer Fleiss and Jennifer Hyman and designer Joseph Altuzzara were so honored by FGI before they permeated the fashion zeitgeist.

Last night's awards were presented by a variety of local industry leaders, including Kate Bennett, Fashion Editor of Washingtonian, Theo Adamstein, Founder of FotoWeek DC, Sharon Jaffe Dan, Editor-in-Chief of Home & Design Magazine, Carl Ray, Make Up Artist to First Lady Michelle Obama, award-winning jewelry designer Sylvia Gottwald, Katie Bianco, Associate Editor of DC Magazine, Lynda Erkeletian, Founder of T.H.E. Artist Agency, and author/stylist Lauren Rothman.

A complete list of this year's nominees and winners (W) is as follows:

Rising Stars Category: Accessories
Camille Gabriele, Camille Gabriele (W)
Georgina Agyekum, Solsak
Jayne Orthwein, Anna Handbags, LLC

Rising Stars Category: Beauty
JoElle Lee, JoElle Skin Care (W)
Souny West, W Salon
Kitiya King, Mischo Beauty

Rising Stars Category: Interior Design
Scott Cooke, Scott Cooke Designs
Jeff Akseizer, Akseizer Design Group
William McGovern, McGovern Design Studio (W)

Rising Stars Category: Jewelry
Jenny Schretter, KOLTON.J
Sophie Blake, Sophie Blake NY (W)
Cameron St. Clair, Saint Clair Jewelry

Rising Stars Category: New Media
All Things Fashion DC (W)
Nicole Aguirre, Worn Magazine
Daniel Swartz, Revamp: What Are You Wearing?

Rising Stars Category: Menswear
Pranov Vora & Philip Soriano, Hugh & Crye (W)
Read Wall, READ WALL
Paul Trible & Paul Watson, Ledbury

Rising Stars Category: Photography
Naiffer Romero, Naiffer Photography
Kate Warren, GoShootKate
Violetta Markelou, VM Photography (W)

Rising Stars Category: Stylist
Stara Pezeshkian, Stara Glam
Robin Fisher, Polished Image & Style
Ariella Toloza, Ariella Faith (W)

Rising Stars Category: Womenswear
Kendra McCullough, Kendra McCullough
Marti Horowitz, MARTI
Tashia Senn, Tashia Senn (W)