The blog is A Lacey Perspective.  The goal? To make DC a more fashionable place.  The woman behind it all is Lacey Maffettone.  Taking a line out of Lacey's playbook: “If this blog is not on your must-read list, go ahead and add it to your Google Reader now… All set? Good.” Now the fun can begin.

A Lacey Perspective was created in June 2010. She or the world of Beltway fashion bloggers could never have predicted what happened in the months to follow.  After building her personal Google Reader with local “Fashingtonians”, Lacey reached out to the author of So Much to Smile About, Liz Fassbender. “Liz seemed to really have her finger on the pulse of online fashion media in DC,” Maffettone said, “So I messaged her to ask if she was aware of a fashion blogger listserv.” The response? No...But let's do it! One Google Group and a handful of blogger friends later Capital Area Fashion and Beauty Bloggers (CapFABB) was born.

What began as a dialogue for members to share their creative thoughts turned into a full-blown 400 plus member network...In just one year!  All the members strive to put emphasis on local DC boutiques, spas and venues; not only so that the DC love will spread to readers, but to show Washington DC that fashion and style is out there—and it's being provided by local businesses.  It's also important to note that these hundreds of bloggers are not (totally) spending their days Carrie Bradshaw style.  They have full-time jobs and professional lives like all of us in this crazy city.  From Capitol Hill to K Street, CapFABB members are spending their energies building exciting, successful careers.

CapFABB has also become a place for bloggers not only to connect but also to collaborate with. Business ventures have been created, partnerships have formed among stylists, and photographers have paired with their favorite bloggers.  From the New York Times to the Washingtonian, Lacey and CapFABB are certainly making their mark as influential voices in the DC area, inspiring all of us to get in touch with our inner fashionista.

It's amazing what just two women, a tweet, and some serious initiative can accomplish. We're proud to call Lacey a Ladies DC member and are thrilled about the opportunities CapFABB will continue to open for its bloggers.  After everything that these ladies have accomplished in 2011, it seems hard to believe 2012 will hold any boundaries.

Follow CapFABB on Twitter and Facebook

Check out A Lacey Perspective on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr

Love means a lot of things for a lot of different people. And one day every year we all come together to celebrate it in our own ways. Whether it's a romantic evening with your special someone or a “Mix me a Double, I'm Single” party with girlfriends, make sure that tonight you take time to appreciate and love the most important person out there. YOU.

Driven, professional women are always pegged as never putting themselves first. Not self-promoting enough, not giving themselves enough credit. Not appreciating everything they have to offer in a competitive, polarizing world like Washington, DC. I guarantee any woman reading this has gone through similar emotions post-real world entry. And yes, we need to come together and support one another, be women who help women, but before any of that can happen we must learn to love ourselves first.

To provide a little inspiration and assistance, here are a few things you can do to treat yourself this Valentine’s Day:

• Get your health and spa on, who doesn’t love a good massage!?
• Try out that new yoga class down the street, or go on that run you’ve been postponing…It’s always worth it in the end!
• Enjoy some champagne and spirits with friends
• Start a journal and write write write!  Get it all down and out of your system.  Maybe jump on the Ladies DC train and start a blog?  
• Call your parents and friends you miss back home, nothing replaces the feeling of connectivity more than talking with family
• Sport the bright red lips. You know you want to. 
• Wear a green mask—in front of everyone if you want
• Get dirty…with paint! Express yourself with the arts.  Whether it’s a song or a canvas—create!
• Volunteer.  There are fewer things in this world that will make you feel better.  There’s nothing like the selfish goodness that comes from helping others.
• Just lay!  Do nothing and do it for yourself 

So, as you explore the city tonight or choose to stay in, remember that you are your own woman of the week. Have a pink specialty cocktail or a chocolate truffle (or 1 or 2 or 3) and love on the goals you've reached, boundaries you pushed and professional advancements you continue to make. After all, you deserve it.

Happy Valentine's Day, Ladies DC!

This blog is designed to showcase young professionals who truly embody what it means for women to help women.  We at Ladies DC look forward to watching this blog take shape, while simultaneously creating context  for the female empowerment dialogue. 

“MUFFIN!”

Is the first thing you'll hear when you run across Katie LaRoche.  Katie, all five feet of her, is the definition of exuberance. We're talking sincere, salt-of-the-earth joy.  And behind that joy is unprecedented determination. 

Katie's life was changed dramatically after she studied abroad at Michigan State University.  What she saw overseas was a world she never knew could exist in the 21st century:  Destitution, slavery, an abuse of women far beyond the imagination.  So Katie did what she does best.  She got to work.  She got involved with the Michigan Partners of the Americas to begin raising awareness of human trafficking, a serious issue not just overseas, but within US boarders.  Next came the founding of One World, One Future, a non-profit established by Katie, and run by a group of ambitious and talented women determined to combat unjustified slavery.  One World, One Future is working with the organization Maiti Nepal to build shelters that will rescue approximately 250 girls annually from being sold into slavery.  After much awareness, and two very successful fundraisers, this non-profit is well on its way to helping deflate the over $32 billion-a-year industry. 

All the while Katie was lending her talents to another, perhaps much different non-profit:  The Miss America Organization.  Unbeknonst to many, this organization is the leading provider of scholarship money for women across the country; awarding over $45 million dollars to young women, ages 17-24, each year.  Katie had the honor of serving as Miss Michigan 2010 where her state-wide adventures led to incredible opportunities to take her campaign and non-profit to a national stage.  After her year of service ended in June, Katie, at the ripe age of 24, embarked on a 12 month journey traveling across the world to raise awareness for human trafficking.  It's been four months and Katie has visited and spoken to classrooms, businesses, organizations, and media outlets from Jordan to El Salvador.  As a friend and colleague I can say with complete certainty this young woman is well on her way to achieving her goal of being an influential voice in international policy.  Whether it's Columbia or Costa Rica, I have no doubt Katie is finding many new “Muffins” with every person she meets and life she touches. 

You can follow Katie's travels on Facebook and Twitter. 

Want to learn about how you can stop human trafficking?  Visit Maiti Nepal to help put an end to gender violence.

Who is your “Woman of the Week?”  Please submit bios here. 

This week, we all celebrated (in our own unique ways) the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr.  

It was just a few months ago that a monument dedicated to MLK was finally unveiled here in Washington, D.C., making this year's celebration even more special.  In reflecting on MLK's life and what it could mean specifically to young, professional women here and across the country, reminders of MLK's core messages continually revealed themselves.

The one timeless message that truly stands out as it relates to the work of Ladies DC and Ladies America is the importance of civil duty and service.

While the members of Ladies DC and Ladies America are determined, ambitious young women, we also believe in the gift of service.  There is a distinction, however, to be made:  that our network of women is not simply a "volunteer organization" or a great place for event organizers to "find cheery female do-gooders."  Rather, we are young, professional women who want to give back.  We give back as a reflection of what we ourselves have received.  We give back to our communities, our families, our friends, our country and more because it is a moral obligation in many ways, an illustration of a civil society, but also because it feels good.

So yes, giving back is a responsibility of every individual, no matter a person's position, influence or financial wealth, but it goes even deeper than that.  As Johnnetta B. Cole once said, "The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are."  

Here is an example: have you ever just written a check or made an online donation to a charity with the simple swipe of a pen or keyboard?  In hindsight, it is almost as though it never happened.  BUT, when we give of ourselves to others, sit and share through mentorship or by serving with our own two hands in a soup kitchen, the true miracle of giving and receiving comes alive.

This is one great lesson Martin Luther King, Jr. left us.  And at a time when women are emerging as political leaders, corporate executives, CEOs, business owners, professors and the like, we find giving of ourselves is inching us forward in the climb towards gender parity and balanced systems of leadership and influence. 

These are ideals manifested within the chapters of Ladies America.  We give of ourselves - to one another - creating a united, strengthened group of women moving ahead together step-by-step.  This is our service to one another and our contribution to world as a whole.