If you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been super-busy prepping for our upcoming spring issue. Stay tuned for regular updates soon!

{In the meantime, some drool-worthy goodness from the upcoming spring collection of Prabal Gurung…}

We don’t get why anyone would line up at the crack of dawn for a Black Friday sale on new plasma TVs. But for discounted Marc Jacobs? We’re sooo there. Here’s a few of our favorite Black Friday fashion sales around town.

1. Barneys Co-op is slashing prices early — starting this Wednesday, Nov. 25 — so you can sleep off your turkey coma in peace. Expect to get 40 percent off men’s and women’s brands like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Vince, Rag & Bone and A.P.C. at the Georgetown and Chevy Chase outposts and online. (The Jayla pump, above, is currently marked down from $425 to $259. How low can it go?)

2. OK, night owls: Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, Va opens at midnight on Thanksgiving night, so you can fuel up on turkey ‘n mashed potatoes and then hit the sales at haute discount spots like Neiman Marcus Last Call, Nordstrom Rack, the Brooks Brothers Factory Store and more.

3. Over in Leesburg, the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets — home to discount outposts from brands like J. Crew, Barneys New York, Coach, Theory and Williams-Sonoma — is having its own midnight madness at 12am Friday. (Some stores will even open a couple hours earlier at 10pm Thanksgiving night, if you want to scoot over there after the football games and that second serving of pie.)

4. Brides-to-be will want to check out the Nicole Miller “white collection” sale at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria, starting Friday at 10 a.m. The designer’s collection of gorgeous wedding gowns will be discounted up to 70 percent — which means you can justify splurging on those Louboutins to walk the aisle.

5. All this week, vintage haven Remix in Capitol Hill is offering up to 50 percent off select items, like croc clutch purses and fur-trimmed coats. Because after stocking up on everyone else’s gifts, shouldn’t you snag a l’il something for yourself as well? —Betsy Lowther and Alison Peters

Gulper eels, electrons and other strangely beautiful scientific imagery obsesses Chicago designer Abigail Glaum-Lathbury. But that doesn’t mean that her sculptural skirts, cowl-necked dresses and what seem to be Victorian biker jackets belong in a fusty lab. They’re feminine, quirky and just a little bit avant garde, the sort of pieces 
as fit for a night of gallery-hopping as much as a well-dressed day in the office. “I think these things are beautiful,” says Glaum-Lathbury. “Nature’s solutions to things really influence my work.” See her fall collection of shapely skirts and waist-flattering coats, plus a preview of spring, during a trunk show Fri from 2-8 p.m. and Sat. from 12-7 p.m. at Proper Topper’s Dupont Store. Sign me up for one of the drapey-necked jackets, and oh, that terrific dress with the cantilevered, Frank Lloyd Wright-ish pleats down the back. —Jennifer Barger

We’ll be talking fashion — and taking questions about your style dilemmas — tomorrow at noon over here. (You can also head over there now to sign up for a reminder for when we start.)

Holiday partywear! Jewelry trends! What to give your Aunt Edna this year! No question is too insignificant. Plus, there will be beauty swag for a few lucky chatters. We look forward to seeing you then!

{Photo: Richard Avedon}

Whether or not you believe Michelle Obama is a fashion force to be reckoned with, there’s no denying she’s helped elevate several designers from industry darlings to veritable household names. Two of her most prominent dressmakers, Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu (she of the lemongrass inaugural day sheath, he of the white inauguration gown), were in town this month to showcase their latest looks.

First up was Isabel Toledo’s special showcase at the Swiss Residence (above), an exclusive cocktail fete where the Cuban-American designer teamed up with Swiss lace company Forster Rohner (who also crafted the effervescent yellowy-green material of Mrs. Obama’s iconic inaugural ensemble) for a collection of poufed party skirts, sculptural sheaths and metallic dresses. (Also of note: The gold cap-toed pumps, seemingly created by using a metallic marker on basic black shoes. DIYers, take note.)

Vogue’s Sally Singer was among those who crowded around the glass box (above) that served as a modified runway and had been handpainted by Isabel and her husband and creative partner, artist Ruben Toledo, the day before. A few days later, the team at Nordstrom — a sponsor of the event — sent around time-released snaps of the duo working on the elaborated hand-painted set from 9am until after midnight (see below). The finished stage was almost as amazing as the clothes — almost.

The D.C. fashion set (us included) barely had time to rest: The next night was Jason Wu’s turn in the spotlight with a trunk show of spring designs at Neiman Marcus Chevy Chase. The adorable (and adorably young, at just 26) designer shuttled down via Amtrak for the evening (swapping his traveling clothes for a crisp button-down and blazer in the fitting area that served as his “green room”) and amiably mingled with shoppers for several hours.

Neiman’s Chevy Chase now carries Wu exclusively for the area and loaded their second floor gathering space with his tailored, ladylike collection, which included dresses bedecked in contrasting stitching and bright floral patterns created from x-rays of botanical plants (below).

Like the Toledo event, there was no sign of Mrs. O — although we imagine that a pop-in by the first lady would’ve unfairly shifted the spotlight off of the designers and their amazing creations. There’s no rush: Given the excited reception both designers received, we doubt it’s their last time in D.C. anytime soon. —Betsy Lowther

The Tweed Ride phenomenon has been sweeping hip U.S. cities (Boston, San Fran, New York), so it was only a matter of time before D.C.’s style setters would organize one of our own. (Didn’t you hear? The 1890s are back!) More than 300 dandified bicyclists took a leisurely ride across the city on Sunday afternoon, ending up at 14th Street gathering spot Marvin for a proper afternoon garden party, with proceeds benefitting Arts for the Aging. We were there in our most dapper duds to snap the action and talk serious fashion (the mustache: making a comeback?). —Betsy Lowther

14th/U-area salon Immortal Beloved already lures the fash pack with its retro-cool updos and gritty-glam decor. During this week’s FotoWeek DC (Nov. 7-15), the space ups its chic cred even further with “Immortal Style: An Exhibition of Fashion Photography.” Beyond-the-usual-catwalk photos come from local artists including Malek Naz Freidouni and Violette Markelou; co-curator Adrian Loving will also present a video loop of haute shots at the opening bash Sun., Nov. 8 from 6-10 p.m., and Immortal Beloved stylists will demo hip new hair and makeup looks too. —Jennifer Barger

Sorry, menswear mavens: The blouse is officially back. We love the extra flourish of these two ultra-femme options: Alexander McQueen’s Dot Blouse with perfectly constructed sleeves (perfect for perking up a workday ensemble), and Oscar de la Renta’s rose ruffled blouse (especially great with the contrasting double-looped leather belt, as shown).

We took a little time off post-party (in case you hadn’t noticed). But we’re back this week with a vengeance, thanks to a crazy amount of fashion-y events all around D.C. Here’s what you cannot, should not and must not miss:

1. Cate Blanchett as Blanche DuBois. The majorly fashionable actress has taken on a majorly fashionable role at the Kennedy Center until Nov. 21. We picture her swanning around in mid-century dressing gowns and spiking her sodas with whiskey. After all, a shot never did a coke any harm…

2. Isabel Toledo is coming! The iconic designer (who we profiled back in our summer issue, when she gave FW the scoop on this week’s visit) is giving a special fashion presentation — her first in years! — at the Swiss residence on Wednesday, Nov. 4, alongside husband and creative partner Ruben (that’s them above). Don’t have a coveted ticket to the evening event? Ruben and Isabel are also making an appearance at Nordstrom Tysons Corner on Thurs., Nov. 5, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. RSVP to 703-761-1121.

3. And then (deep breath)… Jason Wu is coming! Michelle Obama’s other inaugural designer will be popping by Neiman Marcus Chevy Chase Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m. RSVP to 202-274-3911.

4. If bling’s more your thing, you can meet ‘n greet with jewelry designers David Yurman at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria on Thurs. 5-7 p.m. and/or Stephen Webster at Saks Fifth Avenue Tysons Galleria, also on Thurs. 5-7 p.m. We say, hit both!

5. Not done yet? Cap off your week at Simply Soles, celebrating its first anniversary Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at its Columbia Heights store. One guest will get a free pair of shoes. Free shoes? We’re so there. —Betsy Lowther and Alison Peters

FW’s first anniversary party was Monday night at Masa 14. We’d been planning it for months (…and months! The chats with Scott Schuman about bringing him down to D.C. started as early as this past spring, thanks to an introduction by mutual friend and Elle editor/former Washingtonian/our personal fashion hero Johanna Cox. Thanks, J! We owe you a glass of Veuve. Actually, more like a bottle.)

Once news of Scott’s amazing new book of his street-style shots, The Sartorialist, was announced, it seemed like perfect reason to celebrate. Could he come to D.C., please? Yep, he sure could — and right at the same time we were looking to celebrate FW’s birthday. A plan was hatched.

And D.C. did not disappoint. We knew the city was becoming increasingly stylish even before Mrs. Obama and her amazing Isabel Toledo pieces showed up, but it was never so clear as on Monday. There were Real Housewives! (Mary Amons and THE’s Linda Erkiletian.) There were our lovely Post colleagues! (Robin Givhan, along with Relish’s Nancy Pearlstein, was among the very first batch of guests to wish us a happy birthday.) There were fabulous bloggers! (K Street Kate, Project Beltway and Cap Hill Barbie — just to name a few. We’ll post links to all of your fab reports shortly!)

There were store owners/reps from every section of the District — Christopher from Muleh, Kassie from Simply Soles, Kevin from Carbon, Betsy from Betsy Fisher, Rachel from Alchimie Forever, Mauro from Farinelli’s (wearing fantastic knickers, it must be noted), Jen from Treat, Angela and Kim from Bellacara/Bloomers, plus our friends from Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany & Co… the list goes on and on. (Even the adorable Marty from Hu’s came — and, as he puts it, he NEVER goes to these things. Thanks for making an exception!) There were our special guests — Scott Schuman, of course, and the amazing Alexandra and Philippe Cousteau, who just happen to be the best-dressed eco leaders ever. And, of course, there were our fabulous readers — people from all parts of the city, from lobbyists to students to lawyers to local entrepreneurs. We were thrilled to be able to include so many at the party.

There was also a line that stretched down the block and around the corner of people waiting to meet Scott and have their books signed. He (and we, and his awesome assistant Tracy) stayed until nearly 1 a.m. (despite the late night, he had a great time!), and he cheerfully and graciously signed every last one. (The verrrry last one belonged to a very patient Lia, who we had the pleasure of chatting with at regular intervals, just to make sure it wasn’t too lonely at the end of the line. She’s a trooper.) We also played a lot of Kanye. (Fun fact: Scott LOVES Kanye, and brought out his own iPhone full of songs by party’s end.)

Of course, we couldn’t have done this alone. And so, a few very special thanks:

–To Masa 14, for hosting the shindig, being generally awesome and opening *just in time* for the party. And also for color-coordinating their silvery-red-black interior so it just happened to nicely match our Fall issue cover.

–To Emperor Vodka, who were lovely to work with and cheerfully joined me for 10am specialty drink tastings. Did you know that vodka mojitos could be so incredibly tasty? We finally had one (read: three) at the end of the night and it was perfect.

–To Heineken and Corcoran Vineyards, for keeping the non-vodka drinkers very happy

–To DJ Keenan, who spun tunes for a good chunk of the evening. The guy is amazing, cheerful, has fab taste in tunes and killer eyeglasses to boot.

–To Envirosax, who donated fabulously stylish reusuable shopping bags for our party swag. We wanted something chic and actually practical (down with plastic bags!), and they were happy to oblige. (Fact: We have toted approximately 10 big magazines in one of those things. They are beyond durable!)

–To all of YOU, for celebrating our birthday with us. See you next year!

Many party pics from Dakota Fine will be up soon {Update: Photos are up!} on our homepage … Stay tuned!