Super Fun Party Time

Oh my goodness, dear readers. The Goodwill and tu-anh holiday trunk show – held at the art studio of Dana Ayanna Greaves’ Artistic AYA – was a smashing success!

But what exactly is a trunk show? According to Wikipedia (you know, the source of all that is good and true…ha) a trunk show is, “a special sale in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or select customers at a retail location or another unique venue. In many cases it allows store personnel to preview and/or purchase merchandise before it is made available to the public. It is a particularly desirable to have the actual designer present at the event.” Hmmm…okay. I’ll buy that.

You see, a trunk show is an exclusive preview of the best merchandise, usually hosted by the designer him or herself, or a high-ranking representative of their company present to help the customers shop. It’s an intimate gathering designed to make the shopping process enjoyable and stress free. And it usually works. I’ve yet to attend a trunk show where I don’t purchase at least a little bauble or other low-priced merchandise.

How do you find out about these great events? There are several ways. Department stores are the most prolific source of trunk shows. Nearly every department store’s website has an events page that’s searchable by location. From Nordstrom to Neiman’s, trunk shows abound, especially during the holidays. And if department stores aren’t your bag (so to speak), check out sites like DailyCandy to get updates from boutiques and other venues sent straight to your inbox.

As for our event, it was totally fun and lots of great dresses were purchased in support of Goodwill’s mission. Additionally, tu-anh’s clutches were a big hit, as were Dana‘s necklaces, one example of which is seen above. I’d like to thank give a special thanks to Dana for generously donating her space for the evening. And a big thank you to tu-anh (far left, in the picture to the right), her employee Jamir (far right) and my intern Courtney (middle) all of whom are wearing fabulous outfits from Goodwill! Can you guess which one is me? And a special thanks to Roger Chin, for capturing the whole event in pictures.

Oh! And I almost forgot: be sure to check out Washingtonian.com’s After Hours Blog for more great pics. Thanks, Whitney!