Last week, I wrote about the fashion and celebrity scene in D.C. during inauguration week. The festivites kicked off on Sunday with brunches, parties, and the California State Society Presidential Inaugural Luncheon and Fashion Show. The show was co-sponsored by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California, and hosted by FIDM instructor and Project Runway season two contestant Nick Verreos. The fashion show featured his collection of inaugural gowns, inspired by First Ladies ranging from Martha Washington to new First Lady Michelle Obama.

Nick Verreos and models

I wrote about Nick’s take on Michelle Obama’s style (he loves it), but what does he think about D.C. fashion in general?

“Everywhere I’ve been I’ve seen lots of fashionable ladies, so I don’t know why people say Washington, D.C., isn’t fashionable,” he told me, adding, “overall, some of the best dressed women I’ve seen.” He also said that he thinks Michelle Obama will put D.C. fashion “into the limelight.”

Whether or not you like Michelle Obama and her fashion choices, Nick explained why her interest in fashion is important for all fashionistas and women in general. “It’s refreshing to see a woman who is not afraid to be fashionable in the White House and not to think that power can be taken away from you because of that,” he said. “I think, in fact, it can make you more powerful.”

And any girl who’s ever worn a killer pair of heels or fabulous dress would likely agree.