Faces of Fashion: Spotlight on DMV Style Icons and Influencers

Welcome to Lola's World of Fashion, where we celebrate the diverse and dynamic personalities shaping the DMV. (Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia) fashion scene. In this special feature, we shine a spotlight on the movers and shakers who are making waves with their unique styles, creative visions, and contributions to the industry. Join us as we explore the stories behind some of the region's most inspiring fashion icons and influencers.

A BLACK SWAN MOMENT

Lola Tamar, then reigning as Ms. Black Bowie of Miss Black Maryland USA 2024 and Executive Board Member of DC Fashion Week, wears The Black Swan, a couture creation by contemporary designer Elizabeth Diamant, at the DC Fashion Week Renaissance Themed Networking Party at St. Yves in Washington, D.C. She’s pictured between FOX 5 DC’s Digital Journalist Guy Lambert and DC Fashion Week CEO Ean Williams.

BEHIND THE LOOKS: INDIE FASHION WEEK

The runway may be the final picture, but the work begins long before the lights come up. At Indie Fashion Week, Lola Tamar worked backstage as a Wardrobe Styling Assistant for international designer Elizabeth Diamant and CEO of Runway 2 Success mentorship program, helping bring the collection from garment rack to runway.

The evening also brought an opportunity to work alongside Harley Morgan, affectionately known as “The Legendary H&M,” CEO and Fashion Show Creative Director of ROI: The Agency, LLC, the Washington, D.C.-area model, talent, and marketing agency and the creative force behind Indie Fashion Week. His graphic black-and-white shirt, finished with a pair of red shoes, brought a playful punctuation to the evening.

Between wardrobe changes and runway preparations, Lola reconnected with fellow pageant sister and fashionista  Kamrin Brown George, Mrs. Maryland Petite USA 2025, wearing her crown, and Benjamin “Benjie” Coy of Cocktails & Culture Podcast, keeping it classic in all black.

Nearby, EthniCITY Brand CEO and Creative Director Desmond J. Handon, characteristically cool behind dark shades, gathered with models fresh from the runway—a candid glimpse of the designers, stylists, creatives, and personalities giving Indie Fashion Week its energy.

BEHIND THE LENS × BRUCE TOOK IT

A moment behind the lens with celebrity photographer Bruce Took It, whose work has captured the energy of fashion, entertainment, and culture. Inside the origins of his basement studio, Lola Tamar found another side of the creative process. Where images are shaped, stories are captured, and the people behind the camera become part of the story themselves. For Lola, the experience offered another opportunity to connect with the creative minds documenting the people and moments that shape the industry; because sometimes the story is just as much about who is holding the camera as who is in the frame.

FROM BOWIE STATE TO THE DESIGN TABLE × INDIA SHELTON

Some connections begin long before the fashion world brings them full circle. Lola Tamar and longtime classmate India "Bella" Shelton, designer and founder of The Belly Brand, are both proud Bulldogs of the illustrious Bowie State University. An alma mater that continues to connect their creative journeys.

Before turning her focus fully toward fashion design, India graced the runway as a model with Models Inc. Today, she channels that experience into creating couture pieces of her own, while sharing the craft through The Belly Academy, where she teaches aspiring creatives the art of sewing. Her designs have also found their way onto celebrity red carpets and editorial moments, including a custom creation worn by hip-hop artist GloRilla for the GQ Magazine Awards.

India even brought her craftsmanship to Lola's Bridgerton-inspired birthday celebration, arriving in one of her own custom Belly Brand creations. A fitting reminder that the best style stories are often made by hand, and sometimes by friends you've known since the beginning.

BRAVO TV ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET × BELOW DECK

Big BRAVOado energy came off the screen and into the room as Lola Tamar joined fellow guests for the Bravo TV Below Deck watch party. With an fabulous attendee on her left and a former Mrs. Universe to her right, Lola was in royal company among a lively mix of personalities from television, music, and fashion, bringing a touch of pageantry and flair to the DMV social scene.

Among the evening's guests of honor was Brandon McLaughlin, entrepreneur, television personality, and real-estate professional with SERHANT in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, whose Bravo résumé spans Below Deck Down Under Seasons 2 and 4, as well as Below Deck Season 11. With that many titles to his name, he might as well be the captain of his own ship; charting a course between entertainment, entrepreneurship, and metropolitan real estate.

To close out the evening, Lola Tamar posed with Barbie Pascual, a familiar face from Bravo's Below Deck world. From her appearances on Below Deck Season 11 to Below Deck Down Under Season 4, Barbie has made her mark on the franchise with a personality as memorable as the settings that come with it. A fitting final frame for an evening that brought a little television glamour, pageantry, and DMV social flair together under one roof.