a run(way) for the money

Lakewood locals know about the longstanding annual Lakewood Home Tour this November will mark its 33rd year but Lakewood ladies should act now to get in on the event’s Sept. 17 precursor, the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA Style and Trunk Show. The fashion-focused extravaganza features smart ensembles from local designers and retailers, including Oscar Fierro, Flirt Boutique and Stella & Dot Jewelry. In-demand hair maestro Matthew Dallas will showcase his tress-sculpting techniques, and instructors from the Girls Room, a neighborhood dance and fitness studio (the one that holds pole-dancing classes) will be on hand to “inspire and empower” women at the show, says organizer Tricia Schiffmacher. Hint: Loosen up first at a margarita bar donated by Banditos Tex-Mex & Cantina. If straightoff-the-runway prices feel intimidating, don’t fret, Schiffmacher says. The LECPTA style show has always featured local designers and merchants in order to boost neighborhood shopping, but this year organizers are especially sensitive to economic conditions. “This year we are specializing in piecesunder $100. Our goal is to stimulate the local economy,” she says. At the style show, Lakewood Home Tour organizers will reveal the five houses that will appear on the November circuit. The fashion show is free and open to LECPTA members. Becoming a member is simple [ just visit lecpta.org to learn how] and it’s just $20 a year, Schiffmacher says. “We have families from Lake Highlands, M Streets, Downtown and all over. We even have female professionals with no children because we are such a fun group to party and network with,” she says. The style show isn’t a fundraiser, but rather an event to educate and psych up members for the upcoming tour and related events, which bring in more than $75,000 annually for Lakewood Elementary, J.L. Long and Woodrow Wilson High School. Read more about the home tour in the November Advocate —CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

THE LAKEWOOD EARLY CHILDHOOD PTAANNUAL STYLEAND TRUNK SHOW

WHEN/Thurs., Sept. 17, 7-10 p.m.

WHERE/The Filter Building, 2810 White Rock

MORE INFO/lecpta.org

PETPAUSE lap of luxury

KONA the chocolate lab likes to curl up in the arms of Dixon Branch neighbor SCARLET BREWER. Perhaps Kona doesn’t realize she weighs 70 pounds, though her human doesn’t seem to mind. “From the moment I brought her home, her favorite spot has been my lap — it’s never hard to make a dog happy,” Brewer says. “I laugh every time I look at this picture, and I thought it might bring a smile to someone else.”