A Day at the Women’s Show of Northern Virginia

When my step-mom (not the evil kind) invited me to attend the Women’s Show of Northern Virginia, I didn’t ask questions except when and where. Regardless of what it had to offer, I figured the subject matter was enough to provide material for an article on VenusVision. It turns out, I was right! I wasn’t sure what I would find at the show, but I figured there would be lots of services geared towards making women look younger, thinner, more beautiful, etc. While that turned out to be the case, there were many other vendors offering fun, creative products and services, some of which I couldn’t resist, as well as a variety of entertainment featured on a main stage at the convention center.

When I first walked in, I realized that I should have budgeted more money for “research” to spend at the show. Everywhere I looked there were vendors selling jewelry, handbags and other accessories, and of course, clothes. I enjoyed looking at the jewelry, but didn’t find anything to tempt my tastes enough to make a purchase (even though much of it was reasonably priced in my opinion). But what did catch my eye almost right away were some adorable hand-made skirts, pants and tees for kids offered up by Lula Blu Boutique. While they turned out to be beyond my price range (considering my daughters grow out of their clothes practically overnight), I did see a small handbag that caught my eye. It is perhaps a shade darker than teal, made of 100% silk, and it matched perfectly the shirt I was wearing. Since it was hand-made in Cambodia under fair-trade conditions, I felt that it was nothing short of my duty to purchase this wonderful purse to support a good cause!

I hadn’t planned on spending any money at the Women’s Show, but immediately across from Lula Blu Boutique was a booth displaying organic cotton teas with fun designs. Since my ‘uniform’ as a mom generally consists of jeans and a t-shirt, I wanted to take a closer look at what Kool Earth Designs had to offer. I immediately honed in on a cute black v-neck tee with a design of a tree down one side of it. I was hoping to find the same shirt on their web site so you could get a look, but all they have on their site at the moment are plain tees.

Since in my first 20 minutes at the show I managed to go way over my budget (which had mostly been reserved for the cost of the show and some lunch), I decided I needed to focus more on products relevant to the cause of VenusVision and less on adding to my closet. Strolling through the aisles, we passed vendors selling everything from jewelry cleaners (ok, I picked some of that up too) to body lotions, from cookware to financial services, from body shapers to permanent make-up, laser hair removal, and, of course, plastic surgery. There was also a vendor for wigs, which I think can be an important product for improving women’s self esteem when they have suffered hair loss, whether it is from natural causes, or chemicals for treating cancer. The Wig Shop offers a variety of styles in wigs that look natural and are easy to care for.

Another product I saw that I think could give a little ‘lift’ to a woman’s self esteem was a completely strapless, adhesive push up bra, like this one sold at Victoria’s Secret. As far as I can tell the only difference between the ones I saw at the show, and the ones sold at Victoria’s Secret is the price since VS offers them at $68 for one, while the ones sold by the vendor at the show were 2/$40. I was disappointed to find out they didn’t have a web site but the demonstrator of the product said the owner likes to fit their customers with the proper bra personally to ensure the best match.  I actually bought a pair myself (well, two pairs, actually) and really love them! The adhesive was something that took some getting used to, but having never had any cleavage (I barely fit into an A cup) I had fun wearing some of my lower cut shirts that I usually just wear with a tank underneath since I have nothing to show off. And, without bra straps digging into my mid section or slipping of my shoulders (yes, I know this means I need to get properly fitted for a bra), I actually found them to be quite comfortable. I don’t know that I could wear them in extreme heat when you already feel like everything is sticking to you, but otherwise, they are a suitable alternative to your standard bra.

One vendor that caught my attention was a retailer I have barely given much thought to in the past. Dressbarn was there with a few samples of their product line along with catalogs featuring clothes from different lines for petite, misses, and women’s sizes. I was surprised by what I saw, finding fashionable ensembles for all sizes, all of which are reasonably priced. Additionally, they were promoting a service  that allows you to host your own “VIP” or Very Indulgent Party at a Dressbarn store, where your guests get 15% off their entire purchase, and the host gets 25%, all while having someone help you find the right clothes for your body size and shape, and pulling a look together for you.

An item I passed on, but definitely used will power to resist was a handbag called the Miche Bag. As my husband will attest to, I have a bit of a purse fetish. Though I don’t spend astronomical amounts on designer handbags, I do occasionally indulge in a new purse and have thus far paid as much as $90 for a new bag. (I realize for some, this is nothing, and for others, it’s ridiculous!) Well, the Miche bag is promoted as “One Bag – Endless Possibilities”. The way it works is that you choose your base, which is a pretty generic black or brown boxy type purse, and then buy additional shells to go over the base. The shell designs seem endless, allowing you to essentially have a different bag every day of the month. You can even choose different handles to go on the bag. The base costs about $35, and as far as I could tell, each shell was less than $30. Since even reasonably priced handbags at your average department store can range from $40 to $80, if you buy bags more than once a year, this purse might be perfect for you!

Several hair salons were there offering hair cuts and styles on the spot, and some were featured in shows on stage. You could also see demos (or participate in one) for a variety of hair products designed to curl, straighten or otherwise style your hair. We saw a few made-for-TV products including the Sham WOW, which, unfortunately was not being demoed by the now-infamous Vince Shlomi (also known as Vince Offer). I think the most original product at the show was the Menopause Illustrated which is a men’s guide to understanding menopause, and it comes with a DVD entitled “Blitzed by Menopause: A Guy’s Guide to Understanding Her Menopause.” The few minutes I saw of the video were pretty funny, offering a different approach to help men and women communicate better during a time that can present many difficulties stemming from the physical and emotional changes that accompany menopause. I can’t entirely relate, since I am still a few years off from menopause, but given the hormonal fluctuations that haunt me once a month, I can understand the importance of giving your other half have a better understanding of what you’re going through.

Once I weeded through the remaining clothing, jewelry, and accessory booths, I had to took a quick look at booths promoting services designed to “enhance” our bodies, either through permanent or semi-permanent processes. There were wrinkle removers, cellulite creams, botox injections, and as mentioned before, plastic surgery services. I tend to think that many of those types of services really work against women as they inhibit our abilities to accept ourselves the way we are. My body is far from perfect, but I rather like it the way it is, and my wish is for more women to feel the same, which of course is the purpose of VenusVision. To be fair, there was also a large exhibit for women’s health put on by the Inova Health System, where you could get a variety of health screenings.

There were also a number of vendors selling various food products, all of which I happily sampled. One of the more enjoyable moments of the show was the dog fashion show which showcased a variety of dogs — many of whom had been rescued — in cute canine fashions. All in all, it was a fun (albeit expensive) day exploring goods that are supposed to appeal to women of all types. I hope the show — which was in it’s first year here in Northern Virginia — returns next year since I will be curious to see how the variety of vendors either changes or stays the same.