New York, Paris, Milan … DC? Two new magazines serve Washington's style-challenged wealthy

One Monday night in late November, I walked east from The Washington Monthly office to Oya, a swanky new French-Asian restaurant and lounge, featuring a glass-cased fireplace, luxurious leather banquettes, and a semi-transparent window-fountain separating the guests from the kitchen. This was the venue for a launch party for the Holiday issue of Capitol File, a glossy new luxury magazine targeted at D.C.'s affluent young mover-shakers--and those who aspire to the lifestyle. The event was being "hosted" by a supermodel and former Victoria's Secret pinup named Frederique van der Wal (also said to be the host of Travel Channel's "The Invisible Journey") and by someone named Billy Campbell, who was listed as the president of Discovery Channel's U.S. Networks.

In this crowd of dark-suited D.C. office workers, it wasn't hard to spot a supermodel--not least because a huge cardboard display, featuring a photograph of Frederique and the Capitol File logo, had been placed prominently at one end of the room. But no one seemed to know who Billy Campbell was. "That guy, maybe?" offered one guest, gesturing uncertainly at the well-dressed bouncer standing just inside the door.

That the celebrities were D-list said more about the city than the magazine. It's genuinely tough to attract bona fide boldface names to events like these in D.C., in part because most of the celebrities here are politicians, who fear that being photographed partying with supermodels at trendy French-Asian restaurants won't necessarily play well with the voters back home. Indeed, the city is so glamour-starved that the big news in The Washington Post's gossip column recently, was that Brad and Angelina were not moving to the district, after a photo of the couple outside an on-the-market Kalorama townhouse had sparked fevered and hopeful speculation on the blogs the previous day. Turned out they were just admiring the architecture.

All this has left the members of Washington's high-end-style conscious minority--who have grown used to laughing guiltily along when their New York friends call D.C., "Dull City"--feeling bereft. But Capitol File--along with a competitor, Washington D.C. Style, which launched earlier this year--is trying to change all that.

The inherent difficulty of the task can be seen in the fact that both magazines held their launch parties at Oya. D.C. may have plenty of expensive steakhouses, but the short list of truly cutting-edge venues is, well, short.

And there's a hint of hometown defensiveness inside the magazines themselves. The new issue of Capitol File blurbs photos of partygoers with the tired line about D.C. being "Hollywood for ugly people" "Not true!" the magazine adds indignantly.

Side by side, the magazines look pretty similar, but there are important differences. D.C. Style is "luxury," while Capitol File is "ultra-luxury," D.C. Style editor Sarah Schaffer told me.

So, what makes these magazines think they can sell the luxury--not to mention ultra-luxury--lifestyle to a city where even the interns wear black or grey business suits and carry briefcases? In recent years, thanks both to the northern Virginia tech boom, and to the doubling in size of D.C.'s lawyer-lobbying industry, the capital region has developed a burgeoning population of professionals earning Manhattan-like levels of income. That's reflected in the distribution plan for Capitol File--which, as part of Niche Media, owned by publishing mogul Jason Binn (ne Binstock), has sister publications in New York, the Hamptons, Los Angeles, and Aspen. It's based on "controlled circulation," with most issues delivered to homes valued at $750,000 or more, and with incomes of over $250,000. It can also be found wherever else rich people gather." luxury hotels, high-end boutiques, and the New York-Washington shuttle.

As not-quite-invited guests in the homes of its readers, these magazines strive to be agreeable. D.C. Style has an editorial ban on saying anything critical--"we try to stay away from raking anyone over the coals because we're focused on highlighting what's great about the city," Schaffer told me. Capitol File's hardest-hitting expose involves Terry McAuliffe telling readers about the coolest new gadgets this season. Other noteworthy features include Paul Begala on his weekend place in Virginia, and John Podesta with 13 sentences on cooking polenta, given prominent cover billing.

But what Capitol File lacks in aggressive reporting, it more than makes up for in P.R. and marketing. The magazine hired Linda Roth Associates, a veteran D.C. publicity operation, to get itself noticed, and went with "Capitol" rather than the more logical "Capital"--it covers more than the capitol building, after all--after focus groups confirmed that the 'o' spelling more effectively conveyed Washington's distinct identity as the seat of government.