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

• Author: Roth, Zachary
• Position: 10 MILES SQUARE - D.C. Style - Capitol File - Periodical Review

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...