Thomollari wearing a Marchesa ostrich dress in her chic suite on Level Nine at the Dupont Circle Hotel

 
  A one-of-akind Fabrice fringe sheath from Paris
 
  An assortment of Thomollari’s vintage dresses
 
  This 1970s Oscar de la Renta dress was a birthday gift from Thomollari’s mother. The Bob Mackie behind it is another favorite

Aureta Thomollari
You may have a vintage jacket. You may have a designer dress or three. But your closets probably don’t look like any one of Aureta Thomollari’s three. Kept at a clothes-preserving 60 to 65 degrees, with pieces organized by color and length, they hold about 300 vintage dresses, 250 pairs of shoes, and nearly 100 bags—and that’s after some downsizing.

"Once a piece is quality, it remains quality always,” says Thomollari, 30, who lives in DC. “And I love continuing the story of the previous wearer, to imagine the life and experiences she had.”

As president of DNA Luxury Consulting, Thomollari advises a variety of clients on how to position themselves as luxury entities, and she says she needs to look the part. But rather than just buy contemporary designers, she works with timeless pieces as well, to merge the best of both vintage and modern.

“Every year I buy less but of better quality,” she says. Her three favorite additions from the past year: a 1970s beaded Oscar de la Renta dress with yellow, green, and pink stripes, a birthday gift from her mother; a deep-red, crushed-velvet de la Renta cape, also from the ’70s; and a short, black and green Bob Mackie dress, all sequins and beads, that “makes me smile. I feel like wearing it to the grocery store. I might have in Las Vegas.”

Born in Albania, Thomollari had an eye for fashion early: “I used to lay out what my parents should wear to parent-teacher meetings.” She started collecting during senior year of high school, with a Versace jacket and high platform shoes she bought in New York.

While on vacation in 2001, Thomollari discovered Daniel Espinosa jewelry, and upon her return found that no US stores carried the line. When she expressed interest in opening its first stateside location, the company decided their American flagship should be either in Los Angeles or New York City. She chose LA and asked her parents to invest. For years she sold to high rollers and celebrities, attended galas, and shopped the Rose Bowl flea market.

Moving to Washington three years ago, she finished her degree at Marymount University, launched her boutique consulting firm, won her pilot’s license, and started a very successful fashion blog. Hailed as a trendsetter because of her innate understanding of style, flair, and poise, she has appeared in magazines from China to Albania to the United Arab Emirates.

This past May, a blog entry mentioned an event at which “I was especially excited to wear one of the most beloved dresses in my entire collection: the Alexander McQueen butterfly dress I purchased from the Roan boutique in Richmond, Virginia. He was truly my creative inspiration.” The photos show her modeling the lovely frock with a pair of barely walkable Christian Louboutin heels, a mix of Hermès and antique bracelets, and a headdress of orange feathers that set off her raven hair.

In recent years, Washington has witnessed an influx of more stylish dressing, thanks in part to the Obamas. Naturally, Thomollari applauds that shift. As for closer to home? “I hope to have a daughter someday,” she says. “Hopefully she’ll like my sequins and bead dresses and won’t think I’m crazy.”