D.C.’s successful women prove that style and power can co-exist with Sonya Bernhardt

She is so fun, smiling and laughing, but don’t let that fool you, Sonya Bernhardt just celebrated her 20th year as owner and publisher of The Georgetowner Newspaper, a Washington, D.C., and Georgetown institution, and she is serving her second term as president of the Georgetown Business Association with almost 20 years on the board. Her passion about small businesses, the community and women success is contagious.

What are you passionate about? I am most and deeply passionate about family—my husband, my niece and nephew and sister—but also family in the sense of business and professionalism, which to me means The Georgetowner and Georgetown.

What does the term “style” means to you? Style—defined in terms of a person—is how you express who and what you are. I appreciate how people, objects, clothes and art look upon first impression and glance. This is not a matter of just appreciating surface qualities but how things work together. Style for myself is about interacting with people. It’s about a kind of honest marketing. I like to express my enthusiasm about people, projects, places and art physically and openly.

Why it is important for women to invest in their look? When it comes to fashion, and for that matter, cultural trends, I like to think that I’m not just aware of trends but can be adventurous enough to anticipate trends and embrace new things and styles. This is not just for the sake of newness, but because such an approach is filled with adventure and new ideas. I think it’s important for women to invest in their look, because — simply put — your look is how people will see you instantly and remember you later. That’s important, not just fashionable. Style becomes a way of expressing that enthusiasm. So, when dealing with people, I like to dress comfortably, in a way that’s pleasing to myself and the eye, but which also allows me to communicate easily.

What is your beauty routine? Keeping fit without being overly zealous about it is important to me. My daily and regular regime is centered on yoga, hiking with my husband and walking with my dogs.

How did we style Sonya?

Outfits: Sonya is a perfect example of a strong, independent business woman with a fun, soft side. We chose a loose, pastel colors maxi dress that will make her skin glow and will show the contour of her figure as she walks. For the second shoot, we chose a bold, black raincoat over leather pants, showing her strong side, but adding a feminine touch with a multi-layered pearls necklace.

Hair: When we met Sonya, our September’s Woman of Style," we immediately connected. Megan Torr, hairstylist at Illusions of Georgetown, wanted to give her hair that made her feel like a million bucks but didn't steer away from her daily hair routine. She decided to give her a blowout with lots of volume. She added curls to give her a playful yet sophisticated look, while playing up her natural hair color. Megan used Caviar by Alterna hair products giving Sonya soft and manageable waves to take her from office to date night.

Makeup: For Sonya, I used an all matte eye shadow palette from Tarte cosmetics. I was thrilled that Sonya let me add wispy lashes to match her vibrant and open personality. For the skin, we used a hydrating primer and foundation to give a natural satin finish. After seeing Sonya's outfits, I knew I had to do a bold pink color on the lip. To make it last longer and stay longer, I filled the whole lip in with a lip pencil then set it with a cream to matte lipstick.

Photos: Sonya’s energy was contagious and fun to capture! For her evening look, we shot in the upstairs gallery at Via Umbria. The abundant natural light there added to her natural glow and the art work made for a great backdrop. With the tougher look in black, we wanted to contrast her with the textures of the shop and on the signature red Vespa as a confident woman who knows where she’s been and where she's going.

· Photos: Elizabeth Dranitzke to PHOTOPIA: www.photopiadc.com

· Hair: Amanda Amos to Illusion Salon Georgetown: www.illusionsofgeorgetown.com

· Makeup: Christin Michelle to Conceptual Beauty: www.ConceptualBeauty.com

· Styling and outfit: Ifat Pridan / LiLi The First boutique Georgetown: www.LiLiTheFirst.com