Independent Women: House and Hacker Share their Work at Wink

Samantha House and Toni Hacker are friends with a flair for design and successful small businesses. The two visited Georgetown yesterday for a trunk show at Wink on M St. 

Wink  carries Samantha House Jewelry in the trendy women's boutique and store owner, Paige Speyer, said she and House "just clicked" when they met. The two tossed around the idea of  trunk show and then made it happen. Speyer said the draw for the event was that the designers would be there with their products and customers could grill them on their favorite items.

Speyer says she offers a diverse selection of women's fashion to meet the needs of her customers, "there are so many people to cater to in Georgetown." She visits New York City at least five times a year to select each item that appears in her collection.

Two friends gathered around the Hayden-Harnett display, caressing purses and trying on cuff bracelets. Pilita Mallani came to the event from Alexandria, she already loves Hayden-Harnett and said it was "even more exciting" that the designer was there. After selecting her bag, Mallani thanked designer Toni Hacker, who gave her customer a big hug. 

Hacker said she and Samantha House as friends, so when House suggested a trip to D.C. they hopped in Hacker's station wagon and drove on down. Hacker describes herself as a "huge detail person" when I remarked on the playful fringe on one of her leather purses. She said she tries to make the best of the wastage left from cutting a purse design out the leather, so she adds embellishments like fringe and braids or makes the cuff bracelets that are increasingly fashionable lately. So can D.C. residents expect to see Hayden-Harnett bags in Georgetown? "I've got a feeling" said Hacker, smiling.

Samantha House was buzzing around the event chatting with customers and talking about her jewelry. The designer created the event playlist, which included "retro" hits like the Spice Girls. Her necklaces are statement pieces in natural and metallic tones. She said she only creates jewelry that she likes, that she thinks is "pretty." She said though she creates to her taste, there are some pieces that just are not her and she would never wear. There is a certain aesthetic she tries to achieve; the mix of designs both sleek and chunky aim to appeal to a broad range of customer.

Wink's customers seemed content to wander, to touch and to enjoy some champagne as they talked to designers and forgot for a moment that it was a Tuesday.