Elizabeth Mason on her killer instincts and the in-store holiday gifts you need now.
The leap from a career in politics to fashion seems out of the ordinary, but for Elizabeth Mason leaving the Hill for her love of style was always in the cards. “I had always wanted to open a store since I was a little girl. It was just one of those things on the list that I had my mind set on,” Mason says. After years of dressing herself in outfits other women admired, Mason decided to use her knowledge of shopping to create Periwinkle Boutique. “Sometimes you just have to do it. You have to know your market and know what you want to accomplish,” she says.
Eight years later, Periwinkle is still one of the favorite destinations for fashion lovers ranging from working women to stay-at-home moms. Mason credits her stylish intuition for the store’s success with customers. “In general when I buy something I say ‘Would I want to wear it?’ If I love it, I buy it,” she says.
This keen sense led her to realize that it was time to remodel the popular Potomac Greens location. “After eight years it was looking a little tired and I thought ‘What can I do to spruce it up?’ So I bought the glass chandeliers and went with a crisper black and white motif.” The result was a posh and inviting space, proving once again that Mason’s instincts are always worth following. —Angela Bobo
(December 2013)
