VOA标准英语2012--Nation's Capital Nurtures Local Fashion

Nation's Capital Nurtures² Local Fashion

Gennet Purcell has always loved fashion, but it wasn’t her career until recently. “I was a practicing attorney by trade for almost 13 years,” she says.
For much of that time, she was also designing and making clothing. A year ago, she decided³ she couldn’t do both. “I realized that this is something that makes me really happy, and I realized that it was a way for me to make a living doing it full time.”
Purcell founded her own fashion line, Maven.
Her designs were recently featured in a fashion show in the Washington area. And she was one of four designers chosen for the DC Fashion Incubator, a program that launched in January.
Christine Brooks-Cropper, director of the Washington, D.C., Fashion Foundation, is its driving force.
“We are here to nurture¹ them and be mentors⁴ to them so they can go to market and be very successful,” she says.
Designers have 24-hour access to a studio space with sewing machines, mannequins, and a large worktable. They also consult with experts covering all aspects of the business.
Tatiana Kolina is hoping to launch a line of footwear with changeable decorations for her company, My Moody⁵ Booty. She had the idea four years ago, but hasn’t been able to get established.
“I went to different shoe shows in New York and Las Vegas. I was looking for different manufacturers who could create the shoes. And when I started talking to them, I ran into many obstacles,” Kolina says.
Although Purcell has already launched her line, she is excited to be part of the incubator.
“I think the next logical step for fashion in D.C. is to showcase local design in a way that is serious, in a way that is legitimate⁶. And I think that being selected for the incubator is going to do that.”
For Brooks-Cropper it’s about the economy. “We want to have more production and manufacturing, so we can start to say we have an industry here.”
There is definitely a demand for fashion in the nation's capital. A recent study revealed that Washingtonians spend nearly twice as much as the average American on clothing and shoes.

1 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

2 nurtures   

教养，培育( nurture的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Art nurtures the soul and culture cultivates the mind. 艺术滋润心灵，文化陶冶情操。
• Who first loves and nurtures us and takes care of every need. 是谁先爱上我们，哺育我们，对我们无微不至。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

5 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。