When it comes to fashion advice in Washington, you go to Styleauteur Lauren Rothman, the District’s top fashion stylist. She’s advised everyone from C-suite executives and attorneys to political candidates, from motivational speakers to the Redskins. Tomorrow, her book Style Bible hits the shelves, a guide for the masses on how to dress for success in the workplace. We spoke with Rothman to get her take on what it takes to be a stylist in this city.

Rothman is of Cuban descent and grew up in Florida. I was surprised to hear that her native tongue is Spanish, as she speaks perfect English and regularly makes public appearances on local and national television. She writes the political style Fashion Whip column for the Huffington Post, and of course, there’s her book: Style Bible.

Over the weekend, she hosted a book signing in Queens, N.Y., where she sold 100 books in 45 minutes. This Saturday, October 19, grab a book and meet her at the Barnes & Noble at Tysons Corner Mall.

After high school, Rothman headed north to Colby College, a small liberal arts school that was big on khaki pants and button-downs. “I was edgier than my classmates. I would dress up for parties, while my friends wore the same stuff out as they did to class.” This was a turning point for Rothman, as she realized she had a unique eye for fashion that others didn’t have. She took up internships at MTV Networks and the fashion closet at Elle Magazine (think the big Runway closet in Devil Wears Prada, without the devil).

At Elle Magazine, Rothman quickly grasped fashion trends and what was hot. What she wanted to learn was why. “I took jobs at trend forecasting firms like Faith Popcorn.” Her  work under Popcorn, a futurist and trend forecaster, was the big learning opportunity she needed to take her expertise to the next level.

Rothman’s advice to D.C. stylists? Get out of D.C. “Get hands-on experience in another city. I came to D.C. as a stylist from New York after getting valuable experience,” she said.

She also had a few remarks on the types of clients she gets in Washington, where the people she styles are not the glamorous types that first come to mind. “A good stylist can dress any body type on any budget. A size zero is easy, but a size 26 is more challenging, and I am not usually working with Hollywood budgets,” Rothman said. She stressed that Washington stylists must be willing to put in hours and do a lot of work to appeal to a wide variety of clients.

She likes to mix high-end with everyday pieces in her looks, for example, a pair of Louboutin heels with an outfit from Zara. Some of her favorite brands to wear are Black Halo, Rachel Zoe, Diane Von Furstenberg, Chanel and Gucci.

“I tend to ask clients: what is your messaging? How to you want to be perceived?” she said. “It’s not just about clothes. It’s personal.”  Like Lauren on FACEBOOK