Washington, DC is considered more hip whenever the power balance shifts to the left. I didn't say that - Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts of the Washington Post's Reliable Source column said it. Wow! WaPo writers acknowledge that the snoberati equate hipness and style with leftist politics.
"Our examination of the evidence suggests that his [Obama's] influence on the city's cool/host metrics may be overstated," the duo report. They then give as evidence a little snapshot of city hotspots, star presence, fashion, and reality TV.
Count me impressed that WaPo writers question the whole "left is hip" zeitgeist. My only quibble here is that the Reliable Source suggests that people in DC no longer wear running shoes with pantyhose to work. Clearly, they are not on my bus or train route.

Two journalists appearing as guests on CNN on Wednesday and Thursday praised “mighty Michelle” Obama for being “stylish,” “successful,” and for showing “an interest in wanting to reach out to people who may feel they’ve been disenfranchised or held at a distance from the power structure.” 
One has to wonder if Robin Givhan is still atoning for what the Left perceives as a grievous sin against Hillary Clinton:
Sure, Michael Vick has admitted involvement in dogfighting. But did you see how sharp he looked in that suit on the way to the courthouse? And yes, Mark McGwire bombed at those congressional hearings with his "I don't want to talk about the past" skate on steroids, but he's the epitome of what a XXXL Abercrombie & Fitch guy can be.