Because it’s important to be fashionable while politicking …

Frumpy is out and glamour is in in Washington, DC:

In the face of this changing cultural landscape, many Washingtonians say that D.C.’s “Hollywood for Ugly People” mantra is outdated.

“When I first moved here, I thought the description was accurate,” said Paul Schur, a D.C.-based publicist who was born and raised in Beverly Hills but has called D.C. home since 2002. “But I think it’s changed a lot.”

“The city is becoming more sophisticated,” said a knowledgeable GOP Senate aide, who has kept a keen eye on the continually unfolding transformation. “It’s a more chic place than it used to be — thankfully. It’s lost a bit of its frumpiness.”

Kate Michael, 25, a Senate staffer — and the reigning Miss District of Columbia — agreed. “We’re getting such wonderful restaurants, but also the trend is that restaurants turn into nightclubs in the evenings and a lot of celebrities are choosing to come here to have their movie launch parties.

“We’re obviously getting on the map for fashion also,” she added.

Michael said Washington’s evolution from stuffy to chic is rooted in the emergence of the feminine side of politics — with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) running for president, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) running the House and Condoleezza Rice running the State Department.

“The more we have women in positions of leadership, the more style we’ll have,” said Michael, a native Georgian who works for Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).

Along with the first lady, D.C.’s powerful female figures are “not wearing your normal, everyday black suits. They’re wearing red and kelly green and royal blue, and they’re bringing style and fashion,” she continued.

Make no mistake about it: if I lived and worked on Capitol Hill, I’d have a wardrobe to die for, too

Meanwhile, Bill Triplett, the D.C.-based reporter for Hollywood’s bible, Variety, said the District’s transition has more to do with the recent Democratic takeover of Congress.

Democrats are “traditionally more of the allies and pals of the Hollywood set and therefore being open to bringing them here and pushing the style quotient,” he observed.

Like, fer sure. Because the Hollywood crowd is the only group of people in America who have any sense of style, after all.