“From what I saw, they all care about fashion,” said Nancy Pearlstein, the owner of Relish, a Washington fashion boutique, referring to the inaugural choices. “There’s a taste level there and a want to look good, to be fashionable.” She expressed hope that Melania, Ivanka and Tiffany Trump will, like Michelle Obama, influence Washingtonians to experiment with clothes.

Catherine Bennett, the senior vice president and managing director of IMG fashion, which operates fashion weeks around the world, was born and raised in Washington. She similarly noted that the family in the White House often affected the culture of the capital.

“The flavor of the city changes with each administration,” Ms. Bennett said. “There was nothing happening in the fashion and style space until Michelle Obama got there. She sort of made it acceptable for people in politics to talk about fashion and to be interested in it. I hope that trend continues.”

If it does, the best place for many to shop will be CityCenterDC, a more central and accessible alternative to the places Washingtonians have traditionally gone for luxury options: Chevy Chase, a sleepy town in Maryland, or Tysons Corner Center in the Virginia suburbs, about 17 miles from Union Station.