Nightclub fashion shows are hard to pull off, but organizer Kathy Mouacheupao knew that she had a hit on her hands when 800 people packed Visage last year for the Twin Cities' first Hmong fashion show.

The show, called Fresh Traditions, is back, this time at the Varsity Theater, where five Hmong-American designers will mix their cultural history with contemporary clothing.

The highlight of the show is an outfit challenge -- à la "Project Runway" -- that Mouacheupao posed to the designers. While designers created their own unique lines for the show, they were also asked to make one outfit that uses five fabrics (blue and black satin, a heavy black velvet and fluorescent pink and green chiffon). These fabrics are normally used to create a full-bodied traditional outfit called Zam Hmoob, worn for the Hmong New Year.

Last year's designers found the challenge, well, challenging. But Mouacheupao said it's a way for a new generation of Hmong-Americans to connect to the past.

"I'm not asking them to make modernized versions of traditional Hmong clothing, but I am asking them to think about that tradition," Mouacheupao said.

The show will open with a performance by a Hmong hip-hop dance crew. There will also be music by a group performing with the qeej, a traditional Hmong instrument made of bamboo that resembles Scottish bagpipes -- without the bag.

While last year's show was a success, Mouacheupao said, one thing was missing. This year she added an emphasis on something many nightclub fashion shows do not address: the careers of the aspiring designers. Mouacheupao worked with local fashion maven Anna Lee, who produces Voltage, on helping to develop real career options in a field that is as cutthroat as they come. They worked with the designers for months before the show on pricing and getting their clothes into stores.

"There's more to these fashion shows than just the runway," Mouacheupao said.

W is for 'wow' I recently got a sneak peek at what surely will be one of the Twin Cities' hottest nightlife spots, the W Hotel in the Foshay Tower. First impression: Wow. While Manny's steakhouse is in the mix, it's the hotel's two bars that caught my eye. The first-floor bar, dubbed the Living Room, has a 40-foot quartz bar and tons of fancy sofas for maximum lounging. Then there's Prohibition, an intimate bar on the 27th floor. It was originally supposed to be Wilbur Foshay's office suite, and the hotel has kept many of his Art Deco touches. The bar is a cluster of small rooms that will be sought-after drinking destinations. The whole place is scheduled to open Aug. 13. (821 Marquette Av. S., Mpls. 612-215-3700.)

Spin gets visual Most of us have had our fill of mash-up club music (where DJs mix, say, Jay-Z over ABBA). Spin is trying out a new club experience Saturday with a VJ (video jockey) named Wes Nobles. He's not just playing videos on the club's flat-screen TVs. The best VJs mix song audio, movie clips and music videos. It's basically a sensory overload. Dive Bar in Maplewood brought in a Las Vegas-based VJ last summer and the results were surprisingly cool. All this should look pretty good on Spin's 32 plasma and projection TVs. Also: Live painting by a Twin Cities muralist. (10 p.m. Sat. $5. 18 and older. 10 S. 5th St., Mpls. 612-333-5055. SpinMN.com.)

This year's model First there were those pooch parties at the Nomad. Now the nightclub Barfly is having a fashion show for pets. The show is dubbed "Twin Cities Next Top Pet." Owners (and models) will strut their stuff alongside their fabulous pets in the club's loft space. (8 p.m. Sat. $8-$10. All ages. 711 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. 612-333-6100. BarFlyMinneapolis.com.)

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909