MSP Fashion Week begins

College fashion shows can sometimes be more miss than hit, but the U of M's reputable apparel design program has long served as a launching pad for talented designers. As far as we can tell, this year's crop of seniors should be no different. Among the would-be standouts: Lizzie Hillmann and Silvia Guttmann, who are already selling their line Silvia & Elizabeth at local boutique Allee Metro Chic; Sara Lopez, a Texas native who has had design internships in Paris and New York, and Jennifer Robertus, who has a post-graduation design job lined up at Target.

Celebrate for a good cause with Project Healthy Smile's annual runway show and shopping event, with looks from local boutiques and designers styled by PHS co-founder Hollie Mae Schultz, plus a post-show boutique, an interactive photo booth and mini-makeovers. Proceeds benefit the Minneapolis-based organization, which raises funds for oral-health education and dental supplies for underprivileged children.

The Red Dress Collection has been a 10-year mainstay at New York Fashion Week, combining high fashion, celebrity models and a good cause -- battling heart disease in women. For the local version, a handful of top Twin Cities designers will create a one-of-a-kind red dress to be worn by a local "celeb" -- think former Fox 9 anchor Robyne Robinson, plus-size model (and sister to Kris) Kaela Humphries and a slew of Vikings wives. Designers include Christopher Straub and Danielle Everine of "Project Runway" fame, Laura Fulk, Emma Berg, Max Lohrbach and Sarah M. Holm.

With fashion-rock fest Voltage on hiatus, emerging designers find a new platform with the newly established Emerging Designers Showcase. Five up-and-comers -- Marissa Bridges, Caroline Hayden, YQY by Vivian, Gina Marie Vintage and Nicole Larson -- will show three looks, rounded out by performances by model-singer OSO (Tearra Rosario) with Mayda.

This returning runway event gives a platform to the Twin Cities' more established designers, in this case Kimberly Jurek, Amanda Christine Natzel and Emma Berg. Since last spring's Shows, Berg has developed a steady custom-order clientele for her dramatic gowns and cocktail dresses, while Jurek and Natzel manufacture and sell their ready-to-wear lines for stores across the country.