Project: runways

Rocking the catwalk at Venu

It's Fashion Week in Boston and all over the city models are being prepped, wine poured, and the ensemble of every party guest quietly picked apart and assessed. New York it's not, but a few big names are popping in. Roberta Armani, niece of the designer Giorgio Armani and PR director of the company, paid her first visit to the city on Saturday, and held a swish, invite-only bash (above) at the Newbury Street boutique. For today's "I Have Nothing to Wear" fund-raiser, designer Nanette Lepore will be at her Newbury Street store and at the buzzy after-party at the Liberty Hotel. We looked in a few other fashion-related events this week, and offer a glimpse of the scene. - ERICA CORSANO

Day two of Boston Fashion Week welcomed what may be the biggest (and most pleasant) surprise of the week. Held at Theater District nightclub Venu, the event celebrated the launch of yourbeautyindustry.com, a website for beauty pros. But the main attraction was a fashion show that featured a mix of real people, models, and a cameo by Motown Records' Boston-based girl band Jada.

Karmaloop, the local, urban streetwear brand, provided the rocker-chic looks, including plaid jumpers and micro miniskirts, leopard-print leggings, and gobs of costume jewelry. They're not ensembles you'd wear to the office or to pick up the kids at soccer practice. But for the hipster-collegiate crowd, the looks were daring, well styled, and just plain fun.

The hair and makeup, a mix of glam rock and grunge, evoked pop stars Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, and Lady Gaga. The foot-stomping gals cruised down the runway to high-energy, crowd-pleasing favorites like "When I Grow Up," by the Pussycat Dolls and "So What," by Pink, which had the everyone in the crowd dancing along.

Sandie Torres, who runs both Lily Artist Management and yourbeautyindustry.com, said Karmaloop was the obvious choice for the show. "We really wanted to highlight hair and makeup in our fashion show, so we looked for clothing sponsors who would allow the makeup artists and hair stylists to have a lot of creative control," says Torres. "We wanted to do something different and really have fun with it."

And they did. Overall, the show was edgy, brave, and a nice departure from Boston's typically safe and conservative fashion choices and events.

Lingerie fashion shows always make us a little skeptical. Even at their best (Victoria's Secret on CBS, anyone?) the shows can be a bit, well, unsavory, what with all the thongs and bare skin and strutting.

That said, La Perla is the Chanel of undergarments, so when the Fashion Week folks added a La Perla show at the InterContinental Hotel to the roster of events, it promised to be sexy rather than sleazy.

And for the most part it was, thanks to Mary Garthe, who's been in the fashion show biz since 1988 and has organized shows for the likes of Philippe Starck and Boston Ballet.

Yes, we could have done without the facemasks and the riding crops (no, we're not kidding), but there were plenty of elegant boudoir ensembles flouncing down the runway, including a velvet robe priced just over $1,000, silk pajamas at $748, and a matching bra for $259. Overall, the looks were steamy and sultry yet playful. The models, from local agency Dynasty, were not all runway material but were stunning nonetheless.

The evening wasn't all cheekiness. In addition to the fashion show, the evening featured a photo exhibition by local shutterbug Arturo and a performance by soprano Katja Schoenherr and pianist Brett Hodgdon, both New England Conservatory alums. Proceeds will benefit yogaHOPE, a local nonprofit founded by Sue Jones.

Tim Kirwan, GM of the hotel, stressed the importance of supporting fashion in Boston.

"For InterContinental Boston, tying in with Boston's cultural arena is one of our continued endeavors," he said. "Hosting an upscale and quality luxury fashion show is one of the ways we are doing so."

Although there was no theme, it was all about ladylike sophistication at the seventh annual "From Fenway to the Runway" event, a luncheon, fashion show, and auction to benefit the Red Sox Foundation, the team charity. The swank gathering, held Friday at the Natick Collection, drew the ladies-who-lunch-and-shop crowd and raised more than $90,000 for the nonprofit.

The fashion show featured Red Sox wives and girlfriends modeling looks from participating boutiques and stores, including Lord & Taylor, Hugo Boss, and Stil. The ladies mainly dressed themselves, but also got a few styling tips. Shu Uemura makeup artists Dani Wagener and Tavi DeLaRosa - favorites of the socialite set - were on hand to glam up the gals with sexy yet classy makeup and lashes.

Standout looks included those of Kelli Pedroia and Yuka Okajima. Pedroia, who looked just a tad nervous, opted for casual and comfortable, sporting a simple Hugo Boss gray shirt dress with suede boots. Okajima, who said she was thrilled to be part of the event, went for glamorous daywear, showing off a bright purple sweater dress by Michael Kors. "In Japan, wives don't do any of this," she said. "Baseball is for the players. . . . Here, there are so many things we can do to give back and have fun doing it."

Also worthy of mention (more for their bright smiles and pleasant demeanor), were newcomers Kelsey Hawkins, girlfriend of Jacoby Ellsbury, and Whitney Hayes, Josh Beckett's gal. Local fashion designer Sara Campbell's pick for best dressed was the pregnant Ashley Papelbon (above left, with Tiffany Ortiz). "She was lovely," says Campbell. "Maternity can look so frumpy and ugly and she looked so glamorous."

Last, but certainly not least, Jackie Francona scored a home run with a glamorous wine-colored silk cocktail dress from MaxMara.