Hearts United United Way and “Style Guy” Leonard Simpson presented a Valentine’s Day fashion show at the “W” Hotel on Feb. 12. Honorary chairwoman was Sally B. Thornton and event chairs were Jim and Tiffany Mahoney. The theme was Hearts United and all the attendees came decked out in their Valentine’s Day finery. The show highlighted three emerging designers: the first bridal collection by designer Qadir Hamidi, fashion collection by Jose Maria Martinez Ybarra and couture designer Malgorzata Wieteszka-Slocomb. Malgorzata debuted her latest collection “Birth of Venus” and created the beautiful Valentine Gown for the Hearts United invitation. Proceeds went to United Way. For more information visit www.uwsd.org Princess Project Runway Princess Project and the The Collective presented the second annual Princess Project Runway on Feb 11 at the Confidential Restaurant & Loft downtown. Students from Fashion Institute & Design Merchandising competed in a live prom dress design competition. Each student was given 1 ½ hrs to reinvent the prom dress. Jodi Kodish (NBC San Diego) was emcee for the evening. The judges for the competition were: Gordana Gehlhausen (“Project Runway 6”), Lara Matthews (Founder of Thread Show), Gillian Flynn (editor-in-chief, Riviera magazine), Jason Wimberly (Rufskin) and Mahjuba Levine (fashion stylist). The winners of the Princess Project were: 1st Place, Paul Hernandez; 2nd Place, Taylor Jensen; and 3rd Place, Romina Serio. All proceeds benefit The Princess Project, a non-profit organization that provides prom dresses and accessories to high school girls who could otherwise not afford them. A Royal Affair A Royal Affair rocked the runway at the ASR Access Show on Feb. 3 and 4. at the San Diego Convention Center. This upbeat fashion show is always one of the highlights of the expo and this year a new atmosphere was created with a fashion lounge. Right in the center of it was placed the catwalk surrounded with couches, giving a cozy, down-home feeling. The theme A Royal Affair” celebrated the fashions of the modern day queen. These creations showed off 2010 Fall/Holiday Fashions. The popular colors were brown and black with some eye-popping reds. The biggest trend is accessories: belts, long necklaces and earrings, and everything on the head such as earmuffs, designer earphones, head bands and hats. This season shredded leggings and jeans continue to be big. In conjunction with ASR was the second edition of Class@ASR! which gave buyers access to hundreds of leading labels. Concurrently this year was Crossroads across the street at the Petco parking lot. Crossroads was a new way for retailers to preview hard and soft goods from the skate industry. Upcoming Events • March 13 will bring a fashion show for Park Manor Suites near Balboa Park called “Runway at the Park.” The show will include fashions from several local boutiques and designers. The event will be held at Park Manor Hotel and Suites. For more information, contact Glenn Osborne at (619) 291-0999. • On March 20 the Soroptimist International of San Diego will present “Splash of Fashion” at its 39th annual luncheon, Making a Difference for Women awards ceremony and fashion show presented by Gretchen Productions and featuring fashions from Macy’s at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront. For information, call (619) 670-9880 — Diana Cavagnaro is a nationally recognized hat designer and milliner who has operated a fashion business for 27 years, the last 17 years in downtown San Diego. She has taught in the Fashion Department at San Diego Mesa College for 17 years. Diana is an active member of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, The American Sewing Guild, the San Diego Costume Council and the Fashion Group International. www.aheadproductions.com