How Fashionable

Cat is so excited: Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek starts tomorrow in New York. When Cat lived in The City, it was so amazing to watch the tents being erected in Bryant Park, hear all the gossip about who was showing where (under the tents or off-site?) and what models were being atrocious. But now that she's here in Denver, she just has to admire from afar, wishing that someday someone would tent our own Civic Center and create a Denver Fashion Week.

Normally Cat would be sad to see fall collections coming down the runway at this time of year -- since it's February and all, time to be thinking spring -- but with this new cold snap settling in, cozy sweaters and skirts (what will the hemline be this year?!) are exactly what she wants to see. No flippy lace and resort wear. Nothing that reminds Cat that she is stuck in an arctic freeze that belongs to Buffalo or Minnesota and not Miami or the Maldives.

Cat will be watching all of the designers — including the au currant eco designers such as SANS — and posting her favorites right here over the next few days. For a complete schedule of the shows, click here.

In the meantime, for those local designers who want their shot at all the hype and hoopla that is Fashion Week, our own Tamarac Square is hosting a Project Runway-esque battle for two tickets to the fall shows. "We thought Project Runway was something that fit Tamarac Square because we are more unique and individual," says Ashley Soden, administrative assistant for the mall. "We have people who do their own buying, members of Fashion Group International here. So we wanted to do something more than just a runway show."

During the four-week challenge, competing designers will be asked to create something new and show it on consecutive Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. from April 4 through April 25. And while Soden won't give away any of the details of those challenges, she will say that "all of the challenges are not going to be all about time management; you're going to have to be very creative because we're going to throw in some different types of materials."

To enter the fray, visit www.tamaracsquare.com for an application, which is due by March 7. Tamarac Square will then host auditions on March 15 and 16, selecting no more than 25 participants for the competitions. On March 28, the judges and designers will be introduced for the first time, and the first challenge will be given.

No word yet on who plays Tim Gunn.