Animal print silk top and structured pants exhibited designer's tailoring skills.

This feminine dress set the tone for the beginning of the show.

The crowd looks on as a model takes a turn on the runway.

A menswear look

Kiwi Time plays while a model dons a striped blue and grey sheathe on stage

For proof that fashion can be about more than looking good, look no further than Designing for a Difference, a student-organized fashion show held this past Saturday evening at the African American Cultural Center. Its goal? To raise money for much-needed sewing machines and supplies for San Francisco State University design students.

Even better: the students involved in the show weren’t raising funds for themselves, but those who’ll be in their shoes:

A trio of looks face the audience during the fashion show

Shift dress meets sculptural shoulders on the runway

Student designer, Jonathan Cheung, explained, “the graduating designers who showed their final collections tonight are raising money for future students in the program, not ourselves. So that, in itself, is making a difference.”

Participating designers Rebecca Cahua, JaEvon A. Marshall, Angela Wolverton, Jackie Truong, Myrelle Oliver, Jonathan Cheung, Amy Dorie and Regan Elisabeth Heath each delivered four to eight looks for the show using pieces from their final collections. All aimed to show contemporary looks that incorporated each designer’s individuality.

The fashion show kicked off with student band Kiwi Time, which had the audience members packing the venue dancing in their chairs with its alluring tunes and animated stage presence.

Next, models took to the stage in flirty cocktail dresses, 40′s inspired hemlines and printed menswear with edgy prints and studded detailing.  The post-show soiree included a meet and greet with designers, delicious cupcakes and a raffle to complete the evening.

“Seeing the outcome of the event and the efforts displayed by the designers, sponsors, volunteers come together for an amazing night was the best part of planning the show. Next year will be even better,” described show founder and coordinator Rebecca Cahua.

Model and designers Myrelle Oliver and Rebecca Cahua, post-show.

Photography by Dan Young

More San Francisco fashion shows…

Bay Area-based Polyvore, home of thousands upon thousands of visually delectable fashion collages, is pushing at traditional fashion industry boundaries in more ways than one. Not only will the company become the first online community to hold a fashion show during New York Fashion Week, but it’s also skirting norms by choosing prominent fashion bloggers – and not models – for its runway show. Read on for the Polyvore Live lineup. Bet you’ll recognize a few of the faces.

Among the 23 fashion bloggers chosen to walk the runway during Monday’s show are East Bay-er Erin Hagstrom of Calivintage and until-not-so-long-ago-locals Alicia Lund of Cheetah is the New Black and Aimee Song of Song of Style. They’ll don looks from Fashion Institute of Technology alumni Lauren Bagliore, Vengsarkar Budhu, Sergio Guadarrama, and Dana-Maxx Pomerantz.

Catch the show live on Monday at 3:30 p.m. PST here.

More San Francisco fashion news…

Deanna Pei-Ju Lo

Deanna's subtle tomboy feel is self-described as “a modern Teddy Boy.” Soft, luxurious fabrics such as lambskin, silk organza and cotton velvet add a subtle femininity to the collection.

Jade Juanyu Liu

Jade' s prior experience working as a pattern maker for gr.dano is easy to see through her innovative construction. Her collection was inspired by the French collage artist Damien Blottiere, known for a unique layering technique that creates shadows and empty space.

Donghyuk Dan Kim

When designing his collection, Kim chose a color palette inspired by the military and employed themes from the American West. His prior experience as assistant pattern maker to Bay Area designer Bacca da Silva shines through with his innovative tailoring.

Xiang Zhang

Zhang's collection utilizes delicate fabrics such as silk, mohair and cashmere. His designs are inspired by Plato's understanding that the highest form of beauty can be explained by the principles of mathematics.

Amy Bond

Hailing from Pocatello, Idaho, Amy completed the MFA Fashion Design program online. Her collection was inspired by complex shapes in which she juxtaposes the use of lightweight and unique fabrics.

Jeanette Au

Jeanette incorporates mohair, wool, synthetic yarns and metallic threads into her knit fabrics. Her blend of color and texture was motivated by by Sergei Diagliav’s Ballet Russe and the paintings of Leon Bakst.

Wu Di

Wu's collection uses geometric shapes that are inspired by printmaker Aaron Coleman. She reinforces asymmetric silhouettes and bold patterns with her use of cashmere knits and double-faced wool.

Kate Y.K. Lee

Kate's Fall 2012 collection is inspired by the sculptural elements of architecture and features rounded silhouettes offset by defined lines and sharp, angled seams.

Farida Khan

While her collection has not yet been released, Farida completed the MFA program online while residing in Doha, Qatar. She honed her design skills working as an assistant designer at Ali Khan and as a technical designer at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Her highly anticipated womenswear collection is inspired by the idea of unconventional beauty. She constructed bold silhouettes using wool, cotton, coated denim, polyurethane and punched leather.

Since 2005, AAU has selected its best and brightest graduating M.F.A. students to showcase their collections on the catwalk. These students have gone on to win coveted C.F.D.A. scholarships and launch their own fashion lines. Watch the AAU fashion show live here on February 10 at 5 p.m.

Photography by Bob Toy

More San Francisco fashion news…

A brand new reason to look forward to the latter half of the year came this week when much-loved independent San Francisco fashion label gr.dano dropped shots of its latest collection on us. With the gr.dano Fall/Winter ’12 collection, prepare for the same sophisticated draping and architectural details designers Jill Giordano and Brian Scheyer are known for, but with a youthful edge and pops of color that provide a refreshing departure from their previous work. The inspiration? The iconic Daphne Guinness.

Pieces ranging from work-appropriate pants and skirts to edgier pieces with cut-out shoulders aim to channel the “unique boldness, agelessness, glamour and confidence” Guinness is known for, Giordano and Scheyer say, while sticking to the wearable, predominately neutral-hued roots of the brand. Among our favorite are a white, belted jacket with futuristic undertones, a long belted dress with long sleeves and a dramatic v-neck and an asymmetrical top with a drapey neckline.

More San Francisco fashion news…

On a recent Sunday in Dolores Park, a small but stalwart group of local fashion fans gathered to celebrate their shared love of an oh-so-San Francisco garment: the poncho. Along with a D.I.Y. runway and socializing, the first Love Me, Love My Poncho event included a free clothing swap. You, too, can feel the poncho love by cruising through this photo recap of the event.

Love Me, Love My Poncho organizer Mirabelle Jones

A clothing swap was also part of the event

So many ponchos, so little time!

Photography by Aura O’Brien

Aura O’Brien is an award-winning photographer and Marin native who has shot for Seventeen magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, Curve magazine, Mediabistro and many others. In 2011, she showed her work in anotherPERSPECTIVE: 2011 Art Show in Mill Valley and frequently shoots commercial and individual projects ranging from high fashion and editorial to weddings and boudoir photography.