There will also be some Brit Rocker chic on display from Knighted performers including Sir Eric Clapton, Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger. A few commoners - The Who's Keith Moon and Julian Lennon - will also be showcased. For more information, call 954-327-ROCK or 1-800-937-0010 or visit www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

Thursday May 8th "Riviera on the Runway" at Matthew's Jewelers in Plantation

It's a celebration of all things Italian. Italian sports cars. Luxe Italian fashions. And the Italian jewelry designs of Rebecca & Chimento Gioiellieri. The party (Rubi Rey Rum) is from 6 to 9 p.m. at 157 N. Nob Hill Road in Plantation. To RSVP,call (954) 424-2120. Okay, I must admit that I am hardly impartial on this one. The owner of Matthew's Jewelers - Mark Silverman - is one of my favorite local talents. The man really knows his biz and has been cited many times for his talent as a jewelry designer. On top of that, the co-host for this event is City & Shore magazine, the glossy magazine of all-things-fierce that is published by - you guessed it - the Sun-Sentinel. But go anyway.

Thursday May 8th St. John Bal Harbour Mother's Day celebration

Sure there's the usual parade of natty knits from the ladylike label. And yes, there will be raffles for gifts. But better than all of that is the Vosges Haut-Chocolat gourmet tasting. Yummy yummy yummy in your tummy. The event is from 1 to 5 p.m. at 9700 Collins Avenue in the Bal Harbour Shops. Call (305) 868-3001 for more info.

Thursday May 8th Sasson Basha of Aaron Bash at Mayors at the Galleria Mall

In case you aren't in-the-know about Aaron "Godfather of Charms" Basha, the designer of enamel, jewel-encrusted charms and baubles that are the fave rave of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heidi Klum, Celine Dion and Demi Moore (they all really love the signature Baby Shoe designs, which is worn by Sigourney Weaver in the movie Baby Mama). Aaron's song - The Godson of Charms, if you will - is appearing at Mayors/Galleria for a Junior League benefit. TIME, PRICE AND CONTACT INFO TO COME

May 14 Fur Remodel Event at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton

So what if you put the pet in PETA? It's already dead, right? So make it more modern by schlepping it over to Saks' fur salon on the 2nd floor (very discreet, you probably walk by it all the time). Call (561) 620-1246 for more info.

May 14 & 15 Scoop Showcase at Alene Too Boutique in Boca Raton

Hot designer brand Scoop is sending reps to hotter boutique Alene Too for a two-day trunk show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The hip store is in the Shoppes at Village Pointe, 6006 S.W. 18th Street in Boca Raton. Call (561) 394-0899 for more info.

    Long before she lobbed her first fashion explosion -- that chrysalis-like David Emanuel wedding gown -- she was already a captivating presence. After the wedding she kept it on the down-low with only occasional bursts of glam wattage. After all, at 5 feet 10 she was the same height as Prince Charles, and stiletto heels would have her towering over the future king of England. She wore flats.

    But as Diana found her footing on the world stage, and her voice in the royal household, she wore haute couture like armor. Still photographs just don't do her justice. You had to see her move in those clothes, bringing them to life - transforming a couple of yards of fabric into a worldwide headline.

    Of Diana's '80s looks: author Tim Graham and photographer Tamsin Blanchard wrote in their book Dressing Diana in 1998: "A key to Diana's style was her versatility and ability to get it right, to wear waterproofs on board a naval ship, gold braid and frogging to a military parade, or a soft floral dress and matching hat on a royal walkabout. ... Diana wore Chanel on a state visit to Paris, Escada to Germany and Moschino to meet the Italian president. Her choices were often seen as witty flattery: wearing a sailor hat to visit a naval base, and sporting a rising-sun circle on a white hat in Japan."

    Of her '90s looks: Suzy Menkes, the great doyenne of Euro fashion, wrote of the Diana in the International Herald Tribune in 1997: "The Princess of Wales may have appeared first as a clotheshorse and sometime fashion victim. But as she broke free from constraints, her clothes expressed her independence. In the last years of her brief life, her style became symbolic of post-feminist dressing. The body-conscious clothes, gym-honed figure and confident sexual allure expressed the spirit of her thirtysomething generation, free of bourgeois inhibitions that once filled women's closets."

    So she doffed her tiara in favor of a helmet to draw attention to the victims of land mines as she tried on role after role. And the British fashion industry, which had been moribund since Vivienne Westwood's punk-look fashion hit the catwalks in the late '70s, suddenly found a muse. In other words, Diana favorites -- Arabella Pollen, Bruce Oldfield, Amanda Wakely and Catherine Walker -- had careers outside the British Isles. The focus on the country's quirky style made it possible for stars such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Andrew Groves and the design duo Suzanne Clements and Ignacio Ribeiro to launch themselves on both sides of the Atlantic just before the princess's death.

    As the clothes and her emotions became one, Diana needed more colors to paint her brief, ephemeral paparazzi masterpieces. She took on global glamazons -- Versace, Lacroix, Ungaro and Chanel -- and showed their art to heighten her own artistic contribution: a fabulous life ... lived without reserve. She is a supermodel who attained sainthood.

Check out six of Diana's outfits at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with a limited engagement (May 5-11) exhibit. Titled Dresses for Humanity II, the installation is in the hotel ballroom and is open to public from 2 to 9 p.m. on May 5th and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 6th through May 9th (as well as May 11th). On May 10th, the show is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outfits to be shown include a Catherine Walker champagne-colored and glass-beaded shift; a long beaded evening gown in champagne silk and lace and a nautical evening dress in navy blue silk crepe.

There will also be some Brit Rocker chic on display from Knighted performers including Sir Eric Clapton, Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger. A few commoners - The Who's Keith Moon and Julian Lennon - will also be showcased. For more information, call 954-327-ROCK or 1-800-937-0010 or visit www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

May 1 - 3 Dior national make-up artist at Macy's/Dadeland Mall

His name is David Winters and he's coming to SoFla to give one-on-one cosmetic consultations and personal makeovers from Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Why him? Cuz he's Dior's main makeup man and regularly works with Harper's Bazaar and fashion designers like Betsey Johnson. Interestingly enough - although this is hardly applicable - he's also done the makeup for plays and musicals such as Miss Saigon, Light in the Piazza, Hairspray, Jekyll & Hyde, Into the Woods and Closer. To RSVP, call (305) 662-3587. There is a $25 reservation fee, which is redeemable toward Dior beauty products.

May 1 - 3 Fine Jewelry at Saks/Boca Raton

If baubles, bangles and bright shiny things are your thing (notice I did not use the overused "bling"), then get thee to Saks/Boca since on May 1st Maramenos & Pateras are showing hte latest line and then May 2nd and 3rd jewelry designer Rodney Rayner will present his latest collection. Both events are during normal store hours. For more info, call (561) 620-1220.

May 2 "En Vogue" The 5th Annual AIU Student Fashion Show

American InterContinental University student fashion show is moving on up in the world. This time around, it's being staged at the Global Ballroom of Weston's Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa (250 Racquet Club Road). More than 25 students will show everything from eveningwear and bridal to sportswear and beach attire. Some of the models hail from Cypress Bay and Miramar high schools. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Call Juanita Alcena at (786) 547-0466 for more info and tickets.

May 4 "Fashion Unveiled" at Aventura Mall

It's brunch. It's fashion. It's a fundraiser.  The brunch starts at 11:30 a.m. The fashion starts at 12:30 p.m. And the fundraiser is for Children First Fund Department of Pediatrics University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Which is a mouthful. Let's just say, "it's for the kids." Speaking of mouthfulls, the catering is by Grand Lux Cafe. Fashion will be from Bloomingdales, Damiani, Edward Beiner, Iridesse, Kate Spade, Koko & Palenki, Niccolo Maffeo, Reiss, Ted Baker and Tous. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased by calling UM Pediatrics at (305) 243-3956

Did you know that last month Project Runway won a Peabody Award?

Now that is news that got lost in all this Obama-versus-Hillary contretemps. I just knew this election was going to be bad for fashion. I just knew it.

Anyway, A Peabody Award is pretty fabulous. In my opinion, mucho better-o than a silly little Emmy. Do you know how much crap has won an Emmy? I can't really remember, but I think I had one for awhile propping open the guest room door (for the cross-breeze).

Anyway, the real Project Runway news is how the franchise is leaving Bravo and moving to Lifetime. Project Runway and Golden Girls reruns....ahhhh, the perfect evening. Hello Haagen Daz, remember me?

NBC, which owns Bravo (where the show was a ratings magnet for four cycles/seasons) is seriously pissed-off. They loosed the lawyers.

Gossip says that Lifetime had to throw in their first-born for the multi-million-dollar-deal and even signed on to air another show from the producers called Project Pygmalion for 2009 as well as another show about what the models go through on Project Runway tentatively called Models of the Runway.

Of course Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn have been re-signed. Michael Kors is on-board after some delay. But Nina Garcia has frantic negotiations going on behind-the-scenes I hear.

Garcia is fighting on two fronts. The editrix is saying au bientot to Elle, which means that she may not be able to appear on the reality show as a representative of the glossy magazine. Talk has it that Garcia is trying to iron out a deal where she is listed in the magazine's masthead as an editor-in-large, which is the kind of title you give someone who wants a title but none of the deadlines. Andre Leon Talley is an editor-at-large for Vogue magazine. So there's a pretty picture for you.

I hear that Elle magazine will stick around for season five, which will start filming June 8th and start airing in July on Bravo, but not for season six on Lifetime. Season six - on Lifetime - might start airing in November.

So we might end up with two Project Runway cycles/shows in 2008.

Y'know Garcia is a new mom, right? She might be too busy anyway. Earlier this month she was in El Lay taping a cameo for ABC's Ugly Betty and she's still on tour with her book The Little Black Book of Style.

Oh, and just to throw some more confusion into the mix, Elle magazine is doing a new reality show for the CW (owned in SoFla by the Sun-Sentinel) called Fashionista which will be produced by Tyra Banks and will air this summer.

Speaking of Klum, read on about how you can see her fab Marc Jacobs dress worn for the annual Heart Truth Red Dress colelction, where designers put their crimson couture on the backs of celebs. The dresses then go on a road tour drumming up interest in heart disease prevention among women - a huge and devastating problem.

We're so lucky. We have that kind of fashion drama as close as the nearest mall. And you don't have to wait until the Supreme Court rules on the Project Runway/NBC battle either (you just know that's where this is heading, right?). And most of our drama is - my favorite word - FREE:

April 25-27 The Heart Truth Road Show rolls into Boynton Beach Mall

An exhibit of designer dresses worn by the likes of Vanessa L. Williams, Ana Ortiz, Lisa Rinna and Alison Janney will be on display at the Boynton Beach Mall from 3 to 9 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be free health screenings. For more info, visit www.MyCokeRewards.com. The event is free.

April 26 MET Expert visits The Gardens Mall for Cinema Couture Exhibit

It's quite a schlepp for many of us, but The Gardens Mall waaaay up in Palm Beach Gardens has quite the exhibit going on featuring costumes worn by Kate Winslet/Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland), Meryl Streep (Out of Africa), Madonna (Evita), Renee Zellwegger (Miss Potter), Nicole Kidman (Portrait of a lady) and Elizabeth Taylor (Young Toscanini). On Saturday Stephane Houy-Towner, an accessories and fashion scholar from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute will give a lecture on the costumes for free at 1 p.m. However, the champagne reception beforehand at 12:30 p.m. in the Gucci store will set you back $25. Buy the tickets at The Gardens mall information desk.

April 26 Spring Into Fashion" at The Falls Mall

Spring and summer fashions from Brooks Brothers, Cache, Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Ann Taylor, BCBG Max Azria, Banana Republic, Victoria's Secret PINK, Swim n' Sport, Chico's and more. The informal models is from 3 to 6 p.m. There will also be mini-makeovers and cosmetic presentations. The event is free.

April 27 TLC's Clinton Kelly of What Not to Wear hosts plus-size show at Macy's

TLC's Clinton Kelly will be at Macy's in Pembroke lakes Mall Sunday at 2 p.m. to host a plus-size fashion show for women sizes 14W and up. Lines featured include INC International Concepts, Alfani, Style & Co., Jones New York Collections, Liz Claiborne and Lauren by Ralph Lauren. The event is free.

April 30 Timepiece maker launches new line at Mayors at Town Center at Boca Raton mall

Watchmaker Dino Modolo branched out into fine jewelry back in 2000, but now he's back in the wristwatch biz with the launching of the Tempia Timepiece Collection by Di Modolo. Wednesday, April 30th 6 - 9pm at Mayors at Town Center at Boca Raton Thursday, May 1st 6 - 9pm at Mayors at Dadeland Mall Please RSVP to 800-4-MAYORS x9501

Have you seen what those women in the Yearning for Zion polygamist compound in Texas are wearing? I must admit, I haven't a clue where one would even find 17th century Pilgrim sportswear. I guess the town whore is the one showing her ankles. All my girlfriends would be ex-communicated for sporting form-fitting aprons.

What will Mr. Blackwell say?

All I know is that the men must be terrified of womanhood; it's all there in the fashion....the whole sordid story. Don't take it from me, check out the Bible; all polygamist relationships end badly...sometimes really, really badly.

What about Dancing with the Stars? What teases they are. Why don't they just put the men in I-can-tell-your-religion-from-across-the-room tight pants and lose the shirt altogether? Only Cher has a more plunging neckline.

And the women? Well, they could borrow clothes from Pure Platinum, Booby Trap or the Cheetah and save a fortune in costumes. You don't have to work the pole to wear sequined split skirts and velcro. How much double-face tape do you think they go through each performance? Janet Jackson's probably watching saying, "C'mon, c'mon. Don't make me the only one."

Hey, let's get Dancing with the Stars to switch wardrobes with the polygamist compound! That would be worth a few giggles. And think of how empowered the women at the Yearning for Zion compound would be in a sequin halter top and a matching ruffle cha-cha skirt. No one looks dowdy in a cha-cha skirt. No one.

And we could see just how good those dancing stars really, really are wearing pinafores that even the Pope would find dowdy. You know you've gone too far when the Pope tells you to loosen up.

Aaaah, but here in SoFla we have nothing but fabulous fashion. If you don't believe me, check out these upcoming events:

April 17 Just Cavalli fashion show with Saks/Bal Harbour and Ocean Drive magazine

The cause is a good one. Benefitting the Diabete Reseach Institute, this fashion show features the Just Cavalli collection of oh-so-hip and young clothing worn by the hottest (and tautest) bodies in SoFla. Drinks and nibblies start at 7 p.m. The catwalk caper starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 at the door.

April 17 Project Breakout swimsuit finals at the Sagamore Hotel

Okay, how funny is it that a swimsuit event is at a hotel with the word "sag" in it? Project Breakout - a video competition community with video sharing, social networking and TV talent contests - will celebrate the Breakout Calendary Girls contest from 8 to 11 p.m. at Social Miami at the Sagamore (1671 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach. The swimsuit contest winner gets a one-year modeling contract with Brazilian swimwear line Sugar Free. The 12 finalists will apear in a calendar. Go to www.projectbreakout.com for more info.

April 18 Cosmopolitan magazine's Bikini Bash

Cosmo hopes to break the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot in history...or herstory. 1,200 bikini-clad women will be photographed for an aerial photo (or is that areola photo?) a high noon at Nikki Beach (One Ocean Drive in South, South, South Beach). They want women ages 18 to 34 and it's byob: bring your own bikini. For more info, go to www.cosmopolitan.com/magazine/cosmo-bikini-bash.

April 18 Milly by Michelle Smith: Spring Presentation

Milly clothing, The Junior League of Palm Beach and Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Beach Gardens host an in-store cocktail reception from 6 to 9 p.m. FYI: Milly ready-to-wear is inspired by tobacco heiress Doris Duke. For more info, call (561) 694-9009.

April 19 Bloomingdale's Spring Fashion Show at The Gardens Mall

The title says it all. Reception at 10:30 a.m. Runway show at 11 a.m. Proceeds benefit the South Florida Science Museum

April 19 & 20  Inside In Style

In Style magazine - as glossy as glossies come - is back on the beach again for the 7th annual weekend-long fashion and beauty event. Now I personally am soooo over celebs (why isn't Paris still in jail? I would be.), but I admit the rest of the world is still fascinated. So if this is your thing - still - then go to the sands of South Beach at 11th & Ocean where tents and cabanas are set up for various vendors to show you how Tinseltown does it. There will be bridal fashion shows at 11:30 and ready-to-wear fashion shows at 1:30 each day. Tickets in advance are $15 (go to www.instyleinsider.com) or $25 at the door. Ticket sale proceeds benefit The Junior League of Miami.

There's no doubt that the big fashion story this week is the Miami Fashion Week taking place in the SoHo Studios in the oh-so-hip Wynwood Arts District in downtown Miami. For you haute-eurs planning on attending, go to www.miamifashionweek.com to pre-order the $25 tickets to the catwalk capers being staged until April 13.

But if you just don't feel like schlepping that far south, there is plenty going on in our area.

For example, Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton is having a bling-fest. Okay, that's my word, not theirs. The droolery...er...jewelry trunk shows are on Thursday, April 10 on the first floor of the swanky store. Reps from Roberto Coin, Philip Stein and Judith Ripka will be on hand showing the spring/summer collections. Call (561) 620-1220 for more info.

If you have enough new fashion for spring/summer, but need a new face to go with your wardrobe, then check out Dr. Kenneth Beer's one-on-one free consultations on the latest trends in looking younger (Botox, Restylane, Sculptra, Radiesse, Laser Skin Rejuvenation, Laser Hair Removal, etc). Dr. Beer is the founder of The Cosmetic Boot Camp and the author of Palm Beach Perfect Skin. He is also a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami. To make an appointment, call (212) 979-8884 or email Danielle Lerner at DanielleL@cmmpr.com

On April 10, Dr. Beer will be at 641 University Blvd., Suite 212 in Jupitor FL. 33458

On April 11, Dr. Beer will be at 1500 North Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach, FL. 33401

Victoria's Secret cover model Marisa Miller will make a splashy appearance at - guess where - Victoria's Secret/Aventura Mall this Friday, April 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. The Sport's Illustrated 2008 covergirl will sign autographs and share her tips for looking great on the beach (tip number one: be a Victoria's Secret model or a Sport's Illustrated cover girl).

The well-shod will want to know about Steve Madden's personal appearance at the brand-spanking new and oh-so-fabulous Nordstrom's in Aventura Mall. Madden, who is a rock god in the women's shoe world. In 2006, his shoe designs accounted for one-half billion dollars in sales. Footwear News (a publication I have actually read from cover to cover) considers him "the fashion footwear mogul of the 21st Century." Not bad for a Long Island native who started in 1990 with only $1,100 to launch his company with some gotta-have-them platform heels. By the way, Madden dropped out of the University of Miami to become a shoe clerk.

Well, as my grandmother used to say: it's all over but the shouting (a reference to spirited Sunday sermons for you heathens out there).

Christian from New York by way of Annapolis, Maryland is the new fashion star on the horizon. Truth be told. he has been for much of the season of Project Runway.

His win last night was hard-earned (Rami almost draped his way to a win) and well-deserved. Christian did, in fact, put on the best runway show.

And like all really great reality show winners, he even had a moment - and JUST a moment - of humbleness there....and the end. Just before Tim Gunn did his "I'm-going-for-the-Emmy" speech and upstaged the little twink.

Last night alone he shot off a few seemingly effortlessly:

"Let's go pick some fierce girls"

"I walked around my apartment for a week and if I can do it, THESE ladies can do it."

All Rami could come up with was some lame and logic-challenged bull-doodie about the fashion shows in New York being "lifeblood of fashion" or something like that. I was too bored to rewind the DVR.

Anyway, what does it all mean?

Heck if I know. The three previous season winners have yet to give Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta anything to lose sleep over. That is to say, we have yet to see a major designer label launched from the unscripted TV show.

Aaaah. But that may not be the way Project Runway has changed the landscape of fashion...in a quiet, almost stealth way.

What the show has done is slyly shifted the power to anoint away from the tastemakers at style glossies and industry bibles like Women's Wear Daily. No more "star chamber" for fashion where the next hot thing is decided on at a back table at Graydon Carter's Waverly Inn. You don't even need to know who Graydon Carter is (hint: Vanity Fair magazine).

Now anyone can be a fashion insider. Anyone with cable that is. The show has democratized fashion (or at least what we all think is fashion; Project Runway wisely stays away from the hardest part which is the logistics of manufacturing and deliveries not to mention tariffs and import duties).

If you think about it, the last real luxury label to be launched was Tom Ford. And he's just getting to men's wear and fragrance. He has yet to do a women's wear line and then there's the problem of distribution. Does one have to schlepp all the way to Manhattan to buy a scarf or necktie?

So if Tom Ford is taking it slow and steady, you know it's a bit tricky to pull off. But as soon as one of these winners from Project Runway figures out how to translate all that name recognition into actual product sales, watch out!

It'll be like American Idol and record sales...only bigger unit prices and fashion is aspirational; you can break into soooo many other arenas from home furnishings to movie costuming. So far, Idol winners are lucky to keep a record contract a year later.

Project Runway has the potential - if they watch the cheesiness factor which is getting a tad out-of-hand - to really, really change the landscape.

The people could choose the next fashion star. The people could  say who's hot and who's not.

I bet Anna Wintour isn't sleeping well tonight.

Probably worrying about being auf'd.

So I DON'T need to tell you that tonight's the night. I'm on my way to buy the bubbly now (I just hope it lasts until 10...Tee Hee Hee). 

Even if you watch the video we did from the finale runway show at the end of "fashion week" in New York, there still aren't really any spoilers. Who the heck knows just how these wacky judges are going to vote? 

And on top of that, the guest judge this season is Victoria Beckham. That's right....Posh Spice, people.

Who can figure out all the permutations that one factor brings to the formula. Other than picking out hottie hubbies (I actually wear the David Beckham's Instinct cologne and shower gel), what taste-making skills does she have?

Anyway, you true blue Project Runway fans - let's call ourselves "Project-files" or simply "Project-iles" - you should also know that you can log onto www.projectrunway.com and buy some of the designs from this season.

A portion of the proceeds from the online auction will benefit The HOPE Program, providing career-development for the homeless and welfare-dependent adults. The auction lasts until March 12 for the final three contestants Rami Kashou, Jillian Lewis and Christian Siriano. The winning collection will have an extra week of bidding, closing March 19.