Fashion Week Cleveland’s party and fashion show schedule kicks off with FWC’s immensely popular, public kick-off GLAM PARTY on Friday, May 2, at 8 p.m. at La Dolce Vita. presented by SCENE.  DJs IMPURE and GO will host, and admission is free.  For 2008, the GLAM PARTY theme is “Think Italy!  Think Fellini!” and FWC urges attendees to “dress the part,” bring their cell phones and “play paparazzi.”  Photos taken there – and throughout FWC -- will be uploaded to a special online photo gallery.

The GLAM PARTY is followed by FWC’s high energy wearable art show at Sammy’s in the Flats on Saturday, May 3, from 8 pm to midnight.   UNCLOTHED: A Mixed-Media Runway Event is a ticketed event and a designated “Cool Cleveland Party” featuring a complimentary FWC signature martini and haute couture hors d’oeuvres.  Combined with Sammy’s spectacular view of the Flats, UNCLOTHED is sure to be a sellout!

On Sunday, May 4, FWC goes from land to lake with CELEBRITY STYLE CLEVELAND, another ticketed event on board The Nautica Queen.  Embarking at 5:30 pm and returning at 9, FWC guests will enjoy a special lakefront cruise while local celebrities and models present a boutique show spotlighting local retail collections.  

FWC culminates in its final runway show, the black-tie Cleveland Fashion Show, which begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.  This gala will feature as its special guest Miss America 2008, Kirsten Haglund (an opera and music student at the Cincinnati Conservatory), as well as a number of up-and-coming American and regional designers, including Tad Boetcher (a Kent State University graduate who created Bill by Bill Blass and his own successful New York-based line called “tad b”).

Other FWC programs include: a showing of Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque; a video and lecture on Dior with wine reception at the Kent State University Museum; a program on silk and Japanese kimonos at the Cleveland Botanical Garden; a program "From Gems to Jewelry" at the Cleveland Hatural History Museum; a behind-the-scenes look at the Western Reserve Historical Society’s extensive children’s clothing collection; and a special tour of 50 years of rock style at the Rock Hall.

For more info on  tickets, locations and schedule, go to www.fashionweekcleveland.com.