Oct. 22--It's nice to have irrefutable proof that St. Louis style doesn't fit neatly into one narrow definition. We have bubble gum-pink-tulle-loving designers and dark knitting souls who explore the pretty side of the macabre.

Designers produce ballgowns inspired by early 20th century glam and funky punk-attire that's best adorned with kohl eyeliner and chains.

This is just a glimpse of some shows from the four-day St. Louis Fashion Week [http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/] parade of events, including local and a few international designers.

I hope it's enough of a peek at the week to see some things you like and some things you don't and some things you might appreciate even though you don't like them.

I tried to answer the "What's the big deal about St. Louis Fashion Week?" [http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/debs-style-file//debs-style-file/2009/10/st-louis-fashion-week-whats-the-big-deal/] question and a couple of the obvious frequently asked questions about the event in an earlier blog post.

The question I neglected is: Why the heck don't the clothes on the runway look like stuff I'd want to buy, why does everything look so weird?

I get asked that question in one form or another a lot and the tone of the inquiry drifts from polite to accusatory. My best answer is that fashion is meant to present a point-of-view. This will not always be your point-of-view.

The runway show is an opportunity for the designer and his or her style team to show-off ... plain and simple. It's an opportunity to get people excited about a new silhouette, a new shape, a new color or a newly-returned-to era.

But, most importantly, fashion shows are primarily for people who like fashion.This crowd doesn't get easily excited by the pedestrian.

And this crowd is a little more forgiving of the extremes. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to be caught dead wearing a tuxedo-style blazer and pink tutu over black latex tights with combat boots ensemble, but they can appreciate it if it's styled and constructed well. They might even notice that they really like the jacket.

Sure, there are many things that saunter down runways that can make you want to furrow your brow or shake your head in disbelief, but personally, I think that most of us suffer from the syndrome of being too staid. You can always scale back an idea and simplify it for mass consumption (and that's exactly what happens to most of those nuttier garments before they hit the retail racks), but you only get a few opportunities to go big.

Besides, once you get over the silly notion that everything that comes down the runway has to be something that you personally like/could wear/could see your friends wearing, then you might find out that the extremes are kinda fun. For the mainstream, you can go to the mall.

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