Last Saturday, under a host of stage lights and a starry sky, fashion fans and fanatics gathered to observe the stylistic merits of well-known Tucson designers. There may not have been an Anna Wintour gracing the front row’s center seat, nor a Garance Doré lingering backstage, but the final night and main event of Tucson Fashion Week was nothing short of spectacular.

The show began fashionably late at 7:30 p.m., and the collections spanned everything from newspaper lingerie, comme Victoria Secret’s annual soiree, to chain mail face guards and gritty couture — a distant cousin to the younger Christopher Kane. A premiere showing of neon-colored, bright leather pieces alluded to Karl Lagerfeld’s game-changing body-con designs, and proved that for spring 2011, color is back and here to stay.  

Each new collection boasted unique technical qualities and models who weren’t afraid to dance to the music. By 9:45, however, the wind picked up, and everyone felt the chill. The show was running behind schedule, and the models were exhausted. People were moving to the Surly Wench for drinks, and the crowd was beginning to wane.

At 10:11, in a moment that resembled the unveiling of a young Naomi Campbell or Chanel Iman, dancer and fashion show veteran Charity Reid stunned the audience, dominating the runway to the heart-thumping bass beat of Kanye West’s “”Power.”” Power, indeed. The crowd began cheering the moment she hit the catwalk and didn’t stop applauding until she had disappeared. Perhaps it was the feather headdress and war paint, but it’s more likely that her appeal was in the unapologetic way she took on the stage, and everyone who was watching.

After the show, Reid was literally glowing. “”I’m going to be in the industry,”” she said with a smile. “”Whether I like it or not, there’s no question about it.””