Get a look at local fashion

When Foster Fox returned to Charleston from New York a few years ago, he joked to an out-of-town friend about "Charleston Fashion Week."

Now Fox, 28, is one of the city's young, local designers making a mark on Charleston's emerging fashion scene.

Fox and five others will show their collections tonight under the tents at Marion Square in the Emerging Local Designers Runway Show. The six young designers' shows are among nearly 30 runway shows in Charleston Magazine's five-day fashion extravaganza, which runs through Saturday and includes everything from spring sundresses to bridal couture. It's the event's second year but the first year for the emerging designers show.

The six designers, who in addition to Fox include Rachel Gordon, Carol Hannah Whitfield, Ashley Reid, Megan Waldrep and Krista Beth Huff, were selected from among 16 who entered the Emerging Local Designers competition, said Ayoka Lucas, style editor for Charleston Magazine.

The emerging designers show spotlights the local up-and-coming design talent in Charleston, she said.

The town has always been recep- tive to emerging designers because of the many privately owned designer boutiques.

"In this city, we like specialty items," Lucas said.

"It's a hot ticket," she said of the young designers' show. It sold out Wednesday morning, the first event of the week to do so, Lucas said. In response, organizers Thursday afternoon added 100 general admission tickets. "It's the one (event) everybody wants to support," Lucas said.

Fox describes his designs as "equestrian and casino chic." His line includes basic, sleek pieces with "something that stands out" such as white buttons or a screen print on black fabric, he said. It also includes riding hats, boots and jodhpurs. "You can come from the stable and go right to the casino and gamble," he said.

Fox said being selected for a runway show was a boon for his career. "It shrunk my 10-year plan down to seven," he said.

The fashion scene in Charleston has recently caught the eye of the national media, and that can only be good for emerging designers. Vogue magazine, in its March issue, included Charleston among eight cities globally noted for "after 5" glamour.

"We're on the national fashion radar," Lucas said. "We're in our time."

With the fashion spotlight on Charleston, she said, the young designers will certainly be noticed. "In three or four years, you may see their labels in big stores such as Neiman Marcus and Barneys (New York)," she said.

It's happened before. Mary Norton, who started making purses in her home just like the current crop of designers, now has a nationally recognized accessories company headquartered in Charleston. Her company will be featured in a Saturday show.

Young designer Megan Waldrep, 26, has been selling her designs since she was a college student at the University of South Carolina. Already 13 boutiques, from Maryland to Texas, sell her clothing.

Waldrep, who spent the first six years of her life in Charleston, said it's good to be home. She sees Charleston as "a little fashion capital" and thinks her designs will go over well here.

Her clothing line, she said, brings back the sundresses of the 1950s and 1960s. They're "bright, playful and girly," she said. "It's a collection that will make you want to twirl."

While she was delighted to land a spot in tonight's show and knows it will give her career a boost, she's also hoping the show will bring attention to Charleston and the South. "I want to celebrate this part of the country," she said.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.