This Thursday and Friday, Roan in Carytown will be hosting a Brunello Cucinelli fall 2013 trunk show. Brunello Cucinelli is an Italian luxury designer with an underlying focus on giving back to the communities where his garments are produced.
He started as a cashmere designer in the 1970s, and still produces elegant cashmere, along with full collections for each season. His designs are comfortable yet chic, with that relaxed, just-thrown-together-yet-perfectly-coordinated look that we all crave.
Appointments are preferred for this chance to scope out and buy the next season's designs. Call 288-3699 to schedule one.

If you didn’t already have this Saturday’s Belgian Day at Hardywood on your must-do weekend checklist, I’ve got another reason to add it. The Bizarre Market will be there! This collection of handmade art, accessories, bath products and more only pops up for shopping a few times a year, most notably at Chop Suey Books around Christmas. Starting at 2 p.m., the Bizarre Market’s Mystery Mart is a curated pop-up shop with one-of-a-kind works from more than 30 artists and designers. Stop in to see what fun stuff they’ll have.

At last night’s Virginia Commonwealth University department of fashion design and merchandising fashion show preview, three senior design students provided an exclusive sneak peak into the collections that will be featured in the upcoming spring show, called "Catalyst."
“The theme, Catalyst, is a micro-trend that’s happening right now,” department chair Donna Reamy says of this year’s motif. In addition to featuring the work of three seniors, the preview at VCU’s Scott House included a brief fashion show presenting the work of eight junior fashion design students.
About 40 fashion design seniors and juniors will showcase their wares on the catwalk at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on May 5. The juried event that has sold out in previous years will include two showings at 7:30 and 9 p.m. to accommodate more attendees.
“We view fashion as art,” Reamy says. “A fashion designer shows their art on the runway.” Tickets for this year’s show go on sale April 1 at 8 a.m. Prices range from $25 to $50. For more information, visit arts.vcu.edu/fashion or call 828-1699.

Monisha Jenkins drew on inspiration from her mother for her "Individualist" creations. The predominantly cotton collection with leather touches features inspiration from menswear and vintage influences. “I wanted to show what a strong woman would wear,” Jenkins says.

A semester in Guinea, West Africa, inspired Grace Hazelgrove’s African-influenced collection, called "Conde Muso." The senior who spent her fall semester apprenticing with a local tailor in Kankan, Guinea, wanted to blend her time at VCU with the three months she spent abroad. Bold, graphic prints abound in the predominantly red and gold collection created from fabrics she brought back from her village’s market.

The first senior to design a maternity line in the senior fashion show’s more than 40-year history, Sarah Brown is making waves with Pregknit. Her urban maternity wear collection features simple 100-percent cotton textiles with exaggerated fabric manipulation. The fashion design senior who worked at Destination Maternity in Short Pump last year and currently works as a sales associate at It’s Hip to Be Round in Carytown is looking forward to becoming an aunt in less than a month.

OK, I’ve got another round of shopping happenings for you, and they start tomorrow. First up is Pink’s one-day sale Friday. You’ll get 30 percent off your entire full-price purchase all day long.

Also starting Friday and running through Sunday is Need Supply Co.’s first ever Warehouse Sale. There will be major discounts up to 75 percent off on men’s and women’s shoes, apparel and accessories. I heard some insider scoop that there’ll be a ton of high-end brands and crazy markdowns, so it certainly sounds worth checking out early.

On Monday and Tuesday, Roan is hosting a Lela Rose trunk show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is your opportunity to shop this dress designer’s collection long before it hits stores. Appointments are preferred but not required — call 288-3699 or email info@roanshop.com to reserve a time.

Also next week, Frillseekers in The Shops at 5807 is hosting a SCOUT launch party. SCOUT is that line of adorable waterproof bags, tubs, containers and more in cool prints and colors that always come in handy. Stop in and shop any day during regular business hours, browse the new spring stuff, and get a free gift with any SCOUT purchase (while supplies last). Also, you can enter to win a SCOUT Gameday Tote.