The best of what Nashville Fashion Week has to offer

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April might be Nashville's most fashionable month, with the sixth annual Nashville Fashion Week running April 5-9, the 11th annual Nashville Symphony Fashion Show with Carolina Herrera on April 26, and the first birthday celebration of the Nashville Fashion Alliance on April 24 at The Cordelle.

Nashville Fashion Week kicks off with East Meets West: Designer Runway Show at Studio 615 on Tuesday, April 5, featuring Francesca Marotta, Brooke Atwood, Michael Drummond and Kallmeyer, immediately followed by the opening night kickoff party. The following evening turns the spotlight on local designers with the Nashville Designer Runway Showcase with Roxenstone, Sisters of Nature, Any Old Iron, Pink Elephant Designs, Ona Rex and Amanda Valentine at Track One.

On Thursday, Weld will host an Accessory Installation Gallery featuring Arturo Rios, Debe Dohrer, Emil Erwin, Mary Mooney and Suzan Pitt. Friday evening brings the Ready-to-Wear Runway Show to Legislative Plaza with Lagi Nadeau, Megan Huntz, Oberima Afriyie, Eleventy and Julianna Bass, recipient of the first Nashville Fashion Forward Fund Award in 2011.

Bass will speak at this year's Fashion Forward Gala at OZ Nashville on Saturday, alongside singer-songwriter (and boutique owner) Holly Williams and keynote speaker Mayor Megan Barry. The gala is a fundraiser for the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund, an endowed fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee that gives an annual award to an individual with ties to Middle Tennessee and demonstrated experience in a fashion-related field.

Tickets are available for purchase at nashvillefashionweek.com; options include single-show tickets, gala tickets, or an All-Access Pass that provides entry and premium seating to all events throughout the week. Nashville Fashion Week also features trunk shows and special events and offers at area boutiques around the city; see the NFW website for a full list of participating vendors.