What is a fashion show all about? Who goes to fashion shows? Where did I leave my new gorgeous brown headband?

These are three of the thousands of questions racing through my head as I made my way to The Standard Restaurant on 8th Avenue in downtown Nashville on Nov. 17. The first two questions were answered almost immediately upon walking through the door. The third, question, however, still remains a mystery, as the brown headband is currently MIA.

The show, “A Retreat to Elegance,” featured models who had just the right quirk about them to go with the intricate designs they were showing. As they turned before the mirror and the audience, each displayed her own signature, such as flipping her hair over her shoulder, throwing her hand on her hip or singling out a member of the audience and smirking. Each girl’s confident steps made the clothing that much more charming, as if the designer herself had that particular girl in mind while designing the pieces.

Although the show focused on the clothing from The Claire McCardell Heirloom Collection and by Tiffany Koury, there was something more behind this fashion show?it was a benefit for the Safe Haven and Signal Hill Foundations.

This show also served as an opening of sorts for a fresh idea involving the Nashville Fashion Group and the Standard Restaurant, which plans to close every Saturday night for dinner and a show for ticket holders starting in 2007.