Where hot mess meets haute couture

If you think today’s fashions are a bit trashy, wait until you see a model wearing the contents of your recycling bin strutting down the runway. The eighth annual Trashion Fashion Show – where the looks are sassy, chic and always sustainable — returns to the Sonoma Community Center on April 14, with shows at 1 and 4 p.m.

More than 40 professional and amateur designers will work the catwalk wearing original, outrageous and unique designs made from recycled materials and cast-off junk. “I am continually fascinated by the imagination and talent of the designers,” says Margaret Hatcher, the center’s special program manager. “This promises to be the biggest and most extraordinary show ever!”

The production team includes Runway Coach Cat Austin, Commentary Writer Ilene Briggin, and Master of Ceremonies Cynthia Tarr, plus live music.

Tickets are $20-$80. The 4 p.m. show will include an awards ceremony and reception.

Trashion Week begins Saturday, April 7 with the opening of “Barbie: Rescued and Reinvented,” an exhibit and silent auction featuring dozens of repurposed Barbie dolls.

The exhibit opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the center’s Gallery 212. It will be up through April 15.

On Sunday April 8, it’s “Dogs on the Catwalk,” a fashion show for canines open to all costumed dogs. The event will take place on the center’s back patio at 11 a.m. Entry fee is $25-$40 per dog, but people are free.

For information about Trashion Week events contact 707.938.4626 or Trashionfashionsonoma.org