A decade ago, Honolulu fashion shows were held in high-end hotels, in Waikiki or Kahala. Now, in a nod to new attitudes about Island fashion, runways are cropping up in warehouses and nightclubs in Kaka'ako and Chinatown.

The Polyascko brothers introduced their latest urban menswear collection at The O Lounge, pairing fashion with art and music. Lulu Lackey showed her sexy lingerie at the W, punctuated with live entertainment, beauty consultations and DJs. Crazy Beautiful, a trendy new boutique in Restaurant Row, simply spread out a red carpet from its front door to the middle of the Row Bar.

Tonight, Michele Lau, 24, of Salt Lake, will bring fashion to the newly hip and hot Hotel Street. The matte black doors at Next Door, 43 N. Hotel St., (home of Cinema Paradise) will open at 10 p.m. for "The Happening," an evening of art, fashion and entertainment by The Gonners, Tiny Believers and DJs Joy and Matt Ratt. The $5 cover charge also includes a show of Lau's fashions at 11:30 p.m.

Lau, who is pursuing a marketing degree at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, graduated in fashion technology from Honolulu Community College in 2000. Since then, she has been shopping for vintage fabrics and garments in thrift stores, deconstructing and transforming them into original tops and skirts.

Her designs are fun and frivolous but require an awesome amount of hand beading, hand embroidery and even hand sewing — all of which she does herself. Not even a sewing machine can achieve the look she is creating — long sashiko-style stitches are just one of her intricate design details.

Lau's passion for geometric shapes is clear. She appliqués circles on a halter top, layers semicircles to create a flower petal or fish-scale effect on a flirty skirt, and is always on the prowl for vintage cottons in tiny geometric prints.

Joe Randazzo, owner of J Salon in Chinatown, has supported Lau since she began designing. He and his staff donated time and talent for The Advertiser's photo shoot. Why? "I think she's talented, and she's doing something different," he said. "She has an edginess about her that's unique in Hawai'i. I believe in her. She has a great sense of style."

Ara Laylo of McCully volunteers as a model for Lau because, she said, the designer offers "something unique and different in flavor for Hawai'i. It's amazing to me that a local designer can pull off the look I would look for in San Francisco or Los Angeles or New York."

Laylo owns two of Lau's bustiers that she wears during her gigs as vocalist with the punk metal group Malcognitas, as well as to her day jobs at Smart magazine and J Salon.

Lau said she is inspired by the designs of Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler and Alexander McQueen. Her dream after graduation is to go to New York, London or Paris and apprentice with a designer, then return to Honolulu to introduce her own line of ready-to-wear.

Seventeen garments will be on display at Next Door tonight.

Lau's fashions ($120 to $300) will be for sale at thirtyninehotel, 39 N. Hotel St. The gallery is open noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.