o matter what people like to say, this city has style. I've never felt stronger about the state of fashion here than I did two Fridays ago. This is probably because I was wandering the streets of Boston's hippest neighborhood, the South End. The area has been happening for a while now, and on the best of nights it reminds me why I love this city. It's not every day that you can take in a fashion show, window-shop at Lekker, sip a gimlet at the Beehive, and still have time to take the 1 Bus home to Cambridge.

The South End can sometimes feel far away unless you live there, but it's just a 10-minute walk from where I work in the Back Bay. On Friday, I proudly stomped (in heels!) all the way to 540 Harrison Ave. to take in Current: 2010, the Massachusetts College of Art senior fashion show. The show was held at the Power Station, also home to the SoWa Open Market (above), which opened this weekend for the summer and is sure to provide plenty of opportunities for us to spend our pennies this summer.

But back to Current: 2010. It was one of those rare nights when you can feel an electric excitement in the air. The combination of good weather and an approaching weekend set the tone. I don't think you could find a better spot for the event. A sunset, cool breeze, and plenty of seating are not usually part of the typical fashion show.

My favorite looks were presented by Cholly Molthan, Jen Meshberg, and J'aime Lizotte. They all showed clothes that I would love to wear, and, more importantly, buy, if I could. Molthan made the best choice in fabric and her separates really stood out and were well cut. Meshberg's art deco-inspired designs translated into draped columns of desire. But the winner in my book was J'aime Lizotte, whose pieces look as if they could be hanging on the rack at Barney's right now. Modern, wearable, and different—what else can you ask for?

It's also fun to pretend you're a judge on Project Runway, especially when former contestant Maya Luz walks past with a huge white fringe bag I would have liked to grab right off her shoulder. The event lasted much longer than a normal fashion show, with 31 graduates (the largest class ever) presenting five looks. Each designer was so different from the next that the pace moved right along. It was an impressive showing for Mass Art, and I was inspired by the creativity.

My stay on Fashion Cloud Nine continued into the evening. We walked up Union Park and into the Beehive. Live jazz, vodka, and good outfit gossip was all it took to be reminded that even Boston doesn't always feel like Boston. I'm determined to find my way to the South End more often this summer, and hope you do too.

I'm not even going to touch on restaurants—I'll leave that to Cheryl—but at the top of my list of other South End destinations: Bobby from Boston, Boomerangs Special Edition, Flock, Garage Sale, Looc, and Lekker.

It's nice to know that even a city as old as this has nooks and crannies that feel new.

Off the Rack

Sparkle III, an afternoon of fashion, food, and fun to raise money for Rose's Place, is Sunday, May 30, at the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro. The afternoon fashion show will feature cocktails, finger foods, and fashion modeled by media types including Bianca de la Garza, Megan Lisagor, and Lisa Pierpont wearing outfits, shoes, accessories and beauty products from Beacon Hill designers and boutiques including Wish, Moxie, Koo de Kir, and others. Admission is $25 and includes a swag bag and discount coupons. Reserve a seat with a credit card by calling 617.723.7575.

Design Salon Boston hosts Bloggers Ball II tomorrow (May 18), featuring our favorite Boston Bloggers from New Brahmin, href="http://www.jessicasutton.com/daucuscarota/"_blank">Daucus Carota, and Elements of Style.

I was surprised to see that products labelled "pre-fall" are already arriving at Zara on Newbury Street, but the crazy fashion cycle did allow me to snag some gold platform sandals that will work just as nicely with my wardrobe now as in the fall. Stop in on Wednesdays and Fridays for fresh footwear deliveries.

Find other South End secrets.