The last night of Charleston Fashion Week® began like every other night this week: hours before the tent doors opened. Over at King and Society, Stella Nova’s Patrick Navarro battled the humidity that clung to the city in the wake of the afternoon’s monsoons, and coaxed the curls out of my hair before moving on to do the same for CFW production director Naomi Russell and Charleston After Dark’s Camille Key (the latter who would later host the official after party at the Aquarium). Like any hairdresser worth his straightening iron, Navarro shared some fun scoops, like how one of Charleston mag’s 2011 “Most Stylish” had—since February—been compiling and tweaking a spreadsheet of what to wear to all the sundry CFW events. Gotta love it.

At the tents themselves, buzz backstage was, of course, over who would win the CFW Emerging Designer Competition: East (EDC:E) in a few hours and net the big prizes: a $5,000 check from the Art Institute of Charleston; $10,000 online marketing and promotional package from F22 Designs; a look book of their collection from J.Balliet: Photographer; a runway show at Charleston Fashion Week® 2013; and a David Yurman wide cable classic cuff bracelet from REEDS Jewelers. The wild card? The fashion panel judges used their “save” option and brought back former Charleston resident Adrienne Antonson to show with the rest of the nightly finalists: Tsvetelina Gerasimova McAuliffe, Hannah Goff, Angela Sum, and Vartika Vikram. Said Antonson model Heather Koonse (who is not only spearheading the Charleston Garment Manufactory initiative and served as a seamstress for CFW designers like Antonson, Michael Weirnicki, and the Galmarinis of Neve/Hawk), “I’m here to support Adrienne personally and do anything I can to support her work, too.”

While Koonse donned a modified smock for the show, over in the Style Lounge, DJ Rocky Horror (who’s headlined Kulture Klash and the Skinful Halloween fest in years past) had the beats thumping by 6 p.m., before the sun had even hardly thought about sinking for the night. The fashionable did what they do best (shopped), and when I apparently glanced askew at a model form decked in, well, everything at the Art Institute booth, AI student Dominique Grant shot to my side to tell me that she hadn’t designed the creation. “Anyone who walks by can add something to it,” she laughed, pointing to the fabric scraps and hot glue guns at the ready on their table. “Now this,” she said, grabbing a glossy card that showcased trends, “is something I did do.” She pointed to a model in a fur lolling on a Lowcountry dock in a marsh. Very cool. “It was awesome,” the fashion and retail major said, “and I wish every class could be like that.” Her energy and ambition? Exactly what AI hopes to foster by doling out the $5K award to a budding designer.

In no time, the sold-out crowd tottered (heels and drinks don’t always mix well, you know) to their seats and the gawking began, not so much at the models, this time, but at the Fashion Panel. Even their chair labels were enticing. Vanessa Lachey had three seats saved; one, perhaps, for hubby Nick, who had Tweeted a pic from Chas earlier in the day and set the town into a tizzy? Alas, he was a no show, but she, a model, TV host, and celeb stylist consultant for Tanger Outlets was a true doll—looks and personality both. The other front row seats were saved for what we dubbed earlier this week as the supreme court of fashionables: Fern Mallis, founder of New York Fashion Week and swellegant industry insider; Anne Slowey, ELLE magazine fashion and news director; Cameron Silver, co-owner of L.A.’s Decades vintage haute consignment boutique to the stars; Social Primer’s K. Cooper Ray; and designers Chris Benz, Lindsey Carter, and Mychael Knight.

When the lights dimmed, even the hard-to-shake-up panel got their groove on when the Missing Linkz break dance crew blasted from backstage (and from the middle of the audience) and onto the runway to pop and lock and spin and strike impossible poses. Mallis even pulled out her iPhone to video the Charleston-based troupe, and when the fellaz postured their way offstage, the entire front row was clapping.

Then came the designers. In all honesty, while the panelists looked attentively and made notes on their clipboards as each collection filed past, the biggest chattering and scribbling came when Hannah Goff’s tactile and uber-intellectual collaged skirts, shirts, and more came down the runway. Spotlights picked up the tiny squares she’d sewn onto each colorful piece along with the Lucite necklaces and silica-like panels she layered onto the looks. Slowey mouthed that she even liked Goff’s shoe choices—“practical” white and black wedges and Keds-like fare that spoke to the homemaker aesthetic Goff had intended to address. Said the TrueFashionistaNow.com blogger who sat next to me, “I could absolutely see that collection in Paris.”

After a break, the panel tucked back into their seats and Slowey’s nieces sat beside her nibbling on Godiva chocolates they’d bought from The Shops at Charleston Place booth in the Style Lounge. Next up was ELLE’s 2011 Fashion Next Award winner, Faith Thornburg, from Savannah. A first-ever for CFW’s night shows, she showed a bridal collection resplendent in creams and yellows all accented by crisp white lace. She says she’s inspired by the History Channel, but we’re betting she’s also a fan of PBS’s “Downton Abbey” for sure, what with all the empire waists and fem forms. CFW style director Ayoka Lucas and I locked eyes across the runway on a few gowns we’d like to have for our next Charleston Weddings mag shoot, as Lucas styles those.

On the complete other end of the spectrum? Last year’s EDC:E winner, Charlotte Hess. Known as much for her exuberant personality as she is for her innovation with (and passion for) knitting anything and everything into something worth donning, her extensive collection of dungarees, sweater vests, tops, skirts, and on, were inspired, she said, by the Depression. Thus the models carried baskets on their backs, had earth smeared on their bodies, and often went barefoot, every last one looking like they had walked out of Dustbowl dirt farm. The colors were just as earthy: gold, flax, blue, and wheats. It reminded me of how my grandmother said during the 1940s they’d take the yarn from worn socks to knit sweaters and vice versa. Disposable fashion this was not, which is exactly Hess’s point. With the audience rendered somber, Hess pulled everyone back into frolic mode with the final “march” of her models. The music went hyper upbeat with the Doobie Brothers “Long Train Runnin” and the models—who had traded workbaskets for maracas, guitars, and tambourines—full-throttle danced their pants off to the stage’s end, followed by the Queen Bee of boogie down productions, Hess. The juxtaposition of moods was brilliant and shows how much presentation can color interpretation.

On that note, Lucas came out to thank all in the house, to present the winner (Goff, little surprise) with the winner of the night award and Antonson (also little surprise) with the People’s Choice award. Lucas then invited everyone to the after party, where if they were looking for her, she said, they better check the dance floor. Indeed, indeed. No better way to cap off another grand CFW.

And the winners are:

Hannah Goff, Emerging Designer Competition: East 2012 winner.

Adrienne Antonson: People’s Choice winner.

To check out photo galleries from last night’s shows, click here.