As we count down the days to Charleston Fashion Week® 2011 (24 to go!), we are excited to announce this year’s lineup of Featured Designers, including CFW alums and others already making their mark on the national scene. From children’s wear to structural pieces to flowy and feminine designs, their presentations deliver fresh fashion perspectives and aesthetics for Fall 2011, making each night under the tents in Marion Square an exciting event.

 Tuesday, March 22: Local children’s clothing designer Barbara Beach—one of the three finalists for the 2010 Emerging Designer Competition and the People’s Choice winner for her citrusy birthday-party themed show—offers her globe-trotting childhood-inspired collection with colors of India, Morocco, and Spain. Also on tap is another 2010 Emerging Designer finalist, Jamie Lin Snider, and her jlinsnider line of vintage avant-garde clothing inspired by cathedrals and graveyards.

Wednesday, March 23: Another CFW alum, 2009 Emerging Designer finalist Lindsey Carter, returns, to show her Troubadour line for fall, a “tomboy cool” collection made up of traditional menswear elements with ultra feminine dresses and tops. In recent years, Carter has earned praise from Women’s Wear Daily as a “Designer to Watch,” and Troubadour has been featured in E!News, DailyCandy, and Stylesight.

Thursday, March 24: Carolina natives Hunter Bell and Jennifer Dixon present their Hunter Dixon fall collection, which is influenced by the glamorous, tailored fashions of the ’70s (think Lauren Hutton, Annie Hall, and Katharine Hepburn) revealed through intriguing fabrics, bright colors, and bold prints. Picked up last year by Saks Fifth Avenue, Hunter Dixon is sold in more than 100 boutiques worldwide, including Charleston’s own Gwynn’s of Mt. Pleasant and Finicky Filly.

 Friday, March 25: SCAD graduate and Project Runway season eight designer April Johnston brings her Mangled Courtesan line to CFW, debuting her “Moth” collection, for which she layers sheer fabrics and plays with silhouettes. Johnston previously worked under designer Zac Posen and, last year, showed at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Saturday, March 26, Spring Bridal Show:
Alabama native Heidi Elnora’s Southern-meets-siren dresses resonate far and wide. Her eponymous line appears in boutiques from New York to Missouri, as well as her two gallery shops in Atlanta and Birmingham, and has been praised by Town & Country Weddings, Lucky, and Daily Candy Atlanta. Elnora’s 2011 collection showcases detail and craftsmanship as well as a true Southern girl’s charming and sophisticated sense of style.

Saturday, March 26: Last year’s Emerging Designer winner, Larika Page, returns to the CFW runway, bringing a collection influenced by African and Indian art. In 2010, Page received the Atlanta Fashion Award for Best Up & Coming Designer. And last but definitely not least, David Yoo brings his structural black-and-white collection, inspired by photographs from the 1890s. This 2010 ELLE Fashion Next Award winner recently showed at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. He is currently working for designer Marc Jacobs.

So start planning your fashion-forward experience under the tents—who you want to catch on the runway and whose collection you’ll be picking up come fall.

For more on our Featured Designers, click here.

For a full schedule of runway shows and events, click here.

To purchase tickets, click here.