Fashion Week bursting at seams

Two emerging designers have been added to the roster for Fashion Week El Paseo, filling out the schedule for the nine-day event running March 15-23.

Deborah Drucker and Victor Tung will send their designs down the runway under the big white tent on Larkspur Lane starting at 7 p.m. on March 17. They join a list of designers that includes Sue Wong, Katharine Polk and Designer of the Week Gilbert A. Chagoury, plus local designer Michael Costello, who will once again host the popular “Project Runway”-themed event.

Integrated Wealth Management Fashion Week El Paseo 2013 is Drucker’s fashion debut, said Julie Springer-Holmes of ID Creative, which is handling promotions for next year’s event.

Drucker, whose bio says she’s married to “a world renowned musician,” will show a collection of chic, ready-to-wear women’s fashions that are elegant yet offer a rock ‘n’ roll flair.

While this is her design debut, Drucker isn’t new to the fashion world. Her father was world renowned Swiss watchmaker Severin Wunderman, who created the Gucci timepiece brand.

Victor Tung is a San Francisco-based artist and couture designer. He creates his fashions from his own fabrics, primarily silks and many handpainted by himself, according to an article on KQED.org.

Fashion Week El Paseo is marking its eighth year with the 2013 event. It’s the first year that presenting sponsor Integrated Wealth Management has its name in the title. Fashion Week El Paseo was created by and continues to be organized by Palm Springs Life.

It’s also the first year offering nine days and nights of events. Twenty designers participated in this year’s show and 50 will be showing their creations next year.

The 2012 event drew a record 11,140 people to the shows, and pumped about $3 million into the local economy, organizers reported.