Big guns come out in style this month

Select students from the Academy of Art showed during Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week/Image via Getty North America

As the Spring season is now well underway, the biggest fashion events of the year begin to kick off around the Bay Area. Whether street fairs, student shows, or the chance to see a true master at work is your particular area of interest, there is definitely something stylish for everyone including:

Sunday May 1st

Hayes Valley's Capsule Design Festival

The street fair fashion show returns with a bevy of local artists and designers in the Mens, Women's, Children's, and craft categories.  11am-6pm at Hayes and Octavia in San Francisco.

Saturday, May 7th

Academy of Art University, Spring Fashion Show

With a long list of high-profile alumni including Norman Ambrose, The Academy of Art University Spring Runway show always attracts major attention from the local media, but did you know the event is open to the public as well? Get in on the fashion-action next Saturday as the best and brightest from the Fashion Program strut their stuff.  Doors at 2pm, first come first served, so get there early if you plan on getting in.

Tuesday, May 10th

San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Fashion Show

Arguably the most prestigious Bay Area Fashion event, the San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Fashion Show returns on May 10th with Italian powerhouse Giambattista Valli's Fall 2011 collection. The show, which is co-sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue, functions not only as a fundraiser for the world renowned SF Ballet, but also as a rare opportunity for Bay Area residents to attend a beautifully, and professionally produced runway show featuring a major international designer. 

students at the CCA 2010 showed great promise/Image:S. Whittle for Style Wylde

Friday, May 13th 

California College of the Arts Spring Fashion Show

Always a highlight of student-show season, a highly talented and promising group of students selected by a jury of industry professionals will represent the Fashion Design program at California College of the Arts during the annual Spring Runway Show. A professionally executed event similar to those the students will (hopefully) one day be producing themselves as part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, this year's presentation will include interdisciplinary undertakings by students in the Industrial Design Program. While this addition to the line-up may seem unorthodox to some, when you consider San Francisco's most celebrated footwear designer, Martha Davis, began her career in the industrial realm, the inclusion is nothing short of inspired.

Don't miss out on catching a glimpse of the next generation of major industry influencers, tickets are available online for $30 in advance, or $40 at the door. VIP tickets run $100 and include the Friends of Fashion cocktail reception before the event.  For more information please visit the California College of the Arts online.

Saturday, May 21st

Black V Fashion Show

Billed as "A special night of fashion dreams and darkness" Black V, the counterpoint to last season's SNOW will feature designs from up and coming and emerging designers such as Jay Nicolas Sario, Cari Borja, LHC Couture and Ken Chen Designs amongst others. Show will be held at Madrone Studios on 15th Street in San Francisco's Mission district. Tickets are $30 in advance online at wantickets.com.

Saturday, May 28th

The Beauty Expo

Hair and beauty competition + styling workshop presented by locally based Pigment Cosmetics and The San Francisco Fashion and Merchants Alliance.  Door at 6PM, $10 gets you in. Visit SFFAMA Dot Org  for more details.