Fashion at this Sunday's Art on the Ave. Photo courtesy The Shoe Show.

This Sunday sees Tacoma's 11th Art on the Ave: that slightly wacky festival on 6th Avenue celebrating every kind of art from visual to performance to dance, theater and music. Oh, and food, if you count that as art. But this year, you'll see wearable art too - a runway will be set up in the site under the trees (near Prospect Street) and 26 local designers will show their stuff in two runway shows at noon and 1:30 p.m., repeated at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Called "A Peace of Art," the show is sponsored by the Fashion Association of Tacoma, The Shoe Show on 6th Avenue and Tacoma Fashion Co-Op. Organizer Ondia Shapiro, owner of The Shoe Show, will conduct the show. The designs will cover men's and women's wear in everything from yoga clothes to wedding dresses, including jewelry and shoes, says Shapiro.

And despite Tacoma's reputation for being a few years behind everywhere else fashion-wise, a lot of the styles are "just really astonishing," Shapiro says. Faves to look out for? "Lindsay Hayes has cute summer stuff," says Shapiro, "and Chloe White does awesome rockabilly clothes, which is the new look, the '50s pin-up look. Irene Lim has adorable dresses, and Justin Bartle does great wedding dresses."

And if you like what you see, you can buy it. Next to the runway will be a Fashion Lounge, operating all afternoon, where designers will have bios and portfolios, there'll be live photo shoots, and almost everything will be for sale.

Says Shapiro: "There's definitely opportunity (for designers in Tacoma.) It's a lot of hard work to launch it, you have to have a good mix of business and artistic talent."

Maybe, for local talent, Art on the Ave is a good place to start.

Art on the Ave runs from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. along 6th Avenue between Cedar and Trafton Streets, Tacoma. It's free. www.artontheave.org