ZONTA CLUB FASHION SHOW: ALL THE LATEST

The models haven't walked the runways of Paris, Milan and New York, but they will model all of the latest fall fashions Monday at the 17th annual Zonta Club Fashion Show.

The show has been the start of the fall fashion season in Cape Girardeau since 1978, said co-chairwoman Lizbe Knote, who will call the behind-the-scene shots.

This year's theme is "The Dream." Segments of the show, which includes a spoof on James Bond spy films, will focus on dreams people have.

The show starts at 6 p.m. at the Show Me Center. Tickets are $40 for reserved seating and dinner and $10 for general admission. They can be purchased at Schnuck's or by calling 335-1631 or 334-1631.

The show will incorporate the fashion dreams of a family that lives on Dream Street in Hometown, USA, said co-chairwoman Priscilla Kasten. "Everybody who lives there is having fantastic dreams," she said.

With video screens overhead, "There's not a bad seat in the house," Zonta Club secretary Diane Sides said. "It has added pizzazz to the show."

About 80 local residents will model the new fall looks from All American Kids, Children's Bazaar, Chrisman Outfitters, Hartford's, Hecht's, JBR Outfitters and Sandy's clothing shops.

Club officers hope for 1,000 people at the show. With eight to 10 models per store, a lot of people get involved, Sides said.

"The fashion show pulls in a large crowd," she said, pointing out it is a major fund-raiser for the club.

A former Zonta member who designed dresses in Texas suggested the fashion show as a fund-raising event, Knote said. Since 1978, the show has expanded; it got so large five years ago that Zonta members moved it from the Holiday Inn to the Show Me Center.

At each show, one retailer features a fall design. Thorngate Ltd. will spotlight men's suits from the Austin Reed and Jack Nicholas collections, as well as a sport coat from Tommy Hilfiger. Ten male personalities will model the individually tailored suits.

Show profits average $10,000 and all the money goes back to the community, Sides said.

"For at least the next 10 years our focus is on eradicating illiteracy in Cape and Southeast Missouri," she said.

In addition to the fashion show, there will be a raffle for gifts and prizes, which include a $1,000 original design from C.P. McGinty Jewelers.

Some of the organizations helped through Zonta donations are the American Red Cross, Community Counseling and Cottonwood Treatment centers, the Literacy Committee, Easter Seals, Girardot Center for Youth and Families, Safe House, St. Francis Life Line, Womancare Conference, and the Cape Girardeau police and fire departments. Zonta also offers a number of women's scholarships.

The club was founded in 1976 as a service organization. Its members include more than 80 professional and executive women from Cape Girardeau, Scott and Perry counties.