Charlie Brown gang goes glam at Snoopy in Fashion

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By Jan Paschal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Good grief, Charlie Brown, you’re gorgeous!

Who knew that beneath that sweater beat the heart of a fashionista who’d rather wear a shiny gold mini dress?

Isaac Mizrahi, that’s who.

He was among more than a dozen top designers, including Betsey Johnson, Pamella Roland and Heatherette, as well as celebrities like Kristin Chenoweth and Whoopi Goldberg, who gave the beloved "Peanuts" comic strip characters a total makeover on Friday night at the MetLife Snoopy in Fashion show in Manhattan’s Bryant Park.

The designers’ creations will be auctioned on eBay in October to raise money for the nonprofit organization Dress for Success, which provides low-income women with career clothes and support to help them thrive in the workplace.

For Charlie Brown, it was a gender-bender to remember.

Dutch designers Spijkers en Spijkers, who are twin sisters, imagined Charlie in a flared satin dress that looked more club kid than playground.

Jeannie Schulz, the widow of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, welcomed the New York Fashion Week crowd of 1,500 to the show with a glimpse into her husband’s own style sense.

"My husband always loved a good show and he always loved clothes," she said. "He couldn’t pass a men’s clothing store without .....continued below

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Later, she told Reuters that fans sent him beautiful sweaters, which he found touching, but she added: "You know, you kind of like to pick your own."

On the runway, Snoopy proved that a beagle can "clean up nice" when he’s wearing a white mink coat designed by Jeremy Scott for Saga Furs.

Woodstock channelled his inner showgirl when model Camilla strutted out in a bright yellow top hat and matching dress with beaded top and sassy skirt made of feathers.

"I put Woodstock in a little bitty dress. I used dyed ostrich feathers," said designer Laura Bennett, the "Project Runway" finalist from the Bravo show last fall.

But it was her vision of Pig Pen in clouds of light brown tulle and a copper jersey gown that almost stopped the show.

"Pig Pen was a little bit more of a challenge," Bennett told Reuters. "He’s known for his grunge aesthetic. I wanted to give him some of my glam."

Ingrid Hoffmann, host of "Simply Delicioso" on the Food Network, gave crabby Lucy a chance to shed her schoolgirl dress and saddle shoes. Hoffmann slipped Lucy into a blue chiffon swimsuit cover-up and stilettos.

"I wanted a va-va-voom Lucy! It’s as if Lucy goes to South Beach or she’s on the French Riviera," Hoffmann said.

She also did the backstage catering, bringing lettuce wrap sandwiches in hopes of enticing the models to eat something, adding: "Those girls looked like they could use a good meal."