This is it!

Natasha Li stands out in the crowd of Honolulu fashion-design students

Honolulu Community College's annual student fashion show promises an eclectic mix of youthful exuberance and style, and in spite of school camaraderie, every designer wants to be noticed. The one thing students can't really gain in class is the elusive "It" factor, one of the main components of a fashion career. That is, the mystique, energy and charm that compels others to seek you out, talk to you, and, perhaps more important, talk about you. Good or bad, it all adds to the mystique.

'Behind the Seams' Honolulu Community College fashion show: 1 p.m. May 4 Sheraton Waikiki Molokai Ballroom Tickets: $35 Call: 845-9203 Doors open 11:30 a.m.; boutique sales start at 10:30 a.m.

One designer with the "It" factor is first-year student Natasha Li. When she's out of the room, the others buzz: "I don't know what she's doing here. She already knows all this," and "She sews all her clothes, even her underwear." (Not 100 percent true.)

Her constant sewing has a cost-conscious element, considering that the money she saves on clothing can be redirected toward the things she can't yet make: shoes and purses.

Part of Li's appeal comes from the exoticism of having grown up far from Hawaii, in Uzbekistan. But a good half of it stems from her intrinsic understanding that fashion amounts to more than pieces of cloth sewn together.

"I'll buy good jeans," she said, citing Diesel as one of her favorite brands, and not because of any rear-enhancing and lifting properties so often mentioned by jeans aficionados.

"They just have this attitude," she said. "I put it on and I want to conquer the world. Clothes have to bring me an attitude, bring me a feeling," she said. "It's not enough to have a pretty dress. I would rather wear something where people look at me and say, 'This is not very pretty, but it's interesting.'"

Her classmates are awed by Li's design and sewing skills, but she's self-taught and so appreciates the formality of the classroom.

"To learn how to sew is easy. Anyone can sew, but it's the small tricks that bring finish to a dress."

She grew up in a large family, with the attendant sibling hand-me-downs. "I didn't want that. I wanted my own clothes," she said. By her teen years she had adopted urban streetwear as her style.

"I used to be crazy, so wild. Everything had to be so much color. Now I'm going toward elegance, sophistication, but still sexy. I think it's important for women to look good and feel good, and fashion is one of the ways to express yourself."

Li moved to Hawaii two years ago to study English, with a goal of working in China one day, although she's now uncertain whether to stay in Hawaii or move on to the fashion centers of L.A. or New York. Having already moved far from her home country, she's open to other journeys.