Celebs Work the Runway for the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Show

New York Fashion Week kicked off tonight with the 10th annual Heart Truth Red Dress fashion show at Hammerstein Ballroom. Celebrities walked the runway in bright red designer gowns to raise awareness of heart disease, the number one killer of women. The event is always fun, festive, and full of positive female energy, with stars strutting their stuff down the runway sometimes to their own songs to TV themes. This year Aisha Tyler, Chaka Khan, Cindi Leive, Christie Brinkley, Debbie Phelps, Elisabeth Röhm, Giselle Blondet, Gloria Estefan, Jeannette Torres-Álvarez, Jenna Elfman, Jennifer Nettles, La La Anthony, Linda Evans, Minka Kelly, Patti Stanger, Rebecca Romijn, and Rose McGowan walked down the catwalk.

We gravitated towards Linda Evans, the "Dynasty" star who always made an on-screen statement. While she wore a flattering Tadashi Shoji gown tonight, we knew she'd have stories about wardrobe malfunctions on set. "Oh my god. Yeah, there were a few things," Evans told Yahoo! Shine exclusively. "The point is you do the best you can but when they're designing clothes for you sometimes they flip the scenes and you have to do a particular scene sooner than they thought and the dress isn't ready and they Velcro you in and you just hope something doesn't unsnap."

We thought Evans would be embarrassed by her '80s ensembles, but not so much. "I loved them," she told us. "Joan and I had shoulder pads so big that we couldn't walk through the door at the same time! We could not make it! We'd have to turn sideways and we'd just barely fit through the door."

Evans was also nervous about her runway debut. "I didn't rehearse it. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm thrilled to make the statement, thrilled to be here for women. It's an honor to be here. " And while tonight's event was all about red, the actress told us she hates wearing the bold shade. "I don't like red because it just draws such attention to you, but I'm doing it because we want to draw attention for women. So I'm more than willing to break my rule and wear red." But she can think of one actress who pulls off a red dress on the red carpet. "Angelina Jolie I think she has a lot of class. I just think she's fabulous every time I see her I think wow, this woman is amazing."

Next up we chatted with "Millionaire Matchmaker" Patti Stanger (who wore Marc Bower) about Valentine's Day. "The man should plan and the woman should say please and thank you," Stanger told us. "It should be romantic. Maybe a hotel, a bubble bath, a bottle of champagne, some oysters to get the libido glowing." As for who she'll be spending February 14? "I'm not telling." Stanger was willing to share her date-night outfits with us. "First date is usually jeans and boots. Third date is usually jeans and boots because it's a movie. Only get more sexy when he says he's taking you to a five-star restaurant."

Singer Gloria Estefan sported a massive updo and opted to wear a Narciso Rodriguez gown. "Narciso is a good buddy of mine. He's done [dresses for] a lot of very special events for me throughout my career and what better than this my first runway. The last runway I was nine years old doing a fashion show wearing my pajamas." Believe it or not, Estefan refers to herself as a Gleek and was delighted to join the cast for a tribute episode. Look for her on an upcoming of "Glee" later this season.

Makeup artist Bobbi Brown worked with her team to doll up the stars for the Red Dress show, and she was more than happy to participate in the event. "It's so much fun because every year you have a different group of women that you don't usually get to meet. And mostly it's important for me to help empower women and to teach women that the better you take care of yourself the better you'll not only look, but the healthier you'll be. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and it's something that's very preventable. It's important to be healthy." Amen! Thanks ladies, for kicking off New York Fashion Week with a bang!

Related links:
Watch New York Fashion Week Shows Online
The best trends from New York Fashion Week Spring 2012
Celeb style tips from the front row at fashion week
20 things you didn't know about New York Fashion Week
Celebrities' worst fashion mistakes