Viva la glam!

Macy’s Passport presents “Glamorama”

Who: Bruno Mars, Far East Movement, socialites

Where: Orpheum Theater, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

When: 8 p.m., August 5

When people think high fashion, social activism probably isn’t what comes to mind. It’s generally thought of as a pretentious, if not vain, art form. But in Macy’s Glamorama — a four-city fashion/music hybrid party that benefits local causes — attendees are “fierce” both in their style and their cancer-fighting.

In their 20th annual team-up to put philanthropy and fashion in the same room, Macy’s and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund really got with the times. In 2008 they reached back to MC Hammer and Cyndi Lauper to provide the runway music. But for this year’s open-ended “Artrageous” theme, they grabbed a pair of acts that are appropriately in vogue. Bruno Mars, who topped 2010 and ’11 charts with “Grenade” and “Just the Way You Are,” styles both as a pop star and a throwback songsmith. Far East Movement’s brand of electro hop is hook-laden and, of course, “fly like a G6.”

Due to numerous calls inquiring about the appropriate garb for such an event, the Children’s Cancer Research put out a formal suggestion of cocktail and summer party dresses for ladies and “smart casual” for men (that’s suits or dark jeans with a sport coat). But with such an unrestricted theme, the variety of outfits should be rampant. Mike Gansmoe, Macy’s VP of special productions, thinks attendees should wear whatever they want.

“The only dress code I would say is ‘have fun,’” Gansmoe said. “It’s a very over-the-top fashion event and I think everybody’s individual fashion is unique to them. I don’t think fashion dictates who people are; I think people buy the things that embellish who they are and their style.”

What was once a modest charity event has developed into a 60-minute torrent of full-fledged theater. The Artrageous theme aims to take fashion and music, and throw them in a high-speed blender with ballet, breakdancing, photography and sculpture. And don’t forget cancer-fighting.

“I like the idea of not just being interested in style for the sake of style but linking it with other important, estimable activities that help make the world a better place,” Adam Levy said.

Levy — singer for the Honeydogs and quasi-authority on all things stylish — was one of the judges of the “Look Good, Do Good” contest, a nomination based competition to find the “most stylish do-gooders,” who win a pair of golden Glamorama tickets. The man, who described himself as a “kitchen-sink” guy in the realm of style, is one of those recognizable men about Minneapolis and one of its most respected musical veterans. And he’s particularly excited about one artist at Glamorama.

When he visited his daughter’s sixth grade classroom to teach them about songwriting, he chose a Bruno Mars song as a template to deconstruct, saying he feels a “kinship” with Mars as a songwriter.

“I would say of all the pop music right now [Bruno Mars] is definitely the one guy you could point to and it feels like there’s some continuity between what he’s doing and some older musical styles,” Levy said.

But while the top-brass music acts and the haute fashion (from the likes of Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tracy Reese and Marc Jacobs) is fun, it’s not meant to be the star of the show. The Children’s Cancer Research board put up enough money to buy 100 tickets for past and present cancer patients from Amplatz Children’s Hospital and their families to enjoy the show. To John Hallberg, CEO of Children’s Cancer Research Fund, that’s what it’s all about.

“We’re just really proud of the fact that, because [Glamorama] is for cancer research, the people that are on the frontlines will be able to attend, Hallberg said, “because at the end of the day it’s all about them.”