Fashion & Style: San Diego's jewel had a little extra sparkle over the weekend thanks to the premiere of the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, the very first U.S. fashion short film festival. The two-day event curated by San Diego Model Management's CEO, Fred Sweet, featured exclusive screenings and debuts, fashion webcasts, industry-led panels and plenty of VIP parties.

Fashionistas flocked to La Jolla to be treated to films directed by fashion icons including Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, and Bruce Webber on giant outdoor screens. Each film was hand selected by Sweet, who has been a fan and advocate of the proliferation of new digital media being used by major fashion houses, world-class directors and emerging designers since day one.

"I wanted to share these incredibly creative and artistic films with everyone and get people thinking and talking," said Sweet, who is not alone in his adoration for this new genre.

"I was contacted by people from Hong Kong, London...all over the world that wanted to participate in this festival."

Panelists led intelligent conversations on the fashion and film industries roles in the new media. And, as with any event put on by Fred Sweet, there was no shortage of beautiful models working the runway in to-die-for looks from Fashion Valley's Karen Millen, Custo Barcelona and Henri Bendel.

Photo Credits: Kyle Ong