Dresses made of hair might sound scarily hairy, but Mackenzee Bull says not to worry: “They don’t look anything like Chewbacca!”

The front desk manager at Salon Verve is talking about dresses constructed of synthetic hair that she helped design for the 2011 Global Hair and Fashion Show, which hits the City Opera House runway Friday night.

For the past nine years, Impres Salon has hosted the event, a fast-paced showcase of hair, makeup, fashion and – for the last three years – elaborate gowns, dresses, hand muffs and headpieces made of hair.

How does the full-body hair fashion happen? The artisans at Impres, led by Lacey Griffiths, a stylist at the salon who originally masterminded the idea of creating hair dresses for the show, start by brainstorming ideas. Griffiths then sketches the design team’s ideas.

Sometimes the women use hair to embellish a purchased dress; often they craft the entire dress from hair alone. Key to both approaches is looking at the hair as a seamstress might look at a bolt of fabric, says Sandra Dunn, co-owner of Impres. “You just think of it as a different type of fabric, and you can do anything with it.”

With the dress designers’ hair shopping list in hand, Dunn recently traveled to New York City to handpick the different hanks of synthetic hair – all of varying textures and colors – needed for each dress. In the ensuing weeks, the women work together styling, braiding and sometimes even sewing the strands into the finished designs.

Though always a highlight, the hair dresses are just part of the fashion show, hitting the runway for the Global Glam grand finale. Beforehand, however, attendees are treated to a look at the latest – and likely more easily wearable – fashions from area boutiques and designers, such as TC’s Zany Consignment Boutique, What to Wear, Ella’s, and Deb Hepner of Pretty Stinkin' Green.

For the past nine years, Impres Salon has hosted the event. But this year, owner Sandra Dunn wanted to up the glam factor, and invited four additional salons to participate in the show: Salon Verve, Salon Saloon, Signature Salon and Salone de Capelli.

Expanding was a natural next step for Dunn. “I wanted to create more synergy within our industry, and work together for one common goal,” she says. That goal: to raise big money for the Women’s Resource Center. Last year the event brought in almost $7,000 for the nonprofit organization.

Want to be one who gives to the cause – and gets wowed in return? Tickets to the Global Hair and Fashion Show, which opens at 6:00 p.m. on October 14, are $35 and going fast. VIP tickets are also available for $100. For more information, click here.