Jenny from the Block is now Jenny from the Runway.

On Friday, Jennifer Lopez held her first-ever runway show during New York's Olympus Fashion Week for her new Sweetface clothing line — which she insists is not just a potentially lucrative vanity project.

(Click here for photos from J. Lo's Sweetface runway show.)

"This is going to sound [silly], but I've had a passion for fashion for so long," Lopez said. "It's not what I grew up thinking I was going to do; it's not the thing I've always wanted to do. It's something I had a passion for. So it wasn't like, 'This is what I'm going to make a career of.' It's kind of almost extracurricular, but not exactly, because the fact that I took it on means that I have to do it well. I can't just do it half-assed."

That's why Lopez took such a hands-on role preparing for the fashion show that showcases her new fall clothing line, from developing the concept and execution to touching up models' hair before they hit the catwalk. Like her J. Lo by Jennifer Lopez clothing brand, the Sweetface collection mimics Lopez's personal style, but in a much more upscale and less practical way — such as the drastically oversized floppy hats she's worn to award shows (Naomi Campbell modeled a flying saucer-sized fedora, for instance).

"People want to wear what they see her in," show attendee Russell Simmons said. "They all want to be like J. Lo."

  Photos: Jennifer Lopez's Fall 2005 Fashion Show
The collection also combines seemingly contradictory components: high-end bling via metallics, crystal trim and diamond-studded jeans, contrasted with natural-looking casual wear, via soft and loose shapes, capes and chiffon baby-doll dresses. Fur and leather were recurring accents, with raccoon-trim ponchos, sable collars and mink hot pants. Show attendee Lil' Kim perhaps captured the concept best, calling the style "Hollyhood."

And while there's an abundance of short tops and high waists, Lopez wanted to make her sweaters just a little shorter and her pants just a little higher than fashion currently dictates. "Everyone's wearing their stuff here right now," she said, pointing to a line at the waist. "It's not going to get shorter any time soon."

The show, which was partly inspired by "West Side Story" and was billed as "J. Lo Story," was held in a black tent with a crystal-covered runway, with rows of chairs in grid formation. Lopez played her own music, as well as songs by Janet Jackson, Queen, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, Madonna, and her husband, Marc Anthony, the latter of whom was in attendance, as was Ashanti, Damon Dash, Carson Kressley, and Tyson Beckford. VIPs got a whiff of Lopez's next endeavor in their gift bags — her new perfume Miami Glow by J.Lo — as well as a copy of her upcoming album, Rebirth.

At the show's end, Lopez, clad all in white, took a spin on the catwalk and bowed to her latest single, "Get Right," perhaps her motto for the night.

"It has to be right," she said. "I've wanted for so long to make J. Lo a brand above and beyond who I am as a person — make it a real clothing company, a real lifestyle brand that stands for quality, style, fashion; that's beyond trend, that's something that just lives on and on and on. Forget what everyone else thinks. I just want it to be done right."

"Jennifer Lopez: Beyond the Runway" airs on MTV on February 24 at 10 p.m. ET.