Designing clothing was the last thing he ever thought he'd end up doing, but since his San Francisco-based company, Cordarounds, has taken off like wildfire, he is now in a position to give back. So, that's exactly what Lindland is doing this weekend, when his fashions will take the stage at the Sacred Heart School gala fundraiser in Saratoga.

Barely two years ago, Lindland earned a living founding Internet companies such as IDrive.com and selling his original comedy series ideas to Spike TV.

One day, he and a friend were at a bar when they spotted someone wearing corduroy pants. It sparked an interesting question--why are all corduroy pants vertical? Why can't they be horizontal?

Horizontal corduroy pants struck Lindland as a great idea.

"It was really just a funny idea of mine. It just came up in a random conversation, kind of like you'd see on Seinfeld," he says.

Lindland says the idea seemed to die as soon as it was out in the open. However, a while later he was talking to a friend who worked in fashion, and the idea came up again. The friend hooked Lindland up with someone who made him his own pair of horizontal corduroys.

"I had no intention of going into business; I just kind of wore them around," he says.

Lindland's pants caused a commotion everywhere he went.

"I'd never had so many people ask me about an article of clothing," he says. "Everyone wanted to know where I'd gotten them; everyone wanted a pair."

After a while, he couldn't ignore the idea any longer. Lindland's Cordarounds started in the fall of 2004, and his online store, Cordarounds.com, launched in January of 2005. Within three weeks, his fashions were being featured in the New York Times, and David Letterman had bought a pair. Since then, they have also been featured in The New Yorker, and one of the cast members of the reality TV show The Amazing Race 9 is donning them on his global journeys.

"It kind of became a media storm, a kind of odd media sensation in the last year," Lindland says. "We sold 3,000 pairs in the first year, with virtually no money spent on marketing."

Today, Lindland is enjoying his success and giving back to communities. He has donated clothing to fundraisers in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and this week to Sacred Heart School in Saratoga.

"It's always good for my business, and it's a good cause," he says.

Each year, Sacred Heart School holds its annual gala fundraiser. This year's theme is "Hooray for Hollywood," and will give attendees the chance to feel like a movie star walking the red carpet at the Oscars, says Cristina Candelori, chairwoman of marketing and publicity for the event, which will take place at Villa Ragusa in Campbell on Friday night.

"You'll enter the room, walk down the Walk of Fame and have your picture taken," she says. "There will be paparazzi from local theater groups walking around throughout the night and taking pictures, so you'll feel like a celebrity, and the Hollywood Hills sign will be in the distance."

From 6 to 7 p.m., cocktails and hors d'oeuvres such as parmesan-encrusted artichoke hearts and spanikopita filled with feta cheese and spinach will be served. A seated dinner of fresh Pacific salmon will begin at 8 p.m. Throughout the night a silent auction will take place, tempting attendees with housewares, fashions, jewelry, sports items, fine wines, electronics and more. A special "premiere" table will also be included, featuring the night's big-ticket items, such as a stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hollywood, a luxury suite at SBC Park, a fantasy flight for two in a private plane, spa packages and more. Of course, no one can forget the reserved parking spaces at Sacred Heart School.

"It's amazing what these parking spaces go for," says Candelori.

A separate live auction and raffle will also be held, in which someone will win their choice of either a free year of tuition for their child at Sacred Heart, or $7,000 in cash. Later, everyone will get the chance to dance the night away, but not before one lucky teacher will receive a gift basket featuring Lindland's Cordarounds, and then model them for everyone on stage.

What better way to feel like a Hollywood star?

The Sacred Heart gala fundraiser takes place on March 31, beginning at 6 p.m., at Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St. in Campbell. Tickets are $110 per person, and cocktail attire is recommended. For more information, contact Cristina Candelori at cristapple@aol.com.