Awareness of heart disease, the leading killer of US women, received a boost on Wednesday when supermodel Christie Brinkley, singer Gloria Estefan and other stars took to the catwalk in designer red dresses on the eve of New York Fashion Week.

The celebrity models wore designs from Oscar de la Renta, Marchesa, Jason Wu, Donna Karan, Tadashi Shoji, Diane von Furstenberg and Badgley Mischka for the 10th annual Red Dress Collection by The Heart Truth awareness campaign.

"When I started seven years ago (on the Red Dress show) I did not know that heart disease was the No. one killer of women. It can be avoided," said makeup artist Bobbi Brown.

"The No. one thing that a woman has to know is keep things really smart, don't smoke, drink a lot of water, eat vegetables, eat healthy. It's not only good for your body, it's good for your life, it's good for you hair and your face," she said on the red carpet before the show.

Grammy Award-winning Estefan, wearing a gown by Narciso Rodriguez, spoke of the pain that heart disease can bring.

"My grandfather died in front of me of a massive heart attack when I was 12, and he had five before that so I know what that's like," she said, adding that she has been eating smaller portions in a bid to stay healthy.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, The Heart Truth has partnered with Million Hearts, a national initiative of the US Department of Health and Human Services, to try to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.