Daily Loaf

The 2010 collections of 15 local and regional  designers were featured in this years Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2009. The event, held at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk, was packed full of  fabulous fashion, VIP soirees, after parties, vendor and exhibitor boutiques, and two nights of runway couture. The organizers have a two-fold mission: to bring together emerging and established fashion and accessory designers for the bay area to enjoy, and to raise funds for non-profit organizations. This year’s beneficiary was Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to enhancing lives of those with intellectual disabilities.

Hit the jump for more drool-worthy designs from local haute heroes like Ben Chmura, Ivanka Ska, Sana Hassan and more. Read the rest of this entry »

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Get your very first taste of what is expected to be the beginning of some great changes in St.Petersburg. The newest party, G.L.A.S.S, begins 9.9.09 and will run every Wednesday night from 10-2 a.m. at Vintage Ultra lounge. The party will feature a variety of entertainment and interaction, and of course, most importantly, great dance-able music all night.

Two really exciting elements: Designer Go-Go Statues, in which two go-go-dancers/models will be outfitted weekly by local designers, and a Performance Art Cabaret showcasing local talent from around the bay. There will be ongoing drink specials, in addition to a “Wheel-O-Specials,” which will determine a new drink special every 30 minutes, and there will be giveaways from local businesses.
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I have an insatiable obsession with Drag Queens. The term encompasses a wide range of atypical performers: respected queens like Apple Love, seasoned bawdy queens like Natasha Richards, and innovative new queens like Gianna Love and Lennox Liemont. Some wouldn’t categorize the later as true drag queens, but there are no guidelines or standards that explain what makes for an officially drag queen. That’s why I’m hunting for a knowledgeable drag queen who will diagram the logistics. Read the rest of this entry »

Upon meeting most people i can’t help but exclaim how much i love St.Pete, and i try to convince them that their lives will be better if they move here…

I have traveled and lived around, but i believe that St.Pete has been the place where i have found my peace and place the most. It’s where everything has come together for me, like a little neat package.

I gush about the “potential” and current culture of the area, the opportunity for amazing things to happen, if only it would happen quicker! And if only they asked what i thought before they opened TWO “Ultra Lounges” (which no one seems to quite understand the meaning of)!

I deviate from my point here, but i need to mention that both PUSH “Ultra Lounge” and Vintage “Ultra Lounge” cater to the same damn crowd from Weds- Sun… on off days through the week the “club” might think about offering something different …(hint hint i have some awesome ideas)…all people really want is GOOD music and to be able to dance without feeling like you’re in a meat market.

So why, with all St. Pete has to offer, does Tampa have a hipper crowd of people with cool new businesses, stores and lounges opening? Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is coming up, and what better way to start it off than with a sneak peak at some new fashions? In addition to a killer photo shoot by Athena Torri, I have some exciting news about a new store opening in Tampa! Designer Raven Reda of Suspicious Package has wrangled in some great independent designers, artists and Tattoo..ers(?) to unite in a hip store on Howard Ave., called F.A.T. ink.

F.A.T. ink will have its soft opening May 1. We’ll get Raven in the studio later this month for a podcast to chat more about the specs and future of the store. Did I mention that Aleka Phoenix is finally going to have a steady place for people to buy clothing and accessories?

So to get you excited for all this news and the highly anticipated summer line from Aleka Phoenix check out the some shots from photoshoot”Electric” by Athena Torri with models Jojo & Jonathan Rosa, hair by our own Fusionista Tara at Salon 54 and makeup by Abra Molinari: Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know the coral reefs are being suffocated by tourists’ sunscreen? Going to the tanning bed sets up a controlled environment so you can regulate your light absorption and then have a base tan that will help you avoid sunburn and use less sunscreen, therefore preserving the coral reefs and other oceanic life affected by multitudes of tourist sunscreen!

Raydiance Tanning and Spa (and Wellness Gardens and Tea house) offers a multitude of services to keep your lifestyle “green”, healthy and inexpensive. In light of our new proposals for a universal health care system as well as the one already in place it has become all too obvious we need new ways to stay healthy that integrate into our everyday life, because the health care is way too expensive and only used in dire need. There is now a resource to end this cycle of frustration, and it located so conveniently there is no excuse to make a step to integrating preventive health care into your world.

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There’s been this new sound swirling around; it sounds like hip hop but with an electro beat … I’m no music critic and my vocabulary to breakdown the proper terminology is laughable. All I know is this sound is propped up by new female “alternative” artists, and they all have a killer style.

In our first Fusionistas podcast (embedded below, check it) my guest is Shunda K, creator of the group Yo! Majesty. We have a candid conversation about where she’s been and where shes going, and how she was a forerunner of this new sound. Shunda has been collaborating with many artists on different tracks and we’ll link you some so you can hear for yourself. (check ‘em down below)

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In the first Fusionistas podcast, Aleka Phoenix welcomes into the studio hip hop artist Shunda K, creator of the group Yo! Majesty, for a candid conversation about where she’s been and where she’s going, and how she was a forerunner of a new sound.

Working in the art/nightlife scene for six years, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of really talented people from all areas of the industry. So when I saw that Marissa Alma Nick was back in town from LA working on a project called Peace Piece, I had to get in contact and find out what it was all about. The email I got back was full of energy and a request for me to get involved in the show in a scene called “Disco Town.” Honored to be asked to be a part of the show, I accepted. I was told that RHYMES WITH ORANGEz created the dance opera “Take a walk in my shoes” that was a part of Peace Piece. The project supports world peace, naturally, but also strongly advocates the arts in our school system. Both are great causes, and that is why I wanted to bring the information to the masses, but I was still left a bit confused on the exact details of RHYMES WITH ORANGEz, Peace Piece and “Take a walk in my Shoes.” So I had a sit-down with Marissa Alma Nick to get the DL.

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In episode 5 of ArtsSpeak, Creative Loafing editor David Warner talks with Marissa-Alma Nick and Tera Greene, the creative team behind the multi-disciplinary Peace Piece project and the dance opera “Take A Walk In My Shoes” which premieres February 24 at USF. This episode also introduces Brianna Kole and Lennox of The Fusionistas, CL’s new arts-and-fashion bloggers, who brought the Peace Piece to our attention.

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See pictures below the jump:

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Say “Hello!” to your newest resource for all things fashionable, entertaining, and eye-opening in the great Bay area!

The Fusionistas are made up of three local girls who call themselves the Fusionistas because together they combine the elements of art, fashion, hair,performance, and local life. They have avid appetites for all things interesting, underground and not yet public. they seek out what is not offered and make it their job to create a scene for it, and to give the people a purpose and something different!

It won’t be definable what we will bring you, but know that it will be something you’ve been waiting for. if you’ve ever questioned your surroundings of people and places wanting something more, we are what you’ve been asking for… here is just a sampling of the things in the works… Read the rest of this entry »