Daily Loaf

A perfect gift for the arty extrovert (or artful exhibitionist). First, the winner gets the chance to see herself (or himself) through the eyes of artists by doing a stint as a nude model in a life drawing class at DFAC (and gets to choose the best — or maybe the most flattering — drawing). Then, after undressing so artfully, return Head to DFAC next summer and prepare to get dressed up — as a model in DFAC’s Wearable Art fashion show. The prize comes with two VIP tickets to Wearable Art, one of the Bay area’s most buzzed-about arts events. (And if you’re interested in taking a class at DFAC, see “A Day in Dunedin” on p. 23.)

Estimated value: $200. Suggested opening bid: $25

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Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Finally, the air is getting cool and crisp — and let’s hope it stays that way, because this Saturday it is time to chill, in every sense of the word.

Chillounge Night – sponsored by Cointreau and created by a Sarasota gallery owner – transforms a four-block area in downtown Tampa into a swanky lounge and nightclub. The outdoor lounge, decked out with lights, a banging sound system and hundreds of stylish daybeds – for those who want to kick back and enjoy a tasty beverage – is a great way for people to mingle in an unusual, elegant environment. If you don’t feel like chillin’ then take your pick of entertainment: Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Maison Rouge fashion show at Some Like It Hot

From the outside, NOVA 535 Art Lounge looks like a run-of-the-mill storefront: a brick exterior and nifty neon sign amidst a string of shops on St. Petersburg’s Ninth Avenue. But don’t let this art and event space fool you: the deceptively tame exterior gives way to a hip, trendy night spot finished with dark wood, soft lighting, high ceilings, and exposed beams and brick. Recent events like the Size Matters opening reception have been drawing local party people in droves — and for good reason.

NOVA’s got a new culture collaboration nearly every night of the week, and last Friday’s Some Like It Hot show was no exception. After a rousing game of shuffleboard, my friends and I decided to ditch our flippy-floppies for heels and walk to the party (which I regretted after a few blocks).

We arrived around 10:30 p.m. to a packed house. The crowd gathered on the second-floor patio to drink, smoke and be merry have a perfect vantage point for judging you before you even walk in the sidedoor street entrance — so do as the fliers say and “dress to impress, “  lest ye be cast out with the rest of the tragically un-hip. Read the rest of this entry »

The annual Black and White Birthday Celebration touts itself as bringing “the celebs and musical bad boys like no other. And the ladies…WOW!” Need we say more? The theme is black and white, which (we think) means dress in those colors, not as MJ. Visit nova535.com or djfreshevents.com for more info. (Pictured: a piece from the Size Matters collection, on display through Aug. 21 at NOVA 535) Wed., Aug. 19, 9 p.m., NOVA 535 Art Lounge, 535 Ninth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $10.

Tonight’s Hair Color Runway sounds a little bizarre — but also pretty cool. It’s a fashion show for hair; after all, your head is on display 24/7, so it should look good, too. Models rock the latest in hair-color trends for the mane event on the runway, and drinks and hors d’oeuvres are served during the show. Wed., Aug. 19, 7 p.m., Victoria’s Fifth Avenue Salon, 6512 US Hwy 41, Apollo Beach, 813-645-0109.

Former Bucs Shelton Quarles and Ian Beckles huddle up for the Ladies Chalk Talk, an evening of Football 101, teaching the lovely ladies of Tampa Bay the finer points of tossing around the ol’ pigskin. The coach-approved menu includes lobster bisque, beef tips and barbecued shrimp and football-themed cocktails like the Sideliner, the Blitz and the Hail Mary. All proceeds benefit IMPACT, which provides assistance to local at-risk single-parent families. E-mail dneri@intercontampa.com to register. Wed., Aug. 19, 6-8 p.m., Shula’s Steakhouse, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, $40 in advance, $50 at the door.

Couture and craft collided in the fifth Wearable Art Fashion Show at the Dunedin Fine Art Center Saturday night. Nine design houses created dozens of different wearable art ensembles to the thrill of the packed house. See all the fashion festivities (and a few faux pas?) after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

Aug 13-16. Fetish Con. A fetish trade show. Featured appearances by comic book artists and writer George Perez, industry speaker and legal representative Robert B. Nussbaum, the original “Michael Meyers” Tony Moran, and Tonya Kay from Season 1 of “Who Wants to be a Super Hero.” Guests of honor: Stacy Burke Spokesmodel, Paris Kennedy, Kendra James, Maxine X, Emily Addison, Rubberdoll, Jean Bardot, Jade Indica, Paige Richards, Jewell Marceau, and Anastasia Pierce. Lectures and demonstrations: how to be a successful model, the federal record keeping statue, intro to bondage photography, self-puppeteer rope bondage suspension demo, predicament bondage, the art of body plastering, the art of cupping, the first amendment and obscenity law, super heroine showdown III, creating a presence via social networks, BDSM for the disabled, pain is for pleasure not injury, beginning rope bondage suspension, rope bondage for porn, fan photo shoot, and private dungeon play space. 18+. $20-55. Fetishcon.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is a super NOVA event (I had to go there) — that combines the worlds of fashion, art and music in one bumpin’ shebang.

A fantastic fusion of couture art, music and fashion collide at the Some Like It Hot show next weekend in St. Pete. Art by Will Stryffler and Allen Hampton (whose intricate, large-scale drawings are rendered in pig’s blood) is sure to draw the indie crowd in droves. Throw in lingerie-clad models working the room in designs by Rhonda Shear, a RENO BEACH bikini fashion show by Nikki Valentine, and Reda Raven rounding out the offerings to the fashion gods, and you’ve got whole new mix of haute hags and drags added to the mix. Top the whole thing off with bumpin’ blends by DJ BC, and it looks like NOVA knows how to throw one hell of an explosive party. (Pictured: untitled (Birth of the Ataxian Mongrel), blood on paper, by Allen Hampton)Fri., Aug. 21, 8 p.m.-2 a.m., NOVA 535 Art Lounge, 535 Ninth St. N., St. Petersburg, $10 ages 21 and up, $20 ages 18-20, nova535.com. – Franki Weddington

The week leading up to Skin Two, eyes lit up whenever I mentioned I had extra tickets to Secret Room’s fetish party and medical fashion show at The Castle. Friends were excited to finally have a chance to show off their fancy lingerie or to just ogle fetishists in fishnets. Of course when Saturday rolled around, I stood alone in line to The Castle, fighting my impulse to flee.

Normally I pride myself on going out in public wearing one of my wigs and an outfit that highlights my aerodynamic crotch. But, I wasn’t used to wearing a bedazzled codpiece in front of a crowd that thought this sort of thing was normal. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

TRA’shion Fashion and Art Show 2009 (photos) – The fabulous trashionistas were out in force for ARTpool’s annual TRA’shion Show, and photographer Chip Weiner caught all the recycled green glamour.

Letting go of addictions: Using alternative methods to release addictions of any type- Kelly Rothwell gives us alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations, that can be used to not only cope with such addictions but to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good.

Living sustainably in Tampa Bay: Dave Starman’s biodiesel fueled car and green lifestyle – The first in a series of profiles, by Jack B., of individuals who are living sustainably in Tampa Bay. This profiles Tampa Bay resident Dave Starman.
Read the rest of this entry »

The 2009 TRA’shion Fashion and Art Show was a big hit again this year. Held Saturday night at the ARTpool Co-op Gallerie and Boutique, the fashion was wonderfully trashy, made from recycled and other found objects. The show included over 20 trashionistas working with newspaper, aluminium foil, duct tape, recycled Coke 12-pack packages, and the perennial favorite Skittles dress worn by the host Marina Williams. Recycled inspired fine ARTwork was also featured at this 2nd annual event. More photos after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

I did not go seeking my scandalous affair with Governor C., it found me. 

The first time I met C. was on a freezing cold February evening. The temperature had fallen to an unbelievably low 68 degrees, and I was forced to wear a t-shirt due to the extreme temperature. Fate, my older sister, had dragged me, reluctantly, along with her to a charity fashion show she was modeling in at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg.

It was a half hour drive from our apartment in Tampa. If I had known the way things were going to turn out, would I have still crossed the Howard Frankland, or would I have paused and reconsidered when I reached West Shore Plaza, stopping in the mall for some window shopping at BCBG before heading back to my mundane middle class life? I cannot honestly say whether the Destiny St. Clair I was then would have been so bold as to willingly embark upon the life I have since lived, but as I reflect now, I’m glad it all happened. Read the rest of this entry »

models wait to go onstage at IADT's annual fashion show

I hadn’t seen daylight since about 1 p.m., yesterday. From then on I was the backstage photographer for the International Academy of Design and Technology’s annual student fashion show.

This year’s fashion show was titled Imagine, at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa.  I hardly saw the runway, instead I was in the back hallway, lined with rows of costumes, ranging from sea creatures, to bikini brides, and goth couture.  At any moment, depending on which way I turned the atmosphere could be chill, frantic or anywhere in between.

See more photos after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

An IADT fashion shoot. Photo by Andrea Leighton.

Imagine ‘09. The International Academy of Design and Technology presents Imagine ’09, the school’s 24th annual fashion show featuring designs by more than 65 of IADT’s talented fashion design students. The opening scene, “By the Sea,” features an array of aquatic-inspired attire, followed by enough bridal, swimwear, evening, cocktail and prêt-a-porter to quench any fashionista’s thirst for style. Thurs., April 30, 7 p.m., A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, $20, 813-889-3450, academy.edu. (Franki Weddington)

Dining Out for Life. An international event to raise funds for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, Dining Out for Life invites you to dine out with friends and family today and donate to a worthy cause at the same time. Participating restaurants in Tampa Bay include Streetcar Charlie’s, Casa Tina, Pia’s Trattoria, Pan y Vino, Pacific Wave, The Table and more; eat at any of these establishments and 25 percent of proceeds from your food bill will be donated to the AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP).  Thurs., April 30. Click here for a full list of Tampa Bay restaurants participating in Dining Out for Life.

An Evening with Abraham Lincoln and Friends. Hillsborough County Bar Association presents a 90-minute program with guest speaker John Belohlavek, a USF history professor and Lincoln expert. Interspersed with his talk are scenes performed from the Robert Sherwood play, Abe Lincoln In Illinois, memorable segments from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Mrs. Lincoln’s heartfelt monologue and other period pieces and surprises. Thurs., April 30, 5:30 p.m., Chester H. Ferguson Law Center, Tampa, $25.

Michael Davis and Sesame Street. The former managing editor of the Clearwater Sun,  Davis appears for a discussion and signing about his new nonfiction chronicle, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. The NYT bestseller traces the program’s five decades of history and looks at its lasting influence on American culture. Thurs., April 30, 7 p.m., Inkwood Books, Tampa, 813-253-2638, inkwoodbooks.com.