Fashion
Friday, July 29, 2011
Bright idea: Solar panel-clad bikini charges small electronics
Utilize those sun rays while soaking them in.
Posted by Katie Machol on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 3:00 PM
- solar coterie
Why not utilize those rays while soaking them in? This bikini does double duty by charging small electronics and serves as an eye-catching piece of swim wear. You'll never have to worry about running out of juice in your iPod at the beach again.
Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider has designed this solar PV cell-studded two-piece that can charge smart phones, MP3 players and other small electronic devices through a USB connector. Each suit takes him about 80 hours to make, as he stitches them all by hand.
And I know what you're all asking yourselves: "Can you wear this in the water?" And the answer is 'yes.' One would obviously want to unplug their electronics before taking a dip, but it is completely safe to wear in the water.
Schneider is currently taking custom orders for the Solar Bikini on his website, Solar Coterie.
Information via Huffington Post and Inhabitat; photo via Solar Coterie.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Modern Gentleman redefined
Posted by Shawn Alff on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Shawn Alff: The second edition of The Modern Gentleman was recently published nine years after the first. What has changed in manners, savvy, and vice in that time?
Jason Tesauro: The zeitgeist has really changed. We’ve seen an increase in a hunger for the return to civility and authenticity. Although I like to think of the first edition of The Modern Gentleman as having prefaced this renaissance, what started off as a trend has become more of a philosophical mandate… Now people are actually reading The Modern Gentleman instead of leaving it as decoration on their coffee tables. They want to better themselves. The trend, which started before Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the term "metrosexual" was coined, is upon us as a critical part of our culture.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
CL Auction Wild Wednesday: 18 items closing today
Posted by David Warner on Wed, Dec 15, 2010 at 7:34 AM
It's the next-to-last day in the Creative Loafing Holiday Auction for the benefit of The Children's Home, and it's a big one. Almost 20 items close today starting at 12 noon and continuing until 7 p.m., ranging from amazing gift certificate packages to concert and theater-ticket offers you won't see anywhere but here. This is the day to bid if someone on your gift list is a music-lover or a film aficionado, a coffee connoisseur or a gourmet foodie; you can even win an appearance on local TV.
Make your bids at cltampa.com/auction. And keep coming back, because the final batch of items closes tomorrow — including such hotly contested items as Lady Gaga tickets, a vacation anywhere in the world, and the cover of CL.
Monday, December 13, 2010
CL Holiday Auction Mega-Monday: Bucs, SideBern's, Dalí, Big Top packages and more closing today
Posted by David Warner on Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:30 AM
Don't wait any longer: Some of the most-coveted items in the Creative Loafing Holiday Auction start closing out this afternoon. Check out the list of Monday closings below, read more at cltampa.com/auction, and remember: The Children's Home is the beneficiary, and your bids help nurture and protect children who have been victims of neglect and abuse.
Closing Mon., Dec. 13, 2:00 p.m.
• Item #025: A photo session with your pet from Nicole Geller Photography
• Item #041: The Hello, Dalí package: Exclusive preview of the new Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Pete, plus family membership and more
• Item #044: Art & history from St. Pete to Ybor, including memberships to the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete, the Ybor City Museum and a class of your choice at the Morean Arts Center
• Item #045: Family 4-pack and Christmas home tour at Bok Tower Gardens
• Item #053: SideBern's Seasonal Tasting Dinner
• Item #077: Know the skin you're in with skin analysis from Anu You Institute and microdermabrasion treatment from Indulgence Medical Day Spa
• Item #078: Indulge yourself and your BFF at Whole Aveda SalonSpa
• Item #082: Accessorize with style at penelope t and Simple Graces Artisan Jewelry Boutique
• Item #083: Hip family fashion from La France and The Icon Store
Closing Mon. Dec. 13, 3:00 p.m.
• Item #008: The ultimate Bucs party package
• Item #024: Aerial Photoshoot by Aerial Innovations
Friday, December 10, 2010
Only a few minutes left! Tampa Improv, Channelside, health & beauty packages and lots more Holiday Auction items closing today at 2 p.m.
Posted by David Warner on Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Jump into the bidding right now and you may win one of the following packages in the Creative Loafing Holiday Auction for The Children's Home — all of them closing this afternoon.
Check the complete list of auction items if you want to find out what's closing in the auction's final week, Dec. 13-16. But if any of the following is on your wish list, now's the time to bid!
Closing Fri. Dec. 10, 2 p.m.
• #35: Music lessons at Atomic Audio
• #40 Tampa Improv tickets, and meet & greet
• #54: Brunch at Safety Harbor Resort & Spa
• #59: Plaza Sweet: Gift certificates for Channelside and International plazas
• #60: Beautiful baskets from BJ’s Wholesale and Amy’s Fresh Delivery
• #61: Be a celebrity bartender at 717 South
• #75: The “Ahhhhh…..” therapeutic package (Palm Wellness and Rubin Health centers)
• #76: The beautiful-hair bonanza (Tribeca and Number 9 salons)
• #79: A full underarm package from Pulido Laser Hair Removal
• #80: His and her loungewear from Enchanted Beginnings
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
CL Holiday Auction: Act fast, items are closing
Posted by David Warner on Wed, Dec 8, 2010 at 7:03 PM
Waiting till the last minute to place your bids in the CL Holiday Auction?
Well, the last minute is almost here.
Starting Thurs. Dec. 9 at 12 noon, the first batch of auction items will be closing, and another batch follows on Friday. The remainder close throughout the coming week, Monday-Thursday Dec. 13-16.
For full details on the auction, which benefits The Children's Home, go to cltampa.com/auction. If you want to snag any of the following, you'll want to start placing your bids now.
Closing Thurs. Dec. 9, 12 Noon
• Item #073: VIP tickets to the Wearable Art fashion show and one year’s Dunedin Fine Art Center membership (Pictured right: Fashion from Wearable Art 6, photographed by Chip Weiner)
Closing Thurs. Dec. 9, 2 p.m.
• #36: Dinner and a show at Skipper’s Smokehouse
• #46: The movie-lover’s special (passes to Beach and Tampa theatres)
• #48-51: All DVD packages: Ultimate TV, Sci-Fi, Summer Flashback and Kids
• #72: St. Patty’s Day Pub Crawl in St. Pete
• #74: Four tickets to the 25th Annual StarPower Celebrity Fashion Show
• #85: Gals, get fit! package from Shapes (three memberships)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
How to give and receive: A CL Holiday Auction shopping list (plus a challenge)
Posted by David Warner on Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Do I hear $16,000? $20,000? How about we double last year's total and go all the way to $25,000?
As of today at 9:30 a.m., Creative Loafing's Holiday Auction had pulled in $15,728.14 for The Children's Home. If all bids stand, that's almost $4,000 more than we raised in last year's auction — and the items don't even start closing till the end of this week. (Check the auction page — closings are staggered from Dec. 9-16).
How much we raise depends, of course, on the bidders. Are you waiting to pounce at the last minute with an unanswerable high bid? Good on you — it's all for charity, after all. But while you're lurking waiting, consider the possibilities. We've got something for everyone on your holiday shopping list:
Jud the indie music junkie: He's a walking iTunes, a Pandora's box of musical knowledge. How do you give him something he doesn't have already?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
BERLIN! Photos of the 3rd Annual Fall Creative & Performance Arts Showcase by Square One Entertainment
Posted by Chip Weiner on Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 7:14 PM
The third annual Fall Arts showcase from the Square One art collective was held Saturday at the Ritz Theater in Ybor City. The theme this year was BERLIN!, a celebration of artistic freedom in a time of separation. It was a creative and performance arts showcase featuring great art, hot bands and a lively stage show. There were performances by Bella Danza, VYB Dance Company, Mighty Mongo and art from over 50 artists including sculpture, paintings, photography and wearable art.
Monday, September 27, 2010
A review of Fashion Week Tampa Bay's runway show: Sexy sequins and lots of skin
Posted by Chanhtha Thach on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 4:51 PM
It’s safe to say that Tampa got a little bit more fashionable last Friday night at The Armature in Tampa Heights, where Fashion Week Tampa Bay hosted its third annual runway show featuring established and emerging local designers.
Filled with flashy Audis and all of Tampa’s well-dressed, The Armature building, a large vacant brick structure formerly the warehouse for Tampa Armature Works, provided a cool industrial backdrop to the stark white fashion tent where the runway show took place.
Once inside the tent, there was the undeniable sound of fashion buzz, as model-like creatures with red lipstick chatted with their business-suited counterparts, and dressed-up girlfriends with cocktails in hand looked simply excited to be a part of it all.
J. Cagua Swimwear hit the runway first with sexy swimsuits that were in-your-face “Miami." Besides a beachy-glam green and-black one-piece that zigged and zagged in all the right places, we weren’t that impressed. We found ourselves more interested in the bright neon makeup and high ponytails with glow sticks attached like little barrettes, ready-made for an all-night seaside rave.
Nina Verklas’ designs for Bambina by N.V. started off with a male model in tight purple spandex shorts with glittery panels at front and back — eye-catching, to say the least. For the rest of the collection, Verklas stayed true to her rocker-chic aesthetic with boldly cut dresses and bathing suits accented with chains and charm. Everything seemed to be well-made, and certainly wearable. It was easily one of the most retail-ready of the collections shown.
Helen Gerro’s funky, dramatic gowns were a bit much for our tastes. We got the concept, and actually liked the painted designs on luscious taffeta, but honestly wished the colors had been a bit more toned down. Who wants to look like a mango swirl popsicle at this year’s charity gala? The dress forms were absolutely flattering, but we were constantly confused by the conventional necklines and cheap ribbons that seemed to have been attached as an afterthought. If anything, we could call this wearable art.
We never thought pastels could be so naughty until Essence Flowers sent out a bunch of paper-thin jersey dresses so short we got a better glimpse of the Tampa Bay Bucs cheerleaders’ backsides than we usually do when they're wearing their cheerleading uniforms. The collection was as cute as the cupcakes who modeled it, and a crowd-pleaser bar none.
As promised, K. Hendrix showed a line of party-girl sequins that got a lot of eyes sparkling. Her adorable reworked vintage capelets were dangerously styled over bare tops and skimpy bottoms. They left us wishing we were as tall and beautiful as the models that were wearing them in order to pull them off. There were also a few tattered sequin dresses that, at first, seemed haphazardly put together, but then revealed themselves to be pretty little wonders.
Fashion Week veteran Pat McGhee also sent down some military-inspired runway looks, and Terri Funaro closed out the show with a bridal collection fit for your typical South Tampa socialite. Fashion Week Tampa Bay was uniquely Tampa, indeed.
Check out CL’s Chip Weiner’s photos from the show here.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2010 - Photos by Chip Weiner
Posted by Chip Weiner on Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 5:42 PM
The runway fashion show, grand finale of the three-day Fashion Week Tampa Bay 2010, was held on Friday at the Armature (old Trolley Barn) in Tampa. The third annual community-wide event featured seven established and emerging designers. Proceeds benefit PACE Center for Girls.
