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Amy Scherzer's diary

Fashion and swooning

By AMY SCHERZER
Published February 4, 2005

Ruffles, feathers, leathers - a wowed crowd whooped it up at the Ebony Fashion Fair on Sunday. Shouts of "You go, girl," rippled through Tampa Theatre, where the magazine's models vamped through two hours of haute couture.

The biggest names in fashion - Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Givenchy, Louis Feraud, Anna Sui - dressed 10 models. Swoons for the sole male model's bare chest turned to shrieks for a peek of an orange spandex thong.

"What do you wear to the club?" wondered commentator Jada Collins, whose mother-in-law sat in the second row.

"Just a little something," she answered herself. Little being the key word for the very revealing playwear.

Not to be outdone, a sizzling plus-size minidress followed, "for those with a little bit more to offer," cooed Collins.

Collins needed no notes to narrate "Living It Up," Ebony's 47th traveling fashion show. It's touring 176 cities to benefit agencies, such as the Tampa-Hillsborough Urban League guild.

A multigenerational audience of 700 packed the theater, not in ostrich feathers or coyote fur but in their own stylish suits, hats, and even evening gowns. Twins Alesia and Alexis Jackson, 12, sat in the front row for their third Ebony show with mom Patricia Jackson and grandmother Bertha Jackson. Rylee Johnson, 6, watched between her aunt Lynette Daniels and grandma M. Judge. International Plaza manager Aj Jemison brought her daughter Franchiel and niece Katia Turner, 5, from Hawaii.

WTMP deejay Nikki Nicole, chairwoman Tia Young and co-chair Kim Barbee - all as pretty as the professional models - awarded door prizes. Young ladies from the Rites of Passage program got all dressed up to assist.

The intermission gave guild president Lois Davis, in a blue silk evening gown, a chance to take care of some business. She thanked top ticket seller Cynthia Brady (65) and introduced Darrell Daniels, interim chief executive officer of the Urban League. On Nov. 1, after five years of renovating, the Urban League finally moved into the historic Centro Espanol at 2306 N Howard Ave. in West Tampa. The league offers job training, parenting and crime prevention classes.

The guild expects the fashion show to raise $10,000.

JOLLY ROGER: Ye Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe always jumpstarts Gasparilla by hosting the Captain's Ball at the Tampa Yacht and Country Club. Capt. Hal Mullis, with his first mate, Anne, greeted an onslaught of 1,700 partying pirates, spouses and dates Jan. 27. The dancing crowd packed a huge tent featuring the Skycoasters. The Joe Stagi band played for insiders, such as pirate Tom Fox, the krewe's corn dog king.

Most notably missing was Herbert Carrington, 106, not at his usual post as official club greeter. Staff said the longtime maitre d' didn't feel up to it.

With all the buzz about the Trump Tower, I'll bet Donald Trump gets an invitation to join Ye Mystic Krewe. That should be incentive for him to buy a place in his high-rise, as pirates must officially reside in the county.

JOLLY GOOD: WEDU, the public broadcasting station, channeled some 350 supporters to Monet's London: Artists' Reflections on the Thames at the Museum of Fine Arts on Jan. 22. London Calling, as organizers called the $125-per-ticket cocktail party, raised more than $20,000.

Guests mingled in the museum's Marley Room and courtyards with Blake High School drama students playing turn-of-the-century Brits. To his great surprise, WEDU president and chief executive officer Dick Lobo discovered his granddaughter, Barrie McLain, portraying Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady. Nether Lobo nor his wife, Caren, knew she would be there.

Actor Nan Colton dressed as a Victorian lady, a Londoner, to share her knowledge of Monet and the times and places reflected in the visiting exhibition. Mise en Place served a British menu: shepherd's pie and Indian curry. The bread pudding dessert arrived al fresco on the patio, with English tea, plus coffee and cocoa.

Each guest was eligible to win two round-trip tickets to London, and Dr. Aina Segal from Sarasota was the lucky winner. She arrived on a chartered bus with two dozen others, organized by WEDU board member Anita Holec. WEDU broadcasts to 16 Florida counties.

JOLLY ART: The sign said, "Look in here," but folks gathered at Gallery Vite on Jan. 28 didn't see anything much in there. Instead, they heard laughter far across the former warehouse when they realized a tiny camera in the box projected their eyes and nose on a screen, to the crowd's amusement.

A few hundred fans of Channelside came to hear Channel District resident Darrin Guilbeau's new band, Freudian Slip. Artist Chalet Zell showed her paintings and prints. Elliott Greenbaum of Seaboard Cold Storage froze Barbie dolls and other toys in garbage cans to create some unusual ice sculptures. Among the art faithful: Jeff Whipple, Brad and Elizabeth Cooper, and Richard and Kim Markham.

To pass along tips to Amy Scherzer, call her at 226-3332 or scherzer@sptimes.com

FRIDAY: Girls, Boys & Bullying, Ophelia Project benefit luncheon; 11:30 a.m.; guest speaker Dr. Kathy Masarie, founder and director of Full Esteem Ahead; A La Carte Pavilion, $55; 224-9622, ext. 279.

SUNDAY: 13 Ugly Men Super Bowl XXXIX party benefits Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund; Splitsville at Channelside; 4 p.m. to midnight; $20; www.13uglymen.com

THURSDAY: Florida State Fair Opening Day Luncheon and fashion show; noon; $15; Charles M. Davis Special Events Center; 621-7821, ext. 216.

FEB. 12: Love Notes brunch and fashion show benefits Florida Orchestra Guild; 10:30 a.m.; Wyndham Harbour Island; $55; 633-7988.

FEB. 12: Academy Prep Gemstone Gala Ruby Ball; 6 p.m.; Hyatt Regency Tampa; $200; 248-5600 or www.academyprep.org

FEB. 12: To Life and Liberation dinner benefits the Florida Holocaust Museum; 6:30 p.m.; A La Carte Pavilion; $200; (727) 820-0100, ext. 243.

[Last modified February 3, 2005, 10:01:08]