Cocktails X Couture @ The Ritz

For the third year in a row Cocktails & Couture absolutely SMASHED IT at The Ritz in Ybor Tampa. The Cocktails X Couture event was held Saturday, January 17th and was sponsored by Tampa Bay Fashion Week, Tribeca Color Salon, Square One, The Ritz Ybor, & Kevin Murphy and select proceeds benefitted the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. I’ve been in attendance since its inception and can honestly say that this recent #CXC15 was gloves down the most entertaining show to date. What a visual cornucopia of flavor… a people watcher’s dream come true! This fashion-lover’s event was jam packed with style, both on the stage and in the audience.

Essentially, it was a show within a show within a show. There were three shows performed on stage in the impressive main ball room, breaking up the audience’s night into alternating periods of being entertained and being fabulously sociable. There were two additional bar rooms which housed performance art, local art for sale, and fashions by the designers featured in the runway show. This seemed to be where the pulse of the networking crowd would escalate between sets, where all walks of style combined and mingled with one another until the next show. I thought the timeline flowed nicely and was blown away by the music DJ Elias Throux was pumping out throughout the night. The runway fashion featured a wild mix of everything from everyday jeans & tees to whimsical paper dresses to leather body harnesses, a little something for every palette. I was also impressed by the heightened fashions adorning the diverse crowd of culture connoisseurs. All walks of life came out for this stylish event and I think that speaks volumes about the rise of fashion here in Tampa, Florida.

Being greeted by Vegas Showgirls upon entry is not a bad way to start the night… Designer fashions from Dolce Creative (above) and Madel Fashions (below)…

The lobby and bar rooms featured several mediums of art on display, from photos and painted canvas to dancers and modern movement innovators…

Rocking their GoBearr harness fashions, the bartenders served up custom cocktails like ‘Chris-Gin Dior’ and ‘Gin Kardashian’ to a very thirsty crowd…
Several talented dance companies appeared throughout the show. I loved the infusion of dance, song, and theater,
The evening’s host with the most, The Ritz Ybor’s Okie Tilo…
Let the fashion begin! Here are some of my favorite looks from the show:
Black and Denim Apparel Company…
Dolce Creative…
Madel Fashion…
GoBEARR…
DOLLFACE…
La France
Solimar Collection…
Gianna Love & the House of Love ft. Haus of Blackbird…