AT PEACE

One by one and at times two by two, the talent gathered on the third floor of The Italian Club in Ybor City. The cause? To support The Spring of Tampa Bay's mission to prevent domestic violence. The purpose? To rock the Peace Couture runway show, presented by VERTICAL Tampa Bay in partnership with MOD Productions.

Local designers Sandra Hagen, Spathose, Monstruosite by Dolly Donshey and Wicked Betty presented collections while Skyler Roberts styled a series of street, cocktail and glamorous evening looks to show a la La France. For the sixth and final segment of the show, Mrs. World 2012 (April Lufriu and her daughter Savannah) along with Mrs. Florida and a few local personalities and Spring board members took to the stage in looks styled for them at The Spring's boutique (by Maggie Philbin of the blog Mag's Rags to Riches).

The hair and makeup artists, namely V Team hair stylist Bill Baker, his associate Anna Jukes and Balance Salon Spa's Chelsea Suarez, plus Don Me Now, 2 Girls Glam, Jamie Lewis Lingerfelt and Annelis Diaz spent six and a half hours straight in a vertical position, transforming 30 fabulous models into even more fabulous runway-ready rocker and glam girls.

When the band Zulu Wave began to jam, the Spathose scene took over the runway. In between the parade of designer collections, one model marched forth carrying posters created by local artists that featured statistics about domestic violence printed on the reverse side, serving as somber reminders of why we all packed the house.

And packed the house we did. By midday, I had heard from a good source that 105 VIP tickets had sold. As the day progressed, more and more transactions occurred, until finally everyone was seated, leaving standing room only for the remaining guests to fill the ballroom.

To each and everyone one of them, to the Art Institute student volunteers, and to the supercalifragilistic talent who showed up for The Spring, we offer our sincerest thanks and props for a job beautifully done!

Peace to you all.