It was another great year for the 5th Annual Bert Smith Chillounge Night St. Pete! Chillounge is the ultimate outdoor lounge party that has the best of two worlds – a night to socialize with your friends and a night for fashion. Rainer Scheer, the founder of Chillounge sure knows how to throw a party. During these events an ordinary park, for this one Straub Park in Downtown St. Petersburg, is turned into a outdoor cocktail sort of atmosphere complete with lights, velvet ropes, cabanas, and luxury daybeds.
The fashion show – BELIEVE: THE POWER & IMPACT OF IMAGE Produced by Brandi Kamenar & Lisa Reuther was awesome. The show featured designs by Khendrix ClothingDesign and Designer London Amara Studios. Saks Fifth Avenue presented designs as well. Before the fashion show there was an impressive Daybed Parade Presented by Phassion Magazine Featuring designs by Fransisco Azucar.
Rainer Scheer, the founder of Chillounge, fires up the crowd at 5th Annual Chillounge St. Pete
Ann Poonkasem or Ann P, performs the National Anthem
Phoebe Vecchioni from Phoebe’s Samba Team performs on the stage
A Daybed Parade
Monica Milan wearing Fransisco Azucar
On a very sad note, Fransisco Azucar, the designer who envisioned the fashion behind the Daybed Parade, and dressed all of the females models during the parade, had a heart attack backstage while at Chillounge and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Though he was based out of Miami, he was a regular in the Tampa Bay area fashion scene. During my many fashion shows that I photographed, I captured his beautiful creations a couple of times.
