Sundial Style
At Tampa Bay’s Premier
Shopping Destination
IN THE 1960s AND 1970s, THE
Maas Brothers stores throughout
the Tampa Bay area were the place
to shop. Then, in the early 1980s,
Old Hyde Park Village became
the hot spot with Jacobson’s,
Georgette’s and other upscale
retailers drawing crowds. The next
major development was BayWalk
in downtown St. Petersburg, which
was soon upstaged by International
Plaza near Tampa International
Airport and the West Shore district
in Tampa. However, St. Petersburg
Developer Bill Edwards has now
brought his vision for the former
BayWalk space to fruition with the
new cosmopolitan Sundial.
Last month, Sundial held its first
major fashion event, “Sundial Style.”
The fashion show, preceded by jazz
standards and holiday classics by
That Pack, officially kicked off
Sundial’s complimentary Weekend
Holiday Entertainment Series. The
high-production show took place
on a stage with an over 30-foot-long
runway that had been constructed
in the Sundial’s central courtyard.
Although the entertainment started
at 4 p.m. and the show began at
7 p.m., Sundial’s stores filled up
early in the day with people who had
come to enjoy this all-out extravaganza
under the stars. Heather Thompson, a
fashion designer of Yummie shapewear
and a former cast member of Bravo’s
Real Housewives of New York City, was the
mistress of ceremonies, who introduced
the show’s scenes. Fashions that included
the comfortable and healthy casual
movie The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
Part 2; Tari Elegele, who is currently
filming the Soccer Moms of Tampa
Bay reality television show; plus
Tampa Bay Rowdies professional
soccer stars Juan Guerra, Zac
Portillos, Tamika Mkandawire and
Keith Savage. There was also a bevy
of beautiful young models and a
group of children, who definitely
received the loudest applause, as
their candid innocence captured the
hearts of the hundreds of champagne
sipping audience members. Even Bill
Edwards himself was escorted onto
the runway as part of the show’s
finale.
At the conclusion of the fashion
show, it took more than half an hour
for the attendees to break up their
individual cliques, as they discussed
what they found most exciting.
They slowly dispersed throughout
the Sundial, with many going to
dine at one of the center’s several
dining spots, such as FarmTable in
Locale Market, while the rest filled
the Sundial’s stores to try on what
they had seen during the show and
to discover still more treasures.
This established the Sundial as a
gathering place for those who follow
By Margaret Word Burnside
Photography by Noraa
Actress Eugenie Bondurant, who played Tigris in the
newest Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 film, had the
crowd standing and clapping as she worked the runway
wearing this gown from Jackie Z Style & Co. at the Sundial
Style Fashion Show in St. Petersburg. (The dress she wore
was sold within minutes after it was returned to the store.)
and enjoy fashion and the lifestyle that it
eschews.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Sundial is located in
downtown St. Petersburg, between 2nd and
3rd Avenues on 2nd Street Northeast.
F A S H I O N
footwear of Happy Feet Plus; the bright,
bold year-round print dresses of Tracy
Negoshian; the urban chic women’s
and men’s ensembles from Florida Jean
Company; and the sophisticated trends
for women and men from Jackie Z Style
Co. and more graced the runway. Celebrity
models included St. Petersburg actress
Eugenie Bondurant, who appeared in the
66 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016