Haute, extravagant, bold, electric, mesmerizing, unique and unforgettable are just a few adjectives that describe the annual fashion event, CITY, held at the Tampa Museum Of Art this year. Why may you ask? Because this year the museum chose"the queen of New York City nightlife", Susanne Bartsch, to showcase and celebrate. It was her accomplishments for NYC fashion, art, and the underground club scene since the 1980's, which made her an unforgettable icon and a legendary name in the fashion industry.

Bartsch created a community and safe zone for humans to express their individuality free of judgment, ridicule, and shame. This environment promotes, empowers, and allows people to unapologetically be themselves, express themselves, and love themselves with the help of the glitzy and extravagant garments, makeup, and wigs.

She breaks down a lot of social norms and stereotype of the non-conventional artist through showcasing and accepting the peculiar, elaborate, and different. She left no one behind, creating pieces for all sides of fashion including couture, street style, drag, and punk just to name a few.

The euphoric atmosphere of CITY was saturated with a radiant electric feel, overflow of glitz and glam, dreamy and psychedelic ora, a sea of unapologetic individuals radiating self-expression through a rather lavish form of fashion, and an undeniable passion for the arts.

It was the perfect fashion affair that included a color wheel of individuals complementing and contrasting each other. They undoubtedly have a variety of individualism, energy, and looks, but they all have the same common denominator; an undeniable passion for the art of fashion.

The looks showcased were far from functional and practical but rather a blunt form of art through fashion. It was like every human showcasing a look that was the blank canvas. The experimentation of various fabrics, patterns, shapes, props, wigs, makeup, and headpieces were all different variables that went into creating each one of a kind form of art. It was rather mesmerizing and intriguing seeing a new look every single time, no one identical or comparable to the last.

CITY Art-a-Porter: Susanne Bartsch was a fantasy in itself, a wonderland of individuality and bold expression through fashion as an art form. Her exhibit, Susanne Bartsch: Art-a-Porter, is still showing at The Tampa Museum of Art until November 12, 2017, that includes 35 looks from her legendary career in fashion.

Coverage and Photography by Alexis Karr

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