Taste of the Keys and Fashion Show celebrates ninth year

The Garden Club of Longboat Key celebrated its ninth annual Taste of the Keys and Fashion Show with more than 100 of the club’s closest friends on Jan. 30. 

The event at the Harbourside Ballroom, which showcased a dozen local restaurants as well as fashion house Binjara Traders, brought Longboaters together to celebrate the Garden Club and its endeavors to help youth and the environment. All proceeds from the event went towards the club’s scholarship fund for college students in an environmental field of study, as well as local environmental agencies including Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and Selby Gardens. 

Light bites were plentiful, wine flowed freely and attendees placed their hopes on one or more of 20 raffle prizes before the fashion show began. While last year’s event focused on the Garden Club and its past, this event placed more emphasis on the present and the importance of gathering with friends for an evening.  

Every model had ties to the Garden Club or the organizations it supports. Scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, representatives from Selby Gardens, Sarasota Bay Watch and the town of Longboat Key and past campers from Mote and Selby. 

Men’s Wearhouse and Binjara Traders provided the fashions, with the latter bringing in pieces from their three stores, Sahara, Ivory Coast and their eponymous store. The women’s clothes were fun, flowing and soft, while the men’s clothes kept things neat with clean lines and classic colors. 

Afterwards, attendees trickled out slowly, taking their time to let conversations with friends reach a natural end before heading their separate ways for the night.