Tuesday, July 16th marked the official beginning of Fashion Week Swim here in Miami Beach, Florida. As usual, I was overly excited and anxious, looking forward to all of the eye candy to come. What I was UN-excited about however, was the weather that we've been having lately; gray, cloudy & wet. Needless to say, I was having an issue with my fashion options! How do you portray "Easy, Breezy, Bohemian, Beach Babe" when there are no sun rays in sight?!! When I finally managed to make it out of the door, I was thrilled that I wouldn't be late.
The first stop on my ever changing agenda was the Opening Reception Hosted by Peroni at The Soho Beach House; An exclusive members only beach, hotel & restaurant destination.
Upon entering "SBH", you feel as if you've entered Al Capone's beach getaway; the hotel is surrounded by lush tropical greens, the lobby is home to rich woods and gold detailing, a long hallway with a vintage feel features a wall of photographs of members & socialites.
I made my way to the elevator that would take me to "Penthouse" level where the reception was being held. Upon entering, it began to feel like a warm summer's day. Well, Sort Of. The DJ was spinning, photographers were shooting, the waiters were serving and I was smiling. I took a seat on a small and cushy love seat in the corner of the room and took in my surroundings. It wasn't long before I ran into a good friend of mine; Photographer, Film Director & Fashion Event Producer Mr. Coleman. We chatted it up a while as we were served gourmet Tiramisu (YUMMY) and Mr. Coleman paused between sentences to take pictures.
When a young lady sat down to my left, Mr. Coleman asked her who she was. She said that her name was Daniela Pineda and that she was one of Peroni's Top Ten Emerging Designers. Oh yes! The Emerging Designers! I thought. Daniela and 9 other students were selected as the top ten finalists for Peroni's Emerging Designer Series. Each student would present two pieces in hopes of being chosen the winner. The winner would be flown to New York Fashion Week and produce a full 25 piece collection, sponsored by Fashion Group International. In a nutshell? AMAZING.
Daniela was near graduation and looking forward to graduate school in Europe. Aside from being beautiful AND talented, Daniela seemed to possess a level of humility that seems all too rare in the beautiful. We talked about Fashion Design college courses, volunteering on Fashion Shows and how great it is or will be in Europe.
Daniela introduced us to her friend and fellow top ten designer, Karenn Lopez. As Mr. Coleman began to snap photos, I snapped a few of my own.
The "Peroni Girls"; Models Karina Ruiz, Jessica Sanchez & Vanessa Romero were dressed in 50's style bathing suits designed by La Belle Rabelle. Jessica offered me a Peroni Beer which I have never had. After making a feigned "Afraid" face, the models giggled and I preceded to drink. Not bad.
Sometime during the event, I was introduced to noted high fashion & international Photographer, Antonio Martez. Seemingly quiet & enigmatic, Antonio smirked as Mr. Coleman gave him an introduction followed by a comedic list of accolades. We exchanged pleasantries and continued to enjoy the relaxed vibe.
As the reception neared its end, I wished Daniela luck for the following day and said goodbye to the Peroni Girls.
July 17th:
Wednesday evening was the Emerging Designer Series at the SLS Hotel on Collins Avenue. An interior restaurant, exterior bar and a pool area surrounded by full length mirrors and lounge sofas made me feel like I was in a South Beach version of "Alice in Wonderland". House/Techno Disc Jockey DJ Retrokidd accompanied me. The pieces presented by the Top Ten were beyond breathtaking. It was easy to forget that these pieces were created by students and not actual fashion designers. YET. Exotic, Flowy and soft are just some of the words that I would use to describe most of the dresses. Sometime during the night, Retro and I ran into another Disc Jockey by the name of KillaKas who was there with his fabulous MUA Girlfriend, Anna. After the show, The F Vodka hosted after party began. we sat down, had some drinks and discussed our next move. Food it is!
Congratulations to Fashion Design Student Kim Nguyen!-Winner of the Peroni Emerging Designer Series 2013!
July 18th:
Thursday, I made my way back over to the SLS Hotel for back to back swimwear shows. Because of the recent influx of rain, the show was running behind schedule. Production staff worked busily to mop up water remnants that were left on the runway's surface, ironically set up over the hotel's invisible edge pool. As patrons & fashionistas stood around waiting for the show to start, I bumped into Photographer Antonio Martez and sparked up a conversation. Laid back, happy & funny, Martez shared bits & pieces of his life that I found fascinating and inspirational. Perhaps he would grant me the pleasure of an interview? But I digress. Sometime had still passed and the show had not started. My black stiletto ankle boots were starting to slowly kill me. By the time the first bathing suit wearing beauty stepped onto the runway, I was shoe less in black Hello Kitty socks. Still, I had a good time and managed to receive a compliment regarding the shoes that I was now carrying in my left hand.
Friday July 19th:
Friday was the beginning of chaos. And I mean that in somewhat of a good way. South Beach on a Wednesday is nothing compared to South Beach on a Friday. Traffic was beyond belief. Tonight, SLS Hotel was playing host to a private event hosted by Cosmopolitan Magazine entitled "CosmoSplash". At the same time, Soho Beach House was hosting an event on behalf of non-profit Style Saves. With both events set to begin at the same time, which one should I attend? Did I fail to mention that I hadn't eaten prior to leaving the house and that my stomach was screaming "FEED ME" in "Little Shop of Horrors" fashion? Nonetheless, I decided to attend the Cosmo party and finally made my way past the velvet rope. With Ciroc Vodka flowing at the plethora of open bars and the runway shiny and dry, it appeared that the night would be pretty great. And I was right. I discovered a new love of my life in Designer Cristy Rice's "Cuban Rice" swimwear collection. Bright, playful & in full celebration of the Miami spirit, the pieces seemed to come alive as they were presented on the runway. Collections by Maya, Inca & Papi ( For Men) were just as easy on the eye.
Not to mention the array of screams as the Papi male models strutted down the runway shirtless and some in almost next to nothing swim trunks.
Saturday July 20th:
If not THE most anticipated show of Swim week, it is definitely in the top 3. Saturday night belonged to Chloe at Soho Beach House. A friend and I made it in just before a guest list coordinator was letting attendees know that they would be closing the doors to entry. Whew. The pool area where the show was being held was filled to capacity. I only hoped that the show would start on time as I was again, in my black stiletto ankle boots. The Chloe swimwear collection was fresh, feminine and minimalist modern. Shades of peach, cream and white reigned supreme as models worked the runway in ballet flats. I'm sure that it will only be a matter of time before pieces sell out completely.
Sunday July 21:
Sunday was all about Wildfox. Filled to capacity for a second night in a row, Soho Beach House was booming with Miami's fashion elite. " Keeping Up with the Kardashians" Reality TV Stars Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian sat front row and smiled for cameras. As the music began and the models entered our line of vision, It was clear to me that this was my favorite show thus far. With hair full, wavy and embellished with oversized flowers, the models looked as if they'd just woken up from a "Barbie" doll sleep. Wearing wedge heels, and some in sunglasses, they blew air kisses and made playful exchanges as they passed each other and the crowd while on the runway. One fire red one piece swimsuit read "HELLO" in white font across the front. A rainbow printed two piece featured a flowy crop top. Another, in fire red, featured cheeky shorts and a ruffled crop top. From top to bottom, start to finish, the show was high energy, sexy, fun & a joy to watch. Huge Kudos to the designers. You all did an amazing job.
There were literally a dozen of Fashion Week Swim events happening this week. The Standard, The Raleigh (home of Mercedes Benz Fashion Swim Week), The Delano and The Gale are just a few of the hotels that hosted soirees. Unfortunately, I couldn't realistically attend them all, although I sure tried in my mind!!
Tonight I plan on attending an event hosted by Chromat Swimwear & WattsUp Rose. Designer Becca Charen will showcase her latest swimwear collection and Photographer Ben Watts (Brother of Actress Naomi Watts) will debut his new wine "WattsUp Rose".
Tomorrow I must make my way to The Standard hotel for the last day of their swimwear showcase. Wait for me!!!
Glimpse of the Chloe show
More pictures to come:)
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