Fashion in Miami
If you're wondering if the beautiful women you see on the streets are Miami citizens or if there are thousands of models walking the streets, the answer is: both. Miami is home to models and fashion lovers alike.
Fashion capital
Miami is a fashion capital for several reasons. It has a warm climate year-round, boasts luxurious boutiques and bulk designer stores, and is known as an international trade hub.
Perhaps Miami is plagued by fashionable people around every corner, but it's fair to say that South Beach is the capital of this fashion capital. It houses headquarters for all the major modeling agencies in the world, including Wilhemina Models, Elite Model Management, and William Morris Agency, along with renowned local agencies like The Green Agency. Miami receives models from all over the world who come here to achieve their dream.
The tropical climate lends itself to the perfect backdrop for photo shoots for commercials, magazine editorials, and fashion shows. Photographer Bruce Weber, who has shot for artists like Vogue, W, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair, to name a few, is in love with Miami. He has made it his home and takes most of his photos here. He even filmed a short documentary about Liberty City titled, "Liberty City is like Paris to me."
Designers and influencers
Bruce Weber is not the only fashion heavyweight who made Miami his home. More famously, Gianni Versace fell in love with Miami and transformed a 1930s apartment building on Ocean Drive into his own ornate mansion in 1992. Gianni Versace was tragically murdered in that mansion in 1997 when he was returning home from a nearby café where he read Italian newspapers every morning. After the murder, the place became a sanctuary for fashion lovers where people pay tribute to the revered designer. The Versace brand, now managed by his sister Donatella, remains one of the most important in the world. Today, the Versace mansion is known as The Villa by Barton G, a luxurious hotel and restaurant. The intimate dining room with only 30 seats serves its signature drink, The Villa Martini, in a Versace martini glass.
Miami welcomes designers and influencers from everywhere, who are attracted by the climate and the fashion scene. It is also the birthplace of several talented people in the fashion world, such as Lazaro Hernandez, a young Miami citizen who has successfully ventured into fashion and has been awarded one of the industry's prizes, the Perry Ellis Award as a new talent from CFDA, for his brand Proenza Schouler. Lazaro's dizzying career began in 2000 at Miami International Airport, when he met Vogue's editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. With great nerves, he sent her a message written on a napkin through the flight attendant, and she got him a job at Michael Kors. The rest is history. Proenza Schouler is a haute couture brand that designs perfect outfits for vacations in Miami. Their women's clothing and accessories reflect Miami's tropical and colorful atmosphere.
Alejandro Ingelmo and his eponymous shoe brand have had footwear design in their blood since his great-grandfather's time in Salamanca, Spain, but it was in Miami that Ingelmo was born and raised. Ingelmo's shoes and accessories are architectural, and their beauty exhibits a high level of craftsmanship.
High fashion shopping destinations
The Webster Miami is a luxury boutique located in an 1800-square-meter Art Deco building in Miami Beach. It is run by two fashion veterans and connoisseurs of brands such as Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Jil Sander, and has grown to be a destination in its own right for its stylists, editors, and fashion influencers. The Webster is a fashion mega-center in South Beach, with brands almost impossible to get, such as Balmain, and exclusive designer models, such as Alexander Wang, ACNE, and Lisa Marie Fernandez.
Miami's Design District has a cluster of luxurious designer boutiques all very close to each other. Maison Martin Margiela is a must-visit in this area, both for the beautiful interior in Margiela's classic style—a combination of avant-garde scientific and illustrious museum—and for its clothing in the same style. Margiela's "temporary" boutique has been there since 2010 and, with any luck, will remain that way. It is the third location in the United States. At Margiela, it's worth a second look; a simple T-shirt can have a hidden detail or two. Even the staff's uniform is worthy of admiration. They wear scientist coats, which deepens the bizarre aesthetic that the designer has adopted.
Other worthwhile stores to visit in the Design District include En Avance, a boutique featuring global designers such as Yigal Azrouel, Robert Rodriguez, and Marni, the eclectic unisex fashion brand from Italy. Another stop you must make in the area is Nektar De Stagni, a conceptual boutique that collaborates with artists on projects and has its own brand of beautiful and interesting accessories with a Miami style, such as the "Pearl" Shark earrings, made from genuine shark teeth coated with pearlescent enamel.
Pop-up stores
Miami has some fashion classics, but it also hosts many pop-up stores and fashion shows. Some of the best pop-up stores emerge during Art Basel in December, where designer Mara Hoffman collaborates with artists to create a collection featuring swimwear and beachwear. Another notable pop-up store at Basel 2011 was the collaboration between Pringle of Scotland and Webster, which featured a collaboration between Central Saint Martins, the revered London design school, and Pringle of Scotland. The Miami fashion scene boasts a friendly and collaborative atmosphere; and pop-up stores continue to present new and interesting concepts that give fashion lovers something to talk about.
Fashion Weeks
Miami is the venue for a global fashion show during three major fashion weeks: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, Miami Beach International Fashion Week, and Funkshion Fashion Week. In July, March, and October, respectively, there are large exhibitions of swimwear, international design, resorts, and lingerie throughout the city.
Malls
Of course, any major fashion city has some amazing shopping malls for the tourist shopper. If you're looking for brands that can compete with the stores on the Champs Elysées and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, try Bal Harbour Shops and Village of Merrick Park, two beautiful outdoor shopping centers with world-class stores and dining that include brands like Chanel, Prada, Lanvin, Trina, Turk, Burberry, Carolina Herrera, and many more. Another outdoor shopping center is Lincoln Road, a string of shops and restaurants that includes everything from an independent bookstore to an antique market on Sundays. If you want a more American shopping experience, you'll find Dadeland, The Falls, and Sunset Place, where you'll find stores like Zara, Macy's, and The Gap.
