This weekend's Wynwood Life may have been the Promised Land for killer paint jobs and ground-shaking bass, but the most beloved component of the three-day festival had to be the steeze.
Fashionites from every tribe of the 305 came out to gladly bake and broil underneath the merciless sun, snoop around some rad pop-up shops, and catch sight of runway shows galore. Though the blog-turned-party raged hard all three days, Saturday's festivities peaked on the Richter scale of epic.
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But before tasting that triumph, one had to first endure an indefinite bout of bastardizing torment.
"It's fucking hot," was the catch phrase for the day. Though a glut of short mini-skirts and muscle tees were displayed, the dense 88-degree rays struck even the prettiest of "tens" with sweat-staches and plastered-down nape hair. Despite the discomfort of being perpetually wet in new places, onward the fashion seeking went in search of a sartorial safe haven - The "Perpetual Summer" Runway show.
The pilgrimage to the aforementioned show was long, so naturally, some pit stops were made.
"You look like you need a beer," a girl working the Blue Moon Brewing booth cried out to a slew of young girls, all sporting cat-eye sunnies sliding down the bridge of their noses. But the fashion race has no need for fermented alcoholic beverages made up of cellulite-inducing yeast. Moo. Instead, they turned their heads to such nonsense - noses up, eyes closed - and quelled their thirst at the Happy Coconut booth, where coconuts were being chopped open with machete-like knives before a pink, little straw was plopped into a pool of coco-water, topped off with a hint of "Rumpelstiltskin."
While coconuts suffered a guillotine fate, the ground shuddered by the Cuban-funk likes of Otto von Schirach. The word "Salpica" echoed through the expanse, permeating its airwaves, making every hipster girl wearing a backwards neon-orange snapback "Dance Like a Hoe" on the grassy plains.
The "ever lasting bass" was definitely palpable, but there was a force stronger that led the fashion-crazed to Pop-up Shop Row - retail therapy. Booths baring different genres of styles, from kaftans to vintage to streetwear, satisfied even the most finicky of tastes. All was right in the land of art, music, and fashion - but there was still one thing missing on the to-do agenda, and it involved summer trends and a 24-foot catwalk.
Fashionites found refuge at the Style Lounge. There, the poster child of the Miami fashion scene, The Fashion Poet's Annie Vazquez, was perched in a high stool, getting her makeup did courtesy of Charlene B. Makeup.
"We wanted it to be something that showcased the up-and-coming trends for the season," says Vazquez, while a fluffy brush dabbed bronzer on her cheekbones, "and to tie in with what Peroni and I are going to do this summer during Fashion Week Swim, Escape Miami 2."
Soon, the Style Lounge went from chill hangout spot to mega fashion blunder (as per usual at one of these things).
"Ten more minutes!" one of the show's coordinators yelled while her minions hastily flung tables around. Heaps of guests anxiously awaited the show. The preparation deemed worthy of an "only-in-Miami" hashtag, but its punctuality did not. The show started surprisingly right on the dot, defying the laws of fashion. Further defiance was evinced when the crowd started gasping after having spotted a finger monkey in the first row named Charlie.
"She goes everywhere with me," said owner Zeida Fernandez of her two-and-a-half old pet-primate.
Girls swathed in skimpy swimsuits from local brands Pretty Beachy and La Belle Rebelle quickly replaced the marveling over exotic pets. Miss-matched prints of leopard and floral were boldly presented in the form of a bustier top and ruffled bottoms. Festooned headpieces paired swimmingly with one-pieced suits slitted on each side, and a retro neckline, opting for a very pinup-meets-flowerchild air.
Once the bikini babes bid adieu, laidback looks from South Miami's The Dressing Room and The Closet subdued the runway. A white two-piece skirt-set with a lace overlay conjured up a frenzy and uproar by countless girls reaching for their wallets. Another crowd pleaser was a vibrant floral short-set (also worn by Vazquez) linked up with the casual likes of some kicks - a sure Wynwood fave.
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The curtains closed on the show, but the party on Northwest 6th Ave., raged on.
"Wynwood Life is a great event in one of my favorite cities," Vazquez tells us. "This is where I come and hang out on the weekends - of course I wanted to be here."
Ditto.
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