And so it's begun. The intensity of who can out-dress whom on the Miami Beach Convention Center runway during Miami Fashion Week has officially jumped off. To slingshot this event into full effect, the Collins Ave. hotel, Eden Roc, hosted a massive kick-off party on Wednesday, inviting only the trendiest of designer jetsetters and local fashion partisans participating in the international event on the beach.
A tsunami of red-bottoms and tapered sports jackets bum rushed the ballroom of the Miami Beach resort, where cold-cuts and cheese buffets inlayed the outskirts of the dining and dancing hall, and a tarantism of head-phoned fist-pumpers bombarded the designated dance floor of the "Silent Dance Party" hosted by Sound Off, catering to every musical palate.
Everyone was dressed to the nines. But there were those who took the art of trendsetting to a whole different level -- those who were deemed worthy of a Best Dressed title of the night. Here are the night's most fashionable luminaries of the most fashionable launch party to a very fashionable five-day event. Fashionable. Last time, we swear.
10. Vintage Does Not Mean Old
"My outfit was under $25," a cheeky Veronica Canales told Cultist right outside of the night's party. The young personal style blogger based out of Miami prides herself on being thrifty, which is the premise of her edgy blog, fiercelythrifting.com. Your outfit may have cost close to nothing, but you look like a million bucks, girl.
9. Of the Pin-up Variety
This Rita-Hayworth-meets-Dita-Von-Teese beauty stopped us dead in our tracks. Maybe it's those dainty, strapped heels; maybe it's that high-waisted pencil by Asos. What ever it is, girl, you be killin' them.
8. The Mankle
The "mankle", by definition, is a relative of the term "ankling." Camilo Gomez, assistant designer at Miami Fashion, has achieved the perfect "mankle" by neither pegging nor cuffing the hem of his pants, but instead by purchasing trousers that have already been designed for the mankle-minded at heart. Just say no to breaks.
7. Argyle Does Party So Well
He's preppy; he's party; he's a one-of-a-kind kind of guy. We caught Sebastian Hart, party extraordinaire, doing what he does best - dancing. Yet, despite his cool moves and wild locks of love, his outfit was the one doing all of the attention grabbing. What do you get when you mix a crisp, white button-up, buttoned all the way up, an argyle cardi, and some fly zebra kicks? Perfection.
6. Cows For a Good Cause
It takes a very confident man to sport cow print all over the northern hemisphere of his body. And apparently, this Brazil make-up artist has all the confidence in the world. Yoozas.
5. That's My DJ
DJs are hot by default. But this DJ in particular was scorching. Carlos Eduardo Martinez, AKA DJ Patafunk, was making all the club kids gyrate on the Silent Dance Party Dance floor with his untz-untz house beats, but it was his herringbone sports jacket mixed with his I-Don't-Give-a-Fuck dreds that really got the crowd body-movin'.
4. Miami's Best Fashion Blogger
Most of you probably don't know this, but Daniela Ramirez from Nany's Klozet is Miami's number one fashion blogger. On top of conquering 305's land of cyberspace, the girl has over 100k followers on Instagram and just launched her first clothing line with Venezuelan brand Melao, hanging in a Blush boutique near you. She also happens to be one of the Miami Fashion Week Blogger ambassadors, representing her madre patria of Venezuela. "I'm super excited about Miami Fashion Week. They're definitely stepping it up this year and it's awesome for the fashion community in Miami," says the blogger babe dressed to kill in a white, backless number.
3. A Classy Lady
For Angeles Salmuna, being a photographer and badass videographer aren't the only two things she's good at. The woman can dress. And she likes to keep it classy. Take her broche for example: who the hell has the guts to pull one of those off these days? You're looking at her.
2. Midi What? Midi Who?
She had us at midi skirt. "The crop top is hand-made," says the assistant designer of Miami Fashion Week' Samy Gicherman, "I made it myself." For some reason, we're not surprised -- all day, all night steeze.
1. Dudes in Designers
The smell of designer jumped off his very skin. And our keen sense of smell for the finer things in life certainly proved us right. "Jeans are Balenciaga, Prada shoes, Margiela belt, Ellie Tahari on the shirt, Dolce and Gabana glasses, and the most expensive piece that I'm wearing is my blazer, which is H&M," Ilya Cacarov humbly bragged to us. The man certainly has a sense of humor, and an excellent taste for luxury names, might we add.
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