The Best Fashion Events During Art Basel Miami Beach 2016

Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB) is one of the most anticipated events in the art world, but oftentimes it's the fashion at the fair that takes center stage. Being street-style-ready is often as crucial as touring Basel's satellite fairs and cruising the museums, and style mavens come prepared. But they also come ready to be inspired: The most committed of fashionistas take it one step further, carving time out of their busy Miami Art Week schedules to scour shows centered on what they love most.

The relationship between art and fashion will be on full display during Art Week. From viewing a Miami City Ballet costume exhibition to taking in a fashion-meets-performance-art presentation by local artist Belaxis Buil, you can count on getting your fashion fix. Spending time around such fascinating artistic beauty is bound to translate to your wardrobe, so be sure to check out these fashion-inspired events during Miami Art Week 2016.

Cosa Rica at the Congress Hotel South Beach

Merging philanthropy with fashion and performance art, Art for Progress will present Cosa Rica, a provocative installation depicting issues of identity and reconciliation in the Cuban-American subconscious. Art for Progress, a New York-based nonprofit committed to celebrating diversity in the arts, chose to focus on the Cuba/South Florida dichotomy in a series of presentations during Miami Art Week. In Cosa Rica, local artist/designer Belaxis Buil, whose multimedia, performance-based work has been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami and the Little Haiti Cultural Center, will present original ready-to-wear designs inspired by her Cuban heritage. The evening will also welcome performances by local artists Willie Avedano, Dino Felipe, and Orestes de la Paz, along with a dance theater performance by Hellktrick Danse Theater.

1052 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. Saturday, December 3, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased here.
"Narciso Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism" at the Frost Art Museum

One of the season's most anticipated exhibitions will be a bit of a hike to get to but totally worth the peep. "Narciso Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism" will be on view throughout Miami Art Week. Featuring a curated selection of the celebrated Cuban-American designer's ready-to-wear garments and accessories juxtaposed with some of the works in the permanent collection of the Frost Art Museum, "An Exercise in Minimalism" was curated the Frost's Klaudio Rodriguez in partnership with Elle creative director Alex Gonzalez. The exhibition, which opened in October and will close just after the new year, focuses on the timeless aspect of Rodriguez's designs, his vision for dressing women, and the daily inspirations that drive his work. By exhibiting the pieces alongside those of established Cuban artists, the Frost hopes to trace the parallels between Rodriguez and many of his visual-arts peers.

10975 SW 17th St., Miami. Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Visit frost.fiu.edu.

"Zenith: Fusing Art and Fashion" at Lou La Vie Gallery
Luxury cars, high-end fashion, and art collide at the downtown Miami gallery Lou La Vie. "Zenith: Fusing Art and Fashion" showcases international emerging designers as a way to help these talented artists to break into the Miami market. Ibiza designer Carla Cid de Diego Madrid, who grew up among artists in her native Spain, has curated a selection of her whimsical, art-inspired line, along with a selection of some of her favorite international designers. Madrid, who partnered with Greek-British architect and designer Jonathan Fakinos to launch her island-inspired line, says she paired different cultural aesthetics for this one-of-a-kind exhibition. Turning both to artists and designers, Madrid's "Zenith" will include works by designers Rey Rey Shoes of Denmark, Akua Asante of the UK, and the Middle Brand of Spain.

1444 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit loulavie.com

SIWYxLULU LABORATORIUM at Lulu Laboratorium
Luxury denim brand Siwy will make its Miami Art Week debut in collaboration with Lulu Laboratorium, a fashion-meets-art lifestyle brand based in Miami Beach. The pair's first collaboration will host a series of events throughout Art Week, featuring artists such as Lola Blu, Lobyn Hamilton, AP Collection, and Domingo Zapata, who will paint their works on a Siwy limited-edition collector's jacket on display during the weekend's events. This Thursday, December 1, SIWY X LULU LABORATORIUM will kick off Miami Art Week by displaying each artist-designed jacket. The event will close December 4 with a live painting demonstration by Lola Blu. Lulu Laboratorium, a brand that celebrates art's pivotal role in fashion design, is often one of the most sought-after fashion destinations during ABMB.

173 NW 23rd St., Miami. December 1 through 3 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., December 4 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with live painting demonstration by Lola Blu.
"A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes" at Art Seen Cultural Center
It wouldn't be Art Basel without bustling tulle skirts and over-the-top accessories. "A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes" will sate the art crowd's lust for high-end design through riveting works by designers such as Alexander McQueen and Comme des Garçons in a Wynwood warehouse setting. Curated by Musea, an international collective known for boundary-pushing fashion exhibitions, "A Queen Within" explores the various shades of feminism inherent in women's fashion design. From regal to complex to edgy, this free exhibition will present the multifaceted nature of women and the designers who dress them. Expect garments, photography, film, and artwork by Vetements, Iris van Herpen, Vivienne Westwood, Fantich & Young, Bea Szenfeld, 69, Arvida Byström & Maja Malou Lyse, Benji Taylor, Roger Weiss, Geoffrey Lillemon x Bernhard Willhelm, Maja Gunn, and others.

2215 NW Second Ave., Miami. Open December 1 through 5 from noon to 6 p.m.
"Lingerie Française" at the Sagamore Hotel
The Sagamore is known as an art hotel, but this year, undergarments are the main event here. "Lingerie Française," a retrospective exploring 100 years of sultry French lingerie designs, has transformed the Sagamore's public art spaces. Running November 29 through December 6, the exhibition features more than 100 pieces of some of the most provocative lingerie trends over the past century, with a nod to how lingerie has evolved in our increasingly fast-paced, substantially less elegant world. Featuring designs by Aubade, Barbra, Chanetelle, and others, "Lingerie Française" is free and open to the public.

1671 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; sagamorehotel.com. Open November 29 through December 6.

Frida Kahlo: Fashion as the Art of Being at Gran Paraiso Sales Gallery
If you missed author Susana Martinez Vidal discussion of her book celebrating Frida Kahlo as a style icon for the ages at Books & Books earlier this year, you'll get another chance during Miami Art Week. Vidal will host a meet-and-greet this Thursday, December 1, at the Gran Paraiso sales gallery, where guests will be able to discuss Kahlo's influence on the fashion industry as a groundbreaking artist whose fashion sense was totally irreverent and wholly iconic. The intimate discussion, led by Vidal, will include an overview of Kahlo's bold choices as both fashion icon and visual artist while exploring the ways her style choices were influenced by her work.

600 NE 31st St.., Miami. Thursday, December 1, at 1 p.m. Complimentary valet parking is available.

Miami City Ballet retrospective on Lincoln Road
The famed Miami City Ballet is as well known for its costumes as its choreography. Since October, MCB has displayed a retrospective of its storied costumes in the storefront of 530 Lincoln Rd. Showcasing costumes from some of the corps' most scenic ballets, including A Midsummer Night's Dream and Swan Lake, the exhibition rotates designs from more than 100 ballets. Expect to see designs by local artist Michele Oka Doner, who collaborated with MCB last year, and haute costume fashion designers Adeline André and Barbara Karinska.

530 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach.

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