New Year, New Colors

 

I am an avid painter and repainter. After having an orange family room for years,  I repainted it white about a year ago. (When my husband was out of town on business ;)) But it was never the right white. It was too blue, not creamy enough. So I went out to find the perfect white, and in the process got to thinking that it was a lot of work just to change the hue of white so I settled on a blue-green color. The color of the ocean on Miami Beach, or the color of glass when you look at it form the side. The problem was, I couldn't get the right hue - one was too dark, the other too light. So I mixed my own and made a swatch, which I had color matched by the nice fellow at Ace Hardware. If you go this route, make sure to save at least a half gallon of paint (keep the lid well-sealed), and make yourself a swatch on a piece of cardboard as I did here. This is between Raindrop and Reflecting Pool by Benjamin Moore. Don't ask what I was doing with the red swatch. It was a momentary lapse of reason.

The Fox (by artist Shawn Smith) is Out of the Bag

Ok, so I can finally spill the beans. My mom (and I) totally became obsessed with San Francisco-based artist Shawn Smith after seeing "Skulk", his Balsa Wood Fox sculpture at Cain Schulte's booth at Aqua Art Fair during Basel. Of course, this being one of the centerpieces of the fair, it was sold at the opening (vernisage in Baselspeak.) But after listening to my mom carrying on about the fox for a couple of days, my crafty second daddy (read: Stepfather) decided to commission one as a very awesome Christmas gift. Of course, it isn't ready yet - but a thrice wrapped photo of the sculpture produced the desired response and we're all excited for it's arrival. Stay tuned.

Christmas Eve Day in South Beach

Ok, so I know it's not very Christmas-y, but this was the scene on Christmas Eve at 28th Street beach. I furtively snapped this shot hopping to capture the oiled-up older gent wearing the hot pink Speedo. His body is actually pretty good for his age, so why shouldn't he? A few blocks north, the paparazzi was stocking a celebrity at Soho House. With six photogs waiting around almost all day, I figured it had to be someone big - after all TomKat were there for an entire week this year. So imagine my disappointment when I found out it was just Rachel Zoe. I mean, I love her style, and she's got her own show and all, but with that kind of heat I was sort of expecting a star of the Hollywood variety. But you know, that's Miami, bitch.

temp: 78 degrees and sunny

Pearl, Interrupted

Coming back to Pearl a decade only to find everything exactly the same, still new and shiny was a bit of a mind-bending time warp. The last time I was there was in 2000 for a bubbly-filled date night with another inebriated couple, before the restaurant closed in 2006. Now, six years later it's reopened. During my three hour dinner there, everyone looked great in the pink glow of the light, the waitresses wore Courreges-inspired Mod cut-out dresses with white go-go boots, service was slow but attentive, the food was tasty but priced steeply. In other words, nothing has changed at all. Newbies will love a taste of the heady, pre-crash Miami Beach and older folk can feel a multi-sensory blast from the past.

1 Ocean Dr  Miami Beach 786-515-1150

Famous for being Famous: Angelyne

Do you remember that billboard from 1980's L.A. that featured a busty blonde woman named Angelyne? Well, now Miami has one of their own, which appeared during Basel right across from the Ice Palace. Since this woman wrote the book on being famous for no reason - other than having her own billboard, and subsequently a few movie roles, it seems apropos that she make a come back in the reality-soaked here and now. Unlike these other media whores, however, Angelyne is very secretive, does not give interviews and maintains an aura of old-Hollywood mystery.  The only recent info I can find on her is that she recently sold her Barbie-pink condo, no really, you have to see this. Angelyne's condo

Best of Pulse 2011

 Diane Vreeland by Andy Warhol

 A wall of original Polaroids by Andy Warhol - Gianni Versace, Deborah Harry, Jerry Hall et al

 The Queen at Rest

 From the new talent wing - hidden in a dark closet

 That's a video playing in the grass
 by Nici Jost

Video playing in sole of pump - Nici Jost

Cartier's Giant Jewels

The Cartier party was one of the social highlights of Basel, but those going and expecting to see loads of jewels (a la the Cartier Dome from year's past) may have been a little let down. Instead there was a one giant installation amidst a grey concrete and white walled space where the once-so-expensively built out Vino E Olio once stood. The party's highlight? Some SERIOUS jewels around the necks of party goers. One necklace worn by an acquaintance, was estimated (by a friend who knows about such things) to be $500,000! Oh, and the presence of a jovial Christian Slater -- who has a pad on Miami Beach and is dating a local girl.

Design Miami's $100,000 Chandelier

I love chandeliers, but I have to admit, even I am getting a little tired of seeing them everywhere. So this amazingly unique 100k version at Design Miami really rocked me. The pieces are porcelain, created to remind of bone. Yes, it's really, really expensive, but keep in mind that includes the artist/designer coming into your home and doing a custom installation that may take days. Just sayin'