Funkshion's South Beach Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2011 /// Day 3

FASHION LOVES HAITI SEGMENT

Les Pericles

This part of South Beach Fashion Week is one of the main reasons why I accepted to travel to Miami specifically for this event. I love Haiti too! I am originally from this country and have always been extremely proud of the Haitian culture! The fashion from "La Perle des Antilles" always fascinated me...It seems as if money is never an issue when it comes to looking good...Haitians have a natural talent when it comes to displaying themselves with elegance and grace. I was more than anxious to discover what the designers had to offer! This division was described as such:

As a follow up to last year's Earthquake Relief show for Haiti, these designers will exhibit an array of fashion talents and achievements. The presentation will shine the light on the island and on the role that Fashion can play in the rebuilding efforts. This will be an exceptional display of creativity beyond all odds while overcoming numerous adversities.

-Funkshion.com

Les Pericles

I appreciated the way it was described on the website. The truth is, the people of Haiti have a way of overcoming adversities with so much will and positivism....and matching this strength with fashion was an intriguing concept. It was my last day in Miami and my most anticipated one, so I spent the afternoon before the show backstage, getting to know the designers, all while taking a good look at their creations. I discovered that although each one of them was original in their own way, their resemblance was blatant in their optimistic views on fashion. It was refreshing! Yes, it was a night full of beautiful fashion, but the addition of entertaining elements, such as spoken word and music, was a perfect complement to this exhibition. Each designer has a different vision, and the group Zenglen was successful in adjusting their performance to each one of them. From old school to new school kompa (Haitian music), their musical execution was flawless, ideally matching each designer's creations. 

Before the fashion shows started, we got a musical performance by the Haitian rap group TPO. I had heard of them before but it was my first time actually seeing them perform live! Although I am not a huge fan of "rap kreyol" (creole rap), I have only good things to say about their performance. They are talented and know how to entertain the public! I wish them the best. They performed a couple of songs and

Funkshion's South Beach Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2011 /// Day 2

Day 2 was amazing! Finally! It was the high fashion I was waiting for, the haute couture that I love to see and the European feel I constantly search for.

From the moment I arrived (at 8 p.m, when the shows were scheduled to start at 7 p.m.), I knew it would be different. The lighting was much better, the people even more beautiful and the place was already starting to be packed: The whole vibe was different from  the day before, what a relief! At around 9 p.m., someone announced that everyone should get seated as the show would start and a few moments later, a saxophone player started performing on stage. I liked how he was in sync with the DJ's techno/lounge music, the experience giving me that European ambiance. Then, a beautiful Italian lady started presenting the show. She had on some KICK ASS glittered shoes that made me go WOW. Ok, remember how yesterday I said that me and glitter don't match? I correct that. I hate when glitter looks cheap, like it was just glued on the clothes you know? But these shoes...wow....classy! 

The array of shows were presented by the Italian channel TV Moda, which is the most popular fashion channel in over 50 countries. There were musical performances between the fashion shows and the DJ played some excellent house/techno as the models walked the runway. The clothes were so beautiful, feminine and original that I was disappointed to realize that there were only 5-6 looks per designer. However, those looks were

Funkshion's South Beach Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2011 /// Day 1

Drink all day (not really)

Play all night (hum...)

Let's get it poppin! (yeahhhhh)

I'm in Miami trick!!

Great weather, good looking people and fashion: What more can I ask for?  My first day at a Fashion Week out of Canada went well and I have a lot to say about it!

Note: Pics taken from a camera phone. Camera died

I was especially looking forward to this opening night! I didn't know what to expect! Would it be full of champagne like in Montreal? Would there be celebrities? What will people wear? I had no idea! I got there at around 9 pm, thinking I had missed the 1st show that was scheduled at 8 p.m. and surprisingly, that's when everyone started arriving! I thought to myself "Thank GOD I didn't miss it" but was a bit skeptical at the same time, hoping that it wouldn't be like that everyday. The lists were well organized and they had no trouble finding my name on the media list....nice job! The tent was nicely set up (directly on the beach), the lighting was sexy, giving the whole event a "lounge" feel. The chairs were well set up around the stage and it was our choice to decide where we sit. Sitting in the 1st two rows was not the privilege it usually is because the stage was so high: The view would clearly suck. I took a seat on one of the rows with the high chairs, so that I could get a nice view of the outfits. That's one thing...I believe that the stage height could have been lower, allowing people to take more decent pictures. Anyways! Since the show was taking a bit more time to start, I decided to go around, socialize, meet some people, have a drink etc. No champagne (bouuuhhhh!) but a nice selection of alcohol....I went with the organic vodka and pineapple juice, which was delish! Going around I met socialites, models, photographers, artists from all around the world and a couple of celebrities (including "Lady Gaga"...article on that coming soon). Nice! I'm talking, laughing, drinking, looking at my little goody bag full of sun tanning products (not useful for me at all but hey...) and without any notice,