Last Night: Shop Miami 2008 at the Moore Building



It’s probably one of the most anticipated events of the summer, Gen Art’s Shop Miami 2008, an event that packs local designers and boutiques into the Moore Building in the Design District. The event featured three floors of shopping bliss that was sure to please every Miami fashionista.

Local labels and boutiques like Ecoist, OurFlyLives, Nazly Villamizar, KRELwear, Bogosse and Lila Nikole Collection formerly A Swimwear were just some of the participants at this year’s event. My only quip with the event was the poor selection of menswear. Out of all the vendors there, I could only spot two hawking clothing for men. Since shopping was out of the question, I had to resort to the next best thing – getting drunk. And how could I not? 10 Cane Rum and Baileys were there handing out free cocktails. After my third rum and Coke, I had forgotten that Shop Miami was, well, about shopping.

Through my drunken haze I can remember some sort of fashion show happening as well. Models strutted down the catwalk wearing clothing and accessories of the vendors at the event. The ready-to-wear items weren't all that impressive, but then again, this is Miami, not New York or Paris.

That's not to say there wasn’t anything the least bit impressive. Ecoist’s eco friendly handbags were as gorgeous as the girls at their booth, while KRELwear’s Karelle Levy knitwear designs prove why she was won the Style Wars crown in New York. But it was Kayce Armstrong's designs that took me for surprise. Her dresses made out of deconstructed men’s shirts, sweaters, and suits were outstanding.

- Jose D. Duran

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