Now that Art Basel has wrapped up, following is a recap of my week. The international Art fair, in its 15th year, was full of art exhibits, parties and pop-ups. My agenda was pretty full and considering that I had my full-time school schedule, I tried to maneuver the events and get in as much as possible. In years past, I have gone to the art shows at the convention center and Wynwood, but this year I decided to experience everything else that Basel had to offer.
MONDAY
I started out the week with a nail art inspired manicure done by the folks over at Vanity Projects Miami and CND’s Art Basel collaboration. My artist encouraged me to personalize my pick with my favorite colors, so I went with a Tiffany Blue base and I love how they turned out. It was very cool watching it all go down on giant screens throughout the salon. Afterwards, I headed over to the Miami Design District (a creative neighborhood and shopping destination best known for its innovative fashion, design, art, architecture and dining) for a tour of the latest and upcoming projects and a preview of an Art Basel art installation.
TUESDAY
I attended the much-anticipated Dior party held at the Miami Design District store. This was the only event that I had scheduled because I had a full day of classes and then hurriedly got prepared for the party. They unveiled specially designed and curated artist interpretations of the Lady handbag titled, “Dior Lady Art” that were only available for a limited time.
It was hard picking out a favorite design because they were all different and unique and quite special. It was a great party that extended onto the outdoor rooftop terrace with a DJ spinning tunes all night long.
WEDNESDAY
I headed to the beach to attend the Alex Katz x H&M party at the Edition Hotel hosted by Paper magazine. The specially designed collection was being launched in stores the next day and had samples on display for all to see as well as models parading around in the pieces to get a feel for the flowy dresses. A highlight of the evening was a performance by singer, Nelly Furtado. Later, The Basement played host to an electrifying DJ set by Theo Parrish.
tHURSDAY
After class all day, this night was reserved for Louis Vuitton; first for the art preview of LV’s collection of furniture called Objets Nomades and then for an exquisite party at a fabulous oceanfront villa on the beach. My faves were the cocoon hanging chairs commissioned by the Campana Brothers from Brazil. I loved them all, but my favorite was the blue one. Now back to the fab party, the food was magnificent while the atmosphere was perfect for an outdoor soiree and I had such a great time that I could’ve stayed all night.
I would’ve been perfectly happy to end the evening there, but I still had on my favorite Louis Vuitton party dress, so I headed over to the beach again to Casa Faena to check out the closing party for L’Eden by Perrier-Jouet #EdenMiami. It was a sensory experience that was created by Simon & Hammerstein in partnership with Vanity Fair. It can best be described as a wild enchanting escape that transformed the entire building into an artistic universe designed to engage all the senses via the colorful and entertaining performances.
FriDAY
This evening I was off to the Design District again for the Parisian Club, Silencio’s party featuring Michelle Lamy and A$AP Rocky where they put on a live visual performance event of art and music programming to celebrate the cultural club’s five-year anniversary. After they finished, guests were invited to join in on the experience as well and the party continued all night long.
SunDAY
The final day of Art Basel and I started off with brunch with some of my favorite bloggers at DÔA Cantina. I then got a chance to explore the art up close and personal by visiting the exhibitions at Art Basel (convention center) and Design Miami. After checking out the latest on the art scene all day, I headed over to the Edition Hotel to attend the Southern Fish Fry hosted by Artist/Painter Kehinde Wiley, to close out my Basel experience. The evening was very chill with a cool artsy vibe as everyone anxiously awaited the much-anticipated performance by the legendary, Ms. Lauryn Hill. Her energetic set kept the crowd rockin’ from start to finish. Overall, Art Basel was an amazing experience and such a creative hub for all things art.
