Mayor Philip Levine poses with Lourdes Hanimian, Catherine Bennett, Red Carter, Monica Wise, Sue Dichio, Jeremy Somers, Katinka Somers, Mara Hoffman and Benny Rosset at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2015 at The Raleigh on July 17, 2014 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz)

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2015 took over the Raleigh Hotel in Miami Beach from July 17-21 for five fun-filled days and nights of splashy parties and sexy swimsuit shows. Mercedes-Benz celebrated the 10th anniversary of MBFW Swim and its collaboration with labels that have shown throughout the last decade by wrapping ten 2015 C-Class cars in custom prints by ten iconic designers. The stunning designer-print wrapped cars welcomed guests to the tents each night, with a rotating selection parked on Collins Avenue. Designers such as: Carmen Marc Valvo, Cia.Maritima, Luli Fama, Beach Bunny, Suboo, We Are Handsome, Mara Hoffman, L*Space by Monica Wise, Red Carter and Nanette Lepore created prints to “dress” the cars. In addition, gorgeous models posed around the pool, donning limited edition cover-ups during the Retrospective Fashion Show during the MBFW Swim kick-off bash on opening night. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

During the weekend of June 27-28, iHeartRadio and Fontainebleau Miami Beach hosted the third annual iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party presented by VISIT FLORIDA. The two-day music fest drew fans from all over the country, including more than 150 contest winners, who gathered for an incredible bash on the lawn, in the pools, and all throughout the Fontainebleau.

Hosted by Nick Cannon, the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party kicked off Friday night with exclusive performances by Lil Jon who set the one with his hit “Turn Down for What?!” The energy boomed from there as Tiesto, Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande took to the stage. Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

Nearly 2,000 guests gathered in their tropical finest to raise $400,000 for underprivileged children at the summer’s hottest kick-off party- the 2014 Voya Miami Celebrity Domino Night presented by Bacardí USA, on Saturday, June 14, at Jungle Island.  This bash, which  benefitted Amigos For Kids, featured  hours upon hours of dancing, a full concert by legendary Grammy-award winning musician, Willy Chirino and limitless sips and bites.

Devoted to strengthening families and educating communities, Amigos For Kids once again partnered with title sponsor Voya Financial (formerly ING U.S.) and major corporate sponsors Bacardí U.S.A., Walmart and The Lincoln Motor Company for the highly anticipated event.  Read the rest of this entry »

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

During the weekend of June 19-21, Miami’s own DJ Irie hosted his 10th Annual Irie Weekend (#IWX) to benefit the Irie Foundation (www.iriefoundation.org).  The festivities spanned over three days and welcomed guests to the first ever Irie Weekend Hotel at the National in Miami Beach. On Thursday afternoon, #IWX began with a youth workshop at the Miami Beach Golf Club where 40 children participated in the FORE Life Golf Clinic.  Weekend co-host, Jamie Foxx attended the clinic to meet with kids and also learn a few pointers of his own in preparation for the next day’s anchor golf event. Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

Journey of Hope 

On June 6, a crowd of more than 300 philanthropists gathered for the 2014 Miami Man and Woman of the Year Journey of Hope Gala ​hosted by the Southern Florida and Puerto Rico Chapters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) at the InterContinental Miami Hotel. The celebration was the culmination of The Man and Woman of the Year campaign:  a 10-week program to raise funds to help find cures for blood cancers. The campaign recruited candidates in the community who agreed to conduct their own fundraising efforts to compete to earn the coveted title: Man or Woman of the Year. Each candidate was judged solely on his/her success in raising money, each dollar counting as one vote, running in honor of the Boy and Girl of the Year, who are local blood cancer patient survivors, known for inspiring others.  Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

Miami’s Who’s Who with an affinity for fried chicken and all of its accompanying comfort foods gathered on the beautiful bayside terrace of the Pérez Art Museum Miami on Tuesday, May 27 for the celebration of South Beach Wine and Food Festival founder, Lee Brian Schrager’s second cookbook, Fried & True: More Than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken and Sides.  The scene was set for a gorgeous evening of family style indulgence with oversized wooden tables and benches, covered with all the fixins, including gourmet corn on the cob, collard greens, carrots, coleslaw, biscuits and decadent mac and cheese; catered by Stephen Starr Events, which incorporated the recipes from Schrager’s book.  Food stations offering every variety of fried chicken imaginable were set up throughout the terrace, including offerings from Michelle Bernstein, Paula Dean, and our favorites:  Asha Gomez’s Keralan fried chicken and cardamom waffles and Yotam Ottolenghi’s seeded chicken schnitzel with parsley-caper mayonnaise.  All of the recipes from the evening appear in the book, copies of which were signed by Schrager – personalized for each guest.   Read the rest of this entry »