Gabrielle Union hosts Hotel Noir presented by Grey Goose

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Grey Goose Brings Hotel Noir to FDR

On Wednesday night, our favorite basement club, FDR at the Delano was transformed into “Hotel Noir,” for the launch of Grey Goose vodka’s latest flavor, Cherry Noir. To parallel the national television advertising campaign entitled “Hotel Noir,” the club was transformed into a seductive sanctuary draped in deep red hues and dim lights.  The best part was the library wall- complete with shelves lined with old hard-cover books-which was really a trap door leading to the clandestine back room.  The secret space took us back a decade to Liquid’s “Situation Room” where we spent many a night welcoming the sunrise- dancing to Old School Michael Jackson and Earth Wind and Fire.  We enjoyed the same type of music in the back room of FDR- which some partygoers dubbed- the “Harry Potter room.”     Read the rest of this entry »

H&M Pop Shop on Lincoln Road photo: Alex Tamargo

“Forget the rules, if it makes you happy, wear it!” reads the sign on the wall at the fantastic, brand new H&M pop-up shop just off of Lincoln Road.  It seemed like a delightful figment of our imagination as we approached the store last Thursday morning and saw the famed bright red letters “H & M” on the rooftop.  “Happy” was just the mood inside the store for the private preview- “ecstatic” actually. Partly because the select few who were invited to this “fashion field trip” for a sneak peek of Swedish global retailer  Hennes and Mauritz’s latest fashion forward outpost were among our most fashionable friends, who were like kids in a candy store, and also because we were drinking champagne at 11 a.m. on a stormy Thursday.  In case you didn’t notice, we used the word “fashion” three times in that last sentence- that’s because it’s all about trendy, affordable, fashion (there’s that word again) at H& M. Read the rest of this entry »

Juanes, Karen Martinez, Juan Luis Guerra , St. Jude Patients Victor, Stephan and Carlos

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

The stars came out en masse for the tenth annual FedEx/St.Jude Angels & Stars Gala on Saturday, May 19. Actress/supermodel Daisy Fuentes, and Latin power-couple, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Juanes and TV host/actress Karen Martinez, served as the celebrity chairs and were on-hand to mingle with guests at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami. More than 800 guests enjoyed a Grey Goose cocktail reception, seated dinner and live performances by gorgeous Spanish, Grammy Award-winner, David Bisbal and Vicente Garcia.

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Juan Luis Guerra got a standing ovation when he was presented with the Al-Rashid Hope Award for his tireless commitment to providing resources for needy children in Dominican Republic and Latina America, particularly in the areas of health, sports and education.

“I am honored to receive this award during such a special year like the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Guerra. “While I am passionate about music, I care even more about providing children with the best care, so they can live happy, healthy lives.”

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By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Over 1000 guests flew in from all over the globe for nightlife impresario/ philanthropist/entrepreneur (Swiss Army Knife) Michael Capponi’s 40^th birthday party benefit at Capitale in New York City on May 4- a veritable who’s who of the city’s top nightlife heavyweights, models, celebrities and promoters.  No stranger to extravagant birthday bashes, Capponi has celebrated past birthdays in a tree-house mansion in Nygard Cay; aboard a pirate ship at the now defunct Jimbo’s; and in an airplane hangar at Opa Locka airport to name a few.  We had no doubt that Capponi would pull out all the stops for his latest milestone, which, as expected, would require an airplane ride.

This year’s Jacmel Carnaval themed event shone a spotlight on Capponi’s progress in providing quality education, diverse vocational training, industry development and job creation in Haiti throughout his 60 trips to the island nation since the devastating earthquake in January 2010. Capponi created the Haiti Empowerment Mission, to which Capponi’s guests donated a whopping $120, 000.  Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Eighth Annual Miami Beach Polo World Cup  

The sport of kings returned to South Beach for the eighth consecutive year featuring top polo players from around the globe for the Maserati Miami Beach Polo World Cup which took place from Thursday, April 26through Sunday, April 29 featuring eight women’s teams in a one-day series of round-robin championship matches and a three-day men’s tournament. 

Thousands of polo enthusiasts enjoyed a series of lifestyle daytime and evening VIP events such as fashion shows by La Martina and Blank Silk, shopping, cocktails and gourmet food by Kung Fu Sushi in the Catalina Hotel and Kone Sushi- which made for lots of revelry in between and long after the chukkers.

Despite wind and soggy conditions, the teams fought and frolicked in the sand until Mother Nature forced the matches to come to an abrupt halt when the rain and the winds off of the Atlantic Ocean were too much for the Miami Beach polo arena, forcing the cancellation of the final three matches of the tournament on Sunday, April 29. Read the rest of this entry »

Christina Getty-Maercks, George Lindemann, and Criselda Breene

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

A Night at the Museum

Despite the fact that we are huge art buffs, and have delighted in the works of the Masters at museums throughout the world, we couldn’t recall a time when we had actually had fun in an art museum (with the exception of the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence where we had our way with Michelangelo’s slaves and David in our early twenties).  This changed on Thursday, April 26 at the Bass Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser “A Night at the Museum,” for which the museum should have been renamed the “BLAST” museum; as many of Miami’s chicest and most artsy socialites gathered after hours to socialize, chat, nosh, dance and enjoy the fantastic exhibits, which became more and more interesting with every cocktail. Read the rest of this entry »