Alejandro Espinosa Rodriguez and friends

 
Pink Room celebrated its grand opening on Friday, a party eight months in the making, which on South Beach is really only like five minutes.  Heck, many clubs don’t even stay open that long!  Let’s hope that’s not the case for this 4, 300 square foot club on 7^th and Washington, which was packed to the rafters with an eclectic mix of Euro-types and the barely 21 set, who have yet to master the ebb and flow of the nightclub world, making it a challenge to move around.  The enormous DJ booth, (read stage) is surrounded by a jumbo tron which continuously projects digital images, further distracting the crowd.  Read the rest of this entry »

Sam Robin, Iran Issa-Kahn, and Barbara Becker at Cafeina

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

 Little Ditty, about Sam and Iran…

 …Two fabulous gals with a whole lot of fans…could have been the theme song at Wynwood hotspot Cafeina for the third installment of its “People We Love” party series on Thursday night, honoring longtime BFFs, acclaimed designer, Sam Robin and noted photographer, Iran Issa-Khan.  The party might as well have been named “People Who Made/Make Miami” as an old-school crowd and vibe permeated the chic, trendy space.  An incognito Sam (barely recognizable without her trademark Jackie O. glasses) and Iran were joined by an international jet-set crowd many of whom comprise their every-day entourage, including Barbara Becker, Tui Pranich, Wallid and Susie Wahab, Alvaro Cuadrado, Francesco Caracciolo de Marano, Cosima Preuss-Kuhne, Gary and Dana Shear, Daniela Swaebe and Michael Comras, Suzy Buckley, Lily Zanardi, Claudia Potamkin, Bruce and Kathryn Orosz, Criselda and Jonathan Breene, Terry and Rob Schecter, Alison Anthrobus and Adam Shepard, Heidi and Pierre Charalamdides, Eric Newill, Terry Cohen, Marnie Howard, Tara Solomon, Nick D’Annunzio and Sam’s son, (whom she calls “son of Sam”) Gregory Robin to name a few.  Burn Notice cast-mates Jeffrey Donovan and Navi Rawat, (Sam’s God daughter) added a sprinkle of TV stardust to the already fantastic group, who could barely stop dancing long enough to pose for photos, thanks to the creative sounds of DJ Joe Dert, who even threw in a little Neil Diamond to his already irresistible 80s mash-ups. Read the rest of this entry »

The AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup tournaments took place this past weekend on the sands outside of the Setai Hotel.  AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, also supported two of the polo teams including the AMG women’s team lead by Sunny Hale, considered to the best female polo player today, and the 2nd place finishing AMG men’s team led by Michael Liss and teammates Nacho Figueras, whom we’ve nicknamed “Ultimate Nacho” and Pelon Escopite.   Read the rest of this entry »

Loren Ridinger

Thursday night, JR and Loren Ridinger opened up their North Bay Road estate, Casa De Los Suenos, for the premier of Loren Ridinger’s stunning jewelry collection.  The trunk show showcased the jewelry for the first time since its creation.  The event featured a fun yet sophisticated gathering of friends of the Ridingers, many of whom happen to be celebrities, who have been fans of the line even before the trunk show and have been wearing and promoting it. Some fans of Loren jewels (pronounced as in Sophia Loren) include:  Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashians, Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony, and Joel Madden to name a few.  According to Loren Ridinger, “The collection was made from a desire to give someone a way to wear beautiful jewels for anytime of day and includes pieces that can be worn with casual or formal clothing.  My pieces are simple yet bold designs that are gorgeous! It’s kind of exploded before I got a chance to show it!” Read the rest of this entry »

Chic youngsters, Jonah and Isabella Koopman; Audrey and India Harrelson; Kito, Bella and Sophia Brod; Max and Rocco Shore and Abie and Scarlett Dornbusch were joined by other fashionable tots, with parents in tow, for the launch of One Bal Harbour’s kid’s program.  Other special guests included Nobu’s Richie Notar, celeb chef Ingrid Hoffman, FOX 7’s Belkys Nerey, Richard David Story of Departures, Jason Binn, Alejandra Torres, ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa hoteliers, Juan and Jorge Arevalo, Jillian Jacobson-Altit and Sarah Harrelson. The fun-filled afternoon included rides, Nobu sushi rolling, custom t-shirt creations courtesy of C By Me, and fun and healthy treats. Guests made on-site donations that benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Heavenly Bodies

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

If you spent any time in Miami Beach the last few weeks you may have noticed the spring break takeover.  One dead giveaway that it was in full force was the shear number of half-naked/bikini clad bodies on the beach, not to mention shopping on Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue, where some shoppers donned nothing but a bikini (ever heard of a sarong?) a purse, heels and big sunglasses!  While most of these sightings warranted a fashion citation (or ten), several heavenly bodies graced the runway at the Setai Hotel for the closing night of Funkshion last week, where Colombian swimsuit designer, Chechy Benedetti, debuted her 2010 Pitahaya Swimwear,  collection. Read the rest of this entry »