photo credit: Seth Browarnik

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Haiti Means Business

 On June 25, the President of the Republic of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly attended a private reception at the exclusive Soho Beach House hosted by Michael Capponi and General Consulate of Haiti in Miami, Ralph Latortue to unveil the “Haiti Means Business” campaign. The handsome and charismatic Martelly, a former pop star and club promoter, made a grand entrance into the party in a procession led by the banging of a giant drum accompanied by live Haitian music, surrounded by close friends and family.  President Martelly then stood on the edge of Soho Beach House’s private 8^th floor pool, to proclaim his vision for the future of Haiti, in a speech which echoed his inauguration speech this May. “This is a new Haiti, open for business now,” he told the cheering crowd of 300 at the party.  Martelly’s plan focuses on the urgent need for action, recovery, and renewal to improve the living conditions, well-being and prospects of the Haitian people, with new impetus given to job-creating sectors. Read the rest here »

Chef Todd Erickson and Tara Solomon

Queen of the Night turned PR Maven, Tara Solomon held an “intimate” birthday cocktail party at the sleek, shiny-new Haven gastro-lounge on Saturday, July 2. The party was elegant, stylish and fabulous, (to sum it up in three words) much like the birthday girl herself, who hand-picked her exclusive A-list guest list (and their +1 or 10).  The 100 or so guests filled the high-tech South Beach hotspot to fete Solomon and enjoy bites by rising star and cutie pie, executive chef Todd Erickson, and molecular mixology (think delicious, drinkable chemistry experiment) by Haven’s friendly bar staff. Guests “oohed and ahhed” during the custom-designed photo retrospective – spanning over 30 years of Solomon’s reign– that was displayed on Haven’s digital wrap-around walls- kind of like an Imax slide show. An array of shots showcased Solomon’s past and present, alongside famed faces such as legendary Salsa singer, Celia Cruz, fashion prodigy Esteban Cortazar and many of the VIPs at the party.  Notables in attendance included TARA, Ink. co-principal, and fiancée extraordinaire, Nick D’Annunzio; owner of Haven South Beach Mike Boles; filmmaker Alfred Spellman; reality television personalities Ariel Stein and Michael Cohen; Jose Ortiz; photographer Iran Issa-Kahn; photographer Seth Browarnik and wife Melissa Katz; international Diva and personality, James Davis a.k.a. Elaine Lancaster; Read the rest here »

 Mercedes-Benz Swim, Splash, and Play 2012 

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012 descends upon the South Beach sands this weekend with an action-packed schedule of over 20 shows and presentations, featuring designs from top swimwear brands including: Poko Pano, Mara Hoffman, Red Carter, Norma Kamali, Luli Fama, Trina Turk, and this year’s Mercedes-Benz featured swimwear line Luxe by Lisa Vogel. The annual fashion showcase, which takes over the Raleigh from July 14 through July 18, is the world’s leading swimwear designer platform-and it happens here, in our own backyard. For a complete line-up and schedule visit: http://miami.mbfashionweek.com/. 

While the shows at the Raleigh are private, the Setai sets the stage for top-tier designers presented by Funkshion, including: Marc Jacobs Resort Wear, Cosabella, Cosmopolitan Summer Splash, and Chloe. Visit www.fashionweekmiami.com , for more information on Funkshion shows. 

May the Fashion Force Be With You 

Style-setters prepare! As part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012, the German luxury car maker will be chauffeuring its own version of the “fashion police” all throughout Miami in a wrapped Mercedes-Benz, dubbed the “Fashion Force.” The select group of fashion-savvy specialists will be patrolling neighborhoods of their choice, scouting for the fashion forward.  If you are ‘pulled over’ by the style authorities for looking good, you will be shot (by a camera) and rewarded with a limited edition pair of Havaianas!  

Miami Socialholic™  founders/ SunPost 411 and Go! columnists,  will be on the Force on Sunday, July 17, from 4-6 p.m. all over South Beach.  So gear up Miami, and look out- we are coming for you!  

Fashion Force photos will be available in our Glam Cam next week. Be sure to log on.

Style Saves, Inc. Launches at SOHO Beach House 

SOHO Beach House, in conjunction with Miami Swimwear, hosts the launch of Style Saves, Inc., a non-profit charity founded by fashion stylist Rachael Russell with The Miami Foundation, on Friday, July 15. The intimate fashion event will feature a trendsetting fashion show held on the ground level of SOHO Beach House in the Tiki Bar and is set to begin with cocktails at 8:00 p.m. The premiere fashion show will kick-off with men’s swimwear designer Papi Underwear, followed by Trina Turk Swimwear, with jewelry by B.Rawlings, and the grand finale will be presented by Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour, with styling by the host herself, Rachael Russell. A private reception will be held following the fashion show on the 8th floor club pool deck of SOHO Beach House where luxury goods and services will be silently auctioned. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit Style Saves’ students. Tickets are selling for $50 in advance, and $75 at the door, this includes entry into the main fashion event, and the private reception afterwards. Tickets for the private reception are available for $30. The first 100 guests to arrive at the event will receive a complimentary Neiman Marcus gift bag.  For further information, contact Jeffrey Rodriguez at Press@stylerr.com. 

Hot Nights, Cool Jazz at the Bass Museum 

Famed local jazz artists make noise for Friday night happy hour at the Bass Museum of Art will resume its celebrated “Hot Nights, Cool Jazz”  concert series on Friday, July 15 through August 26, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  The six-week summer series will run every other Friday evening and will feature some of the best contemporary Jazz artists in South Florida. The ever-popular happy hour and jazz night kicks off with the Martin Bejerano Trio this Friday, July 15. “Hot Nights, Cool Jazz” is free for museum members and $10 for non-members. Jazz Happy Hour offers complimentary beverages courtesy of Rex-Goliath Wines. Seating is limited.

Nycked Swimwear/Resort 2012 Presentation

Join Nycked Swimwear/Resort 2012, Nars Cosmetics, Cutler Hair, and Lycra for a Swim Week presentation at The Grove in W South Beach on Saturday, July 16, promptly at 8:00 p.m.  New York based designers,  Lorenzo Martone and Jules Kim interpret the usage of Lycra fabric to communicate the versatile mobility of swim materials. Guests will enjoy complimentary libations, champagne and canapés. Following the presentation, an after party will be held at WALL W South Beach, which will also celebrate its 2 year anniversary with beats by international DJ superstar Sharam at 11:00 p.m. To attend the event, visit rsvp@wallmiami.com.

La Piscine at the Mondrian Hotel

On Sunday, July 17, Beach, Muse Luxury Group and VIP Magazines will host “La Piscine”, a jam-packed day of full-scale fashion shows to complement Miami Swim Week. CEO and founder of VIP Magazines, Michael Martin is certain the event should not be missed. The fashion shows will begin at 3:00 p.m. and commence every hour on the hour, featuring high-end designers Fenster, PONKO, and By Misha. Complimentary gift bags will be provided for each designer’s show with reservation. To rsvp, contact info@museluxurygroup.com.

 Meat Market’s Wine Dinner with Étude Winery 

Chef and co-owner Sean Brasel along with, savvy sommelier, Sarah Almand present Meat Market’s second wine dinner with Étude Winery of Carneros in Napa Valley.  The four-course dinner will take place on Wednesday, July 20, at 7:00 p.m. The event is priced at $95 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations for the Étude Wine Dinner are limited and can be made by calling 305. 532.0088.

Prior to their Miami performance of their 360° Worldwide Tour, Bono, The Edge, and entourage headed to Wynwood Kitchen & Bar on Tuesday night.  The band-mates were spotted taking pictures with staff and signed a menu for restaurant co-owner Jessica Goldman Srebnick. U2’s drummer Larry Mullen Jr. dined with family and friends at Miami Beach’s hip Quattro Gastronomia Italiana located in the heart of Lincoln Road, where they enjoyed the restaurant’s Northern Italian cuisine and wines well into the night.

On Thursday night, Bono was spotted at WALL Miami lounge capping off his concert week with a champagne-infused party session that lasted until 4 a.m. The lounge’s owner, South Beach nightlife impresario Nicola Siervo stopped by the table to congratulate Bono on the sold out U2 concert performance Wednesday night, where the group debuted a new song titled “North Star” for over 75,000 screaming fans. Always the gracious host, Siervo got behind the bar at one point to make Bono a margarita. Also in attendance was Real Madrid soccer star Mesut Ozil.  Florence and the Machine, and actress Malin Ackerman were spotted at WALL earlier in the week.

Katie Holmes held a surprise 49^th birthday dinner for Tom Cruise at the Soho Beach House on Saturday night.  The couple checked into the House early on Saturday, taking over the spa area.  Cruise’s son, Connor Cruise, sporting a Chicago Bulls jersey,  and freshly inked fake tattoos, sat poolside, talking to hotel guests about his work on the remake of Red Dawn, due out later this year.

Also spotted beachside at Soho Beach House on Saturday was rock/pop star Rod Stewart.

Tyrese Gibson and Michael Bay

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Nearly a thousand fans converged on Lincoln Road last Thursday for the South Beach premiere of Transformers: Dark of the Moon despite torrential downpours, barricades, street closures and police presence.  A soggy Michael Bay, the film’s director, a part-time Miami Beach resident, spent lots of time on the red sponge carpet, greeting and talking with fans. To the surprise and cheers of the crowd, at around 7 p.m., more than an hour behind schedule, JT Holmes and three fellow members of the Red Bull Air Force skydiving team – Jon DeVore, Andy Farrington, and Mike Swanson – parachuted from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air, performing their trademark high-speed landings on the intersection of Lincoln and Alton roads.  One of the jumpers’ parachutes got caught in the traffic light and had to be cut down by firefighters, just adding to the excitement of those gathered. 

VIP guests were then escorted into the theater- some lucky enough to enjoy the movie along with Bay, Tyrese Gibson, who has played Air Force Master Sergeant Robert Epps in all three blockbuster films, Pat and Chris Riley and U2 guitarist, The Edge (there’s a U2 song in the movie).  Bay gave a brief overview of his vision for the films, talked about his first movie in Miami, Bad Boys starring Will Smith, introduced the skydiving team, which was in the audience and closed with, “I hope you got some rest, because this is going to be a wild ride.” Gibson also Read the rest here »

On Thursday, June 9, InterContinental Miami hosted its annual kick-off celebration in honor of the upcoming 17^th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, to be held on Saturday, November 5. The palpable excitement in the room came as a result of presentations by Norman Wedderburn, President/CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Southern Florida; Shareef Malnik, Ball Chairman and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant | Winebar; and Robert Hill, Ball Host and General Manager of InterContinental Miami.  The “Three Amigos” gave short yet poignant speeches about the Ball’s mission and success to date and kept the crowd of 200 abuzz about the main gala, themed – and dubbed – “The Party of the Century.” 

“We are very excited about our continued partnership with Make-A-Wish of Southern Florida. In recent years, the Ball has always sold out months in advance as it has become the event of Miami’s Social Season” said Hill.  “This year will certainly not disappoint with an over-the-top affair.”  Having raised $9.6 Million in the history of the Ball, we are delighted that with your support this year will mark the $10 Million Ball, to deliver hope to children with life-threatening medical conditions in our community.” Malnik continued, “It’s only fitting we celebrate this phenomenal feat to the tune of one of history’s most unforgettable events – Truman Capote’s famous ‘Black & White Ball’ also known as ‘The Party of the Century.” Guests can also expect an action-packed live auction emceed by Scent of a Woman Tango dancer and Burn Notice star, Gabrielle (Hoo Ah!) Anwar, who has made a career out of provoking her co-stars and fans with her tempting ways. 

Esteemed guests at the kick-off celebration included Founding Benefactors Howard and Barbara Glicken; former Make-A-Wish Foundation Chairman of The Board Robby Elias; philanthropist Dr. Sanford Ziff; Ball sponsor and owner of Primp Salon, Jonathan Babicka; Dr. Leonard Tachmes; Lady Monica Heftler; Baroness Beatrice Clancy; Aristotle and Diane Ares and Tara Solomon, all of whom enjoyed musical entertainment, cocktails and an elegant spread by InterContinental Miami’s Executive Chef Alexander Feher. 

Tables for the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball range from $5,000 to $20,000, and for the past five consecutive years, seats have been sold out two months prior to the event. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children who have life-threatening medical conditions. Wish Sponsors range from $5,000 to $100,000. Tables, wishes and other sponsorship opportunities can be purchased by calling 954.967.9474 extension 318 or by visiting www.sfla.wish.org.