Funkshion – Wednesday 10/14

So it is finally time for Miami to have its own time to shine, and Funkshion has put together a pretty diverse set of events together for the next couple of days. Holding different shows at the Setai in Miami Beach and BASS Museum of Art, this year’s events are looking up to be honest.

On Wednesday, I attended the Nicole Miller party at her boutique on 656 Collins Ave., where the press and whatever industry members are available were meeting for early cocktails and chit-chat. It was a nice environment since Miller, the designer, made a personal appearance and was in fact very social and approachable.

I got my pass, which was after all, all I had gone there for, and headed to the Eden Roc. GenArt was throwing its own little bash, and I met up with fellow Life.is writer Stian and some other friends. There were definitely more familiar faces and, shall I say, more people having fun? It must have been the Stoli open bar, or maybe Ray Milian DJing, or maybe just the laid back atmosphere, that kept the party going. I had the pleasure of hanging out with one half of the ShopBar team and then decided to take off to the Setai.

My third location for the night was a bit more chaotic. You could feel the Funkshion in the air, as the door people struggled to keep it under control and while many, myself included, wanted to get in because we actually HAD to be there. Anyway, after a few minutes, I was in. I guess I had forgotten all about the hot and sticky Miami weather while indoors at the Eden Roc, because when I got to Setai and walked outside to grab a spot, I almost died. Bad location for an extended summer, you guys. It was a mixture of body heat, lighting equipment, and just plain 80-something degree weather. One could tell that they all just wanted to see Pam Anderson, because I am pretty sure that only about half the people there had a clue of who Richie Rich is. Nevertheless, we all gathered to experience the launch of Rich’s new line, A*MUSE.

Show started not too late, although it was delayed, but we all knew that would happen. From a designer’s point of view? Hmmm, how can I be gentle about this? It wasn’t Paris, but I never expected it to be. There were a few glimpses of cool looks here and there, including a (very) bright pink sweetheart dress with a tutu under it. But that hasn’t been done before… It was all very Miami, if I dare say, but it was a show indeed. That first half of the show featured women in boy-shorts and summer dresses, and boys in what seemed to be tights; yes, tights. Second half was all about the eye candy: men with CAUTION tape wrapped around a leg or arm. The swim shorts? I think it’s safe to say that I was not very A*mused, something I would see a very muscular, very sure of his sexuality kind of guy wearing to the beach on a Saturday afternoon.

(REALLY?)

Finally, the moment they were all waiting for: Pam walks out in full on Baywatch get-up and a mask on, for some odd reason… maybe she thought we wouldn’t recognize her. Smart move. She starts trotting, or jumping, or whatever it is that she was doing. A few seconds later, she is joined by Richie, who I kinda enjoyed seeing. It might have been the skates or his all-around “I’m a proud gay man” attitude (which makes me like him a little more). They hugged as confetti dropped, danced around, took some pictures, and that was it.

A second after it was over, half the crowd was indoors already. I was happy when I got to go backstage and ran into the guys from Prive Salons, who had done the hair for the show. Here they are, all happy and feeling accomplished.

Some of the models…

Fun times… considering what I had to go through. The weekend is finally here, so I am going to give this whole Funkshion thing another try. Tonight I’ll be at BASS Museum of Art, and then later at the Setai again. Hope to see you all there!