Opinion EDITORIAL EXAMPLES
OPINION
Photo By Douglas Voisin
Lei Marco
/ Celebrity Designer & Fashion Icon
Thou Shalt Not Be Gaudy
Fashion commandments to live by Biography
APR-MAY 2014
Leimarco is Miami’s most celebrated fashion designer and icon who produces two of the most exclusive fashion events a year at Miami’s most paramount locations where he showcases his exquisite collection to the VIP clientele. LeiMarco’s fashion soirees have always maintained their status as some of the most glamorous and inspiring functions in the industry warranted by a combination of cutting edge fashion and an eclectic mix of surprise elements. At his latest Art Basel feat, Leimarco flaunted a burning baby carriage to signify that it is time for rebirth.
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orgive us Fashion Gods for we have sinned! Not all, but many should be asking for absolution in fear of being banished for eternity to couture purgatory as consequence for heinous crimes against exquisite style. I have lived in Miami for 13 years. Eight of those, I worked as the one and only Fashion Director of the Versace Mansion where I hosted Hollywood A-list celebrities and private events for high-end brands. I saw this city transform from uncultivated wasteland to a luscious Garden of Eden full of culture, grace and glamour, and it is heart wrenching to see some of our fellow dwellers tempted by the apples from the tree of mediocrity and crass. Repent! Not all hope is lost! There is still a chance for salvation. I see potential and a lot of it, if only people stopped to reevaluate their tastefulness. Darling ladies of Miami, self-harm is the worst sin of all. And you are doing a great deal of that by wrapping yourselves in elastic bandage dresses a-la Herve Leger style, and wobbling around on the streets of Miami, clinking on concrete in your red bottom heels. Free yourselves from the tight grasp of gaudiness and mediocrity. Respect yourself and your body enough to abandon this treacherous trend. A similar sermon shall also be propagated amongst some of Miami’s men. However with much stricter comeuppance. Any first class venue of leisure should enforce one mandate:
Thou Shall Not Enter If Thou Lacks Suaveness. Redeem yourself by investing in a fitted suit of superb quality, or even just some nicely made sports coat.
“This Magic City is rife with places and people to draw inspiration from” Open your eyes and open your mind. The beauty of this Magic City is that it is rife with places and people to draw inspiration from. Look around the freshly revitalized Design District, Wynwood Art Walls, some exquisite boutiques, and your aspiration to better yourself shall awaken. Moreover, it is refreshing to see that we have so many newcomers arrive in Miami. Some of them will surely leave a big mark on Miami’s ever evolving culture. The new nightclub Adoré is one of such paradigms. Another, is Mercedes Benz that is bringing Fashion Week to Miami. Models from all over the world will descend down here blessing this tropical metropolis with their allure and elegance
OPINION
Marcelo A. Rivero
/CEO of Star Services Events & Public Relations /Founder of The Luxury Concierge Network
Luxury Condo Concierges: Gatekeepers of Opportunities
FEB-MAR 2014
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s a former concierge of one of the premier residential communities in Miami, I had the opportunity to cater to a very discerning and affluent clientele by handling lifestyle and sometimes personal matters to make their lives easier. Such experience gave me a unique perspective of the relationship between the consumers of luxury products and services, and those who cater to them. A few years passed and I founded Star Services, a boutique events and public relations agency, and eventually resigned from my position as a concierge to work full time in my company. One of the many things I learned those years is that many (if not most) of luxury brands do not see the concierge professionals as the gatekeepers to entire communities of potential clients. Since most of those companies didn’t have an established strategy or effective program in place targeting concierges of luxury condominiums, I decided to create one.
Thus, The Luxury Concierge Network was born. After spending 2 years building relationships with concierges from some of the most exclusive condominiums in Miami, while approaching and pitching new concept to poten-
"Concierges of upscale residential communities represent a wealth of opportunities" tial clients, I learned that most luxury brands focus on that personal touch, the one-on-one connection with their consumers. While I had a solid platform of effective marketing and branding tools in place, I was missing that
special component. Soon enough, with the support of some of my concierge friends I was launching the “Luxury Lifestyle Showcase”, a series of events exclusive for residents of luxury condominiums where brands have direct visibility to their audience –an opportunity to meet, mingle and socialize with potential clients, in the comfort of their home. Concierges of upscale residential communities represent a wealth of opportunities for those who learn how to work with them, appreciate them, and respect them as the professionals that they are. The trust that they build from their clients is a very valuable asset, and becoming a preferred brand or vendor of any of these concierges should be part of every marketing and branding strategy. As new luxury condominiums open up, and we expand our network, we will continue catering to these elite concierges, and connecting them with some of the best brands and services in town
OPINION
Michael Capponi
on The Importance of Giving Developer and CEO of Capponi Group
“We all must play our part to help this world be a better place.”
DEC- JAN 2013/14
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iving is one of the most important aspects of our spiritual growth, especially when we look at the progression of the human race as a whole. World’s population has surpassed 7 billion, and out of those, more than 1 billion people lack adequate access to clean drinking water and an estimated 400 million of these are children. That's more children in the entire world without water than the entire population of the United States. More than that, 80 percent of the world population lives on less than $10 a day. It would cost approximately $40 billion to offer basic education, clean water and sanitation, reproductive health for women, and basic health and nutrition to every person in every developing country on Earth. The World Food Program says, “The poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty.” Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. We all must play our part to help this world be a better place. It is nothing but common sense. “Do what you can but do something”
should be your new motto. Being a strong believer in reincarnation, I urge you to help all of our fellow humans in need who we have neglected lest you turn into them in your next life. When you live a life of pure excess and wealth without giving something back in return, that is bound to happen. It is crucial that we become more aware, more conscious, and more involved in the lives of others. After all, we are all connected. We’re just mere strings on the violin of greater cosmos. Each and every living thing on earth that suffers or causes damage contributes to the negative vibration in the symphony. When the music is all in perfect harmony and rhythm, then the concerto is a masterpiece. Play your part in this concerto and the human race as whole will become divine. Only 1 billion out of 7 is fortunate enough. If only each one out of that 1 billion set out to help at least 6 suffering humans. It’s simple math. Your involvement will make this world a better place and change it for the better That is the progression we could all be proud of
Text Michael Capponi Photography Seth Browarnik & World Red Eye
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TARA SOLOMON Welcomes You to Season in Miami Principal, TARA, Ink. Public Relations; blogger for Huffington Post
The new Herzog & de Meuron-designed Perez Art Museum Miami is unveiled on December 7th during Art Basel Miami 2013, all eyes will be affixed on our Magic City.
TExT TARA SOLOMON // PHOTOGRAPHY NAVID
SEPT-OCT 2013
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here has never been a better time to live in Miami. I tell that to everyone who will listen. Every great city has a golden decade of unparalleled growth – New York in the 1910s, Paris in the 1920s, Rome in the 1950s. The 2010s will belong to Miami. As a proud University of Miami graduate who has lived in Miami Beach since the late 1980s, I’ve seen my chosen city be cyclically glorified and vilified as its gone through various incarnations, from its hard-partying disco days to its current obsession with art and design. And while we cannot ignore the impact of our swiftly rebounding real estate market – whose infusion of wealth is due largely to Miami’s new BFFs, the Brazillionaires, who have a penchant for purchasing double-digit penthouses in cash – the true catalyst is the arts. When the new Herzog & de Meuron-designed Perez Art Museum Miami is unveiled
on December 7th during Art Basel Miami 2013, all eyes will be affixed on our Magic City. PAMM is an insanely brilliant space – every square inch intelligently designed, with expansive water views of the Intracoastal, to boot. And, in case you’re wondering, all the tables for the opening gala have long been sold out (at $25,000 a table, yet). PAMM’s next door neighbor, the Miami Science Museum, will debut its new state-ofthe-art space – complete with rooftop hydroponic garden – in early 2014. And just over the causeway, Argentine visionary Alan Faena has enlisted starchitects Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas, along with landscape deity Raymond Jungles, to develop five city blocks on Collins Avenue in the 30s, transforming a neglected stretch of beachfront property into an aesthetically gifted microcosm of cool. Welcome to season in Miami. It’s going to be a great one