Gen Art and Perrier Please Fashionistas

Some say that Miami slows down in the summer, but the nearly 1,500 guests that hit up the Moore Building on June 15 for Gen Art's Shop Miami event beg to differ. For the V.I.P. ticket-holders, the shopping started at 6 p.m. This private presale jump-started the extravaganza, which lasted until models hit the runway three hours later. More than 40 local cutting-edge women's wear, menswear, and accessory designers set up their mini boutiques, complete with dressing rooms, on three of the building's four levels. Featured merchants included designers Adriana Castro, Bogosse, Caroline Dadlani, and Ruth Avra, and popular Miami boutiques like Blush and Toff. For nearly four hours, the over-21 crowd browsed the selections while sipping on tropical rum-infused cocktails and rich mint-flavored coffee shakes, compliments of event sponsors 10 Cane Rum and Bailey's.And what's a day of shopping without a little more pampering? Guests could stop by Lace Nail Lab for a complimentary spa treatment. The Lincoln Road nail parlor transformed the corner of the second level into a makeshift salon, complete with a pink manicure table and pink lounges, where the ladies could sit while they waited for their nails to dry. Four technicians offered hot oil manicures, five-minute massages, and paraffin wax treatments. Meanwhile, the Vidal Sassoon Salon treated downstairs shoppers to hairstyling services. DJ Keen One was responsible for the upbeat music.

V.I.P. ticket-holders could stop by the 10 Cane V.I.P. lounge to kick back and relax. The lounge was complete with white leather couches and custom-made, orange topped bars and tables by SRX Events, with styrofoam chairs from Bubble Miami. CuisineWorks also treated V.I.P.s to specialty mojitos and passed hors d'oeuvres.

At 9 p.m., guests gathered around the runway for the fashion presentation. Models strutted in the latest fashions, many showcasing the evening's designers. Perrier's "Bubbling Under" award—given to the designer with the greatest fashion illustration, along with a $10,000 grant and the right to conceptualize their drawing—went to Miami resident Wanda Sanders.

This was the second Shop Miami event, which Gen Art plans to continue hosting once every June and October. The event generated more than $50,000, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Gen Art Foundation.