Chanel, the haute French marque that makes fashionistas’ moisturized knees buckle, held the swankiest, most exclusive of fêtes at its BalHarbour flagship. The occasion? Socialites CriseldaBreene, Michelle Rubell, Nikki Simkins, and Jenny WilenskyZalkin helped the house celebrate the grand reopening of the boutique, which the brand calls “one of the most beautiful Chanel boutiques in the world” now that its fanciful renovations are complete. Imagined by starchitect Peter Marino and finished with intricate art installations by Marc Swanson and Liza Lou, the ambience connotes handbag heaven—never have I seen more collection-worthy Chanel bags in one place at one time. And the stunning, exclusive crowd was VVVIP, dressed to the sparkling nines, surrounded by metronome-precise trays of petit tenderloin hors d’oeuvres and VeuveClicquot flutes bombarding us like canary-diamond-colored missiles. The Chosen Ones, including a radiant Alison SokolZhuk, then repaired across the street to the J&G Grill at The St. Regis BalHarbour Resort for a preposterously decadent multicourse wine dinner, a hip LA DJ spinning electro, giggly toasts raised.
On the peachy beach between the W South Beach and The Setai, the La Martina Miami Beach Polo World Cup galloped into town, filling shores with cantering Arabians, sweaty helmets, and popped polo collars. Four nonstop days of tournament revelry ensued, thousands of grandstand-shaded spectators partying their saddles off, dancing to Avicii house beats, flanked by countless free-flowing Grey Goose (Cherry Noir, anyone?) stations, the spectacle speckled with hotties in derby hats and flowing sundresses. This unabashedly happy crowd—buzzed, sun-kissed, and randy—hooked up in tent nooks, the graceful brawn of the horses to blame. Leaving no sand grain unturned, ponies thundered past to and fro and mallets whipped ’round, thrilling sponsors like MasterCard and The Raleigh hotel ( the latter being half of The Raleigh/Comcast team), which enjoyed ringside tables stocked with bottles and models. Artist Stephen Gamson mugged in Tom Ford shades as a white-guitar-clad JimenaFama halftime-crooned, the gorgeous Julieta Velez beaming nearby. Post-match, the parties raged on at Hyde Beach and the Mondrian South Beach.
Fancy dinners can be figurative journeys, but literal journeys delightfully exist, too. Such was the case with Milagro Tequila’s Mixologia, an orchard-to-cocktail evening at Paradise Farms. VIPs limo-bussed from The Forge Restaurant Wine Bar to Homestead’s most beautiful of five-acre working farms, greeted by sweet organic cocktails and Paradise owner Gabriele Marewski’s loving embrace. Dinner started with an edible-flower seminar led by Marewski, a sensory hike through lush, herb-strewn grounds. At dusk, Forge chef Dewey LoSasso emerged, presenting fresh course after course of vegan delights as a guitarist serenaded us slightly asunder and stars emerged. Milagro Tequila’s very own Jaime Salas tutored the agave-fueled tastings, leading venture capitalist Carl Kruse, publicist Omar DeWindt, and man-about-town Scott Katsaras on a five-hour journey into taste-bud bliss.