International Fashion Week Takes Miami by Storm

With nearly 60 designers from 32 countries and coverage by more than 650 international media outlets, Miami Beach International Fashion Week is one of the most prominent and influential events on the world’s fashion calendar.

Indeed, it is the world's fifth largest annual fashion event, and it boasts designers from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Each year, President Beth Sobol and her team scour the globe, bringing together a team of established and emerging talent to create art on the runway. Sobol explains, “Many of our young designers, including Colombia’s Esteban Cortazar and Silvia Tcherassi, Peru’s Sitka Semch, Chile’s Ruben Campos, Manish Arora and Sabyasachi Mukherjee from India, Furne One for Amato Couture in Dubai, and Heather Jones from Trinidad and Tobago are just a few of today’s fashion industry stars who have emerged from our runways. As an invited guest, judge, and speaker at many of the world’s emerging fashion events, we continually seek to discover the best from every corner of the globe.”

And this year’s 14^th annual event was no disappointment. From swimwear to evening wear and for the first time featuring WALLA from the Kingdom of Bahrain, there wasn’t a dull moment with a host of performers, designers, and celebrities. The Nice Shoes team sat front row, admired this season’s newest collections, and went backstage to interview some of our favorite designers.

Viviana G.

Viviana Gabeiras for Petit Pois, a Miami favorite and native of Venezuela, lit up the runway on Wednesday night with her signature mesh fabrics in vibrant colors and mosaic, “art like” prints. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design—among the likes of Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, and Tracy Reese—Gabeiras set herself apart by honing in on the needs of what she describes as the modern woman. As a 12-year veteran of the fashion industry, she describes her look as “ageless, wearable, and one that is true to my DNA.” Her looks have gained notoriety from celebrities like Shakira and supermodels like Heidi Lindgren. Her collection can be found onmypetitpois.com.

Megha Grover

Megha Grover

Thursday, we attended the evening wear showcase with designers from Ecuador, India, and the United States. Based on the response of our fans from the live coverage—as well as the fact that we were on the edge of our seats—we think Megha Grover nailed it. A dramatic collection, utilizing bold colors and creative draping, set her apart that evening. Her Indian-inspired fashion was evident in her traditional customized textiles and meticulous embellishments. A master of creating a fusion of futuristic silhouettes with classic cuts, we can understand why she recently set both Dubai Fashion Week and Jaipur International Fashion Week ablaze.

Michel Adam for Fashion TV

On Friday, Michel Adam, chief designer andFashion TV CEO, presented his “I Love Fashion Collection.” An eclectic mix of feminine and trendy day and evening pieces, we loved the unexpected contrasts of leather and lace, as well as the use of full–bodied tulle with form fitting tops. He showed an altogether wearable collection, and you can see more pictures in our photo gallery.

We wound down fashion week with oohs and aahs over the wide array of jewelry and accessory designers. Rebecca Noel, designer of LuccaLuc Jewels, told us that each and every piece she designs has a personal story behind it, “My inspiration is a world of color combinations and beliefs.” In our view, her pieces are divine, and it's clear that she also has a way with words. Indeed, this year's Miami Beach International Fashion Week was also “a world of color combinations and beliefs,” and the Nice Shoes team loved every moment.