Last week, seemingly EVERYONE in fashion/art/entertainment hightailed it to Florida for Art Basel Miami Beach, the international art fair. But what exactly happens down there? We enlisted a couple friends, Liz Goldwyn (with roomie-for-the-week Dita Von Teese) and Jen Brill, to report back on the festivities...and, of course, their party looks.
Dear ITG,
So, I hit up Miami Art Basel for the week—I've only gone once before during my book tour for Pretty Things and I was actually working. This time, I had no work commitments so I was able to fully experience vacationing at Art Basel!
Arrived from rainy NYC on Tuesday to blue skies [2] and a reunion with my friend & Basel roommate Dita VT. We relaxed all afternoon with a long lunch on our terrace (sunscreen & hats, of course) and caught up on love & life dish. After a luxurious nap (!), which was must needed after a hectic work week in NY (A southern belle friend of mine in her 80s swears by the beauty secret of an afternoon nap under the covers with all your clothes off!), I started to get ready for the evening.
Having been schooled on liquid cat eyeliner by Dita (she also taught me how to use hot roll curlers & gave me a set after making me sign a contract that I would practice twice a week for a month!), I used my MAC black jar liner with a brush. I had help applying my MAC 33 Lash (one of the perks of traveling with a burlesque queen). Some layering of Dior Dolce Vita red lipstick with MAC Scarlet Ibis and I was ready for my first party of the week, Jay Jopling's shindig for White Cube at the Soho House. I wore a resort Jonathan Saunders pantsuit with a blue palm print and 1930s red Bakelite bracelets to match my lips.
Day 2 started with green smoothies and a Ballet Beautiful workout on our terrace via my iPad. We then had a leisurely catch up lunch with my old friend, director Harmony Korine and his lovely wife Rachel [3]. Having known each other since I was 16, there was a lot of reminiscing! After lunch, I hit up the fair preview, which was overwhelming but there was some amazing artwork on display [4, Francesco Vezzoli sculpture].
Later on, we went back to the hotel to rest up and change for the Chanel & Artsy dinner that evening to benefit The Henry Street settlement in the name of artist Dash Snow. I had just run out of my new favorite concealer, Dior SkinFlash in 002 [5] , so I used some tinted sunscreen from Arcona that I had a sample of. Seriously, though, this Dior product has replaced YSL Touche Éclat in my book—it works all over and is the only under-eye/concealer-type product I use. More cat eyeliner (practice makes perfect) and MAC 33 Lashes (again with help) and finished off the look with MAC Moxie lipstick layered with Estée Lauder Berlin Red. I had a rad Chanel sequined cocktail dress, bag, and jewelry, and a vintage 1950s cardigan and was good to go. The highlight of the beautiful evening was watching Dan Colen's painting sell for half a million dollars during the live auction. To cap off my night, I headed with a crew to see Dita perform my favorite act of hers, “Opium Den.” Later, back in the hotel, we recapped our evenings while she scrubbed off all her stage body makeup—it's a process!
Day 3, we woke up late and decided to hit up some vintage shopping with stylist and costume designer extraordinaire Heidi Bivens. We each found one item at a store I won't name because they were overpriced and wouldn't offer any discount, which is the unspoken rule of vintage! Before we went out that night, Dita made us delicious dirty vodka martinis in the room while we got dressed. We were both headed to Amfar as guests of MAC. I got a great compliment from DVT, who finally approved my cat eyeliner, plus more 33 Lash by MAC and Berlin Red layered with Dolce Vita. I wore a dress called “Bon Bon' designed by DVT from her new line, a 1930s evening cape, more 1930s Bakelite bracelets, red Rykiel heels, and a red B. Romanek bag [1]. I like to match my fingers & lips to my accessories. After Amfar, I headed to the Visionaire/Net-a-Porter “Free Store.” where I had given one of the bags from my LG x MAC collection, along with a MAC Ruby Woo lipstick and a note signed with my lipstick kiss. I got a 1960s Hollywood pulp paperback novel in exchange.
Finally home after my 3rd late night in a row, I decided to switch to an earlier ticket back to LA so I could make it back in time Friday night for a screening and dinner party in honor of David O. Russell and the cast of his great new film Silver Linings Playbook. I love art, but it's always nice to come home... Hollywood has nothing on the way the art world parties—I can't keep up!!
XxLiz
Read more about Liz (on ITG) here.
Read Dita's Top Shelf interview here.
