Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'80s nostalgia market. There have been loads of comedies filmed here as well, but for our
money,
The Birdcage
best captures the fabulosity and, yes, even community vibe, of South
Beach. We're forgetting one other genre: porn. Well, what did you expect with all the silic-
one? There's a fair amount of homegrown adult industry going on here.
Today, Miami and Miami Beach governments love producers coming to town so much
that in early 2005 they instituted the One Stop Permitting system, providing a streamlined,
online way for makers of films, TV shows and commercials to apply for permits
(
www.filmiami.org
).
Naked Came the Manatee
(1998) is a collaborative mystery novel by a constellation of
famous Florida writers: Carl Hiaasen, Dave Barry, Elmore Leonard, James Hall, Edna
Buchanan, and more. It's like nibbling a delectable box of cyanide-laced chocolates.
Fashion
With Miami now a hub of cool food, nightlife and arts, it makes sense that it would gain
acclaim for influencing the world of fashion. And it has, with the annual Miami Fashion
Week playing a large role in putting this region on the most stylish global maps.
The event is renowned globally, from Paris to Hong Kong - but it is by no means the
only game in town. Miami has gained enormous cred among European designers (ironic-
ally ever since one of them, Gianni Versace, was killed here) and draws mavens from all
over the Old World who find something inspiring in the combination of a Latin emphasis
on appearance versus the American love of comfort and the dare-to-bare styles inspired by
the sunny weather. Today Miami is the base city for Perry Ellis International, while
GenArt, a national nonprofit dedicated to film, art and fashion, holds an annual Fresh
Faces in Fashion showcase focusing on Miami's burgeoning designer scene.
So what defines the 'Miami look'? 'Go to a supermarket. Any supermarket. Nine out of
10 girls are wearing high heels. That's Miami,' says a local journalist. Yup, if you want to
hang here, you gotta come correct. But it's a weird style - part laid back yet totally glam.
On the one hand, you'll see a desperate desire for brand-name cred, of Louis Vuit-
ton-endowed affirmation. But on the other hand is the understated (yes, Miami can do un-
derstatement) sense of cool that comes from all that heat, exemplified by a casual dressi-
ness the best-looking Miamians accomplish without any apparent effort. Note, for ex-
