shopping in miami
Culture Kings, Photo By Lauren Resen, December/January 2008
- Miami Shops
- As a mastermind of Design Miami, Ambra Medda scours the globe for cutting-edge, museum-quality furniture and objects. Since her exquisitely offbeat taste extends equally well to the local shopping beat, she guides us through the rapidly evolving Design District and beyond.
- Base Annex
- 927 Lincoln Road
(305) 695-4026 This spin-off of local stalwart Base Home is ultradiscreet: The entrance lies hidden in the corner of a palm-fringed alley off the sidewalk. I enjoy small boutiques, and this one is divided into theme rooms (gothic, Dorothy Draper black-and-white, hunting lodge) and sells almost everything: furniture, lighting, fashion, jewelry, shoes—all by established designers or playful labels. I bought a laptop bag in yellow pony fur, and the Havaianas flip-flops are my favorite.
- Culture Kings
- 4300 NE 2nd Avenue
(305) 573-2399 Owner Chris Oh, 26, a former graffiti artist, is a brilliant curator of impossible-to-find streetwear; his store has a real young-skater vibe, and everything's in mint condition and pristinely displayed. Go for vintage Air Jordans or artist-commissioned sneakers and incredibly hip T-shirts and gifts.
- Driade
- 4141 NE 2nd Avenue
(305) 572-2900 This Italian furnishings firm was a pioneer of modernism, and its double-height storefront contains standouts by some of my favorite designers, including Konstantin Grcic, Kazuyo Sejima and Ron Arad. It's unusual to locate their spare, sculptural creations all under one roof.
- Luminaire
- 3901 NE 2nd Avenue
(305) 576-5788 Cool lighting and furniture are this place's forte. I adore Paola Lenti's outdoor pieces and snapped up two hot-pink chairs for my courtyard, plus an electric-orange pouf. The lamps by British firm Established & Sons are amazing, especially "Fold," a standing lamp made of powder-coated aluminum by Alexander Taylor.
- Marimekko
- 1671 Meridian Avenue
(305) 534-0411 I'm a big fan, especially of stuff from the '60s, but the core aesthetic is pretty much the same—happy, bright, easygoing. I swing by for affordable striped T-shirts and cheery patterned dresses, both perfect to wear at the beach or by the pool. And I like poking through the display of vivid coin purses. When I travel, I pack a color for each currency.
- Nektar De Stagni
- 155 NE 38th Street
(305) 576-6695 De Stagni, a 23-year-old designer, crafts the most beautiful pieces— elegant but a bit naughty. You can score jewelry—a dyed-amethyst necklace with freshwater pearls or dangly turquoise earrings—for reasonable prices (as low as $90). I have two sleeveless '60s-style dresses (one silver, one gold) from here, and I get tons of compliments on them. I'm always proud to say, "My friend Nektar made this, she's a fantastic designer and she's from Miami!"
- Tomas Maier
- 1800 West Avenue
(305) 531-8383 Maier is the creative director for Bottega Veneta, so of course he has impeccable taste. His lifestyle-concept boutique is full of obscure, handpicked clothing from Europe and Japan (he even sets up the in-store displays himself ), and it's a gold mine for glam pieces by designers like Marni, Azzedine Alaïa and Roberta di Camerino. If I have a last-minute event, I know I'll spend a lot here but find whatever I need.
- Vitra at 4141 Design
- 4141 NE 2nd Avenue
(305) 438-0517 I finished decorating my house just before this showroom opened, but I often stop by to browse the work of such visionaries as Frank Gehry, Hella Jongerius and Verner Panton. The industrial space is divided into vignettes, and there's room for everything to breathe, so you can see how each piece would look in a domestic setting.
- Y-3
- 150 NE 40th Street
(305) 573-1603 Yohji Yamamoto, the whiz behind this Adidas collection, irretrievably altered the vocabulary of clothing. Some people on the Design Miami team wear Y-3 sneakers because they're smart and not mainstream. I live in one of his black wool ponchos, and even the handbags and suitcases are art. This store is forging a new fashion-retail scene for the neighborhood.
