“It’s more than a hairdo; it’s my feminist manifesto,” Danie Gomez- Ortigoza says of the signature Frida-esque scarf-and-braid combo that’s even inspired the name of her website, Journey of a Braid, which unites her love of fashion and Latin America with a passion for women’s issues. Not unlike the famous family of peacocks that also call her Coconut Grove neighborhood home, Gomez-Ortigoza cuts a colorful figure around town, often sporting the creations of fashion talents such as local Carolina K or Pompi García—both of whom adorn modern silhouettes with traditional Oaxacan embroidery—and the sleek, sculptural jewelry of Miami-based Soledad Lowe. Come Art Basel, you’ll find Gomez-Ortigoza perusing Primary Projects, a discovery zone for emerging contemporary artists, or sampling the grilled octopus at Mandolin Aegean Bistro in the design district. The buzzy resto is “the unofficial meeting point for all of Miami,” she says. “The people-watching is amazing!”
Weiner with Ugo Rondinone’s Miami Mountain at the Bass Museum. Trench coat, junya Watanabe. T-shirt, Hanes. Track pants, Marc Jacobs. Earrings, Rebecca de Ravenel. Mules, Pierre Hardy.
From Art Basel to the electronic music scene, Miami’s cultural goings-on have long influenced Austyn Weiner’s penchant for bold colors and shapes, both in her style and her work: large-scale, mixed-media paintings, and a more recent foray into soft sculpture. She hunts for one-of-a-kind “Miami-spiced vintage grabs”—think jungle-theme button-downs, Chanel pantsuits, and plaid Versace jeans—at the legendary North Miami Beach emporium C. Madeleine’s.
Weiner’s tips for attending Art Basel: Get there before the weekend crowds, as early as Monday, to hit innovative Basel-adjacent venues like Swampspace, an alternative-art space run by artist and local legend Oliver Sanchez, which hosts exhibitions and performances by South Florida artists; and the privately owned Rubell Family Collection, housed inside an old DEA confiscated-goods facility. The Pérez Art Museum Miami is another must-see—contemporary Cuban art will be on display there through early 2018. For all-night dancing, “I forever love the Electric Pickle,” says Weiner, who cites the club as the birthplace of Miami’s underground electronic-music scene. A more sultry after-party spot, Saxony Bar at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach, provides “intimate, classy, spicy, dark” vibes. And if you’re jonesing for a late-night bite, the French salad baguette sandwich at La Sandwicherie (open till 6 a.m. on weekends) is “basically heaven.”
