There's always been a flirtation going on between fashion and art, but judging from last week's action at Art Basel Miami Beach, things are suddenly looking pretty steamy. A mecca for the immaculate dressed anyway, the world's top ranking art fair became a fashion fest like no other this year with major labels launching pop-up shops, limited edition collaborations, collections and runway shows all over town.
Previous years have already seen Christian Louboutin, Fendi, YSL and Maison Martin Margiela marking their territory in Miami's Design District. This year, they were joined by Dior, which launched a neon-bright collaboration with artist Anselm Reyle; Pringle, with a pop-up shop and capsule collection by Liam Gillick; and Donna Karan's charity Urban Zen Foundation, which featured artwork, jewellery and home accessories produced by Haitian artisans.
Meanwhile, Fendi continued to lure the art and design crowd (in town for Design Miami) by teaming up with Elisa Strozyk and artist Sebastian Neeb to launch Craft Alchemy, a celebration of the golden age of cabin-making; Bally launched its second Bally Love collection with artist Olaf Breuning; and Margiela held an off-site show of objects, publications and interior design.
An art/fashion relationship isn't all that's blossoming - creativity (and we'd expect sales) are too.
Part of the bag collection, by Liam Gillick
Located in the Mosaic Building in the Miami Design District, the temporary store incorporated design elements from the label's forthcoming Hong Kong store, conceived by Swiss architects Andreas Fuhrimann Gabrille Haechler
The pop-up also played host to Pringle design director Alistair Carr's first collection, as well as the S/S 2012 women's resort collection
Pringle's curated Steidl book corner
In a first for Dior, the couture brand popped-up shop in Miami to launch its collaboration with Anselm Reyle, featuring two of his paintings and a reproduction of his Berlin atelier
Describing the collaboration, Reyle said: 'I loved working on the Lady Dior Handbag. Most of my work builds on objects that already exist, which I then transform. I applied the same philosophy'
The store also incorporated a nail bar offering a palette of colours from the collection
Bally presented the full Bally Love #2 Collection, its second collaboration with artist Olaf Breuning, first glimpsed at Art Basel
Inspired by vintage Bally posters, Breuning showcased the collection by covering models with white paint and dressing them in the shoes, gloves, scarves and handbags. The resulting images lined the pop-up store in Miami
The Bally Love #2 Collection
The Bally Love #2 Collection
MOCA North Miami celebrated its 15th year in business with a number of parties, as well as hosting the debut of Donna Karan's Urben Zen pop-up store, featuring artwork, jewellery and home accessories produces by Haitian artisans
Exhibiting the brand's Line 13, Maison Martin Margiela's show was dedicated to objects, publications and interior design
Inside the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition
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