Another Basel for the Books

Maria Tettamanti

{At the Louis Vuitton party in a Haute Hippie blazer dress (sold out), Valentino sandals, Chanel bag, Fendi Karl pom pom}

Hermes

{Taken at the Hermès dinner}

Hermes Miami Design District

{Squad at Hermès — I wore a Self Portrait dress and Edie Parker clutch}

Karl HolmQvist

{Some Karl Holmqvist poetry for ya}

Bret Easton Ellis

{My pagan god Bret Easton Ellis and I}


I SURVIVED yet another Art Boozel Basel and this one was for the books, ya filthy animals. While I focused on the fashion-centric events this year, I was also able to snoop around the actual Art Basel fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and slid into a talk with zeitgeist novelist and personal hero Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho is one of my favorite novels because I can eerily relate to sociopaths).

For those of you unfamiliar with the Art Basel (my cousin from North Carolina called me asking me this very question), well, it’s a fair where the world’s leading modern and contemporary art galleries display paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, prints, photography, film, video and digital art by over 4,000 artist. This being said, Art Basel truly puts Miami on the map in terms of the arts and culture — so those of you locals who grumble about it are party poopers because it’s a BIG DEAL. You see, last year, the fair attracted 73,000 visitors to the Miami Beach Convention Center (crazy!) and this year’s 14th edition was bigger compliments of a zillion satellite shows and champagne-fueled parties. 

Sure, it’s a shitshow at times (the traffic! the rain! the drunks! my fucking feet are killing me! the FOMO! the mommy guilt! the bloody hangovers!) but art is tantamount here. By day, I spent my time wandering around the art fairs and hit the party circuit at night. So big ups to my babysitter, Sandra, for pulling through for the team this week. You deserve Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet. No, wait, that means you would abandon the kids and I, so I rescind that statement. SORRY NOT SORRY. #Selfish

Soiree highlights included an intimate peony-laden Hermès dinner on the rooftop of their Design District store where I sat across from Elle Macpherson and literally stared at her the entire night like a psychotically psychotic stalker because she’s like a living, breathing Gustav Klimt painting — absolutely captivating. Also of note? Elle, unlike 99.9% of humans, does not age. Looking back at the evening, I should have asked her for the digits to her surgeon. Dumb, dumb, dumb me. #Fail

Other notable parties included scoping out the Rubell Family Collection at Loewe and meeting Dutch designer Marcel Wanders at Louis Vuitton where he was in attendance for the world debut of his LV lounge chair. I also swung by Fendi where Solange Knowles was dropping the beats with a DJ set. Every party was brimming with strong citrus-y cocktails and bubbly — it was like trick or treating for adults.  #ChampagneBloatGameStrong

The city is still bursting out of its seams in terms of celebrity sightings, too — Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, Lenny Kravitz, Adriene Brody, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton, Katie Holmes, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner and more are busy “Baseling” or boozing it up. Depends on who you ask.

Earlier today (wearing globs of under eye concealer, obvi) I hit up Soho Beach House where I rubbed elbows with my literary God, author Bret Easton Ellis, for a talk. Less Than Zero and American Psycho are two of my all-time fave books and I found myself geeking out like a freaking nerd over the mere thought of breathing the same air space as him. Writers are always a mixed bag — we can be either extremely gregarious or socially awkward (usually the latter) — and Bret was a medley of both. I do love that when asked about his thoughts on Art Basel, he nailed and said, “It’s such a parody, right?”

RIGHT.

Top photo by World Red Eye

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5 Comments

  1. Cristina
    December 4, 2015 / 12:36 pm

    U crack me up!

  2. Vivian
    December 4, 2015 / 11:36 pm

    Elle macpherson is a demigod

  3. Lilly
    December 5, 2015 / 12:17 am

    so happy you got to meet bret

  4. Seba
    December 5, 2015 / 6:55 pm

    you’re the best babe

  5. December 7, 2015 / 4:06 pm

    Please take off that Haute Hippie dress off of you and send it to me (cries and pleas). LOVE that dress.

    Xx

    Ana

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