Miami Swim at Frankie's Bikinis show was a life changing experience I am forever grateful for. I did not think I could this love this industry anymore until this weekend and I cannot wait to go back next year!

xoxo, 
​Hannah Marie

After leaving my second home in Tally during the spring, I assumed my summer would be filled with an abundance of adventures and non-stop instagram worthy pictures of my summer escapades. However, now almost halfway through the summer and I’ve done nearly nothing. Being a camp counselor, while an amazing experience, definitely limits my availability for summer adventures with my friends. This past weekend though I found myself free and wanted to take advantage of it. When one of my friends Jessie texted us, saying “Lets do something crazy”, I decided to go for it! 

Bright and early Saturday morning, my friends and I ventured to a famous hiking path near us called the Stairway to Heaven. Now, take into consideration, we had only heard of this hike through breath taking instagram pictures so we had no clue what we had in store for us. It was a forty-five minute drive to the hike which we didn’t mind since the drive included us jamming to Post Malone and The Chainsmokers. I highly recommend The Chainsmokers new album if you have a long car ride ahead of you! 

The beginning of the hike started with a scenic wooden path in a swampy forest area similar to the Everglades but a New Jersey version of it. Every so while we would run into suspension bridges or narrow wooden crossings over lakes to venture over but besides that it was a pretty flat, easy stroll. Eventually, we can across a suspension bridge that took us over railroad tracks and into a large field full of flowers. It was at this point that we realized the five miles we had just hiked were an optional edition to the REAL hike to the view. 

Written by: Elena Ciaccio
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Ask any Florida State student what their favorite day of the week is; I’d be shocked if they said anything other than Friday. Not simply because of the enticing weekend to come, but for the festivities that begin swinging in motion right around 4:30pm— Happy Hour. You might find yourself pregaming with your best friends in your apartment, or at your go-to fraternity with your fave guys to hang with. Nonetheless, once you step into Pots, Standard, or Room 215 you KNOW you’re going to be sweating up a storm. Its just a given. So how does one avoid ruining their pin-straight hair, perfect highlight, and pastel colored outfit? Check out these three hacks to tackle on the heat that I have found work out perfectly:

1. Setting Spray.

I cannot stress ENOUGH the importance of this beauty tool. If you aren’t familiar with this type of product, your life is about to change. Setting spray simply does exactly what it sounds like— sets your makeup. It goes on feeling like water but will keep your mascara, eyeshadow, and even liquid foundation in check through the heat. I use setting spray every time I know I’ll be sporting a full face of makeup on a hot day, whether it be happy hour or even game day tailgates! Personally, my favorite brand is Urban Decay’s All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray ($32). Other popular favorites include MAC’s Prep & Prime Fix +($24), and for a cheaper fix NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray ($8) is always a good option. However, I have to say, Urban Decay’s All Nighter WILL change your life. I’ve used it for music festivals and clubs in addition to Happy Hour and tailgates, and this stuff is the real deal. To sum up my rant, setting spray is magical. Go out and grab some ASAP!! All of these products can be found at Ulta or Sephora.   ​

      2.    Dry Shampoo
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Girls if you are not familiar with this I have no idea how your hair has survived 18+ years on your head. A quick hack for keeping your sweat/oil from ruining your hair is to spray some dry shampoo on your roots after styling! My personal favorite is Big Sexy Hair’s Dry Shampoo($17.95), while some other popular choices are Psssst! Dry Shampoo Spray Original Scent ($7), or Batiste Dry Shampoo Fresh Scent ($7.99). Don’t forget to work it into your roots with your fingers so you don’t have any white spots leftover (your finger’s natural oils help blend the dry shampoo in)! Everything listed can also be found at Ulta or Sephora as well!

​Mighty, that’s the word I would use to describe the four days in Miami known as Miami Fashion Week. Mighty tends to be a word used to describe events that are small, but just as mighty as other examples in a specific category. In my undoubted obsessions with the ultra-fab fashion weeks that everyone knows and loves, New York, Paris, Milan and London, there comes a lesser known, but not to be over looked, #MIAFW.
 
For the 2017 shows, I was lucky enough to be invited to all four nights of events. In typical Miami fashion, I know someone who knows someone who knew that fashion-loving Lauren would greatly appreciate going to all of this fabulous week’s runway shows, so my name landed on the guest list. I guess you can say, I’m pretty cool. Spending my summer in Miami means one of my focuses is definitely on what’s trending in Miami style this year, so I was beyond into attending. The invitation this special week in Miami came into my inbox about two weeks before the shows’ kick off on May 31st. I immediately removed everything from my not-so busy beginning of the summer schedule in order to be available for the shows that would be taking place the evening of May 31st to June 4th. All eight of the shows took place at the very cool Ice Palace Film Studios near Miami Beach. The designers included in the fabulous Colombian, Miami-based designer Silvia Tcherassi, Nicaraguan designer Shantall Lacayo, Spanish Custo Dalmau, the brand, Fisico by Cristina Ferrari, Peruvian designer Yirko Sivirich, Cuban Rene Ruiz, Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, and Venezuelan designer Angel Sanchez. The Miami feeling was definitely in full affect through the diversity of Latin designers whose collections took the runway over the four days of shows. 

​Each night began around 6:00 with cocktails at the outdoor bar and mingling area. Press, along with other Miami fashion influencers were in attendance. I was completely in awe of the gorgeously put together outfits. With the events starting at the beginning of the summer, it was totally inspirational as an in-person collection of summer style and pieces. From lots of gingham to off the shoulder everything, big hoops, and bright colors, it was quite the summer scene.
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The shows typically began around 7 PM. Seats are taken in six different rows around the center runway. The music began and the lights went down, and then my absolute favorite sensation of all time, an addiction that I have been and will be chasing for years to come: the following of faces to each and every model’s look. Each head turns at the same pace as the model. A crowd of people sharing observations and admiration to the designers’ work and creativity is 100 percent irreplaceable.  

​Each show was very different from the one before. The Agatha Ruiz de la Prada show was definitely my absolute favorite. Known for their bright, fun colors, I was in awe of the live versions of the vibe that Agatha, age 56 keeps up for her shows. The models all seemed to live in that de la Prada world. Big childlike hearts and stars in reds, yellows and bright pinks give me the inspiration to not take life so seriously. The finale was a big set of white heart shaped balloons attached to the last model’s outfit. It was beyond cool. The music and life of this show was the one of the most fun and exciting 20 minutes I have experienced. Each show was special in their own ways. The Fisco show was also very glitzy and excitingly fun. Silvia Tcherassi was another favorite of mine because its looks were very wearable and exceedingly on trend. The last show was the brilliant Angel Sanchez whose elegant dresses were a dream for anyone’s next black tie occasion. 

​After the conclusion of that show, Antonio Banderas the Honorary President of the event, gave inspiring words about the future of Miami Fashion Week. He expressed his gratitude toward the handwork of the designers and models, the turnout of press and guests (wink, wink like moi), and all of the great sponsors of the event. the main sponsors were Saks, WordPress, Silestone, and EAST Miami. Other notable sponsors were BOGA Style Home, Miami International Airport, Estrella, Miami Dade College and the Miami Fashion Institute, along with MG Events, and the Knight Foundation. Banderas’s words were inspiring to the believers of Miami. He shared his faith in Miami’s ability as a city to become more of a fashion hub than it already is and his great support for the growth of Miami Fashion Week. As a Miami native, I was moved by the progression of Miami as a fashion city and all that does entail. It was interesting for me to see the growth from the perspective of someone actually making strides toward making Miami an even greater city for fashion.
 

 
I absolutely loved being in attendance of the show and hope to stay involved with this set of shows along with other Miami fashion events to come. Thank you for reading about my experience with #MIAFW. Here’s to a summer of fashion and Miami-loving for me.
 
Lots of Love,
Lauren Hayes