Best Dog Food and Accessories: Dog Bar

 

Arrrrr! It be me! Smythe, the Caricature Pirate and Guide to Treasures of Miami and the Beaches and Beyond! It be time to set sail to the high seas of shopping. I like shopping — shopping for peg legs, eye patches, medication for me stroke, rum to help pass the time and sharp swords to run scalawags like you clean through! Walk the plank! Walk the plank! Sorry, me stroke again gettin’ me to think I be a real pirate instead of a caricature one. Arrrr, if I be a real pirate I wouldn’t have to go shopping at all. Me and me crew would just hit various shopping malls and run away with all the booty we could carry. Always wondered what it’d be like to hit Bal Harbour Shops. Oh, what fun that would be, storming around those well-polished floors with cutlasses and pistols, robbing and pillaging. Arrrr! But since robbing and pillaging is not acceptable behavior among ye landlubbers, ye might as well get a few clues as to where to use your gold coin and plastic to buy clothing, jewelry, hardware and other hard-to-find items. Meanwhile, I’ll be shoppin’ around for a crew that’ll help me find a better eye patch, that and a daybed for my condo. Arrrr! Personal Best: Samantha Greene

Best Contemporary Lighting Boutique

Lunatika

Contemporary lighting is available lots of places, but Lunatika is one of the few stores to specialize in it. And does it ever: You’d be hard-pressed to find another U.S. store with the variety of manufacturers and designs offered here. And if it’s not in the store itself (a bright, manageable, shopper-friendly layout rather than an impersonal mega-watt megamart), an associate can help you order it. So whether it’s for the bathroom, patio, kitchen, ceiling, dining room or hallway, Lunatika is bound to have the high-end, beautifully designed piece you’re looking for. They also carry fans, clocks and whimsical lighting accessories for children. Location: 1562 Alton Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-534-8585 Web site: www.lunatika.com

 

Best Shopping Mall

Bal Harbour Shops

There are shopping malls and then there are shopping malls. Bal Harbour Shops is a shopping mall in the latter category. That means it is not a mall for teenagers to eat pizzas, talk about their boyfriends/girlfriends and watch a movie. This place, while having top-notch restaurants, is all about the high-end shopping experience. Here you will find all under one roof Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Graff, Bulgari, Dolce and Gabbana, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Oxygene and other huge names in fashion and jewelry, some of which are hard to find anywhere else in our tri-county area. Those attending Shopaholics Anonymous meetings will want to avoid going to Bal Harbour Shops. But for those who can make long-term budgeting plans, have huge bank accounts or be content with simply ogling the good stuff, Bal Harbour Shops is a must-see. Location: 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour. Phone: 305-866-0311. Web site: wwww.balharbourshops.com

 

Best Shopping Oasis

Village of Merrick Park

Quite possibly one of the most tranquil locations in Miami-Dade is, surprisingly, a shopping mall. The Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables is a relaxing retreat from the intensity that comes with other shopping centers in the area. The fountains, gardens and stony pathways interwoven through the Mediterranean shopping structures are reminiscent of summer villas in the south of France. The beautiful grounds of Merrick Park are the Miami-Dade homes of some of the top fashion houses in the world, like Diane von Furstenberg, Roberto Cavalli and Jimmy Choo. The mall’s anchor stores, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom offer exceptional customer service and a wide variety of stylish items. Mall strollers can also experience high-end home design and art shops Artefacto and Yves Delorme, as well as the Elemis spa, Equinox Gym and the office of world-famous dermatologist Dr. Frederic Brandt. All that shopping can build up one’s appetite. There are several restaurants throughout Merrick Park, such as The Palm, Villagio and Mariposa at Neiman Marcus. Location: 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables. Phone: 305-529-0200. Web site: www.villageofmerrickpark.com

 

They call him Black Caesar. As the story goes, the early 18th-century former African chief (not to be confused with the title of the 1970s blaxploitation film directed by Larry Cohen) was known for his giant size, strength and intelligence, was taken onto a European slave ship. Caesar escaped this slave ship with the help of a treacherous crew member, and the two began stealing from other slave ships on the open waters of the Atlantic, plundering jewels and other bling, much of which is believed to have been buried on Elliot Key. There are still stories that say Caesar buried 26 tons of silver on the island. Caesar also seized more than 100 women from passing ships during his tour of piracy, pimping out the women in his Elliot Key harem. He also had a prison camp there, keeping his prisoners in stone huts, and eventually leaving them there to die when he joined up with the famous pirate, Blackbeard, in the early 1700s to plunder ships up and down the eastern seaboard. In a foiled attempt to blow up a British naval vessel, Black Caesar was captured then tried and hung in Williamsburg. “He’s almost mythological,” says Miami historian Paul George “There’s been a lot of accounts of him, so I’ve embraced it without too much hardcore knowledge.” Renderings of Black Caesar look a little like Denzel Washington wearing a puffy shirt. — Tiffany Glick (Source: Twenty Florida Pirates)

Best Shopping Road Trip

The Gardens Mall

For those who like to go out on shopping exepiditions that takem at least 45 minutes away from home, we give you The Gardens Mall, a realm that has been described by our shopping explorers as a cross between Bal Harbour Shops, Aventura Mall and Village of Merrick Park. (Now that’s a mutt with a pedigree!) The place has five department stores: Nordstrom, Macy’s, Sears, Bloomingdales and Saks, not to mention all manner of clothing, electronics, toy, shoe, accessory and miscellaneous shops in between. And are you a bride? Well, guess what? Gardens Mall also has a bridal registry program that allows you to register for gifts from just about every single store there. Location: 3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens. Phone: 561-622-2115. Web site: www.thegardensmall.com

 

Best Women’s Fashion Trend

1940s Pin-Up Girl

The best new fashion trend to bask in from summer through fall can be shopped for in dusty attics and vintage boutiques and is inspired by the inside of a G.I.’s World War II locker.

The top fashion houses, such as Prada, Stella McCartney and Chanel, have brought the iconic image of the 1940s pin-up girl into 2007. What this trend represents is the rejection of the lazy bohemian bag lady look, and the warm welcome of put-together outfits and complete ensembles à la Betty Grable and Veronica Lake. The form of the pin-up girl for 2007 is structured yet undoubtedly lady-like. The shapely curve of a woman’s waist is highlighted with skinny belts worn at this distinct curve, and pants and short-shorts reaching above the belly button. The women’s low-rise bottom is so beyond gone. The modern version of this style borrows reflective, metallic elements from other current trends shown through fluid feminine blouses and sparkling flapper formal wear. Turban-style headbands are the elegant answer to dressing your head without scruffily tying up a pony-tail and calling it a day.

 

Best Men’s Fashion Trend

Low-Rise Jeans

Thank you, Tommy Lee and Scott Weiland. You may be old and look like you met with the beat end of a failed career but you did something for us fans of the hipbone. By taking the lead from Britney Spears and digging out those vintage 1960s hipsters, you essentially — just by wearing girl’s jeans — made the low-rise on a guy, well, rockstar. And while the appropriateness on any one non-perfect individual remains the holy grail of off-runway fashion, you’ve managed, in your desperate attempt to remain cutting-edge, to span a whole new dilemma of physical upkeep for those who subscribe to such aesthetic conundrums: to shave or not to shave? Granted one look at Scott Weiland in low-rise jeans can have the viewer in fear of losing multiple reproductive components to withering age. But he does have that fashion/gender ambiguity thing down, more than the waistline on his pants. And that’s always sexy.

The low-rise is functional too. It has inspired a whole new tattoo trend, and it’s a good thing too, artists were probably getting sick of tribal armband flash. Now they can get bored with the lower back tattoo or tramp stamp, as it is often affectionately called. It has also spawned a revolution in boxer-briefs. Regular boxers just simply won’t do with these new jeans styles — way too bulky. So now guys can skip the man panties all together.

Ringing the obscenity bell, Louisiana State legislator Derrick Shepherd tried to get a ban on low-rise jeans in 2004. Thankfully that bill died in the Louisiana House.

 

Best Fashion Trend

(Any Gender)

Skulls and Gems

It’s always really cool when someone goes and takes two seemingly unrelated aesthetic concepts, strings a thread between them and melds those avenues into one glorious amalgamation of chic. This was done recently with rock ’n’ roll-type fashion trends: skulls and bling. Now, the bling isn’t to be taken lightly. It’s not just something anyone with a Bedazzler can pull off, or else they wouldn’t be able to charge hundreds of dollars for it, right?

And as if the rock-bling wasn’t enough, they did us one better. Let’s bling out something so outrageously rock AND roll that the juxtaposition is just inescapable. Got it. A freakin’ skull. Duuude! Now we can have our bling and tell the world how badass we are by romanticizing old-time bottles of poison and/or rape and plunder via a hackneyed representation of death and/or piracy too.

Although gem-studded clothing is traditionally a style only members of the Village People could love, we welcome the rock-bling/love-hate relationship with open arms.

Hell, Elvis would be proud. Where to pay a bunch of money for some Skull Bling: Follies, 455 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-534-1377. Where to buy a Bedazzler: eBay, or a 4:30 a.m. infomercial, coming to a television near you.

 

Best Fashion Trend

to Go Away

The Furry Boot

At the risk of alienating the easily 75 percent of our female readers who were (or are still) conned into this flat furry beige boot trend, we’re going to be blunt: Those ugg boots are stupid. Yeah, we know it was cute, that whole snow bunny thing you were going for, but, ahem, ladies? It was fleeting for a reason. And yes, unless you are dressed as an Eskimo, wookie or yeti for Halloween, are smuggling several foot-long sandwiches in your shoes, are actually trudging through snow and don’t care how your boots look afterwards or just simply must antagonize the universe’s collective symmetry of line and form (nebulously known as attractiveness), well then go ahead — footwear that looks like it was institutionalized on suicide watch is for you. Otherwise, remember a cardinal rule of fashion: If you’re just doing it because everyone else is doing it, you’re going to end up doing a lot of really stupid things. Like wearing furry boots.

 

Best Locally Based Women’s Wear Designer

Esteban Cortazar

Barely old enough to legally sip a mojito on Española Way, Colombian-Miamian designer Esteban Cortazar, 23, has become a standard in the international fashion market.

Cortazar began his career when he was 12, designing a nine-piece collection for talent show at a Miami Beach elementary school. We don’t know if he won, but odds are, Cortazar is making more bank with his slick fashions than the kid who may have.

Cortazar graduated from Miami’s esteemed Design and Architecture Senior High school and has been showing his designs under tents and on runways in Miami, Los Angeles and New York ever since. His nouveau-minimalist style is classically sexy, ready to wear off the runway and onto the red carpet (celebrities Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and Beyoncé have all worn Cortazar’s designs) or on your carpet at home.

Cortazar’s designs transcend the high fashion, haute couture, models-only mold that plays keep-away with the rest of the world. His clothing is Miami Beach meets New York City after a weekend in Paris — lively, sophisticated and

beautiful. Location: 111 NE First St., 9th Floor, Miami. Phone: 305-533-1292. Web site: www.estebancortazar.com

 

Best Locally Based Men’s Wear Designer

Venissac

If Yves Montand had swung in Havana under Batista, he might’ve draped his cool self in threads like those designed by Venissac. Weightless, wily, and interminably elegant, Venissac’s clothes hark back to the kinda future we all like to wish upon, one in which the sun will never ever see us sweat. That it took a cat from Avignon to get it just so, only makes our melting pot that much cooler. Oh, and the cat does hot stuff for dames too. Dig. Location: 1627 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Phone:

305-672-8111. Web site: www.venissac.com

 

Best Discount Fashions

Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance Center

This category might as well be called “Best Place to See a Socialite in Disguise.” For it is a not-so-hidden secret in high society that this particular Neiman Marcus at the Dolphin Mall is the source for quality men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, shoes, jewelry, handbags, home decor, furniture, accessories and gifts.There’s nothing wrong with clothing, accessories or even furniture items at this store. We’re talking Burberry, Dolce and Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Anne Klein, Prada, Hugo Boss, Donna Karan. They’re just a little, well, old and they have to make way for Neiman’s latest inventory. So if you want to get that nice pair of shoes that was really popular about eight months ago, check out Neiman Marcus Last Call, before it’s the last call. Location: 11441 NW 12th St., Miami. Phone: 305-591-1101. Web site: www.shopdolphinmall.com/IM/storedetail.html

 

Best Department Store Invasion

Nordstrom

In 2004, this department store chain, which was founded by a Swede named John Nordstrom and proliferated around the Washington and Oregon states, spread down to California and leapt to the East Coast, cast its wandering corporate eye toward Miami-Dade. The dang customer service-friendly stores have been under construction in area shopping malls ever since, in anticipation of gobbling up a market that was once dominated by the now-extinct Burdines. Nordstrom has even infiltrated our vocabulary: “Hey, they got a Nordstrom.” “Well, we need a zoning variance so we can build a Nordstrom.” “Sorry, we’re not going to renew your lease because Nordstrom is interested in this spot.” “Dude, you got Nordstromed!” Location: Village of Merrick Park, 4310 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables; Dadeland Mall, 7239 N. Kendall Drive, Kendall. Phone: (Village of Merrick Park) 786-999-1313, (Dadeland Mall) 786-709-4100. Web site: www.nordstrom.com

 

Best Women’s Clothing Store

Chloé

Founded in the early 1950s, Chloé’s vision has always been “romantic, ultra feminine fashion,” according to Chloé’s Web site. By 1997 that vision, as defined by Stella McCartney, then Chloé’s head designer (and daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney) as “a romantic yet streetwise mix of vintage lingerie, tailoring and signature lowrider trousers that hit a nerve with young women around the world and propelled the house to a new level of success.” That vision has since been taken over by Swedish designer Paulo Melim Andersson and, so far, Chloé still seems pretty popular with the famous women types which, in turn, has made Chloé popular with non-famous women as well. (Go figure.) So it’s hardly any wonder that when Chloé opened in Bal Harbour Shops in May, there was much fanfare and hipness — attracting even the likes of singer Cat Power, actress Elisha Cuthbert and model Ines Rivero. Location: 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour. Phone: 305-861-1909. Web site: www.chloe.com

 

Best Men’s Clothing Store

Project LX

The men of Miami look good. Their singular style separates them from what the rest of the nation’s male population calls “casual wear” — old baggy jeans and a yellow-stained Cubs T-shirt.

The men of Miami also appreciate fashion and know the clothes on their backs represent more than something to keep them from being arrested.

 Studio LX on Sunset Drive has been a key supplier to the wardrobe of Miami’s fashionable ladies for more than 10 years; “brother” store Project LX does the same for its male counterparts.

Owner Alex Abril’s men’s shops carry shirts, jeans and accessories from Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, True Religion and Original Penguin, among others. The streamlined design of the store allows customers to quickly and efficiently pick and choose the items that define the effortlessly cool style of the Miami man. Location: 5830 Sunset Drive, South Miami. Phone: 305-665-4544. Web site: www.shopLX.com

 

Best Not-So-One-of-a-Kind Items

Anthropologie

Fall out of the oppressive heat outdoors and into the ethereal wonderland that is Anthropologie on Lincoln Road. Anthropologie is a chain trove of treasures, carrying classic, chic clothing for women as well as sumptuous dressings for your home. The shop has more than 90 locations across the U.S., but its personal customer service and unique décor make shoppers feel as though they have stepped into an attic of private discoveries.

The Miami Beach location is dripping with antique-looking furniture, like the Havana daybed that will transport you to a serene Caribbean isle, shaded by Anthropologie’s yellow sun swirl beach umbrella. This is a great place to get lost in countless number of items, including travel and photo books, upholstered furniture, baby toys, jewelry boxes, dishes and glassware, bath and body care items, hardware as well as shoes, handbags and jewelry. Location: 1108 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-695-0775. Website: www.anthropologie.com

 

Best T-Shirts

American Apparel

Stores are doing something sneaky. Placing size Small labels on size Medium T-shirts and making medium-sized customers feel small again. Thinking they’re wearing a smaller size may make customers feel better about themselves, and therefore more inclined to buy, but the indulgence needn’t affect us all.

American Apparel brand T-shirts fit true to size. There are more than 60 styles of T-shirts for men and women in almost every color of the rainbow that are soft, comfortable, stylish and affordable. The shirts are solid colors, in streamlined, classic designs that can be used for the office as well as sweated-up at the gym. The extensive line of T-shirts, tank tops, sleepwear, sweats, bathing suits, underwear and socks has been sold as a wholesale retailer for more than 10 years, manufactured in the United States and sold worldwide. Location:

840 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach (plus Coral

Gables, Coconut Grove and Lincoln Road stores). Phone: 305-532-0614. Web site: www.americanapparel.net

 

Best Precious Stones

Graff Diamonds,

Bal Harbour Shops

Diamond aficionados know the name Graff. The House of Graff, as it is often called, is involved in every single step of the diamond jewelry creation process — from the mining, to the polishing to the crafting and designing. No Graff diamond piece is the same and the company’s reputation rests on its quality. That philosphy pretty much applies to emeralds, rubies and other precious stones mined, designed and sold under the Graff name. And outside of the Bal Harbour Shops location, the nearest exclusive Graff store is in Palm Beach County. After that, you’ll have to fly to New York. Location: 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour. Phone: 305-993-1212. Web site: www.graffdiamonds.com

Best Custom Diamonds

Turley Jewelers

Eddie DePaula risked his life two years ago, when he fought off a robber in his Pinecrest jewelry store. And if you saw the sparkling supply of bling Turley Jewelers sells, you’d understand why he was willing to risk taking a bullet.

Turley Jewelers specializes in providing the finest variety of diamonds, precious stones and watches. DePaula personally and carefully chooses the diamonds based on cut, color, clarity and carat, ensuring optimum product output. A designer himself, DePaula creates one-of-a-kind diamond pieces, and also works individually with customers to create custom diamond jewelry.

Turley Jewelers only uses the finest 18-carat diamonds, in platinum and gold settings. The store also carries a selection of rare colored diamonds, as well as pre-owned Rolex and Cartier watches. Location: 11501 S. Dixie Highway, Pinecrest. Phone:

305-252-1123. Web site: www.turleyjewelers.com

 

Best Fragrances

L’Occitane

The vibrant colors, scents and traditions of Provence are wafting from the counters at L’Occitane. The south of France-based company has several South Florida locations from which it bottles and boxes the authentic, all-natural bath, body and fragrance products for gentlemen, ladies and the home. The fine fragrances of L’Occitane are the closest representation of Provence’s natural aromas and come in solid forms, the sheer Eau de Toilette spray and the more intense, more heavily concentrated Eau de Parfum versions.

The operators of the Lincoln Road location say that the Citrus Verbena Summer Fragrance Eau de Toilette is the shop’s most popular fragrance for women. The invigorating, fruity fragrance is infused with organic verbena from Corsica, fresh lemon from Sicily and grapefruit from Italy. Also favorite among Miami shoppers is the subtle Green Tea with Mint Eau de Toilette, for both men and women. Location: 540 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach; Village of Merrick Park, 330 San Lorenzo Ave., #2325; Dadeland Mall, 7445 Kendall Drive, Miami. Phone: (Lincoln Road) 305-531-0752, (Village of Merrick Park) 305-445-1040, (Dadeland Mall) 786-268-2914. Web site: http://usa.loccitane.com

 

Best Dog Food and Accessories

Dog Bar

The dogs of Miami, like their owners, are the most glamorous pooches in the world. They poop on South Beach, doggie-paddle in the Atlantic and sniff each other’s rear ends up and down Miracle Mile. The dogs of Miami don’t wear ordinary collars; they wear Swarovski crystal-encrusted collars. And the glamorous doggie-set of Miami shop at Dog Bar in Coral Gables and Miami Beach. The unique pet boutique is the four-legged shopaholic’s haven for everything from raw pet foods, to nutritional supplement powder for the dog looking to beef up for shirtless summers on muscle beach. Both Dog Bar locations feature a grooming spa, complete with aromatherapy and massage treatments, obedience training workshops and nutritional guidance seminars for pet owners. And after a long day of shopping and spa treatments, Fido can stretch out on his Bauhaus inspired cowhide sofa, while wearing his genuine lambs wool shearling coat, basking in the glory of being the most fabulous dog in Miami. Location: 1684 Jefferson Ave., Miami Beach and 259 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Phone: 1-866-4-DOGBAR Web site: www.dogbar.com

 

Best Recycled Clothing Store

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 in Miami which sells good, stylish used clothing is definitely not a consignment store or tacky thrift shop. The boutique-like resale store, a nonprofit project of The Women’s Alliance, earns revenue to help provide professional attire and career skills training to women in transition from welfare and poverty to the workforce. Nicole Wild, the dynamic executive director of the Miami Women’s Alliance, runs Chapter 2 with a couple of professional assistants and some dedicated volunteers.

Chapter 2 is located in Overtown, just north of downtown Miami. Serendipitously, the store is housed in a restored Dorsey House, a landmark two-story, wood-frame structure built in 1914 by DA Dorsey, Miami’s first black millionaire. (He once owned Fisher Island, as well as property in Dade and Broward, Cuba and the Bahamas.) Visitors can read its history in the framed documents that adorn the walls.

Each room features racks of gently used clothing; spotlessly clean without any thrift-whiff and rich with designer labels. There are also some new items donated by manufacturers. One room features plus-size items and a smaller selection of men’s wear is found upstairs. Prices are very reasonable but store hours are limited (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday). Location: 250 NW Ninth St., Miami. Phone: 305-377-2755. Web site: www.chapter2clothing.org

 

Best Designer Bargains for Patient Shoppers

TJ MAXX

Savvy shoppers on the hunt for designer fashions without the designer price tags, need to look no further than TJ Maxx. Everything from clothing, shoes, designer handbags, exotic condiments and home furnishings can be had at unbelievable prices. However, a trip to TJ Maxx requires serious commitment to uncover the treasures. A Ralph Lauren suit or a BCBG cocktail dress could be yours for next to nothing if you have the patience to rummage through the racks. Location: 3809 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach. Phone: 305-944-8660.

 

Best Furniture Store

West Elm

As with most of Midtown Miami, West Elm is admittedly a little high-end for the surrounding neighborhoods. The migration of young professionals to the Upper Eastside and Miami Beach, however, make it centrally located for those with flair for the finer things but without the extra cash to spare. Priced just above Ikea but well below your usual chain, this is furniture for those who’ve retired from the dorm but haven’t yet made it to the corner office. The store’s loft-like space is the perfect foil for West Elm’s minimalist, modern line and makes perusing enjoyable and considerably less stressful for the first-time furniture buyer. Location: Shops at Midtown Miami, North Miami Avenue and NE 34th Street, Miami. Phone:

305-572-0880.

 

Best New Home Store

Base Annex

Hidden just off Lincoln Road, Base Annex is where the chic go to deck out their digs. Everything from uniquely upholstered settees to coffee table books priced higher than most people’s monthly electric bill make this the place to fork over serious dough in the pursuit of design. But those living below penthouse status need not fret. Base Annex, sister store to high-end clothing boutique Base, has a range of trendy knick-knacks to allow for subtle accessorizing on the road to creating the ultimate South Beach haven. Several small, color-themed rooms give this shop the edge to prove they know their stuff when it comes to creating a cool crib. Location: 927 Lincoln Road, Suite 118, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-695-4026.

 

Best Vintage Furnishings

Glo

If you’re ready to get your antiquing on then Glo on Biscayne Boulevard is just the place for you. The place offers a wide array of 20th Century modern vintage pieces of furniture, art, pottery, glass and lighting, among other things. Glo is also an art gallery, so if you can’t afford to buy any of their one-of-a-kind pieces, you can do some browsing . Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Note: Glo is closed for vacation through July 12. Location: 5050 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Phone: 305-758-2727.

 

Best Mid-Century-Style Furniture

Jonathan Adler Miami

Now that Miami modern, or “MiMo,” architecture is all the rage (again), isn’t it time to outfit your beachside condo with the matching accoutrements? You don’t have to buy disgusting old furniture from eBay when you can hop over to the Jonathan Adler store on Lincoln Road to stock up on all you need to make your pad as mod as it can be. Although Adler is a potter by trade, his updated take on mid-century design influences the furniture, dinnerware, lighting and other household items sold at his stores. You can pick up a few ceramic animals to boot. While this is a national chain, nothing comes closer to mimicking that MiMo feel. Location: 1024 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-534-5600.

 

Best Street Gear

MIA Skateshop

Don’t let the constant skate talk about decks and secret spots deter you from checking out one of Miami Beach’s most overlooked boutiques for the newest, hippest street gear. Even if you can’t manage the kick push and the thought of jumping anything on four wheels is a little disturbing, there’s still enough here to entice you to part with your hard-earned paycheck. A wall full of multi-hued sneakers from brands like Nike, Lakai and Vans is an immediate draw, especially when you flip the tag to discover the absurdly reasonable pricing. Designer T-shirts, accessories, magazines and skate videos round out the inventory to make this the ideal spot to outfit yourself without shopping around. Those keen on the skate scene will appreciate the enclave stocked with boards and a cool staffers actually know what they’re talking about. Location: 229 Ninth St., Miami Beach. Phone: 786-621-3511.

 

Best Designer Florist

The Epicure Florist

Thought that all the Epicure Market had going for it was gourmet ready-made foods? Think again. If there’s such a thing as a gourmet flower service, this is it. The folks at Epicure carry the most diverse array of fresh, farm-direct flowers around. With an incredible selection of both traditional and exotic plants available, you’re sure to find the perfect one for that special someone or occasion. Best of all, the friendly staff of on-site designers, led by Lazch M. Martinez, is there to create the ultimate in innovative and colorful arrangements. Location: 1656 Alton Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 305-672-1861.

 

Best Place to Get a Guitar Restrung (or Get One in the First Place)

South Beach Instruments Exchange

 The first thing you need to know is that you’re not going to get your guitar restrung during normal business hours in this joint. No sir (or madam). If you’re going to catch Marty Sherman, the grand guitar wizard who owns this store, you’re going to have to show up during musician’s hours, in this case from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. from Thursdays to Sundays. A former real estate broker with a lifelong passion for music, Sherman opened this shop just a few years ago, and it has become a late-night hub of activity for working musicians all around the city. You might even catch some of them jamming  there some evenings. Non-musicians, fret not, you can get in on the action as well. With all manner of guitars, basses, drums, saxophones, xylophones, organs and even kazoos littering almost every corner of this tiny shop, you too

can find your instrument of choice even if you’ve never whistled so much as Dixie before.

Location: 1771 Purdy Ave., Miami Beach. Phone: 305-538-1771/305-984-5999.

 

Best Brazilian Beach Accessories

Praia Beach Boutique

In a land defined by sand and ocean, a new boutique in South Miami is mingling Miami’s fashionable approach to dressing with the city’s favorite pastime.

Livia Abrarpour, the owner of Praia Beach Boutique has a passion for beach fashion. The São Paulo native carefully chooses each bikini in her recently opened shop, mostly Brazilian and Colombian brands and styles that are only available otherwise on the beaches of Brazil.

Praia, which means “beach” in Portuguese, carries a large selection of beautiful jewelry, all of which can be safely worn to the beach without worry over sun or water damage. The accessories are made from unique semi-precious stones, gold and coral, all straight from Brazil.

Praia is the only carrier in the city of Bilros, hand-crocheted beach cover-ups which take two months to make. They also sell pareos, sarongs, hats, handbags and flip-flops.

Designs available at Praia have been seen on the pages of Vogue, Elle and Sports Illustrated magazines. The store is set to host a fashion show of its one-of-a-kind options during its grand opening event in September. Location: 5790 Sunset Drive, South Miami. Phone: 305-663-6110. Web site: www.praiaboutique.com

 

Best Custom Wedding Dresses

Rene Ruiz

Aside from his fabulous line of ready-to-wear items, Miami designer Rene Ruiz has been creating exceptional wedding gowns for more than 15 years.

Morgan Miller, a popular designer in her own right (shoes), visited Ruiz’s brand-new 5,000 square foot atelier on Ponce de Leon Boulevard after looking at other designers for her July wedding, but found that Ruiz’s amazing level of attention to detail really stood out from the rest of the piles of chiffon and taffeta. She says Ruiz’s elegant designs and top-of-the-line materials attracted her to the designer, and his personal accessibility and customer service made her experience ideal.

Ruiz’s museum-like studio features a full-scale bridal salon, as well as pieces from the designer’s collection that range from modest and understated to glamorous and ornate. Location: 2700 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Phone: 305-445-2352.

 

Best Swimsuits

Rosa Cha

Summer is almost upon us, so it’s time to break out the bikini, Rosa Cha style. The man behind this eye-catching swimwear line is Brazilian fashion designer Amir Slama, whose swimsuits range from sexy one-pieces with stunning cutouts, to a wide range of two-pieces that can be mixed and matched in brightly colored splashy patterns. If bold colors make you nervous, the line features many flesh-tone colored suits in the 2007 spring collection as well as suits designed for the fellas. Location: 830 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Phone: 866-476-7224.

 

Best Swimwear Trend for Women

The Cutout One-Piece

From the catwalk to Hot Topic, they’re here baby, with a vengeance. And they are vengeful (at least for some of us). Granted, the cutout essentially illuminates some of our worst features as women (the fem-handles). A little back-pudge is apparently sexy, according to designers who make swimwear for the fatless among us. But on the sunny side, it covers up that unfortunate navel piercing you got post-Alicia Silverstone in Aerosmith’s video for “Crazy” (“Dude! Is the bungee cord attached to the piercing?”) A cutout promises to break up a long torso (God knows THAT’S everyone’s problem), and it’s like wearing a bikini without the inevitable loss of coverage once you dive in. The biggest drawback — those tan lines!

Top designers around the globe have embraced the side-less one-piece as part of their spring lines. Where to find the hot suits: the more upscale swimwear shops of South Beach. Bring a couple hundred. Our pick: the Betsey Johnson one-piece cutout with racer back, available at Everything but Water (www.everythingbutwater.com), and in Aventura Mall (bring more than $300). Our designer pick on the catwalk: the Gottex Spring 2007 line seen at this year’s Spring New York Fashion Week.

 

Best Trend-setting Boutique

Jenna White

Beginning her career as a jewelry designer, Coconut Grove native Jenna White owns this super-stylish namesake boutique just steps from the Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami. The shop carries clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry, dressing customers from head to toe in designer fashions you can’t find in department stores or other boutiques. The store’s relaxing atmosphere and specific selection lets customers know their purchases will be unique, and not fall into the abyss of overdone trends. Just over a year old, Jenna White carries fashions from Tibi, Geren Ford, Graham & Spencer and Mint by Jodi Arnold ,among others. Location: 7301 SW 57th Court, Suite 110, South Miami. Phone: 305-669-5940.

 

Best Toy Store

A and M Comics & Books

Unlike the big chain toy stores, Toys “R” Us and KB Toys, A and M Comics has no organizational system whatsoever. Toy boxes are stacked ceiling-high throughout the tiny store, so you never know what you’ll find. Toys even hang from the roof, if you look up, you’ll see Green Lantern and Wonder Woman dangling high above, trapped in tiny plastic containers: “Where are your superpowers now? Scream all you want! AHAHAHA!” The more obscure toys line the walls: figurines from grown-up graphic novels like Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, statuettes of half-naked Japanese anime girls, and a slew of vintage toys that will take you right back in time about 20 years. (Remember M.A.S.K.?) There are also plenty of standard comic book store toys — The Simpsons toys, giant inflatable Spider-Men, and plenty others on which to spend your allowance. Location: 6650 Bird Road, Miami. Phone: 305-661-3406.

Best Sneaker Store

Shoe Gallery

Shoe Gallery started off in the ’90s as a dusty hip-hop shop that only a handful of hardcore sneaker collectors and artists frequented, usually to tag the designated graffiti wall. Eventually the shop grew in popularity and pictures of famous visitors like Missy Elliott, Nas, Talib Kweli and Lil Jon, began to line the walls. In the past couple of years, the Gallery has undergone a complete face lift and has been transformed into a hip, upscale boutique (an American Apparel has opened next door), but maintains its underground vibe. Unlike warehouse shoe stores, the Gallery doesn’t have a lot of space to keep a huge inventory, so they focus more on quality than quantity, constantly updating a small selection of rare and wonderful sneakers you probably won’t see in any other store. Location: 244 NE First Ave., Miami. Phone: 305-371-2063.

 

Best Women’s Shoe Store

Luna Shoes

Stylish shoes can be the most expensive articles in your wardrobe. With designer styles reaching the high hundreds, keeping your feet dressed in the best of brands is nearly impossible. However, owning several pairs of hot shoes doesn’t require taking out a second mortgage.

Luna Shoes carries the latest in shoe fashions without the exorbitant price tag of designer styles. Owner Michelle Sanchez hand-picks and chooses the shoes in her Miami locations that aren’t found in department stores. Sanchez scouts the fashion shows in New York, Las Vegas and Miami for the latest in flip-flops, stilettos, platforms and flats.

Keeping prices between $40 and $200, Sanchez says, is important and rare for most Miami shoe stores.

Luna also sells a collection of jewelry and handbags from New York and Los Angeles

that start at $18. Location: 5784 Bird Road, Miami; 5780 Sunset Drive, South Miami. Phone: (Miami) 305-667-1967; (South Miami)

305-661-2350.

 

Best Place to Trade in your threads

Rag Trade Happy Clothing Co.

Miami is filled with tiny gems and treasures scattered all over the city. Most recently, Rag Trade Happy Clothing Co. joined the collection by bringing us a new kind of thrift store. Rag Trade’s philosophy is basically the whole one-person’s-trash-is-another’s-treasure thing. But while going a little green, you can expect some green. Trade in your clothes for cash or other things you find in the store. Owner Stephanie Spiegel is super eco-conscientious and it shows. She has coordinated environmentally oriented activities like Guerilla Gardening and the Earth Day festival this past April. Sign up for the e-newsletter and you get first dibs on recent arrivals plus info on upcoming “green” events. Location: 4600 NE Second Ave., Miami. Phone: 305-573-1478.