FRAMED by Leigh Allison Pollack
Miami Swim Week and surrounding occasions were white hot.
White is having a moment this spring and summer — a long moment, especially after all-winter-white ensembles were shown on winter 2024 runways such as Saint Laurent, featured in Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Vanity Fair, and worn by celebrities and style influencers including Zoe Saldana and Nicole Richie. White never goes out of style and in this columinst’s opinion is a lovely color to wear as a wedding guest and should be worn after Labor Day.
The waning days of Miami’s social season are upon us, which for fashion-philes means more resort-wear and less clothing. The Miami Heat’s season may be over, but warm Miami nights and outdoor events mean the Miami style elite must find creative ways to look hot without looking like they are overheating.
At Instituto Marangoni Miami’s annual fashion runway show, guests at the Miami school of fashion’s student design showcase sat under the stars in the Miami Design District’s Palm Court. The Miami Symphony Orchestra played live music as models descended escalators and wove through a maze-like runway, wearing the final collections of 18 of its graduating students.
Supermodel Karolina Kurkova strutted down the runway to a blue and white design by IMM student Ilayda Polat, along with countless (seriously – I lost count!) models wearing designs by IMM’s top design students.
Front row Guests included Victoria’s Secret model and influencer Vita Sidorkina-Morabito and Isabela Grutman.
Student-Designer Paula Patino’s designs stood out as vibrant and effortless, with draped pieces moving beautifully down the runway.
Melissa Odabash’s 25th Anniversary Runway show at Miami Beach’s Bass Museum during Miami Swim Week featured white, lace, knits, and a few bold prints. Real Housewife Kelly Bensimon strode down the runway much to the delight of the crowd. Former Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood (wearing Melissa Odabash) and her English footballer husband, Bradley Dack, sat front row, along with Miami style influencer Matt Dillon and The Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos, wearing a white mini she described as, “from my closet, from Nordstrom.”
At the 109th Annual Miami Dade Bar Installation Gala at the Fontainebleau, guests were asked to wear white, ivory, pearl, or gold, which looked so lovely against the Miami Beach backdrop during the rooftop sunset cocktail hour.
Leigh Allison Pollack is a personal stylist and wardrobe consultant, a fashion and lifestyle writer, a poet, a lyricist, and a singer/songwriter based in Coconut Grove. Leigh is a graduate of Ransom Everglades School and University of Miami, and earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in Poetry at San Diego State University. Find her on instagram @Leighapollack.
