Basel Beautiful

Few occasions successfully combine art, fashion, music and society the way Art Basel Miami Beach does. To kick off this year’s festivities, W Magazine’s Stefano Tonchi hosted the highly anticipated opening of Ian Schrager’s new EDITION hotel. A cultured crowd including artists Bill Powers, Marilyn Minter, Tracey Emin, and Marina Abramović, as well as curators, collectors, musicians, and models sipped cocktails in the beautifully redone hotel, discussing second homes, horses, and of course, art. An all-black clad (including her hair) Linda Evangelista summed it up when she said, “Fashion is art—and the worlds are intertwined.”

Guests proceeded into the hotel’s Jean-Georges Matador restaurant for a private dinner. Inside, David Schwimmer and wife Zoe Buckman remained in deep conversation, while curator and author Neville Wakefield chatted about his collaboration with luggage giant, Rimowa, and Schrager shared an affectionate moment with developer Alan Faena, whose large hotel and residential development, The Faena, lies just a few blocks away.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s model girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret angel Toni Garrn, explained how she forgoes the business aspect of the art world, saying, “I think art is just about the eye, it should be what you want to see.” Her tablemate, Harry Brant—son of Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant—was likely the youngest collector in the room. Now 18, he told of buying his first painting at 13 (a Josh Smith work), and said of his love for art, “Every cent I’ve ever made modeling, I’ve spent on art.”

Nicolas Bos, President and CEO of Van Cleef and Arpels, compared the Miami event to Switzerland, saying, “It’s not the same spirit in Basel. It’s not a party place at all. But the quality of the art here is the same as any great art fair.”

Following dinner, droves of guests filed in for the Silencio-sponsored after party. Dev Hynes, aka Blood Orange, performed as the growing crowd crammed in around the two glistening pools. The hotel basement quickly overflowed as well as guests marveled at the bowling alley and were treated to bikini-clad ice skaters in the hotel’s indoor rink.