the webster
the Webster on Miami Beach has been called a "20,000-square-foot shrine to high fashion," and I would say that merely calling it a boutique would be an injustice to the 1930's art deco relic that houses one of the most ambitious stores in the States right now. Last summer, two fashion industry insiders, Laure Heriard Dubreui and Milan Vukmirovic, with names like Gucci, Jil Sander, Yves Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga under their metaphorical (but still very chic and very expensive) metaphorical belts, launched the Webster and stired up a press storm. The boutique aims to bring a French eye for style to Miami, but you and I both know how tough that is with the crowds we get around here. But amiss the barely clothes girls of South Beach the Webster is a welcome gem that brings some serious credibility to the Miami shopping scene.
The first floor of the Webster might be confusable for an average high-end store, there are bathing suits, cover-ups, t-shirts, and sandals, but on the labels (right next to the tags which will set you bag a pretty penny on even the simplest of things) are the names of some of the hardest to find and most innovative design minds right now. The second floor is where they really let loose, in an opulent space filled with racks and racks of perfectly styled pieces by the likes of Alaia, Balenciaga, Balmain (and yes, they had those sequins, shoulder-padded jackets), Givency, Marc Jacobs, Maison Martin Margiela and way more. Right along side these big names are up-and-comers like House of Waris, Pamela Love, and Genvieve Jones, they all blend together into a giant perfect dream closet of the chicest woman in the world and most definitely in Miami.
Of course, what would make a space full of clothes even more dreamy for any girl? Food of course. The Webster has both the first State-side Caviar Kaspia and the Roof open for drinks and the sickest view of the beach around. If you're the type that is down to sip some Champage eat some Kaviar and buy some Tom Ford then this should be your new hangout, but if you can't blow a years worth of college tuition in one sitting it's the best day trip and time-killer for any fashion lover, people watcher, beautiful-things-enjoyer or field tripper- but don't be scared when you're freaked-out whn you step back into the real world and remember that most of Miami doesn't dress quite so... well, Parisian.
