Under the weight of Miami's summer heat, Gen Art once again took over the Moore Building in Miami's Design District for Shop Miami. But like everything this year, it seems 2009's edition was only a shell of its former self. That's not to say we regret awarding the event "Best Place to Meet Single Women" in this year's Best of Miami -- it still is -- but the economy must have hit Gen Art pretty hard. The usual fashion show was scrapped and attendance was noticeably lighter.
Still, Shop Miami knows what it does best. Three floors of sample sales from local designers including Art of Shade, Ecoist, KRELwear, and "Best Trend" winner Gold Saturn had women rummaging through racks of clothing. Riptide's only complaint once again was its menswear selection, which is virtually nonexistent except for a few booths.
As we stood by the bar ordering a Kiwi Libre, 42Below Vodka's take on a Cuba Libre made with its kiwi-flavored spirit (which gave the concoction more of a banana flavor if you asked us), our bartender blurted out "There are no hot women here!"
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