High-Fashion Sportswear in a High-Design Building
Y-3 is the brainchild of Japanese designer and creative director Yohji Yamamoto. Inspired by the signature three stripes of the Adidas brand he saw everywhere, he asked his assistant to call the company. The rest, as they say, is history. Teaming with Adidas, Yamamoto began designing sportswear, and in October 2002, under the Y-3 name, they unveiled their first collection in Paris. The resulting collaboration continues to lead the way in the niche market of high-fashion sportswear.
Miami Y-3 is one of two free-standing US. retail stores, and it’s starting to turn heads, not least because it is located in Oak Plaza, the Design District project developed by Craig Robins of Dacra. The Y-3 building was designed by Miami architects Marieanne Khoury-Vogt and Erik Vogt. Miami Herald architecture critic Beth Dunlop hailed the building, and its neighbor, designed by the local firm Cure & Penabad Studio (Adib Cure and Carie Penabad). Wrote Dunlop: “If every work of architecture had the intelligence, the artistry, the engagement, and yes, the sense of enchantment of Oak Plaza, we’d be living in a really remarkable place.”
The Y-3 store itself is pretty remarkable - ground floor shopping in an airy space, and upper-floor reserved for private dining and special events. Oh yes, and then there is the clothing, much of it of unisex design. Corey Valestra, manager of the Y-3 store, names the men’s dark-green waterproof jacket with black leather trim ($505) as his favorite. There are plenty of more moderately priced articles, of course.
But even if you can’t afford them, check out the sheared-rabbit-hooded sweatshirts (just over $1000), the women’s black cape with arm holes ($865), the Nagatabi women’s boots ($360), the men’s Taikyu boots ($540), and of course the black Swarovski-studded men’s sneakers ($1200).
Y-3 is located at 150 NE 40th St., Miami. Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information call 305-573-1603, or visit www.Y-3.com.
Floral Creativity with European Taste
Mille Fleurs (French for a thousand flowers) is the name given to a type of tapestry produced in France in the 16th Century, made distinctive by its pattern of hundreds and hundreds of tiny flowers sewn or woven into the fabric. Mille Fleurs is also the name of one of the Biscayne Corridor’s newest flower shops. Opened this past month, it’s located in the complex of shops and offices near Soyka and Andiamo and known as the 55th Street Station, located at 5580 NE 4th Ct. in Miami.
German born proprietor Gesine Margenburg produces arrangements with what she calls “European taste.” Arrangements such as a simple orchid in a glass cube with decorative grass are very reasonably priced at $6.50 and up.
Margenburg also likes to incorporate fruits and vegetables in her creations. She recently designed an arrangement of Star-of-Bethlehems with stalks of fresh asparagus. A grouping of three roses arranged with an eggplant is priced at $8.50. She also enjoys using objects she finds at the beach. For instance, a bouquet of lilies might be paired with driftwood, sponges, or smooth stones.
Mille Fleurs is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For more information, call 305-756-2016 or log onto www.millefleurs-miami.com.
As the Condos Fill Up, So Does M Power Project Gym
After nearly two years of operation, M Power Project’s newest gym, in Miami’s Omni neighborhood at 210 NE 18th St., is starting to get attention. “Business is picking up,” says general manager Michelle Meyer. “People are starting to notice. It’s starting to click.” It may be starting to click because it’s being discovered by lots of new residents moving into the cluster of condo buildings nearby. It may also be that people are drawn to the wide array of classes, including aerobics, spinning, cardio sculpting, Pilates, yoga, and their newest addition, X biking.
The 18th Street location houses three distinct workout areas. The large, mirrored main room consists mostly of free weights and cardiovascular machines. Yoga and spinning classes are held in a separate, smaller room. X biking - a 30-minute class similar to spinning but much more intense - takes place in the plate-glass room at the left of the entrance.
Memberships start with a standard $499 a year. Variable options range from six months to $15 for the day, an $898 annual “friends and family” package, and discounted rates for college students, senior citizens, and the military. A program called “Buddy Day” allows members to bring in someone up to three times, free of charge.
For personal-training needs, members can pick from the gym’s staff of a dozen or so certified trainers, with rates beginning at $75 dollars per session. Staff member Diego Buendia, who has won weightlifting competitions, is also around to lend a hand to new members.
Hours of operation at 18th Street location are 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 305-358-8500.
Hours of operation for the original location in Miami Shores 9037 Biscayne Blvd.) are 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:0 p.m. Supervised childcare is offered Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. For more information, call 305-758-8600 or visit www.mpowerproject.com.
Sweat Records Has Moved - but Not Very Far
Since 2005 Sweat Records has been the only record store in Miami specializing in music by today’s cutting-edge underground and indy artists, stocking a wide selection of CDs and vinyl records. The business, owned by Lauren “Lolo” Reskin, got off to a promising start at a storefront location in Wynwood. But then came Hurricane Wilma, which virtually destroyed the building Sweat called home.
Essentially homeless after the storm, Reskin struck a deal with Churchill’s Hideaway, the Little Haiti live-music institution on NE 2nd Avenue, and moved her operation into the pub’s back room. With no prominent sign out front, and no publicity to speak of, the shop was virtually hidden from public view, yet miraculously it survived.
Now Reskin has headed out on her own again. November’s grand-opening bash marked the official move to a brand-new store - right next door to Churchill’s! “I definitely think it’s going to be a new era,” says a very pleased Reskin. This new era will include coffee and tea service, and much more space, enough for more sofas so customers can relax and linger. “It’s going to be way more of a place to hang out,” Reskin promises. “We want it to have more of a coffeehouse vibe, but still have the best selection of indy music.”
The new Sweat is located at 5505 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, and open from noon to midnight, seven days a week. Call 305-342-0953 or visit www.sweatrecordsmiami.com for more information.
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