fashion week: MIA for MI

i admit it, i'm a sucker for free stuff. but aren't we all? 

that being said, i've never been attracted to the kitschy logoed key chains, press-on acrylic nails, cheap faux eyelashes and over-the-counter brand shampoo samples that typically come in swag bags and just take up space in my garage until the latest green bag of outdated clothes can be taken to goodwill. if it's crap, i don't want it...free or not. which is why the mia tiki stand and "shoe check" at mercedes-benz fashion week on friday was all the more genius.

 
since i'm offering full disclosure already, i'll also admit that of the nearly 100 pairs that i own (yes, i said "nearly" - trying to scale back recently), i didn't own a pair of mia shoes yet. but after this weekend, i think it's safe to say that has changed and will continue to.

while hanging out by the pool in between fashion shows, our lovely guides from img told me about a way cool pr promotion via mia shoes. because it was difficult for those of us in heels - which was probably about 90 percent of guests - to walk in the sand-lined "oasis" show tent, the mia girls set up shop in a tiki hut outside to assist. complete with cute branded beach bags to hold the heels, they offered a complimentary pair of espadrilles in a range of colors and patterns to anyone who checked in with them and "liked" their facebook page, which of course my friends and i took advantage of.

i loved the promo not only for its marketing value (i'm blogging about it, so it worked for publicity, and the facebook "like" brought me see some stylishly hot wedges of theirs that i normally would have missed), but also because i have a new pair of summery khaki flats perfect for days by the beach...which i proudly wore to a seaside lunch after an ocean swim on saturday...

mia shoes espadrilles with an old abercrombie & fitch floral dress, 

a few bracelets and sunglasses from locals surf shop at juno beach.

fashion week: first look at miami swim.

after a month's hiatus that included a few jetblue flights, a wedding, the absolute cutest babies, a lot of swim-bike-run training sessions and a bunch of drives to miami, i'm back on the blog. and it was the latest trip to miami on friday night that motivated this return...thanks to mercedes-benz fashion week swim at the raleigh hotel. because if that didn't do it, i don't know what would have.

here's a few highlights from the trip i took with friends from my day job as we got a behind-the-scenes look at the real fashion week, a la img fashion...

a peek from above:

mojitos & moet poolside:

in the tents at the agua bendita runway show:

in the "oasis" to view the poko pano 2013 collection:

 

and a look at my favorite white, lacy fringe rachel rachel roy dress in action inside the oasis:

and this is just a taste. there's more to come this week as we touch on the two shows we got to see up close and personal, and maybe a few of those we didn't get to see but realize we really missed out on. we'll also recap great pr promotion we took advantage of and how valuable it was for both sides!