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Miami Beach's glam factor attains serious tone with the inclusion of André Balazs, new owner of the Raleigh hotel. Balazs, who also owns LA's notorious celebrity haunt, the Chateau Marmont, New York's minimalist-masterpiece, The Mercer; and another flashy little place on the Sunset Strip called The Standard (whose financial backers include Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz), has now added one of South Beach's most prized art deco jewels to his stable of properties. In all of South Beach, the Raleigh is the one hotel—with the possible exception of Jennifer Rubell's Albion—that possesses the most natural beauty. Designed in 1940 by deco/streamline master architect L. Murray Dixon, the Raleigh was an immediate hit with pre-war Miami's visiting Hollywood set and has since become well-known throughout the fashion industry for its exotic art deco architecture and dreamy locales for photo shoots. But, it's the events hosted at the Raleigh that make the vibe so special, not the least of which is the sexy Sunday afternoon beach-club style party known as "Soiree," thrown by local scenesters Ingrid Casares, Tommy Pooch and Alan Roth. The Raleigh's pool area is an oeuvre d'art in and of itself with flowing baroque lines and a guard-house/pool-bar reminiscent of the great ocean liners that still steam into the port of Miami. André Balazs, who was one of the original pioneers to explore South Beach, was previously married to Katie Ford, CEO of Ford Models, and looking forward into 2005 we envision gorgeous models lounging around the pool by day and sultry parties by night, all adding up to an alluring scene that will be hard to resist. |
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