The Art Basel Survival Edit: Where to Eat, What to Wear, and What Not to Miss
A chic, unbothered guide to the outfits, restaurants, and exhibits that actually matter during Miami’s cultural hurricane.
Written by: Vaughan Elizabeth OllierPhotography: Paul WhitfieldArt Basel Miami isn’t just an art week, it’s a full-blown lifestyle simulation, a holiday spirit teaser that sends you home with either precious art, transformative memories, or both. The outfits swing from preppy to provocative, the espresso is always double, and every girl on Lincoln Road is one RSVP away from a glamorous breakdown. Surviving the spectacle means dressing smart, layering creatively, and plotting for a schedule that runs from daylight panels to very late-night afters. Consider this your day-to-night blueprint for the Anarchy Gal: half collector, half chaos agent, gliding from convention center fluorescents to 3 a.m. rooftop smoke breaks without a single outfit-change meltdown.
Morning: Caffeine, Panels, Power Flats
Start at the Miami Beach Convention Center, where the main fair becomes your personal runway under brutal overhead lighting and the sharp half-smiles of already overworked gallerists. Start your preview navigation with your first cortadito on Cortado at Lincoln Road or a sugar rush from Rosetta Bakery, then bolt through the maze of booths like you actually slept.
“Surviving the spectacle means dressing smart, layering creatively, and plotting for a schedule that runs from daylight panels to very late-night afters.”
The look: steal your boyfriend’s crisp white collared shirt, layer it under an oversized plaid blazer or Diesel Coat and add a tiny Vivienne Westwood mini skirt. Archival piece preferred. Finish with Chanel flats or vintage loafers, sheer black tights, and something with personality on top: an oversized bow, a chunky scrunchie or a silk vintage scarf. Your bag is sleek leather, your jewelry barely-there, your sunglasses Tom Ford, and your secret weapon is a notebook to track which piece you’re pretending to “circle back on.” Toss in an extra pair of heels or a thigh high Jimmy Choo boots, a sheer dress and a nude eraser lipstick pencil, Rohde is our fav, an eyeliner if you’re not lazy, an eyelash curler instead of mascara cleaner and more effortless, a hydration fix (Charlotte Tilburry Hollywood flawless filter), and floss. Never underestimate the power of floss in a city built on tiny canapés!
Jacket Roksanda - Dress and Shoes DieselAfternoon: Private Collections, Culture, and Chaos
With dopamine levels spiked by the convention center’s visual intensity, make your way toward the private collections and satellite exhibitions. For a heavy-hitting contemporary flex, Rubell Museum and Pérez Art Museum Miami are your go-tos, with PAMM serving waterfront views and a lavender pavlova at Verde that’s basically edible sculpture. Explore private collections like Juan Carlos Maldonado or Marquez Art Projects when you want to pretend you live in a world where “acquiring” is a verb you use before lunch. Coffee at the Margulies Warehouse is a ritual, ideally paired with an early-morning dose of Lichtenstein, Wesselmann, and Warhol to recalibrate your internal color palette. On the way, pop by Design Miami, ICA, early-week Joyce Pensato opening, and the many art activations, in-store pop-ups, and artist-fashion takeovers orbiting the main fair.
If you get hungry, you’re spoiled for choice. Head to Dior Café, tucked on the rooftop terrace of the Dior women’s boutique, for coffee, tea, and pastries in a dreamy Toile de Jouy fantasy of oversized giraffes, bears, and tigers. Or stay grounded and go all in on food: from “Mother Wolf” by chef Evan Funke to the excellent Korean BBQ at COTE.
“With dopamine levels spiked by the convention center’s visual intensity, make your way toward the private collections and satellite exhibitions.”
For a softer, Mediterranean interlude, Mandolin remains the line-you’ll-gladly-wait-in classic, best paired with a breeze, rosé, and the vague sense you might move here “for a season.”
Wynwood is your tech-refugee safari: Panther Coffee packed with ex-San Francisco founders now “building something in stealth” under massive murals. If traffic traps you there, as it will during Basel, lean in and let the day slide into Dante’s HiFi, where the early DJ sets, dim lights, and stacked crowd are perfect for people-watching and plotting your night. Cool comfortable flats plus curated jewelry equals maximum stamina for maximum art FOMO.
If you get hungry, there are plenty of small restaurants and taco spots to graze through. But if you’re craving a one-of-a-kind sushi experience, book a table at Uchi and make it a proper moment.
Dress Richard Quinn Sunglasses Tom Ford - Earrings and necklace by Anabela Chan for Robert WunDay-To-Night: Quick-Change, Maximum Drama
By late afternoon, it’s transformation hour, no hotel pit stop required. Lose the blazer, stash the flats and the boyfriend shirt, bring out that sheer dress and slide into statement heels (Bottega Veneta energy) or razor-cool Ann Demeulemeester boots. Ditch the tights for bare legs, let the dress do the talking, and bring in jewelry with a point of view: Titi Atelier statement earrings or a bold necklace, plus ripple rings from Kiki McDonough and a unique gemstone bracelet that read “I RSVP’d yes to everything, obviously.”
Your daytime pony gets slicked back, middle part and gel for ready to go-instant glamour. On the face, choose your weapon: a red lip for instant classic drama, or a smudged Cocoa Satin Kajal Eyeliner from Victoria Beckham around the eyes for that slept-in rocker stare, remember we are cool girls over here…
Although Anarchy Girls love an excuse to go extra, Basel being the ultimate stage - take inspiration from our photos and lean all the way in with a stylist like the incredible Oliver Volquardsen… If your vibe is more mother than sister, reach for the Robert Wun couture fascinator. If you’re channeling Grace Kelly, slip into a mint Richard Quinn gown and keep your TF sunglasses on. It all comes down to how practical you plan to be… so pick your poison.
Evening: Dinner, Drinks, and Rooftop Delusions
Miami nights are long, humid, and heavy on reservations. For Italian without the exhausting performance of “old-school glamour,” over at Carbone and Cipriani hit spots like Macchialina’s garden for a bowl of cavatelli meatballs that will single-handedly save your soul after twelve hours of small talk. If you want new and buzzy, The Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller or Stubborn Seed give you modern, elevated plates. Pastis is your quick Sancerre-and-Oysters reset, only this time with a lush garden and a cocktail bar made for eavesdropping. For Asian cravings, Hakkasan over at Fontainebleau or MIMI Chinese on Alton Road that brings spice, mood, and NYC déjà vu.
After dinner, go to sleep! That would be the best choice, however half of the world comes to Basel to party so choose wisely. E11EVEN just got voted for the best club in the country-so if you like vibes they party till morning. There will be many parties throughout the city like once at the inevitable Soho ten for celebrity proximity (with glitzy opening party on the 28th ) or for controlled chaos go for MILA lounge, The Beatrice (a boiler room hidden by a pizza club) and effortlessly fashionable, very-French Silencio takeover inside the Miami Beach Edition basement.
Stefan Cooke dress - Boots Jimmy Choo - Underwear YasminE ESlami“After dinner, go to sleep! That would be the best choice, however half of the world comes to Basel to party so choose wisely.”
Survival Tips for the Anarchy Gal
Weather whiplash: Cool mornings, scorching afternoons, breezy nights, layer like a pro-plan fabrics accordingly.
Comfortable chic only: You’re not here to be punished - well aside from the Basel pricing. Pick flats or boots with personality and let your jewelry do the flexing.
Get Weird: Satellite fairs and private shows can be the real main event so reserve early.
Photo etiquette: Some spaces are camera crazy, others are strictly “eyes only.”
RSVP: Overlap is brutal. Sync invites, color code your calendar, and accept that you can’t be everywhere, even if your outfit could.
Traffic is the true villain: Budget at least an hour between Design District and Miami Beach, and always have snacks and a portable charger.
Hanzo Enzyme Anarchy Daily’s spirit animal at Design Miami.
Art Basel Miami is less a fair and more a full-body experience: part gallery crawl, part runway, part fever dream. With the right outfit or stylist, a few sharp accessories, and a semi-reckless schedule, you’ll slide from sunrise espresso to the Afters without missing a beat, complete Anarchy, but make it editorial.
In the lead image Vahughan Ollier wears Razor Blade Dress- Brian De Carvalho Stylist & Creative Director: Oliver Volquardsen Makeup Artist: Janeen Witherspoon
Model: Vaughan Elizabeth Ollier