We Own the Night

YES, ART BASEL MlAMI BEACH still entices big-game hunters like the anonymous collector who dropped a cool $8 million on a Jeff Koons. But it's the fair's well-stoked nocturnal flame that draws legions of social moths. The nightlife scene there has become so saturated that it takes serious cultural cred to stand out. The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) hosted a dinner with Phillips and an afterparty with Lehmann Maupin and White Cube celebrating Tracey Emin's first U.S. solo exhibit ion. ' l'he event started at Cecconi's, at the Soho Beach House, and ended with poolside dancing. The  following night, W magazine and Vionnet pulled in a crowd with a double whammy: a preview of the new Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and a sneak peek at Tim Walker's short film "Suspension of Disbelief," starring Kristen McMenamy as a haunting mermaid. The same evening, the Parisian nightclub Silencio and the Miami Design District kicked off their three-year collaboration with a party, sponsored by Samsung Ultra HDTV, on the rooftop of the Design District's Garden Building. The artist Takashi Murakami unveiled a selection of 10 short films and animations, and Pharrell Williams gave
a surprise performance of his latest hit, ''Happy."

AT TIMES ART BASEl, MIAMI Beach can seem like yet another Fashion Week. True, there aren't any runway shows, but once the sun goes down, the scene feels decidedly style-driven. Louis Vuitton's dinner celebrated the brand's contribution to  the Design Miami fair: the posthumous construction of the French architect Chadotte Perriand's dream house, La Maison au Bord de L'Eau, on the beach behind the Raleigh Hotel. The structure looked beautiful at sunset, especially when occupied by the likes or supermodels Elle Macpherson and Cindy Crawford. The next night, Aby Rosen and Samantha Boardman hosted their annual dinner, followed by an afterparty in conjunction with Dom Perignon Limited Edition by Jeff Koons at the W South Beach. Many of the art lovers in attendance including  Lenny and Zoe Kravitz, Steven Tyler and China Chow  would have looked right at home in the front row. And Art Production Fund and Calvin Klein Collection wrapped up the week with a paryy toasting Francisco Costa's special resort collection for the Webster. Ryan McGin ley designed limited-edition T-shirts for the occasion, and Alessandra Ambrosio and Desiree Rogers took turns posing with Costa. If it looks like a fashion party, and it feels like a fashion party...