#ThankYouMiami x The Falls Miami Giveaway - #GiveThanksForFashion

We are thrilled to announce that SoulOfMiami.org is back and better than ever. We are even more excited to announce that our first post on the improved and faster site is an amazing giveaway courtesy of The Falls Miami. The prizes are to die for and totally timely since we are a few short weeks from a holiday shopping emergency so click on the image below to get the scoop on how you could be our lucky winner! And, if you win, please take us shopping with you.

#ThankYouMiami for a Sense of Community - The PopUp Dinner Miami

As locals, our greatest honor and responsibility is to show outsiders that Miami is more than meets the eye. We want them to also appreciate our city's non-nightlife assets, like a thriving population of leaders and innovators and a burgeoning sense of community. These concepts are difficult to convey within our day-to-day because they manifest themselves in small, seemingly insignificant moments. However, large events such as this past weekend's The PopUp Dinner Miami, organized by Handmade Events and presented by Acura, help to illustrate them more concretely.

The all-white outdoor dining event, which was the first of its kind to take place in our beautiful city, brought the Miami community together under a common theme and purpose: to indulge in music, food, and wine. By its very nature, it created a sense of unity, of community that was reinforced with memorable moments like the synchronized lighting of sparklers.

Whether you are a Miami local or visitor, we hope that our latest article for Société Perrier helps you see what we see in Miami - the depth and beauty beyond the 99-cent postcard image. We know that, at a minimum, you will enjoy the stunning photos captured by local photographer Fernando "Holiday" Vargas. Click the photo below for the full feature.

Did you go to The PopUp Dinner Miami? What was your favorite moment? What food and decorations did you bring? Do you have any suggestions for those who want to attend similar events in the future? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!

#ThankYouMiami for Fostering Creativity - Fashion Meets Art

One of Miami's charms is its ability to bring people from various cultures together and spur their creativity. That's what happened when Viviane Chiffrin, a Martinique-based designer, Anouck "Noon" Jourdaa, a Miami-based French pop artist, and Stephanie Hasham, a Curacao-born designer, joined forces to put together a ready-to-wear fashion show for French Weeks Miami. The result? A one-of-a-kind collection of unique dresses and handbags featuring Jourdaa's vibrant artwork painted directly on fabric. How Chanel Spring 2014 of them, no?

This Wednesday, Chiffrin, Jourdaa, and Hasham's never-before seen collaboration will debut in the Miami Design District during a runway show that will also feature Chiffrin's Caribbean-inspired Extreme Chic collection. Lucky for you, the full event will be live streamed here so you can mix yourself a rum cocktail and join us from the comfort of your own home. Just make sure to tune in at 8 p.m. as the designs are revealed. You may recognize a few faces both on and off the runway!

Jourdaa's work in progress as she paints her artwork directly onto dresses designed by Chiffrin.

The finished product is true to Jourdaa's style, whose "work celebrates the joy of being a woman by blending playful sensual women with semi-abstract shapes that are part of her everyday life."

Chiffrin designed a special dress for Jourdaa that she will wear especially for the event.

Jourdaa's dress, which is also part of the Extreme Chic collection, will also feature her own work.

During the event, Jourdaa will live paint this dress for the 200+ guests and audience viewing from home.

Don't forget to tune in this Wednesday, November 12 to live view the show! During the event, you can also follow us on Twitter @ThankYouMiami for behind-the-scenes updates and to live chat about your favorite moments with us!

#ThankYouMiami for Dining Experiences - Earl's Kitchen + Bar

In a faraway suburb called Kendall, a drive from Miami's metropolitan core, is a large enclosed shopping mall known as Dadeland Mall. As University of Miami alumni, we remember it from our college days. Dadeland was our go-to for formal dresses and for window shopping in times when we had a modest student budget. For the past couple of years, despite having a more ample bank account, we have not been back. We blame it on the fact that we're South Beach locals and we rarely leave "The Beach".

This week, we discovered exactly what we've been missing by not visiting Dadeland: Earl's Kitchen + Bar. The burger and beer joint of Canadian origin opened its southermost location at the luxe wing of the mall in March of this year and has been going strong ever since. This Fall, Earl's is supercharging their menu with dishes developed in collaboration with guest chefs like Top Chef alum and former Miami resident Jeff McInnis. A flurry of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options from the creative mind of Cameron Bogue, Earl's Director of Beverage Operations, bring the dining experience full circle.

Here are the five menu items you cannot miss:

1. Cabin Fever. Leave it to the Canadians to incorporate pine cones into cocktail culture. Bogue's interpretation of a Penicillin successfully marries Crown Royal, tawny port, ginger, lemon, pineapple, moondog bitters, and a bowmore-soaked pine cone for the perfect Miami fall drink. Photo courtesy of Earl's Kitchen + Bar.

#ThankYouMiami for Fashion - Faux Fur in the French Quarter

Per the Miami norm, our fashion HQ at SoulOfMiami.org is currently getting a little work done. But these photos from our recent trip to New Orleans were begging to make their way onto the "internets" and, since Miami is between two cold fronts, we figured you could use inspiration for a cool weather look. Alas, today's post for our #ThankYouMiami for Fashion column is solely being posted on our site.

This look begins with a dream three years in the making. That's how long we've been looking for the perfect faux fur or fluffy jacket. We've tried on hundreds and hundreds of jackets, never finding "The One" - until last week when we set foot at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans. There, nestled amidst the Fall/Winter fashions of Forever 21, was the faux fur jacket of our reverie (similar here and here).

We bought the jacket on our second day in town and found an excuse to wear it every day of our trip. It was definitely overkill for the mild weather, which was in the low 70s and sunny, but from the covetous and confused stares we received it was apparent we looked fabulous. Moreover, the jacket proved super versatile. We shot two looks with the jacket for the blog - this one, which was perfect for exploring the French Quarter, and another that was perfect for a night out on the town and will be featured in a future article. For other ways of styling a faux fur jacket, check out the snaps from our NOLA trip on our Instagram page.

Faux fur jacket and hat - Forever 21

Lavender open back tank - PacSun at The Falls

1969 boyfriend jeans - The Gap

Sneaker wedges - Steve Madden
Photography - Bradley Wells

What piece of clothing are you desperately searching for right now? What is the one item in your closet that can take your outfits from good to fabulous? What is the one outfit that can turn a boring day into an amazing one? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!