By MARIA TETTAMANTI

So long New York Fashion Week. Arrivederci Milano. Bienvenidos Miami.

March 10 – 28 is Miami’s time to shine in the fashion spotlight with three major productions — FASHIONmiami, Miami International Fashion Week and Funkshionably Loud. Here, my fashion darlings, is the inside scoop on each globally diverse event.

FASHIONmiami (March 10 – 13)
New to the scene is first-timer FASHIONmiami, the brainchild of Alain Perez, Aleksander Stojanovic, Matt Heien, Aba Kwawu, SiiNC Agency and Craig Robins.

“The concept behind FASHIONmiami stems from the idea to consolidate multiple fashion events around the city and house them under one roof in one week,” Heien says. That means no schlepping from venue to venue as FASHIONmiami will take place in the Design District at a 35,000 square foot temporary structure (the former home of Design Miami during Art Basel)

“We are pleased that our show will call the Miami Design District its home. From Design Miami to Art Basel, the Design District was really a no-brainer. It is one of the few areas in Miami known as a ‘destination spot’ for style, fashion and culture,” Robins said.

The kick-off event for FASHIONmiami is Gen Art’s highly anticipated Fresh Faces in Fashion show. “Gen Art is one of the leading non-profit arts organizations in the country with a real knack for finding great talent. One great example is that they discovered Zac Posen in New York,” Heien said. “We will also be hosting the FGI Emerging Designers Competition presented by Chrysler, Custo Barcelona, Funkshion, as well as multiple independently produced runway shows,” Perez said.

Designs by Gustavo Cadile, Whitney Port, Craig Signer, Silvia Tcherassi and Phelicia Dell will also be strutting the catwalk. Dell’s show, in particular, will benefit Haitian Relief efforts. Heien adds, “We have designers from Miami, Spain, Colombia, U.S., Haiti and many other spots around the world. It’s Miami! The same energy the city has will be coming to life with fashion shows!”

Tickets: Excluding GenArt, all shows are free but reserving a spot is a must. Do so by simply logging on to www.fashionmiamishows.com for more info and RSVP by e-mailing fashionmiami@funkshion.com.
For the Gen Art show in particular, a limited number of tickets will be available to the public. Ticket prices for the VIP Packages (seated) are $65 for Gen Art Platinum Members and $75 for non-members. General standing admission is $35 for Gen Art Silver members and $45 for non-members. Gen Art Platinum members will receive two complimentary standing admissions. Tickets and membership information is available online at www.genart.org or by calling 212-255-7300.

Miami International Fashion Week (March 18-21)
The veteran event, this season marks Miami International Fashion Week’s 12th year in existence. Being staged t the Shops of Midtown, Beth Sobol spearheads the production which is touted as the largest International and Hispanic fashion event in the U.S.

“We represent the top emerging and established fashion designers from around the world who want to enter the U.S. market and designer competitions in support of student and young designers starting their careers,” said Sobol, President of Sobol Fashion Productions.

New this year for this particular event is Mayor Tomas Regalado’s recent declaration making Miami International Fashion Week the official fashion week for the City of Miami. Sobol says of the honor, “We estimate that MIFW participants and guests pump more than $4 million into the local economy for our luxury hotels, travel industry, fine restaurants, retail outlets and exciting nightlife. I’ve always worked with the Mayor’s office from the different administrations over the years and the event is now established enough that the city officials want to help and support MIFW to continue growing. MIFW is the fashionable equivalent of what Art Miami and the South Beach Food & Wine Festival means and brings to the City of Miami.”

A celebrity chef tasting by Top Chef: Las Vegas’ Ron Duprat and live music performance by Panamanian Benitez are also de rigueur. Glimpse into the collections of Julian Chang, Arciado Diaz, Munib Nawaz, Jaime Luna, Mikieda Franklin and more.

Tickets: Browse over to www.miamifashionweek.com. Tickets can be purchased online for $25 for certain shows. Expect increased ticket prices at the door where only cash is accepted.

Funkshionably Loud (March 24 – 28)
Formerly known as Funkshion Fashion Week and then Funkshion Miami Beach, this event wraps things up and coincides with Winter Music Conference. Taking place at a venue being built on the beach at Lumus Park (11th Street and Ocean Drive), Heien says, “Expect a much different vibe and crowd then you will see at FASHIONmiami. For instance, at Funkshionably Loud, you could wear shorts and a Tee to the events. For FASHIONmiami, I would suggest dressing up — or frankly, you might not get in.”

Expect daytime events, nighttime shows and a temporary basketball court on the beach for charity matches. Designers for Fashionably Loud include Parish Nation, Buffalo Jeans, Pitahaya Swimwear, Met in Jeans and LV Clothing.

Tickets: All events are free but reserving a spot is a must. Do so by simply logging on to www.fashionmiamishows.com for more info and RSVP by e-mailing fashionmiami@funkshion.com.