Those of you who read yesterday’s post know I’m down in Miami and the Modernism Show—Hula Girl lamp not withstanding—was kind of a bust.

However, the city and environs, its architecture, people and popular culture are in a class by themselves, and I’m so delighted to be in a MiMo state of mind.

What exactly is MiMo, or Miami Modern? To some, it’s the Deco hotels of South Beach. To others, it’s the wacky facades and interiors of post-World War II. The truth is, it was born of the former, and the latter, and is still evolving and making its mark, not only in the condo market and hospitality industry, but on home furnishings, art, fashion–everything.

Where did MiMo come from originally? Europe? Yeah. California? Ditto. But, really? A swamp. That’s right. Everything here is man-made, and that’s actually a good thing.

There’s never been any pretense: South Florida is a place to escape, have fun, create a “clean slate.” That means new shapes, new materials, just NEW and different.

Throughout the better part of the 20^th century and into the 21^st, people from all over the world have come here to reinvent themselves, to not only live a more glamorous lifestyle than they would, say, in Paraguay, Paramus or Peoria, but to BE glamorous. Add to that the tropical/natural influences, i.e. palm fronds and flamingos, and the International Style influence, and you’ve got yourself one very cool and dynamic movement.