The Base line
Brooms shaped like crucifixes, golden figurines like chicken's claws, baroque chairs with army fatigue upholstery, Vivienne Westwood dresses and a Louis Vuitton couch -- one never knows what's in store at Base Annex.
And that's not even the point, says owner Steven Giles.
"What's most important to me are the spaces between the object, the actual environment and what makes it seductive, as opposed to the objects themselves," Giles says.
The 58-year-old Giles opened the flagship store, Base, one of the first lifestyle boutiques on Lincoln Road, in 1994. It was one of the first such shops to disregard rigid categories like clothing or music in favor of disparate items united solely by style.
With its eclectic home furnishings and women's wear, Base Annex, opened in early 2007, is a harem of opulence in dramatic, color-themed rooms.
There is a green room with velvet paintings, a blue room with printed throw pillows and windows simulating the sky, and an Asian-themed red room with vintage hand-painted room dividers.
From Marc Marmel cracked red leather tote bags ranging from $600 to $2,000 and Louis Morais ebony and white gold bracelets for $1,735 to Issa goddess gowns at $785, Base fashion is for the CEO ruffian princesses who wear Prada and street fair medallions. Other labels include L.A.M.B., Mercedes Salazar and Mawi.
Prices run the gamut, from a $20 vintage CD to a $4,500 Tobias Wong lead crystal chandelier dipped in white industrial rubber.
The Base stores' **11**ce are a natural outgrowth of Giles's personal ethos.
"Although I have no formal training or background in retailing," he wrote, "I suspect that from a very early age I have been a people-pleaser inasmuch as I get great pleasure in creating almost anything from scratch and seeking-out an appreciative audience."
Base Annex is located at 927 Lincoln Road, Suite 118 Miami Beach. 305-695-4026
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Beauty sometimes has a high price unfortunately. Definitely stop by if you can dish out the cash.
Posted by: glitterati on Tue, 2008-04-22 20:42