A visit this afternoon with Andrew Ackermann, who splits his time between New York and Paris.

Name: Julia Gourdon
Occupation: Salesperson at The Webster in Miami
Hometown: Nice, France
DOB: 22nd January 1984
Most Distinguishing Feature: I’m super outgoing and very social
Likes: Sundays, Ibiza, fashion, my chihuahua, Europe during summer-time
Dislikes: Pretentious people of all kinds
Favorite Film: There are too many to choose!
Theme Song: “Just a little bit” and “I’m good I’m gone” by Lykke Li
Dream Affair: Sasha, my husband

I’m riding down Lincoln Road on my rental and I suddenly remember that now is the perfect time to pick up the Blackberry charger I forgot to pack. I’ve hijacked Anna’s charger on this trip and I’m sure she will soon notice that I’m holding it hostage. As I’m looking around, I barely notice that I’ve completely blocked the entire sidewalk and that there is man patiently waiting for me to move so he can walk by. But instead of getting angry, he asked me if I was lost and needed help. I smiled and remembered that I’m definitely not in New York right now.

Long story short, he thought I was asking for a pay phone and pointed me in this direction. It’s not what I wanted but it is exactly what I needed. Just a shot of kindness from a stranger and an old school phone booth that feels like it’s been plucked from an old PARISIENNE film. Charming, isn’t it?

Despite the manic day we had yesterday, we were truly psyched to have a slip of time for a studio visit with local artists Naomi Fisher and Jim Drain. The two are at the helm of a burgeoning new artist-run collective called The Bas Fisher Invitational, which serves as gallery space for both local artists and other hand-picked talents the two are excited about. Nestled in Miami’s Design district, the pair’s exhibition/studio revealed not only a show in the midst of installation but a spacious work area that offered brilliant glimpses of each of the artist’s handiwork. Fisher focuses on photography, painting, and video all based on performing art produced in natural settings, and Drain is noted for his inventive work in textiles, scavenging much of his materials (the ones he doesn’t make himself) right from the streets. From massive collages of fabric and colored cushions to Fisher’s bewitching fluorescent portrait paintings, we were more than inspired.

About a year ago I was on a travel shoot for Bon Appetit in Paris. Our shoot days were long, but every night I would meet up with a friend, and we would spend hours sitting outside of restaurants drinking, eating and people watching. The thing that struck me the most, was that so many of the girls we saw had such perfectly messy hair and super cute cuts. When I spotted this girl in West Hollywood, she took me right back to that PARISIENNE trip. This striking couple are makers of T-Shirt label Scottish Romance.