If there is one thing we know about Miami, it's that this city loves its bling. And according to local jewelry designer Bobbie van der Vlugt -- whose line Musa is becoming a celeb favorite -- this is the case whether donning a bikini or a cocktail dress.
In other words, expect to see plenty of icing during this week's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim.
"We always tend to show more skin than other cities," said van der Vlugt. "It's part of the fun of being a woman, and you want to feel sexy in Miami."
She added, "It's a woman's birthright to adorn herself... and we [Miami women] tend to like to be adorned."
van der Vlugt -- who collects her signature beads from all over the world -- has outfitted the necks and wrists of A-listers like J-Lo, Elle Macpherson and Uma Thurman (who has snagged over 50 pieces from her line). Still, the Miami native admits the selling point for some -- particularly the men-wearers like rocker Lenny Kravitz and George Hamilton -- is the fact the pieces can be deep sixed, literally.
"You can actually swim with quite a bit of it," she said. "A lot of my things are gravitated towards things you can wear to the beach, even snorkel and dive."
And as far as what to wear to the Swim Week after parties, well, van der Vlugt says she has Miami (sort of) covered there as well.
"Now I've got these body pieces that also wrap around the waist that are really beautiful with swim suits, and also lends itself nightly to the nicest nightclub or restaurant," she said. "I always say they are for bikini to cocktail."
