Published: July 28, 2006 04:42 pm            

‘Miami Vice’ fashion evolves into more casual look

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — You can still find a lot of carefully trimmed scruffy faces. There are plenty of tight dresses — cleavage, too. And you are still going to pay a ton of money to look cool.

But even while holding on to many of the key looks of “Miami Vice’s” television days, the people making the scene in Miami Beach look much more laid back than their 1980s counterparts, style watchers say.

“There is a huge change in fashion and in the beach in general,” said Gerry Kelly, whose passion is fashion and who has owned several nightclubs on the beach.

“There is a huge emergence of a more casual nightlife,” said Kelly, who like other Miami tastemakers was looking forward to the opening of the new “Miami Vice” movie this weekend.

In the 1980s, people like Gianni Versace, the Italian fashion designer who also worked as a costume designer on the TV series, helped shape the look.

Now, you see the influences of hip-hop and rap: Lil’ Kim and Sean (Diddy) Combs make the scene and bring their own version of couture, mixing denim and diamonds. Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm and Baby Phat lines host parties, introducing their new collections and even handing out free clothing to fans who go to see them at the nightclub.

“Tommy Hilfiger brought in a very casual, sport, urban collection, which seemed to dominate the theme,” Kelly said. The urban look changed the dress code at nightclubs by allowing sneakers — such as a $400 Rocawear pair — inside the hotspots.

A growing Latino population also has influenced what’s hot: Instead of sporting Detective “Sonny” Crockett’s white jackets and sockless loafers look that Don Johnson popularized, men are more likely to wear linen guayabera shirts or shorts with flip-flops.

And how about that flashy jewelry? Check out one episode of “Miami Vice” from 1984, and there’s Philip Michael Thomas, who played Detective Ricardo Tubbs, wearing a gold medallion, prominently displayed with an open-collared shirt. That’s something you’re not going to see too much of today.

“Thank God we’re losing the medallion look,” Kelly said.

(Though Colin Farrell, playing Crockett, does work the charm-on-a-leather-cord necklace look in the new movie.)

But the gold Rolex watches that clutched the wrists of many men on the show, from the drug dealers to the Miami Vice detectives, were a watershed, said Robert Verdi, host of Style Network’s “Fashion Police.” “The Rolex ushered in that moment for guys and that sort of luxury.”

That theme stuck. “Guys are showing off their watch. Miami men probably have five to 10 watches. They are as fashionable with watches as they are in clothing,” Kelly said, adding that Kenneth Cole is among the favorites, albeit a bit less expensive than some other brands.

The Rolex, a Vacheron or diamond-encrusted watches are hot accessories today. In the “Miami Vice” movie, Farrell wears a $95,000 platinum Vacheron Constantin.

And dressing up isn’t totally over.

“The suit is very big here,” Kelly said. “That’s where I think a little bit of the ‘Miami Vice’ is coming back.” Rapper 50 Cent wore an Armani suit to last year’s MTV Video Music Awards in Miami Beach, and Diddy and Miami’s own Shaquille O’Neal are often spotted dressed in big-name designer suits when out at the clubs.

Of course, Miami is still a beach town, and jeans and T-shirts have always played a part in its style.

“What I liked about it, coming from New York, it was totally laid back,” said Eric Milon, a nightclub owner who arrived here at the end of the “Miami Vice” days. He says he has long worn T-shirts and jeans year-round. T-shirts today owe a debt to the past.

“Feminine colors became acceptable for guys to wear,” Verdi said of the ’80s, pointing out that men wearing the lime greens and pinks were seen as “sexy” during the “Miami Vice” days. Who can forget Don Johnson’s colorful sleeveless T-shirts underneath his white or gray cropped jackets?

Today the colors are more likely to be black, purple, canary yellow and olive green, and Ted Baker’s T-shirts from London are a popular brand, Kelly said.

All three men said one of the more popular accessories for that T-shirt is the five o’clock shadow — something they expect to see much more of after the movie debuts.

As for Miami Beach women, they may have had bigger hair in the 1980s, but sundresses and sunglasses were a natural fit then and still are, said Rose DeMerle, 70, who said she played an extra on several episodes of the show. Show producers were always eager to emphasize the warmer climate, she remembered, recalling a cool day in the middle of winter when she shivered through a take while wearing what most of America would think of as authentic Miami attire.

“It’s not fair,” she said she told the producers. Still, “it was a lot of fun,” she said. (Extras would earn $40 a day. DeMerle also took her two daughters with her on set to work as extras, earning her $120 at the end of a very long day.)

There’s also another female style rule from the “Miami Vice” days that hasn’t changed: If you’re headed out for the night, show some skin. Better yet, show plenty of skin.

“Women still love to show a lot of cleavage,” Kelly said.

And for the Miami man? “Men show their fashion in South Beach by what they drink. He may dress to impress, but he’ll impress more by what he puts on his table,” said Kelly.

        

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