Bruce Weber’s Miami

In the mid 1980’s, photographer Bruce Weber put Miami on the style map when he began to shoot fashion spreads in the then rough-and-tumble area of South Beach. He still returns every winter to explore—and photograph—Miami’s vibrant neighborhoods, from the sophisticated Design District to the exile enclave of Little Haiti. It’s a city, according to Weber, full of “hidden jewels.” Here, a peek at his top spots, along with some of his personal photos.

Favorite Neighborhood
“Little Haiti has all the exotic qualities of a unique destination—a rich history, amazing music—but you don’t have to travel far to get there,” says Weber, speaking of the 43-block district just north of downtown. Its center is the Libreri Mapou Bookstore & Mapou Cultural Center, with exhibitions by up-and-coming Haitian artists such as Jean Brierre and discussions by literary stars, including Edwidge Danticat.

Shop
In North Miami Beach, the 10,000-square-foot C Madeleine’s pays homage to all things vintage—1970’s Pucci floral-print dresses; Bill Blass gingham trenches; classic Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry. “Whenever I take designers there, I can’t get them to leave,” Weber says. In Coral Gables, Eutopia Books stocks hard-to-find tomes on fashion, architecture, and Miami history.

Do
On lazy afternoons, he watches independent films such as Leon Ichaso’s Paraiso at Little Havana’s 1926 Tower Theater.