MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Joe Jonas, Kim Kardashian, Usher and a bevy of supermodels are making the party rounds in South Beach this week, with Art Basel Miami Beach gatherings drawing celebrities, art collectors and fashionistas from around the globe.
Jonas and rapper 2 Chainz walked the red carpet at VH1's party at club Mansion on Friday night, where guests danced to DJ Swizz Beatz' eclectic set and spray-painted digital messages on a TV screen.
The crowd was more intimate at MTV's private rooftop party at The Shelborne where designer Catherine Maladrino was among the guests sipping champagne.
Several celebs were no-shows at both parties, where the crowds were noticeably thin. Protesters, angry over a New York grand jury's decision to not indict a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man, marched through the street and blocked one of the major causeway connecting Miami to Miami Beach.
But the stars were out in full force earlier this week. Beyonce's little sister Solange Knowles was the making the music as she sang at an after party for a private watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen dinner Wednesday hosted by actor Jason Alexander where guests included "Into the Woods" actress Emily Blunt and Victoria's Secret models Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima. Kardashian stepped out at the Paper magazine party Wednesday wearing a black crop top and thigh-high split skirt — far more than she did on the magazine's talked-about cover that featured her nude backside. And Usher and Beastie Boys' Mike D walked the red carpet Wednesday night at the ArtHaus VIP lounge at the Select Air Fair, one of at least 20 satellite art fairs surrounding Art Basel.
Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted at Story nightclub, hanging with several ladies until the wee hours of the night Friday. He was also at Basel's VIP opening for serious art buyers on Wednesday, along with designer Vera Wang.
Perhaps the week's most memorable celebrity moment: Miley Cyrus' bizarre private performance Wednesday, where she smoked pot onstage, sang a duet with a topless woman and sang an original song she said she was inspired to write after her friend's cat spoke to her in a dream.
