The Art of Dressing for the Sun
From Wynwood to the Design District, a sophisticated guide to protecting your skin while experiencing Miami Art Week.
Every December, Miami becomes a city of art, fashion and movement. During Art Basel Miami Beach and Miami Art Week, the galleries of the Design District, streets of Wynwood, hotels of South Beach and waterfront become part of one expansive cultural experience. A morning might begin with a gallery appointment, continue over lunch outside, lead to an exhibition in Wynwood and end with cocktails overlooking Biscayne Bay.
There is, however, another constant accompanying that journey: the Miami sun.
It is easy to underestimate it in December. Temperatures are more comfortable, but Miami's subtropical location means UV exposure remains a year-round consideration, particularly for anyone spending extended periods outdoors.
That matters during Art Basel, when hours walking between venues, waiting outside for events, dining outdoors or exploring installations can add up without feeling like a traditional “day in the sun.”
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, ultraviolet radiation contributes to premature skin aging and increases the risk of skin cancer. The organization recommends seeking shade, wearing protective clothing and using broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on exposed skin. Florida's Department of Health recorded 9,415 melanoma cases statewide in 2023, including 286 in Miami-Dade County.
The point is not to avoid the sun. It is to experience Miami more thoughtfully.
PROTECTION IS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
For more than 25 years, Coolibar has approached sun protection as something that should fit naturally into the way people live. Its philosophy, Sun Protection You Wear®, reflects the idea that clothing can provide meaningful ultraviolet protection while still looking and feeling like clothing you want to wear.
The concept is particularly relevant during Art Basel. Sunscreen remains essential, but clothing provides an additional layer of defense. Unlike sunscreen, which needs to be reapplied regularly, UPF-rated clothing provides protection to covered skin while properly worn.
UPF, or Ultraviolet Protection Factor, measures how much UVA and UVB radiation can pass through fabric. The Skin Cancer Foundation recognizes UPF 50+ as excellent protection; UPF 50 fabric allows approximately 1/50th of UV radiation through, blocking about 98 percent under standardized testing conditions.
SPF measures sunscreen effectiveness primarily against UVB-induced sunburn. The two approaches work together: sunscreen protects exposed skin, while UPF clothing provides consistent coverage across the areas it covers.
A UPF 50+ shirt can accompany a visitor from the Design District to lunch. A sun-protective dress can transition from an afternoon exhibition to an evening gathering, while a wide-brimmed hat can complete the look while reducing exposure to the face, neck and ears.
The goal is to make protection part of getting dressed rather than something remembered after the sun has become uncomfortable.
DRESSING FOR YOUR DAY IN MIAMI
There is no single way to dress for Art Basel, and there should not be a single level of sun protection for everyone.
Coverage depends on how you spend your day, how long you expect to be outdoors and your own relationship with the sun. Someone inside galleries has different needs from someone walking through Wynwood for hours or attending a waterfront event.
Coolibar's Levels of Coverage offer a simple way to customize protection according to the day.
Lighter coverage might mean incorporating a UPF layer, hat and UV-protective sunglasses while using sunscreen on exposed skin. For a full day exploring Miami, a UPF 50+ shirt, dress, skirt, lightweight trouser or cover-up can protect more skin while remaining appropriate for the city's relaxed style.
For extended outdoor exposure, long sleeves, longer silhouettes, higher necklines and UPF 50+ fabrics can increase coverage. A broad-brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses provide additional protection for the face, scalp, neck and eyes. The Skin Cancer Foundation notes that, generally, the more skin covered by protective clothing, the greater the protection.
People with photosensitivity, a history of skin cancer or a medical condition that makes UV exposure a particular concern should discuss their needs with a dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional.
Your Art Basel wardrobe does not have to look the same every day, and your approach to sun protection does not have to either.
THE SKIN-HEALTH BENEFIT BEYOND SUNBURN
Sun protection is about more than avoiding sunburn. It is also about cumulative exposure and long-term skin health.
The American Academy of Dermatology identifies sun exposure as a primary contributor to premature skin aging. UVA radiation penetrates more deeply into the skin and contributes to wrinkles, age spots and other visible signs of photoaging.
People invest heavily in skincare, professional treatments and aesthetic procedures, yet one fundamental principle remains: reducing unnecessary UV exposure. In that sense, sun protection is not simply a summer precaution. It is a long-term beauty strategy.
Miami makes this especially relevant because exposure happens in ordinary ways: the walk to the car, morning coffee, outdoor lunch, afternoon boat ride or hour spent browsing galleries. Together, those moments become part of a lifetime of sun exposure.
Protecting your skin is therefore less about restricting your lifestyle and more about preserving your ability to enjoy it.
WHEN SUN PROTECTION BECOMES STYLE
Miami has never been a city where function is expected to come at the expense of style. Its fashion language is built around resort dressing, polished simplicity, fluid silhouettes and lightweight fabrics.
Sun-protective apparel has evolved accordingly. A lightweight shirt can be worn open over swimwear or styled with tailored trousers. A long dress can move from an afternoon exhibition to dinner. A sophisticated hat can complete an outfit while providing meaningful coverage.
During Art Basel, when personal style becomes part of the spectacle, protection should not require you to step outside the aesthetic you have created.
That is why Coolibar has spent more than two decades developing sun-protective clothing as a category rather than treating it as a purely technical product. The goal is to make protection wearable in every sense of the word.
A WYNWOOD DESTINATION FOR ART, FASHION AND SUN PROTECTION
For those looking to explore the intersection of fashion, art and sun protection during Art Basel, there is a fitting stop in Wynwood.
Wanitta is a Colombian fashion brand based in Wynwood, Miami, known for celebrating Colombian design and fashion with purpose. Its Wynwood presence makes it a natural part of the Art Week experience, where fashion, art and cultural expression converge. Its current assortment also includes a dedicated Sun Protection Clothes category.
Among the collection is Mott50 Edition by Coolibar, an elevated collaboration that brings UPF 50+ protection into a sophisticated resortwear vocabulary. Wanitta currently features pieces including the Wynwood Maxi Dress, Samos Wrap, Icaria Tunic Dress and Montauk Large Brim Sun Hat.
The Wynwood setting feels fitting. Here, art, fashion and design are in constant conversation, and what you wear can be as expressive as the exhibition you came to see. Mott50 x Coolibar approaches sun protection as part of an elevated wardrobe rather than a technical afterthought.
For an Art Basel visitor, a flowing UPF 50+ dress can carry you from galleries to lunch, a lightweight wrap can become an elegant layer between indoor and outdoor settings, and a wide-brimmed hat can provide additional coverage while completing the silhouette.
Protective clothing no longer needs to look technical or utilitarian. It can be beautiful enough to stand on its own.
THE MIAMI APPROACH TO LONGEVITY
There is a certain irony to coming to Miami during Art Basel to celebrate things meant to endure while giving little thought to protecting ourselves from one of the forces that accelerates skin aging.
Great art is preserved because we understand its value. We control its environment and protect it from damaging conditions so it can be appreciated for generations.
Our skin deserves a similar philosophy.
This does not mean changing the way you experience Miami. It means understanding the environment and dressing intelligently: using sunscreen on exposed skin, seeking shade, wearing UV-protective eyewear and considering UPF clothing during extended outdoor exposure.
For some, that may mean lighter coverage. For others, particularly those with specific medical or dermatological needs, it may mean significantly more.
The most sophisticated approach is the one that is personal.
EXPERIENCE MIAMI. PROTECT WHAT MATTERS.
Art Basel is an invitation to experience Miami at its most vibrant. Walk the galleries. Explore Wynwood. Wander the Design District. Meet friends for lunch outdoors. Spend an afternoon moving between exhibitions and a sunset by the water. The city itself becomes part of the experience.
Coolibar makes it easier to dress for all of it. With Sun Protection You Wear®, UPF 50+ apparel and its Levels of Coverage approach, protection can be tailored to the day ahead.
Coolibar's new shoppable app also brings the collection directly to your phone, making it easier to browse new arrivals, discover sun-protective styles and shop wherever your Miami itinerary takes you. The app offers early access to collection launches and special offers.
For the Art Basel visitor, the right hat, dress, wrap or layer is only a few taps away, whether you are getting ready at the hotel, heading between events or planning tomorrow's itinerary.
From Coolibar's pioneering approach to sun-protective apparel to the fashion-forward Mott50 x Coolibar collaboration at Wanitta in Wynwood, Miami offers a new way to think about protection: as something considered, personal and beautifully integrated into the way we live.
Because enjoying Miami is about more than seeing what is on display. It is about being outside, moving through the city, taking it all in and making the most of every moment.
After all, the most important masterpiece you will encounter this week may not be hanging in a gallery. It is the one you take with you everywhere.