The only sign of Marc Jacobs at Art Basel this year so far – he's been a regular in the past – was at François Nars party on Wednesday night. He wasn't there in person, though: rather, MJ was one of the 15 fashionistas selected to star in an anniversary show for the make-up guru, thanks no doubt in part to his fiancé, ad exec Lorenzo Martone, masterminding the project.

One room at the Standard Hotel was festooned with the giant snaps, taken by Nars himself, of MJ, Carla Gugino, Isabella Rossellini and Naomi Campbell – who arrived midway through the party clinging to the compact makeup maven's side. "I've known Francois since I am 16 years old," said the glamazon. "I came to New York and he was the first make-up artist I worked with. He's like family." And who wouldn't want a family member who was handy with an eyelash curler? "I could probably do Naomi's make-up with my eyes closed," confided Nars.

Down the road, Princess Michael of Kent, dressed in headscarf and shift like Madame Arcati, swept into the Setai Hotel close to 10pm after a day toiling on the Galerie Gmurzynska stand. She'd been comparing the virtues of work by Pablo Picasso and (wait for it!) Sylvester Stallone at the gallery, and opted for the former. "It's smaller, and I'm running out of wall space," the royal explained. (Better luck next time Rocky!)



A smattering of fashion heavyweights like Stefano Tonchi and Calvin Klein held court nearby. Their presence was yet more proof that while Art Basel Miami Beach may pretend to be an art show, it's as much a date on the fashion calendar as Fashion Week or National Diet Month.

Later on the fluid party crowd moved on to the rooftop of the Delano Hotel where AnOther Magazine commandeered a hipsterish bash to celebrate the launch of a limited edition series of art prints the magazine's now selling at its online shop.

See Mark Ellwood's Art Basel coverage for Plum TV here: