Haven’t been going out lately while trying to cram in a bunch of stories for the newspaper before heading off to New York. I will be packing in spite of all the crazy advice I’m getting to just bring an empty suitcase and buy my wardrobe there.
Are you nuts? What are the odds of finding the right piece at the right time? Shopping on the road is fraught with peril because you’re under pressure to get it “now or never” and that kind of thinking can lead anyone astray. Even in the best of situations, when you’re at home and have a couple of days to think about a purchase, it’s possible to make a wrong decision, so what chance do you have when you’ve only got one shot? Might as well flip a coin.
That said, I will be running into some Labor Day sales upon my arrival in NY, but I will try to remember one of the golden rules of shopping: It’s no bargain if you won’t/don’t wear it.
Lindsay on the left, Jamie Lynn on the right
in Fighting Eel.
I typically travel with only one carry-on to avoid needless suffering. Some things I’m taking for sure are a vintage 1960s Jackie O/Balenciaga-style black jacket, Theory summer 2007 black jacket, Roberta Oaks Spring/Summer 2007 Quaint dress, and two or three metallic (two gold, one silver) Fighting Eel dresses from Fall 2006. Lindsay Lohan was photographed earlier this year in a gold dress that looked suspiciously like Fighting Eel’s dress, but credited to ABS. Fighting Eel’s Lan Chung said she felt certain it was FE’s. I’d have to agree. I can’t imagine Lindsay wearing ABS.
The dress and photo popped up on the radar because Jamie Lynn Sigler was also pictured in the dress and People.com ran photos of the two in April as an Off the Rack “who wears it better” Face-off. I think Sigler won.
Lan thought I was crazy to get so many of the dresses. Everytime I bought one at their Friday shopping events, she would be like, “Don’t you have that already?”
(She doesn’t know but I bought a fourth one at Second Skin at Ward Warehouse.)
I really like them because they’re comfortable and to me, go anywhere, even if they were intended to be holiday evening dresses. I believe in repurposing everything in your closet and jewelry box.
I wore the Fighting Eel dress in silver, center, to the “Breakfast at Tiffany” event in March, celebrating the 16th anniversary of Hawaii Bride & Groom magazine. From right are Lance Ishibashi, Gavin Kobayashi, Julie Aragaki and Anthony Gambino in a photo by MidWeek’s Yu Shing Ting.
If you take a look at page A2 in the Star-Bulletin today, you’ll see John Berger’s photo of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa with Mayor Mufi Hannemann at the Aug. 27 preview of Tagawa’s latest film, “Balls of Fury,” at Regal Dole.
I’m getting feedback from my scene spies about the actor’s ensemble: aloha shirt, normal; jeans, normal; geta, quirky but cool. We’re just wondering about the straw hat, indoors, at night. Ain’t no reason for that, but he seems like a genuinely nice, easy-going sort of guy so I guess we can forgive him for going a little too local.
I wasn’t at the sneak. There are only 4 reasons for me to see a film: great story, great director, great (or hot) actors, great costumes. One out of 4 ain’t bad. All 4 is killer. Still waiting to see “Becoming Jane.” Always love a period costume drama.
If you want to know how a newspaper story is born, it’s as simple as this: A little snippet of information comes via conversation, email or postcard like this one, and you just go hmm, that’s really cool. I’m glad I know about this. Will other people like knowing this?
Some things grab you right away, like the only-in-Hawaii images that fill Amy Davis’s illustration for Le Sportsac, the goods debuting Sept. 1, 2007 at the Ala Moana Center store. Sorry I can’t show you what said goods look like. Top secret until the unveiling (not even Amy has seen them), so you’ll have to go down there to check it out firsthand.
The work started with rough sketches like this one.
Inevitably, interviews sometimes veer off track, coz Amy is as passionate about her music with her husband Jon Moritsugu and her band, Low on High (http://www.myspace.com/lowonhigh) which just got signed to a Seattle label. Hey, she plays bass, I play drums and sing, we can relate.
At her home on Vashon Island, she’s also got a School of Rock thing going on, tutoring impressionable girls on what rock ‘n’ roll legends are made of. Here are, left to right, Mafya, Popcorn, Pirate, Rock C and Gorilla, of Iron Candy. Sez Amy, “They really are SICK ala Sonic Youth ‘87.”
Time to head to break away from your computer for a sec and head to the bookstore where buying Vanity Fair’s Style issue gets you the freebie Fashion Rocks magazine promoting Conde Nast’s annual celebration of a couple of my favorite things, fashion and music, with a couple of very eye-catching spreads featuring Sean Lennon and model/collaborator Irina Lazareanu and various fashion tribes (punk, mod, goth and rave), plus a style update on a trio of iconic women in rock, Stevie Nicks, Deborah Harry and Marianne Faithfull.
In the Vanity Fair, there’s a requisite best-dressed list including celebs and royals, but more interesting to me was the sad story about the suicide of Isabella Blow (below), a fashion original best known for having discovered Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen, and who often appeared in photographs wearing a fantastic Treacy hat.
The circumstances of her death surprised me, in the same way geek film-goers are probably shocked to be reading about Owen Wilson now. It’s hard to know a people beyond their facades, though instant media networks often suggest intimacy.
Another story about Blow also appears in the July issue of New York magazine, titled “The Sad Hatter.”
Also in the Vanity Fair is an ad for Gwen Stefani’s new fragrance, L, with the music star looking something like a cross between Marilyn Monroe and a Vargas pinup girl.
The clubs always want the big stars to add cachet to their after-hours parties, but after her show here Aug. 24, Gwen had a quiet little soiree — that is herself, hubby Gavin Rossdale and son Kingston — at Halekulani’s Lewers Lounge.
It was strange to see Steve Aoki, a k a DJ Kid Millionaire a k a Devon’s bro, featured in another Vanity Fair article on the boys who stalk the girls — you know the ones, Lindsay, Britney, Nicole and Paris — in their ploy for instant fame.
That turned out to be a tease. It seemed Lindsay just was photographed doing her grind while he was oblivious doing his own thing.
Steve was here last year for the opening of Miss Sixty/Energie at Ala Moana Center and he’s got his own clothing line to promote, same name as his record label, Dim Mak.
Footwear addicts will get a laugh out of “The Shoes of Salvation,” a mini book by Edward Monkton, deemed “poet, artist, philosopher and interesting fellow,” on his book jacket.
In about 30 pages of handwritten text and rough sketches, Monkton seems to be a guy who gets it, offering the shoe’s point of view as to why a woman would want to spend all her cash on Manolos or Louboutins that pinch and hurt, rendering her nearly unable to do the one thing shoes were created to do. That is, walk. Or is it?
I’m sure you know one or two women like these, the ones impossible to go out with because they always have to sit down! I really hate that … unless mine are the feet hurtin’.
The book is $9.95, available at www.edwardmonkton.com or www.andrewsmcmeel.com and would be a cute gift for the fetishists that walk, or hobble, among us.
Be the first to post your comment on how much pain you will or will not endure for the sake of beautiful shoes and I’ll send you my one copy of the book.
In other shoe news:
Stuart Weitzman will be hosting a Celebrity Shoe Auction next month to benefit ovarian cancer research.
The designer has asked celebrities to design and autograph a Stuart Weitzman pump to be auctioned off at www.stuartweitzman.com from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, 2007.
The celebs were asked to create a design reflecting their personality and interests. For instance, Charlize Theron designed the shoe to reflect her roots in South Africa, while Molly Sims and Queen Latifah decided to honor their current projects, creating “Las Vegas” and “Hairspray” -themed shoes, respectively.
Other participating celebs include Courteney Cox-Arquette, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Ripa, Kyle MacLachlan, Marcia Cross, Nicolette Sheridan, Sharon Stone and Vanessa Williams, among others.
Doggie troubles
If you’re tired of your pet gnawing on anything from your rubbah slippahs, Chanel pumps to Nike Dunks, just got word of a product that might put an end to that.
Dog behaviorist Kathy Santo offers Don’t Chew Dare, a natural anti-chew product with a scent that repels your dog, but not you. It contains such organic bitter tasting herbs as patchouli, sandalwood and peppermint leaf along with imported essential oils: clary sage, spearmint and rosemary extract.
Her Web site says it’s non-toxic, but you should test it first before using on fabrics, keep it out of child reach and need I remind you to avoid splashing it in your eyes.
It’s $13.95 for an 8-ounce bottle, available at www.kathysanto.com.
Lastly, if you missed my Aug. 23 Honolulu Star-Bulletin story on what goes into the making of some Louis Vuitton shoes, check it out at http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/23/features/story01.html
This butterfly necklace is the result of a collaboration
between Jade by Nikolai and Shanghai Tang.
Nikolai Tsang of Jade by Nikolai hosted a Tea Party and Earring Event Aug. 25 at Kilohana Square, where women could try on her jade, pearl and gemstone creations while sipping tea, guava champagne and enjoying a light lunch and desserts from Kelvin Ro’s Diamond Head Market & Grill, plus mousse and baked confections from Sugar Rush by Francis. Guests also admired the table centerpiece, an arrangement by Rainforest, that incorporated the exotic, carnivorous pitcher plant. Though deadly to insects, it’s lovely to behold.
Nikolai, right, and her mother Alice Tsang.
The last time I saw Nikolai, she was sporting dramatic red tresses. This time, her hair was colored a doll-like lilac. She also wore a stunning hand-dyed wrap by Burgundy, of Shibori by Burgundy. Nikolai accessorized with a butterfly brooch of her own design.
New to the Jade by Nikolai collections are purse charms of carved jade and other semi-precious stones. Colleen Furuya-Smithson attached one to her Louis Vuitton purse and kept it on for the entire event, while she tried to make a decision.
Of special interest were limited-edition collaborative necklaces made for Shanghai Tang’s New York, Singapore and Malaysia markets. Imagine a larger version of Chinese silk “frog” closures as the necklace centerpiece, which is then surrounded by a mix of jade and gemstones. Susan Kodani tried on the two on display, one red, the other yellow. The yellow was a perfect match for the blouse she was wearing, and upon seeing her pass by, News 8’s Sharie Shima went after her, saying something along the lines of, “Excuse me, I have to go follow her. She has the necklace I want.”
Susan Kodani tries on the necklace at the top of the page. Sharie Shima followed her, hoping she would put it back, before trying on the dragonfly necklace shown below. Kodani took home a red version of the necklace instead.
Gay Wong, of Mutual Publishing, intervened, showing Shari a necklace of black stones incorporating a dragonfly pendant. In the end, Shari left with three jade bracelets, while Gay, who was on her way to Holokai Grill for Mutual’s release of Mark Sullivan’s book, “Hawaiian Tropical Cocktails Created with the Fruits of the Islands,” reminded her, “Hey, this is supposed to be an earring event.”
Oddly enough, the only one who couldn’t get into the earrings was Nikolai, who still doesn’t have pierced ears. “That’s OK,” she said, “I have other things to wear.”
Shibori by Burgundy will be in New York Sept. 16 to 18 for the tail-end of Fashion Week(s). And there’ll be more jewelry to share when Nikolai hosts a day of pre-holiday shopping and pampering at Ko’olani in late October. Keep your eye on my Thursday Style pages for details as we get closer to the date.
In the foreground is a Jade by Nikolai necklaceof branch coral, Tahitian pearls, moonstones and jadeite. Also shown is the Rainforest arrangement incorporating a couple of pitcher plants.
Hiya and welcome to Fashion Tribe, a creation that I hope will be as much about you as the designers, fashion, style, beauty, the arts and culture covered in the Star-Bulletin Style pages.
I’d like this space to address one subject missing in the daily paper, where, due to space limitations, those who wear and love fashion tend to be underrepresented while I try to keep up with everything our busy retailers and designers are up to. Hopefully, you’ll feel comfortable enough to share your thoughts on trends, designers you love, and what you’re wearing, as well as what beauty products work or don’t work for you to help all who need this vast treasure trove of combined knowledge. Guys are welcome to share too!
This will be a work in progress, but our techies are busily working on a way for you to post photos of your favorite outfits, season must-haves that you’re eyeing, and cool stuff you want to share with the community.
I do want to promote a friendly haven for fashionphiles, so if you are posting, I expect you to play nicely. There will likely be some who want to trash fashion because they consider it to be a frivolous pursuit prone to excess. I think quite the opposite. As a form of art, fashion is an expression of cultural and creative achievement. I can think of no finer use for a pair of hands than to create something of beauty.
I think it’s a mistake to confuse fashion with consumerism, which I believe can be attributed to immaturity. I know the older I get, I tend to buy fewer things because I make better choices, or at least buy things I will actually wear vs. adding to my closet decor. There’s nothing like years of sending costly mistakes off to Goodwill, Salvation Army or Savers to make a person start shopping smarter. This is not to say I have a 100 percent perfect record yet. This brings me to …
Here I am in a photo taken by Emi Hart, with a shirt
Allison Izu Nagato, right, helped me turn
into a halter top at Closet Swap. More photos
of the event can be found at the Fashionista’s Market Web site.
Closet R/X
Erin Kaichi, left, and Jennifer Lim show their T-shirt-turned-halter creations.
Closet mistakes were addressed during Fashionista’s Market first Closet Swap event on Aug. 16. The event brought about 200 women to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii to trade unwanted items.
Women showed up from 9 a.m. with bags of prom dresses, old jeans, T-shirts and other garb that never fit or they never cared to wear after shopping exuberance faded. Some items still had price tags attached.
Ed Muncal gives Elina Koretsky a touch of color.
While waiting for clothing to be sorted and hung on racks, participants were able to get a chair massage courtesy of Elements Spa & Salon, updos and other hairstyling by Ulupono Academy, makeup by Ed Muncal or Flaunt make-overs, decorate cookies, pick up Alterna hair and skincare products at a discount, and take part in a T-shirt workshop with Allison Izu Nagato of Reincarnation.
Allison Izu Nagato helps Amanda Wong on the sewing machine.
I brought in three of my own T-shirts to be reworked. These included a pink Yoshitomo Nara baby-T that was always too snug, a Paul Frank Clancy T that was getting a bit tired, and a psychedelic Japan-made shirt I picked up this year at the Hawaii Opera Theatre Act II fundraiser, that was cute but always too long. I reshaped all into different kinds of halter tops. Very fun and a big mahalo to Allison, who got on the sewing machine to help everyone stitch up their creations. When someone slipped in a shirt studded in rhinestones that broke her sewing needle, she started stitching up garments by hand!
An orange blossom provided color inspiration for Noelehua Archambault.
The more they saw, the more creative women got as the morning progressed, mixing and matching various T-shirt designs from shirts culled from the stacks of clothing that women brought in to swap. All were put to good use, recycled into skirts, pillow cases and tote bags.
I brought in 16 items of clothing to swap, including tops from Banana Republic and A/X, a skirt by Laundry and DKNY cropped hoodie. I thought I’d be lucky if I could find two items in the stacks to take home. My finds included a camel-colored kid leather skirt (tags attached) and an elaborate beaded and sequinned red halter top. Thanks to those who gave these up; I promise to make good use of them!
FM Style Sisters Emi Hart and Alyssa Fung made a call for those who contributed the most clothing and accessories. About a dozen women brought in more than 50 items, but the biggest donations came from Tia Yamashita (74 items) and Rhonda Riveira (79 items). For her contribution, Riveira received a $100 Fashionista’s Market gift certificate. (Next one’s Sept. 29 and 30 at JCCH, see fashionistasmarket.com.)
Knowing that the clothing would go to a good cause, Riveira had emptied her own closet, as well as asking friends and family members for their unwanted items.
Yamashita said she was glad to give up the things she can’t use, knowing that a portion of funds raised from the event , as well as unclaimed clothing would be going to the Leeward Domestic Abuse Shelter. “I think the cause is a good one,” she said.
The shelter needs clothing throughout the year to clothe those who require its services, including children and teens in need of school clothes, and women who need outfits for work or job interviews.
I was surprised to see Will Hoover there covering the event for the Honolulu Advertiser. Fashion’s not his usual beat, but his opinion was, “This is pretty cool.” He said he was sent by editors who hoped a fight would ensue, but he’s a funny guy so might have been joking.
No such catfights materialized. There was no shoving or elbowing and no one got trampled in the dash for the racks. It was so cordial, that when I dropped a few things, another girl took time off from her hunting to help me pick them up.
Women paid $20 to $30 to swap ’til they drop while also enjoying a bento lunch and going home with goodie bags of samples from Alterna and other sponsors, and a can of Red Bull to get them through the rest of the day. It was a great event! Next up for Fashionista’s Market is its 2nd anniversary party Sept. 22 at Pearl Ultra Lounge.
Fendi at HDC
Doug Jago’s feather accents.
Later that night I headed to the Honolulu Design Center for the Tau Dance Theatre fund-raiser that included a Fendi fashion show.
At the door I ran into Douglas Jago, visual presentation manager for Neiman Marcus, who always manages to catch my eye with his individual panache. He always knows how to capture the spirit of an event while having fun with fashion. His ensemble included a Jil Sander black leather jacket worn under a cream-colored Hugo Boss satin jacket, paired with a black Marc Jacobs skirt. Hidden underneath it all were red sequined pants and the piece de resistance were a bunch of green feathers tucked into his breast pocket. He acquired the feathers from his friend Gipsy Norton.
The man of the evening, Tau Dance Theatre founder and director Peter Rockford Espiritu, was dressed to stand out in a Trina Turk jacket featuring a floral print of chrysanthemums and stylized blossoms reminiscent of clouds in Chinese paintings.
Dialta Alliata de Montereale and Azzurra Alliata, taking a break after the Fendi fashion show.
One of Espiritu’s best cheerleaders is Dialta Alliata de Montereale, who’s enlisted her children in “the cause.” Azzurra Alliata served as one of the Fendi models, while Yana was responsible for capturing the evening’s proceedings on videotape.
The best dressed women were models on the Fendi stage, wearing Fall 2007’s furs, coats and evening dresses. But the talk after the show turned to shoes. Women marveled over the models’ ability to maneuver in 7- to 8-inch heels, a feat that could be perilous on a bumpy street. “They’re actually comfortable,” said model Rain Maiava when I saw her a couple of days after the show.
Also in the crowd was Audrey Fu, who’s enjoying her retirement since closing Villa Roma this summer. Since then, I’ve spotted her at Nobu’s and the Honolulu Academy of Arts Prada preview night for “Showcase 2007.”
Also attending was Tina Bovino Agostini, below center, who had time after modeling to enjoy the rest of the evening with her mother Charlotte Chang, below left, and friend Yvie Bryan. In addition to modeling, Agostini got her real estate license as a Realtor Associate last year and is now helping with her mom at Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties.
