Alliway photos
Win this pair of Alliway’s Cutie Pie aquamarine, red coral and pearl earrings or Backstreet Grande mother-of-pearl necklace. It’s easy!

(more…)

Keira Knightley debuts in a new print and film ad campaign for Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle, replacing Kate Moss, who has been the face of the fragrance since its creation in 2001.

To mark the switch, pieces of jewelry worn in the ads traveled from Dallas to Bal Harbour, Fla., to the Chanel Waikiki boutique in Honolulu.

Chanel also sent out a delightful press kit for the occasion, of a mirrored music box with a figure of a dancer in red and a teensy weensy flacon of Coco Mademoiselle, both made to swirl on a magnetic dance floor. It was fine entertainment for a person with a short attention span but easily amused. I played with it for some time before deciding to make a video of it on my digital camera, such as it is. Someday I’ll figure out how to make iMovie work here, then watch out Danny Boyle and Paul Thomas Anderson! BWAha-ha-ha HAH! I had a fun talk way back in 2002 with Anderson following the making of his Adam Sandler movie “Punch-Drunk Love,” filmmed partially in Hawaii. You can read that at http://starbulletin.com/2002/11/07/features/story1.html

Oh, and check back at noon for a special offer from Alliway!

Nadine Kam video

The non-kiddie toy craze was a little slow coming here, but you need only check out Split Obsession at Koko Marina
Shopping Center; Mechahawaii, Urbanz Toys and Toys n’ Joys in Kaimuki, and In4mation to know a rush is underway.

Check out the Star-Bulletin’s Boomtown magazine insert (page 56) in today’s paper or this week’s Midweek for
my short story on Mechahawaii and Urbanz Toys. The figure here is from Mechahawaii.

Split Obsession I’ve covered twice in six months because owners Bruce Chin and Erica Apana keep bringing in international artists to add color to the local scene. I’m all for that. Without that injection of energy, the pool can get pretty stagnant on an island.

Nadine Kam photo
Buff Monster poses with ice cream — might have been pistachio — and Split Obsession owners Bruce Chin and Erica Apana, wearing the limited-edition T-shirt and tank top created for the early August event. They promise more such artist collaborations to come.

Last artist Split Obsession brought in was Buff
Monster, who lives in L.A., but hails from Hawaii.
These days he’s all about things pink and showed up at
an in-store celebration and exhibition in a pink shirt. Gotta love a guy who’s unafraid of
pink. (more…)

Nadine Kam photo
Michael Aston fronts Gene Loves Jezebel, delivering a laidback
opening performance during the “Lost ’80s Live” concert Sept. 22.

Debated for the longest time whether or not to go to the Lost ’80s Live concert Saturday night at Aloha Tower Marketplace, which, by the way, is a great venue for acts unlikely to start a riot. I wanted to see Gene Loves Jezebel, a band I missed when they came here about 20 years ago? Scary how time flies. Given a choice, I prefer to see bands in their prime and my one regret is not having gone to see Rage Against the Machine in their last concert here. I didn’t want to get stomped and now I’m kicking myself for not going!

Nadine Kam video
Listen to Gene Loves Jezebel in concert.Anyway, Gene Loves Jezebel. So interesting because, of all bands, this one bears the distinction of being the only one whose album “Kiss of Life,” is in the collection of all my siblings, which is extremely weird because we all have very different tastes in music with virtually no crossover. I knew nothing about them except that Michael Aston is not exactly a great singer (his estranged brother Jay was the real wailer responsible for “Kiss of Life”), but definitely has one of the most intriguing voices on the planet which he uses to great effect through unusual vocal phrasing and scales. Maybe it’s his South Wales thing but I haven’t heard anything like it since. The band delivered a laidback performance and Aston’s bandmates compensated for notes he can no longer reach, admitting at one point that “your voice drops” as a person gets older.

Nadine Kam photos
Dressed for fun. Other ’80s getups spotted included
Madonna-esque frothy mini skirts and mesh gloves,
punk hair, and raglan-sleeve duotone KISS
baseball shirt. I don’t miss ’80s dress at all.

The idea of sitting through the other bands, Dramarama, When in Rome and Flock of Seagulls was daunting because ’80s music actually drove me away from chart/radio-friendly music. The ’80s, it seems to me, was about fantasy and over-the-top excess (in a bad way vs. today’s luxurious way), from clothes, to dry overblown permed hair, to the sound of fake instruments, especially synth drums. It drove me to playing music myself and the guitar god rock of Yngwie Malmsteen, Greg Howe, Vinnie Moore, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, eventually to bands like Metallica, Megadeth (whose guitarist at the time was from Hawaii and sent his drummer to my teacher Chuck James) and Anthrax, which put me in line to fall in love with the Seattle explosion of the late ’80s through early ’90s. Sigh. Those were the best of times.

At the concert, one of the ’80s fans told me how much he loved the music because “it was the last time music was happy.”

Nadine Kam photo
When in Rome singer John Ceravolo gets s
upport from the crowd after climbing up
against the barrier between the stage
and the audience.

Nadine Kam video
Dramarama performance of “Anything, Anything” in which I am up to my neck in sweaty armpits in the end.

Fair enough. The music was happy. The crowd was definitely happy. And I ended up staying for the whole show. The greatest thing about going to a concert surrounded by a bunch of old people is that they have other outlets for their energy so up close to the stage I didn’t have to worry about getting an elbow or combat boot in the face. Well, that is until Dramarama performed “Anything, Anything,” a song I’ve covered. At its finale, the singer John Easdale came over the barrier and the crowd surged forward to grab him — why they want to touch a sweaty stranger I’ll never know — but I got all these sweaty arms across the face without being mentally ready for it. Yuck! With any luck, I’ll be able to post my video for you.

Here are a few things happening in the retail realm:

CrazyBeautiful will be closing for good on Friday, Sept. 29 so that Tran can concentrate on being a full-time mom. Before leaving she’s offering everything in the store at 50 percent off beginning today, Monday, so get over to Restaurant Row ASAP for the best deals. …

… Shasa Emporium is preparing to mark its 5th anniversary celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. There’ll be a sale, DJ music, champagne and pupus, and the best part is entering to win Shasa gift cards and prizes from Ella Moss, Tylie Malibu, Jewelry by Cari, Alliway, Indah, Grumpy Girl, Volcom, Loop, Hinano, Paul Frank, Spa Towells and more! RSVP by Sept. 28 via email at shasahi@lava.net or call 735-5122. …

… Meanwhile, Valerie Joseph will open her second store on Oct. 1 in the Ward Entertainment Center at 310 Kamakee St. #409. The area is becoming something of a boutique row with Bamboo Sky and The Butik in close proximity. …

Went to the Halekulani yesterday where someone remarked that I’d never looked better. Hmm. Maybe I looked like s— before, but I tried to think of anything I was doing differently.

I did change my attitude toward makeup a few months back after interviewing Dermagenics founder Sherry Klinger. What she said at the time was that her skin had improved so much from using the product that she no longer needed to use foundation. Being the impressionable sort (I once stopped eating at McDonald’s for about 5 years after a chef told me he hadn’t eaten there in 10 years, just to see if it was really possible) I wished my skin was good enough to go without foundation. Then I thought maybe I just need to let go of the idea of perfection and just accept what’s there, dark spots and all.

I recalled a conversation I had with a reporter about a year ago, in which she came up to me requesting that I do a story on “makeup for old people.”

“I was thinking of doing that,” I told her. “I don’t have time right now but I’ll give you 3 words: Less is more.”

She thought I was being a wise ass and walked off in a huff, saying, “You’re no help!”

But I was trying to help. If you look at very young people, what do they do? Nothing. Youth has its own unpolished splendor. If you were to emulate youth, therefore, you would do very little. But what is the first thing “old people” do? Try the cover up. From what I see on the streets it doesn’t work. Trying to cover every blemish and wrinkle only creates a thick, discernible mask with the unintended consequence of making people look older than they are.

Here’s what I used to go to Halekulani, clockwise from left. On a typical work day I would eliminate the gloss, concealer and Murad for a 2-minute makeup routine. Applying the BeneTint and eye liner takes the longest.
1. LipFusion gloss in “Fresh”: Any sheer gloss will do.
2. Make Up For Ever blue Star Powder: Applied with Sephora angle brush in a line over eye liner for thin touch of color.
3. BeneFit BeneTint lip stain: Not for the clumsy because it will stain anything if you spill it; also if you have deep lip lines, use a lip pencil to keep the color from bleeding, or stay away from your lip line. Wear alone for a natural rosy color, or layer under gloss for more saturated color. I learned this trick from “The Devil Wears Prada.”
4. Murad Essential C Renewal Complex: Just a touch works great as “spackle” in perfecting your skin.
5. Stila Sun bronzer on cheeks and eyelids.
6. Laura Mercier Undercover 2 Secret Concealer: Dabbed on sun spots. Don’t bother to hide them completely, but minimize them.
7. i.d. Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil: Only enough to blot oil and even skin tone.
8. Bobbi Brown “Espresso” eye shadow as liner, applied with the angle brush. Set if you must with English Ideas Liner Last (not pictured).

A person can go crazy trying to cover ever dark blotch and wrinkle, but don’t do it. Acceptance of yourself, warts and all, is the first step toward inner radiance.

But for your outward radiance, cosmetics have gotten a lot better over the decades, and new products are more invisible than ever, starting with mineral foundations. Some people complain about the dry look they give, but you can restore some moisture by applying just a single dab of BeneFit’s Some-Kind-A-Gorgeous Foundation Faker over cheek bones or Murad’s Essential-C Daily Renewal Complex (in an amount no bigger than half a pea) over mineral makeup. I don’t think the Murad product was intended to be used as “spackle,” but it really works! Just don’t try to overblend.

Old skin also loses its glow and elasticity, things I’ve had to put back by doing what was unthinkable when I was an oily-skinned teen, like washing with Shu Uemura oil and adding gloss to my cheeks in the form of liquid bronzers like Clinique’s Up-lifting Liquid Illuminator or BeneFit’s Jewels liquid cheek and eye color. There’s a whole gloss trend in makeup that sounds silly conceptually, but makes sense for those who suffer from crepe-y eyelids and need to put moisture back somehow.

Of course cosmetics don’t work the same way for all people, so you’ll have to experiment and are always welcome to sample products at Sephora or get a simple makeover at the Neiman Marcus or Macy’s cosmetic counters.

Above is the makeup I was wearing at Halekulani. If you have any tips or tricks, please share! There’s nothing like real results vs. those seen in magazines on already beautiful, but airbrushed models.

Thanks for all your postings this morning. The Luxe Links will go to first responders Fran Orian who posted to the wrong page but nevertheless was first, Glenn, Rochelle, Pat Abear, Corey R, Alice, Jane Harvey, and as I mentioned earlier, SuperCW. Congratulations and I will be contacting the winnners.

The homepage for Luxe Link shows how they work.

Sales in luxury handbags have been booming over the last few years, but restaurateurs have been slow to acknowledge this trend, leaving me wishing they would be more considerate and have purse hooks under their tables. Over at Uncle Bo’s, there are hooks at the bar. And I was so happy when I went to Renoir in Las Vegas, where purses were accommodated on their own little cushioned foot stool. But that is a rarity. Most restaurants leave women with no option other than to place their precious Louis Vuitton, Prada or Chanel purses on, gasp!, the floor. Can you say “ick”?

Nadine Kam photo
Luxe Link “Skye” design.

This need not be the case. Former Hawaii resident Kalika Yap is introducing her Luxe Link to the purse-carrying public. It’s a compact circular device surrounded by a chain link that opens and attaches to table or counter tops to allow women to raise their purses off the ground anywhere, any time, with style. It is a godsend for anyone who loves purses. I carried one with me all over New York, where even the best restaurants had women placing their handbags on the floor. Waiters male and female everywhere noticed the Luxe Link and were duly impressed. “Someone’s going to make a fortune with that,” a male waiter at Nice/Matin told me.

Calling the Luxe Link “your must-have purse accessory,” Kalika hopes women will want to carry one in all your favorite purses. Sure beats switching off contents for those who change purses every day. There’s been many times I’ve left home without driver’s license and cash and fished around for my AWOL Luxe Link.

The Luxe Links cost $35 to $59 and you can take a look at them at www.luxelink.com. You can also read more about it in my story at www.starbulletin.com.

www.luxelink.com

For loyal Fashion Tribe followers this may be your lucky day. Kalika has graciously sent over 8 of her Luxe Links to be given away through this blog. One is reserved for uber-commentator-blogger the supercw. Others can add their comment under this posting. Describe your handbag, its color and why you need a Luxe Link and you just may receive one in the mail. Each comes in a box with a soft pouch to carry in your purse. No pokey hooks to deal with!

Fighting Eel photo
Those end-of-summer sales are perfect
for the land of the endless summer!

If you haven’t heard, Fighting Eel headquarters is now open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday, with your chance to get 30 to 50 percent off selected spring and summer items. In addition, visit http://fightingeel.com/events/index.html to print out a coupon worth 20 percent off one regular priced item. The coupon’s good through Oct. 31, 2007. Bring cash or your credit card.

They are located at 47 N. Hotel St. If you get lost, call 808-524-1472.

For more events taking place this weekend, check out the Star-Bulletin’s Thursday’s Style pages and HI Life section and check out this blog early Sept. 20 for a special offer in conjunction with my Style section cover story.

What a difference a day makes as far as wardrobe is concerned. As much as I admire women like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who always had great signature style, whether dressed formally to meet heads of state, or casually dressed in capris and a white shirt (proof that you don’t have to be sloppy to be comfortable), I cannot stick to any one style.

When Theory opened, I had a brief “Aha!” moment when I learned their urban-chic styles fit my proportions perfectly. For a brief moment, I swore I would become a Theory girl and buy all of my basic wardrobe there. I could do no wrong with their clean-cut, city-sleek direction. Then Miss Sixty opened and my head spun around. Color! Retro hippie va-va-voom separates! I needed to get me some of that too! I had to face facts. I’m a fashion chameleon, flitting from brand to brand and changing to fit the scenery. This was obvious upon arriving home after just 2 weeks in New York.

It was unsettling to board the plane at JFK at 6:15 a.m., all in black and gray, then wake up in L.A. I felt like an alien while walking through the airport for a change of planes. The New York uniform of cool black, fitted T-shirts and fitted jeans had given way to baggy shorts and boxy oversized Ts. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasant, but I slipped back into Hawaii style very easily. Here’s a look at what I wore while shopping on my last day in New York, vs. what I wore on my first day in Hawaii during a trek to Genki Sushi Ala Moana.

Nadine Kam photo
In New York: Gray cowl-neck mini dress from H&M, Theory summer jacket, 17th Street Flea Market boots.


Nadine Kam photo
In Hawaii: Siblings’ discarded tank top and yellow plaid Bermudas rescued from my mom’s house, with black rubber slippers.

While in New York I came across a Japan-based clothing store called Uniqlo, which offers a wardrobe of funtional, classic, stylish casual apparel. By keeping it simple, just as with Theory, wearers can do no wrong. Shopping that way could be somewhat boring, but it was evident to me that if everyone dressed that way, we’d have one aesthetically pleasing populace. That doesn’t have to mean sacrificing individuality. Uniqlo’s mission states, “Clothing says a lot, but you can say it better,” meaning style comes from within a wearer and not the clothes themselves.

Nadine Kam photo
Keeping the uniform simple works at Uniqlo.

Even so, it’s those individual touches that say so much, offering a good indication of whether I want to get to know someone better, or not. I might talk to a person wearing an interesting piece of jewelry if we seem to share the same taste, for instance. Then again, there was this girl standing outside Genki Sushi with a red-orange plastic spider on one side of her head, as big as her head, and it’s not even close to Halloween. I felt no need to know what she was all about. That spider pretty much said it all. Maybe she felt the same way about my plaid Bermudas.