Oh happy day, the fourth season of our favorite TV series “Project Runway” starts up again Wednesday, Nov. 14. It’s been so long!

You can get a peek at the contestants ahead of time at http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/4/bios/index.php

Project Runway
Early favorite, Christian of Annapolis, Md. Gotta love a guy who is a fan of the Brits, McQueen and Westwood.

I looked at a handful of videos and can’t wait to see what Christian comes up with. I think I was standing behind him to get into one of the Bryant Park shows. Even in NY, not too many guys look or dress like him. Hope he’s not a jerk.

What I don’t get are some of the comments posted to the site, like they keep asking if so and so is gay. Why does that even matter?

One woman had the audacity to post: “just like to say that I love the show and am looking forward to this season, but are there any everyday people on this show? Everyone seems to be gay, eccsentric, tattooed or full of themselves. Just my opinion. Hope the show changes my mind.”

Like, how can this woman even say she loves the show? What has she been watching in the past, since there were gay, eccentric, tattooed and “full of themselves” personalities from the very first season? If she wants to see everyday people she should turn off her TV and go for a walk in her neighborhood.

Just goes to show you how bigotry of all types continues to thrive, though most people like to pretend it doesn’t exist until something like “Dog’s” rant surfaces.

It’s sad that no matter how brilliant or creative a designer can be, to some people they will only be recognized as “gay” or “tattooed.”

Nadine Kam photo
Max Nugus shows an opera coat at his new boutique in the Kahala Hotel.

Spent Saturday at the lovely and relaxing Kahala Hotel & Resort, where San Francisco-based designer Max Nugus has opened his boutique and was in town to present a holiday trunk show.

The designer was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, the son of a UN diplomat, who had the luxury of living around the world. After graduating from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, he began dressing an international clientele of some of the world’s most prominent celebrities, socialites, and business women.

At the boutique, you’ll find opera- and symphony-ready gowns that has landed on the pages of Vogue, Town & Country, Vanity Fair and the Academy Awards’ red carpet. But as part of the trunk show, he also brought along such budget-friendly ready-to-wear designs as sequined floral T-shirts and camisoles combining knit bra tops with metallic fabric and fluttery silk chiffon, accented with beads and braided silver straps — very adorable for $129. (more…)

A cicada ornament of kingfisher feather inlay on gilt metal, with red coral beads.

Got a chance to look at the “Excelling the Work of Heaven: Personal Adornment From China” at the UH Art Gallery and it is spectacular. Some things, like jewelry adorned with bright blue kingfisher feathers, I had never ever seen before, and gallery director Lisa A. Yoshihara said during a tour with journalists from China, they also expressed amazement at the objects, mostly from the 19th century Ching dynasty, they had never seen before either. Much of it only exists outside the country because items were sold off or melted down during and after the Cultural Revolution. If you speak with antiques dealers today, you will find there’s a great desire among younger Chinese of means to buy back what was lost.

The show is free and open 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Yoshihara will be in the gallery 2 to 3 p.m. each Sunday to speak about the works. (Parking is free Sundays.) Closed Veterans Day, Nov. 12, and Thanksgiving Day.

Nadine Kam video
Warning: A very noisy video.

It’s so much more relaxing to walk around the UH campus as a civilian, not a student, when it was so stressful just to get from class to class. So on leaving the gallery I was distracted by the noise and gyrations coming from the Commons Gallery. Stopped there to see the work of Frank Sheriff’s Art 356 Metal Fabrication and Art 352 Kinetic Sculpture classes in a show called “If it Works, it’s Obsolete,” borrowing from a Marshall McLuhan quote. The man could really see the future.

I don’t always open my email quickly, working from a deadline-oriented “what information I need to have now” basis. So I just found this email from a couple weeks ago that should be shared during the holiday shopping season, which always brings out a number of purse snatchers in need of cash, credit cards and your designer purse. It originated with a Curves member in Manoa, and her story is:

“I was out having coffee with my sister-in-law at the Coffee Bean. We were sitting on the outside tables and
it was near closing time. Out of the blue, a guy jumped on the table, took my purse (which was on the table directly in front of me), ran to a waiting getaway car, and took off.

My sister-in-law and I were not alone; there were other people at the other tables also. However, the incident took place so fast that no one else realized what was going on until the car was gone.

It turns out that these guys have some kind of scheme going on where one guy will scout the area, probably looking out for a lady or ladies by themselves and for handbags (particularly designer ones) that are vulnerable of being snatched easily. They will either wait for you to be distracted or do something to startle you.

LESSONS LEARNED:
1) When out in public areas, always keep your bag on your body at all times. Whether it be on your arm, on your shoulder, or cross shoulder (if you have
a bag that can). My mother-in-law mentioned another incident where her friend was sitting down in Starbucks Hawaii Kai, her bag was on the table and she turned briefly. Some guy took her bag and ran out. And when going to the market, never leave your bag in the cart. (more…)

Nadine Kam photos
From left, cancer survivor Germaine Williams, Wendy Borja and Chop co-owner Kihan.

Stopped by Chop Salon for the start of the Beautiful Lengths benefit event, where Amy Agar of Cake Envy was the first in line to get 12 inches of her hair lopped off to donate to the organization that makes quality wigs available to women cancer patients.

“I’ve been waiting two years to do this,” said Agar, who became aware of the organization when Diane Lane had her hair chopped off on “The Today Show,” and was moved to organize a Honolulu event Then, just last Friday, Oprah Winfrey also talked about the organization on her show.

“My goal is raise awareness because not a lot of people know about the organization, and hair is so important to women’s self-esteem. My goal is to get 100 inches today.”

If you have free time this afternoon (Nov. 5), and even more importantly, if you have long hair, head to Chop Salon for its Beautiful Lengths Benefit Bash. Beautiful Lengths is the national organization that supports women who have lost their hair during cancer treatment by giving them high-quality wigs, and volunteers will be having their ponytails lopped off.

Really, if you’re over 25 and not associated with a hula halau, there’s no need to have hair down to your butt. If it makes it any easier to give it up, “The Bachelor” Andy Baldwin will be doing some of the snipping — that’s from 3 to 6 p.m.

Think about what kind of hair you would like to have if you were in the cancer patients’ place and proceed accordingly; i.e. hair should be clean, healthy and free of split ends, etc.

Cash contributions will also be accepted, and Makana, who’s back in town, will be performing.

Chop is our neighbor at Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Boulevard.

Here are a couple of videos from Leslie Blodgett’s appearance at Sephora, Ala Moana Center, on Nov. 2. In the first one she introduces the Buxom Lips color “Kanani,” exclusive to Hawaii until next spring, when it will be made available elsewhere.

In the second, KCCN FM100’s Lina Girl interviews makeup artist Bravon Pascua. My interview with the Hawaii-born, now international makeup artist will probably appear in the Thursday paper:

If you’re looking for things to do this weekend, here are a few things:

Nadine Kam photo
Bravon Pascua performed an in-store demonstration at Sephora Friday morning, using new holiday products from Bare Escentuals’ shimmery Classic Rock Color Collection.

1. Meet Bare Escentuals CEO Leslie Blodgett, who will be at Sephora, Ala Moana Center, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. She will be unveiling the company’s exclusive Hawaii (Ala Moana) Sephora lip gloss, “Kanani,” of which only 1,000 will be available. Accompanying her will be Bare Escentuals’s Hawaii-born International Makeup Artist Bravon Pascua, who has worked with celebrities like Janet Jackson, Demi Moore and Courtney Cox, and regularly promotes Bare Escentuals on QVC Japan and GS Home Shopping Network in Korea.

Kanani is a pretty floral pink lipgloss “that looks great in the sun,” according to Bare Escentuals’ CEO Leslie Blodgett, who was wearing the gloss from the company’s “Buxom Lips” collection during her Sephora appearance Friday morning.

Pick up tips from Bare Escentuals makeup artists from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2 and 3, and watch Bravon’s master class at Center Stage from noon to 12:30 p.m. both days.

And, you’re reading it first here: stay tuned for details of Sephora’s grand opening at Pearlridge Center Nov. 16.

2. MixMix celebrates the spirit of independence through clothing “free from logo tyranny,” coinciding with the 6th Cinema Paradise Island Independent Film Festival. Beginning at 6 p.m. First Friday, Nov. 2, the new luxury multibrand boutique at Bethel and Pauahi, will host an event in collaboration with the iiFF, featuring trailers of the films projected on the store’s white walls, and ticket sales for the festival running Nov. 8 to 11. And, shopping for some fine threads.

3. Check out the opening of the art exhibition at 2100 Kalakaua from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. A good time to blend in with the crowd and check out what’s new at the luxury boutiques, as well as art by some of Hawaii’s best. Here’s the roster:

Tiffany & Co.: Frank Sheriff
Coach: Rick Mills
Yves Saint Laurent: Alan Leitner (I need to have one of his paintings!)
Chanel: George Newton
Gucci: John Tanji Koga
Tod’s: Daven Hee
Hugo Boss: Tracy Gunn

The exhibit will continue to Nov. 10.

4. Shop Alliway’s pre-holiday sale Nov. 3 and 4 at Ward Warehouse, when she will be offering 30 to 50 percent off Alliway jewelry, and 15 percent off everything else.

Alliway photo

Also, check out November’s item of the month (above), her vermeil Lotus Cluster earring, with several different color combinations. They’re being offered at 30 percent off the normal $79 price. Good deal for those who want to wrap up their holiday shopping before the mad season begins Nov. 23.

Style.com photo

5. Go to Style.com to enter (right side of home page) to win a Shopping Weekend trip to Paris, including coach air, hotel room for 3 nights and $1,000 to spend, not that it will go far considering the euro’s strength against the poor U.S. dollar. You may end up having to stay in your room, but at least it will be a room in Paris instead of Pawaa (not that anything’s wrong with Pawaa.)

Nadine Kam photo
Regan Schultz shows Belle’s ballgown, designed by Kirstie Kelly for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.

Here’s the companion video to my piece on Modern Pacific Wedding in the paper today, Nov. 1. Regan Schultz will be staging a fashion show Saturday night at thirtyninehotel, highlighting the softer, leaner gowns available for today’s brides:

Video by Nadine Kam
Sorry about the quality. It’s shot on my Sony T100 still cam, which offers a clear image, but by the time it’s saved for Web on Quicktime, it’s pretty fuzzy.
Also, I don’t ask for much but I’m hoping people will also read my story about Ethel Shiraki de Saussure Guyer, an amazing designer who worked from the late 1940s to ’60s.

Shiraki family photo

Unfortunately, though she grew up in Kohala, she spent most of her career on the mainland, so her family was never sure exactly what she did. It was only when, due to Alzheimer’s disease, she was placed in a California care home this year, that they were able to go through her home, where they found the garments she had kept for herself. (more…)