One more contest: Head to Bar 35 July 26 for the “Harajuku Lovers Live” hair and makeup competition. Ulupono salon, W-Salon, and Sanctuary Salon will be in the house with a photographer on site taking pics of all the excitement.

Hawaii Red magazine, at www.hawaiiredmagazine.com, will feature the contest winner in an upcoming issue, promising virtual immortality, second best to instant fame and notoriety.

For those who crave neither, the opportunity to gawk is also a wonderful thing. Starts at 9 p.m.

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Speaking of Harajuku Lovers, check out these cute totes/back-to-school book bags from the line: Juku in Navy, $58; Candy in Green, $95; Bishoujo in Red, $58.

Nadine Kam photos
Emma Wo walks the bar at the Pearl dressed in Alexander McQueen during a pageant preview.

I’ve never been a fan of the pageant gown. In the right hands, they can be beautiful, but given the showtime quality of the beauty pageant, it’s no coincidence they often look one step removed from ice skaters’ ensembles. Two recent cases: Miss Universe 2008’s Miss Mexico and Miss Dominican Republic gowns, the latter looking like a cracked disco mirror ball.

It’s about time we see real fashion on the pageant runway, though from their perspective, they probably don’t want to distract audiences with a fashion show. Nevertheless, Emma Wo will be wearing Alexander McQueen when she hits the stage for the Miss Teen USA 2008 pageant taking place on Paradise Island in the Bahamas on Aug. 16.

Kristian Lei, with her husband Gavin Vinta, was one of the performers for the evening.
When she’s not singing, she’s preparing for October’s Women’s World Festival.

She gave well-wishers a glimpse of what she’ll be wearing during her send-off party at Pearl Sunday night. Designers Takeo and Eric Eugene Kamakahai’ai Chandler found the McQueen ready-to-wear gown at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Considering the pageant’s locale, they thought the combination of color, lightness and flow would be perfect. I agree. Bahamas weather is a lot like Hawaii’s and one would need to wear color to stand out amidst similar tropical foliage and pristine ocean. (more…)