By Nadine Kam

Mainichi photo
Considering the state of the union, we may all be longing for childhood naivete and the comfort of Teddy bears, Ugly dolls other cuddly toys, soon.

There’s a small contingency of Gothic Lolita fans in Hawaii, who may not care about the shows in New York, Milan or Paris, but may want to see the latest from the Marui Individual Fashion Expo IV that took place Tuesday in Tokyo.

For more photos and details, you might want to check out patrickmacias.blogs.com

Meanwhile, fashion historian Valerie Steele says a Goth revival is hitting the mainstream with this week’s opening of the “Dark Glamour” exhibition at New York’s Fashion Institution of Technology, the start of HBO’s new vampire series “True Blood,” and the film version of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” vampire novels slated to arrive at theaters in November.

Wearing black will be easy. Sort of fits the somber mood that has gripped the nation this year. Anyone who has watched their stock portfolios steadily decline is probably already walking around in a zombie-like haze.

One of the things said about Japan’s fondness for things kawaii, is that it emerged in the 1970s as a response to teens’ feelings of powerlessness against rigid social hierarchies. They reacted by retreating into passivism and infantilism. Many believe it is a delayed reaction to the nation’s loss during World War II, from which they certainly recovered financially and materialistically, but psychologically, the mistrust of institutions and sense of nihilism that grew out of the experience isn’t something easily dismissed. It just makes me wonder what lasting damage is taking place within our own country at the moment.

By Nadine Kam

Leanimal photo
Leanimal Gezane dress, $480 at Etsy.com

If you have any stalker tendencies at all, the Web will bring it out by sheer ease of finding information on people online. I’m not really stalking, but have been a little obsessed with the designs of “Project Runway’s” Leanne Marshall, sadly haunting her Etsy shop in hope that she would add something new.

Because she’s been busy with the show, her shop’s gone empty, but now that Fashion Week has ended, I checked it out again and saw that she recently added a white Gezane dress, for $480. Rats, pretty soon she’ll probably be selling in the $600 to $800 Christian Siriano / 3.1 Philip Lim range.

I like all the details in her designs, though she sometimes has a tendency to go overboard, which has been a problem on the show. Self-editing will come over time, but when she’s on the results are amazing.

Leanimal designs sold before she became famous :

By Nadine Kam

My favorite Emmy dress by Reem Acra.

I watched some of the Emmy red carpet arrivals Sunday, tuning in and out, while tuning out of the ceremony itself, which, lacking one main host, seemed to be scattered, lacking a center.

My favorite Emmy dress was Reem Acra’s, worn by Olivia Wilde. It looked so perfect, clean, elegant and glamorous, yet with a lot of painstaking detail that put it way ahead of the dime-a-dozen strapless column or sheath gowns favored by the other actresses. From the distance of television, they look too similar to mass-market clothing to be remotely interesting.

It’s kind of sad that the purpose of the red carpet is to showcase the actors, but instead, the focus is now on the dresses, inanimate objects that nevertheless have the power to steal the spotlight from the stars.

We take for granted when we see chandeliers that they’re made of glass or crystal, but the one adorning the Green Room Emmy Awards was made of 3,300, or $10 million worth of Hearts on Fire diamonds.

I was just talking to Tom Wheeler, owner of Opal Fields, about Hearts on Fire diamonds, cut to display a symmetrical 8-point pattern when viewed under a proportion scope. A 1-carat stone he showed me was $15,000 and its brilliance could be seen from across the room. Anyone buying a diamond should be able to look at it under the scope to see exactly what you’re getting.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Steve Czerniak and Allison Kim-Czerniak welcomed patrons to celebrate the first anniversary of their Alliway boutique at Ward Warehouse.

Alliway celebrated its one-year anniversary with a party Friday night packed with friends and well-wishers who didn’t have to walk far to find a platter of food right in front of them, no doubt due in part to the work of The Wedding Café’s Tanna Dang who kept an array of savories and sweets coming, from onion-and-pear tarts, prosciutto & melon antipast to chocolate and pistachio macaroons.

Also to mark the occasion, Allison Kim-Czerniak, who believes in helping young designers get a start, hosted the debut of Marylea Conrad’s latest creation, a line of Hawaii- and nature-inspired jewelry named after her 8-month old daughter Kiele. The line is Ki-ele, with the hyphen thrown in there to help people with pronunciation. OK, I’m just wondering who born in Hawaii can’t pronounce the name, but that just tells me Marylea probably has plans beyond our shores.

But the youngest designer on the premises was 9-year-old Tai Masuda, whose necklace I admired as soon as I walked in the door. I kept looking for it on the shelves, only to find out that she’s Alli’s intern and designed the necklace herself.

Ever impatient, I was like, “Well, when are you going to make some for the store?” Tai said she was hopeful about the possibility of selling her work but said she “didn’t want to push” Alli, who was enthusiastic but just wanted to make sure Tai was ready to “release” her design.

Tai has a really good eye and outgoing personality, so she was helping a lot of adults make their choices. I was torn between a pair of silver earrings with deep blue stones or gold earrings with orange stones. At one point, I was ready to go with the silver because I already have a lot of gold earrings and, for practical purposes, thought it best to diversify. Tai was mildly enthused, but when I showed her the gold, she became wildly enthused. “Oh, that’s the one!” she said, noting it was better for my skin tone. Yup. There is a reason I favor the warmer color.

The only thing left to do was cut the birthday cake from The Cake Gallery, but Alli was wavering on that. It was a little too perfect to mar.

Anyway, it was a fun party and eventful first year. Congratulations Steve and Alli!

Marylea Conrad, left, debuted her Ki-ele line of jewelry, named after her second daughter. Her first daughter was welcomed with a line of swimwear, Melia Conrad, named after her. We’re wondering what will happen if Marylea ever gave birth to a boy. She’s with Brie Thalman, who also modeled for the jewelry line.

Tai Masuda, left, and Nanea Alden. I was admiring the necklace Tai was wearing and found out she made it. Below, she helps a customer make a decision.

There was much debate as to whether or not this Cake Love creation was ever going to be eaten. Even toward the end of the evening, Alli was reluctant to cut into it, but alas, a cake must fulfill its destiny. We’ll always have pictures.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
The Harajuku Girls handed out scent cards yesterday at Sephora Ala Moana Center, each representing the scents and characters from the Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection. They’re at the Pearlridge Sephora today, to 6 p.m.

The Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection arrived at Sephora Ala Moana Center yesterday with five scents: Love, Lil’Angel, G, Music and Baby available in .33 ounce ($25), 1 ounce ($45) and solid perfume ($60) sizes. Those who bought all five would receive a cute metal charm bracelet with the faces of the five characters.

I already had the G and floral Baby scents thanks to a friend who saw them in New York and sent them to me. Yay! Now I’m just wondering where to get my hands on those cute T-shirts and tank tops they’re wearing!

Earlier that day, Sephora was introducing some of its Christmas collection of holiday palettes and products, and to go with the product demonstrations, Lynette Jee was enlisted to share some of her teas, macaroons and other confections from her Pacific Place Tea Garden Cafe.

Adding a twist to the idea of the culinary tasting, Jee created some teas inspired by the chocolate, vanilla and fruity flavors that fill today’s cosmetics. The cosmetics aren’t really edible, but their bouquet did blend beautifully with Jee’s warm and spicy holiday chais, vanilla Hojicha roasted green tea and fruity tisanes. It was a very pleasant experience.

At Sephora, Lynette Jee shows the Korres Cherry lipgloss that inspired Pacific Place Tea Garden’s Very Cherry Tisane. The flavor was very cherry indeed, but the dry tea had a strong li hing scent.

In town for the event was Pamela Fischer of DeVries Public Relations, and after all the cosmetics talk was pau, I had to ask her how she kept her layered necklaces from tangling. She guessed it was a matter of varying chain weights, but she also stacked them side by side, rather than vertically.

She mentioned she had picked up one Alliway necklace she was wearing on her trip and was happy about her “discovery” of the Hawaii designer. Today would have been her lucky day if she wasn’t en route home. Alli is having her first store anniversary celebration to 8 p.m. at Ward Warehouse with prizes, refreshments and discounts on clothing, jewelry and accessories, including 30 percent off Alliway jewelry. See you there!

By Nadine Kam

Running this in tomorrow’s paper, but in case you need to plan to escape from work or dress accordingly:

Sephora welcomes Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection of five scents — Love, Lil’ Angel, Music, Baby and G, for Gwen — with kawaii doll atomizers inspired by L.A.M.B.

The introductions take place from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Ala Moana store, and the same times Friday at the Pearlridge location.

Dress like your favorite Harajuku Girl and you’ll go home with a free gift. Those who purchase all five fragrances will receive a free charm bracelet and disco ball to house the entire collection.

By Nadine Kam

Bravo
Rachel Zoe, left, and her assistants Brad and Taylor.

The latest must-see TV for the fashion set, especially anyone with stylist ambitions, is Bravo’s “The Rachel Zoe Project” that airs Tuesday nights.

I know, I know, she’s the stylist so many seem to hate and she’s an easy target with her high-profile Hollywood glam-boho style, and all the celeb dressing, in her own image. I just read where a New York Times reporter reviewing the show said Rachel is “a pox on humanity—exploiting an aesthetic of dissipation, invading our collective consciousness and spraying it with dummy dust.”

Them’s pretty strong words, but my feeling is that the woman deserves a lot of respect because styling is tough work. It’s extremely stressful to have the responsibility to both client and for her, A-list designers. There’s been a lot of political talk lately about putting lipstick on pigs, and the fashion equivalent is putting the wrong designs on the wrong bodies. Major designers are very careful about their image and few people are able to earn the trust of both clients and the designers, which makes me think there’s a lot of sour grapes in the criticism out there.

One legit piece of criticism is the sameness of the red carpet because of stylists’ fear of a misstep. But consider the celebrity client. They’re not out to challenge anyone with their fashion sense. Their only concern is looking pretty, and for the vast majority of the American audience, pretty and extravagant is as good as it gets.

Rachel Zoe inspects some of the water damage on Episode 2. Wonder how the designers reacted on seeing the episode.

What’s funny is her deadpan reaction to the most dire circumstances. On last night’s episode, her studio flooded and thousands of dollars worth of designer gowns were sitting with their hems in water and colors running. A lot of sh** happens in styling and you try to prevent it and cope as much as possible without freaking out, which gets you nowhere. (more…)

By Nadine Kam

Click on the photo of Leanne Marshall’s fashion show for a Newsday report on the “Project Runway” shows, with videos.

Timing was bad for this year’s “Project Runway,” with the New York shows now over and the series not even close to wrapping up, such that a record six designers were able to show at Bryant Park.

The season has been lackluster, likely due to stunt casting rather than casting for talent. Leanne Marshall is the favorite to win and I was rooting for her from the start, even though it was a shaky one for her. I liked that she’s from Portland, Ore., an under-the-radar sort of city. Whenever I go there, people always ask, “Why? What’s there?”

A lot. Farmer’s markets, great outdoors, restaurants that keep improving, fun and quirky boutiques, great furniture shops, etc. I love the city’s sort of Wild West pioneering, throw-out-the-rules style and indie spirit. It makes for some innovative, forward designs. (Strangely enough, I was just informed by someone I just met that I seem rather schizophrenic. On the one hand, I love Portland’s scruffy, scrappy, boot-strapping indie vibe, but I also love the other extreme of New York polish and well-edited aesthetic, and Leanne’s designs seem to reconcile the two aspects.)

A Seaplane fashion show.

I’ve been buying work by Portland designers for about 12 years, mostly through the local designer Mother Ship Seaplane. Sadly, I’ve also watched their prices climb — after a move from Belmont, where I bought a house, to the luxe NW 23rd Street — from about $40 for a handmade, original designer piece, to more than $250. Well-deserved, but …well, you know. It’s the difference between coming home with five pieces and one.

If you’re not shopping young designer there, there are also spectacular vintage and second-hand shops all over town where I could always find great pieces like 1950s-60s nylon blouses for $8 to $12, and 1950s dresses and a black velvet cape-y jacket with ruffled collar for $25. I haven’t been back there for two years though, so I’m pretty sure prices have shot up since the city continues its trend of being Californiafied. I hope it stops soon, though it has brought better restaurants to the city.

Another look at designs you might find at Seaplane.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Nuuanu Gallery looked like a clothing boutique with a combination of the “Dirty Laundry” exhibition and Saturday’s T-Party going on. Mariko Merritt has fun with some of the shirts.

Dropped by Nuuanu Gallery’s second T-Party on Saturday, the 13th, where there were some very cool designs and the artists were there to talk story and inspiration.

I couldn’t stay long though. Had dozens of things to return, the aftermath of another grueling photo shoot for HI Luxury magazine. And of course errands always take longer to complete in reality than in theory, so I was late for and missed the LesPros Girls model contest finale. Hopefully, I can get the results later.

There were handmade bags and scarves in addition to the T-shirts. This bag by Kelsey Napier was $15.

From left, artists John Koga, Alan Konishi and Mat Kubo show their designs outside Nuuanu Gallery.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Outside his newest Spiral Girl boutique, Hidetsugu Okiyama, center, is pictured with Body & Soul president and CEO Tao E. Miller, left, and Le Grand Marquet owner Masanori Akiyama.

A taste of Shibuya 109 has hit Ala Moana Center with the opening of Spiral Girls, a trendy Japan-based casual-wear boutique whose president Hidetsugu Okiyama was in town to oversee the grand opening the morning of Sept. 12.

Boutique manager Makiko Maddaloni, left, and Kanako Hatamoto show some of the Spiral Girl T-shirts, running from about $30 to $50. Dresses are about $72. The boutique also carries a Spiral Girl-branded line of jewelry made in collaboration with Hawaii’s Maxi Jewelry Co.

Okiyama opened his first boutique five years ago, coiniciding with Japan’s casual boom, and his chain of stores now numbers 30. The Hawaii store is his first in the United States, and with Body & Soul president and CEO Tao Miller helping with the Japanese to English translation, Okiyama said that he believes there’s room for his company here because he sees a lot of Hawaii people traveling to Japan, who really love the youthful, playful style of Shibuya 109.

Spiral Girls makes layering easy.

Okiyama said Hawaii is still an ideal launching point for Japanese companies trying to acclimate to doing business in the United States, allowing them to adapt their designs to American tastes while still attracting a sizable clientele of Japanese visitors and residents who are already familiar with the brand. The strategy has worked with restaurants before, but it looks like the next Japanese invasion of Hawaii will be on the clothing front.