By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Among things I brought home from New York were a cropped sequin top from a flea market, a black sequin skirt from Loehmann’s and black sequin vest from H&M. I plan to wear them all together. Just kidding.

Packing for New York was easy. Figuring it would be good to represent Hawaii I brought along six Fighting Eel dresses, a Maggie Coulombe black wrap dress and cocoon wrap from Maggie Coulombe, a wool wrap from Jeanie Chun, Allisonizu denim pencil skirt and shorts, and hand-painted purple fish scale tote/clutch by Hazel Lee, keeping company with other items by Phillip Lim, DVF, Missoni, Rebecca Taylor and jewelry by Marni.

The trip was going to be pricey so I didn’t want to go there and feel like I needed a bunch of clothes, so my aim was to bring things so beautiful I wouldn’t be tempted to go overboard shopping.

Just before I left, though, I was struck by this nagging notion that I should have sequins and pulled from my closet the silver shrug, colorful bolero jacket and black tube top, below, that could be worn with casual basics. It was crazy because I only travel with one small carry-on suitcase and didn’t want to bring anything extraneous. In the end, I just brought the bolero jacket that I had cut down from a thrift-store dress, figuring I could wear it with jeans and a tank top.

I don’t usually wear these things at home because Hawaii sunlight being what it is, you’d end up looking like a disco ball walking down the street. To my delight, sequins were everywhere during Fashion Week, worn on jackets and vests of attendees, as well as on the runways, where touches of silver sparkle were everywhere. On the streets, the black sequins added a touch of gloss to matte black, just the antidote to breathe life into a city palette of neutral gray concrete and cement, as well as cloudy skies. It rained early during the events, and though temperatures averaged about 70 degrees, it did dip to 49 degrees a couple of days.

During Fashion Week, there was little time to shop, or eat, and when it was over, it had been seven days since I’d shopped. The first stop was Century 21, where I didn’t see much. I bought a dress and sweater top that I immediately wanted to return, but never had a chance to go back. After that, it was H&M where I saw fall’s green mini skirt that I absolutely had to have. Only problem was they were out of small sizes. I tried two other H&Ms in SoHo, and finally asked a sales person if there would be anymore. He said the display had already been out two weeks, so they were probably all gone. Two weeks! If there’s a retailer doing well, it’s H&M due to their combination of low prices (mostly $34.95 and under) and more-than-decent quality for the cost.

This is the green skirt that almost got away at H&M. You can dress the model with the Fashion Studio feature at www.hm.com/us. I just used it to also show one of the faux fur vests that were flying out the door; a bit impractical for us in Hawaii.

I also checked out Zara, which was showing heavier winter garb, so that was easy to resist when remembering that I would be coming home to 80- or 90-degree weather.

Sequin layering in a TopShop image.

After that, I tried two more H&Ms on the Upper East Side, thinking there’s probably less traffic there. But no, there were none there either. I was growing desperate because time was running out, so I had a salesperson try calling another store. Just then, a girl was returning a green skirt, which she said fit too tight at a size 10 and there was no way she was going to go up to a size 12. (The sizing of the Euro brand is unforgiving when it comes to American vanity sizing; their 6 is equivalent to our size 0 or 2, and 8 is a 4.) That was too big for me, but I tried it on anyway. I had to hold out for a 6 or 8 and eventually found an 8 in one of three busy Midtown branches, where I also found the small version of the black oversize top with animal pattern in gold sequins, below.

I also came home with this gold sequin top from H&M.

I ended up buying a whole lot of sequins and not much else, though I did find the one thing I wanted to get, a black jacket ($59.95 at H&M.) The two other things I bought were a black dress shirt and purple skirt from Uniqlo. And the last thing I was looking for before leaving was a sequined beret, but I figure I can find that anywhere.

The one piece that got away was a lightweight matte silver retro jacket from Topshop. Where other pieces I found were all less than $40, the jacket was $270. I had to think about it. I’m still thinking about it now that I’m home, and don’t see it online. Bummer. I really like it, but I’m still non-commital. I can’t imagine getting that much wear out of it. I have a partial picture of it below, on the left hanging in the TopShop dressing room while I also tried on a gold scalloped beaded jacket I don’t need. It’s always fun to try on, though.

In the dressing room at Topshop.

It was kind of sad to be going straight from Fashion Week to H&M, but it’s a problem designers and retailers face in the current economic climate. To even it up a bit, I did pay $300 for an Alexander Wang top at Aloha Rag, of all places, and that was due to seeing all the whites and cut-out designs on the runways, and the fact there is nothing similar available this fall, but for the new frugalistas, H&M has the prized combination of style and practicality that makes them hard to beat. Especially when you’re not quite sure you need one more sequined top.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
At the Gottex show, a model steps out in an assymetric ruched swimsuit in Desert beige degradé print with Desert grosgrain gold accent belt.

At some point, I’ll finish all my NY Fashion Week stories, though by now the London and Milan shows have ended. Sorry, I guess that’s the difference between keeping up with two or three events spread out over a week, and four to five a day.

Of course there’s a sizable market for swimwear in Hawaii, so shows by Rosa Chá and Gottex were a must. At Rosa Chá, new creative director Alexandre Herchcovitch showed a sunny array of yellows and vibrant oranges, exuding the heat of the Brazilian brand.

Meanwhile, at the Gottex swimwear show — full of rich creams, golds and ocean blues in retro-glam styles geared more toward poolside soirées than rough-and-tumble waves — I slipped from second row to an empty seat in the first row where, for once, my view was unobstructed.

There is a sweet spot when it comes to timing your seat move, after all the seated guests are in, but just before the standing-room-only crowd enters. The show planners always overbook because just as with televised sports, the designers don’t want to play to a batch of empty seats. Move too soon, and the person whose seat you’re grabbing may show up and roust you. Move to slow and available seats will be filled by quick-moving SROs. Worst case scenario, the seat holder shows up, an SRO has already filled your seat and is not likely to give it back.

Ochre brush print swimsuit with gold disk and precious stone embellishment worn with silk chiffon top with embroidered grosgrain gold accent belt. At right is the cobalt blue sea print lycra swimsuit with cobalt blue grosgrain gold accent belt.

The seat holder doesn’t show. Score! Problem is, I’m not front-row material. I’m too busy and fidgety, turning this way and that for photos, when the videographers in back of the house expect the front row to be motionless, save for turns of the head. Any other movement distracts from the show.

Nadine Kam video

It didn’t help when I reached for my video camera and my bag spilled over toward the runway. Luckily, the contents didn’t fall out, but then I couldn’t reach the handles, and rather than have my head bobbing toward the floor and right arm reaching out for the cameras to capture the struggle, I let it lay there for the show’s duration. In the photos you can see how close it is from the chairs to the runway.

I also take it personally when someone in the show’s control booth shouts, “Uncross your legs!” The leg stabbing out toward the runway also interferes with the video and camera shots. But then, there’s a lot of stirring in the audience and it turns out I’m not the only one uncrossing.

At left is Gottex’s Ochre degradé lycra swimsuit with Fade-out desert print silk kimono and Ochre embroidered gold accent belt. On the right is a Coral red abstract print side-ruched swimsuit worn with a Coral red abstract print silk caftan and red grosgrain gold accent belt.

The show opened with strong showing of sand and cream colors — for the most confident or fittest women — maillots and bikinis, including one-shoulder designs, then moved into sparkling sequined blacks which isn’t very practical, unless one plans to wear them as part of an evening ensemble.

There was also a segment featuring a beautiful cobalt blue sea print, and another showing a touch of red via faux coral necklace embellishment, print and faux coral charms.

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By Nadine Kam

Courtesy photo
Betsey Johnson signs her T-shirt at the Sharpie Bar inside the tents at Bryant Park on Sept. 14.

One of the perks at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week was the appearance of Betsey Johnson 2 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Sharpie Bar inside the tents, along with a giveaway of T-shirts she designed, to be colored in with various hues of Sharpie markers, also given away by the handfuls for the DIY projects.

I missed her appearance because all my IMG updates were going into my Star-Bulletin spam filter, and I didn’t check it until the day after her appearance. (The other giveaway I missed was for YSL tote bags.) The T-shirt giveaways were continuing through Wednesday though, so I was able to pick up a T-shirt and skinny white tie. Betsey and Sharpie were also giving away headbands and white sunglasses to personalize with the markers.

During her appearance, Betsey — a breast cancer survivor — customized one of her T-shirts to benefit City of Hope Breast Cancer Research Center.

The event gave me a feeling of déjà vu because when she was here after the opening of the Ala Moana store I had brought along a plain white tee for her to sign, which she happily filled with lips and kisses in the form of x’s and o’s. Plain white made sense to me because her designs are usually so full of splashy colors and patterns that a signature would get lost. Boutique manager Marilee Mattson always reminds me that set off an avalanche of signings that night.

Here’s a Sharpie video of Betsey at the Sharpie Bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoE1ZEagR1s

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Flowers were handpainted on these pink dresses shown during Koi Suwannagate’s presentation at Gana Gallery on Sept. 16.

Thai designer Koi Suwannagate asked what if love were a flower in her collection of feminine dresses and gowns shown at Gana Gallery at 11 a.m. on Sept. 16.

Dresses were handmade and some handpainted, with jewelry also taking the form of gold and silver lotuses designed by Prinn Jewelry.

Music played during the gallery presentation was a spare, Asian-inflected whistled version of the “Theme From Love Story.”

I wanted to shoot some video but had forgotten to recharge my camera battery the night before. Just in case I could find an outlet on site, I brought along my battery charger. I spied several empty outlets while there, but each seemed to neighbor to an outlet with a light unit plugged into it. I imagined plugging in and short-circuiting the whole show. Those kinds of things seem to happen to me at home, but I have a feeling they’re much less forgiving here. So I refrained and simply snapped photos.

Designer Koi Suwannagate, center, talks about one of her designs.

The tableau included lilypad, frog and lotus constructions lining the gallery.

Handmade gold lotus earrings by Prinn Jewelry were shown with the clothing designs.

Shoulder details are in for fall and will likely continue into spring.

Bare shoulders and floral waistband on one of Koi Suwannagate’s gowns.

By Nadine Kam

Photos by Nadine Kam
After Norma Kamali’s presentation in the Apple store in SoHo, everyone followed the designer onto the street to see her pieces available now at NormaKamaliCollection.com, NormaKamaliBay.com and in Wal*Mart stores. She believes technology is democratizing the distribution and availability of fashion, and that consumers are no longer willing to follow designers’ and retailers’ traditional schedules

Only one event today, Norma Kamali’s “democratization of Fashion” presentation at the Apple store in Soho. I’m anxious to hear what she has to say because she is a swimwear pioneer and legend who is now blazing a trail in the place where technology and fashion meet. I’m interested in all aspects of technology because it is changing the way we live so radically and the things we do or don’t do now will impact quality of life in the future.

She held onto her white iPhone throughout the event and proclaimed her love for the device. I picked up one two days before leaving home — it’s a long story — and it has been a life saver, not only for email, Internet and phone contact, but providing me with maps and compass so I didn’t waste much time getting lost.

She started her tech track only a year ago, when retailers slumped on their buys. She decided to test sales direct to the public at wholesale prices and she said that made up the shortfall.

Now, this is the part that may change the rest of the fashion world. Technology has made communication instant. In Hawaii, we should know better than anyone, because the diss to Hawaii has always been that it takes a year before trends arrive to the masses. No more. We get the information the same time as everyone else thanks to the Internet, increasing visibility and desire so that more people are dressing up.

So, what she has done, rather than give knock-off artists time to beat collections to stores, is put everything shown up on eBay the day of her presentation in light rain on a SoHo street, knowing people will want what they see now, and not have to wait until six months from now. Maybe that’s why I was in Topshop afterward, trying on a pale pink feather skirt (feather idea Jason Wu, color story Erin Fetherston).

I was also shopping for things that will carry over to spring, such as tny silver sequins and a white cut-out sleeve top from Alexander Wang that I found at Aloha Rag.

The pace of retail, in light of technology may be too slow for consumers, so what happens next? Her presentation gave us something to think about at the close of Fashion Week. Exciting times.

Norma Kamali’s models show designs being sold at Wal*Mart and on eBay through the NormaKamaliBay.com app. All pieces are wholesale priced at $250 and under. It was about 60 degrees in the rain. One of the other swimwear models had chicken skin.

Kamali faces the press and her fans.

By Nadine Kam

Getty Images courtesy IMG
Dennis Basso’s champagne silk charmeuse top and champagne silk organza tiered skirt with ribbon detail.

Dennis Basso is mostly known as a furrier, but maybe the prospect of facing off with PETA again got to him because his show kept furs to a minimum while playing up starry night and Degas ballerina skirts that flared from fitted bodices with a twist.

Nadine Kam photos
One of Dennis Basso’s bare backs. Yes, that’s Fern Mallis across the way.

Nadine Kam video

The photos from Getty Images show only half the story from the front. Viewers expecting fully covered backs saw airy, sporty cuts cuts instead, open to a chill factor, hence creating the need for shoulder and partial back-warming boleros and shrugs of chinchilla, mink and broadtail. Anti- fur people will easily find other options to wear with his party dresses of organza, voile, crepe de chine, taffeta, silk jersey and silk charmeuse.For his collection, the designer received a standing ovation.

Getty Images

Nadine Kam photo

Getty Images
Gold diamond-dusted python bustier and bronz chiffon dress with gold ribbon across the model’s eyes.

Getty Images
The crowd cheers the designer.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Jill Stuart designs were shown in a runway show at the New York Public Library.

New York being the home of cool professionalism, there’s not a whole lot of drama or weirdness on the runways here, compared to that of Europe or L.A. While everyone loves a spectacle, these shows are about selling clothing to American women who generally can’t shake a Puritanical, practical streak. When shopping, I always overhear women telling friends, “I don’t have an occasion to wear that.” Who needs to wait for an occasion? Call a friend for lunch; that’s an occasion.

That said, Jill Stuart went bold with her show in Astor Hall at the New York Public Library behind Bryant Park. With fashion risk takers such as Cher as inspiration, her show was all about playtime and making a memorable entrance.

She started her show with clean, crisp white dresses before moving onto blacks, mixed black and white, then came bursts of metallic green, blue and pink.

Jill Stuart harem pant jumpsuit.

Black leggings, a touch of lace and metallic green.

The grand venue of the New York Public Library.

Mesh boots on the Jill Stuart runway.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Outside the Bryant Park tents after the Gottex show, Sept. 14.

In New York, fashion isn’t limited to the runways.

Outside the Koi Suwannagate show:

Inside the Catherine Malandrino show at Chelsea Art Museum:

Japanese media outside the Malandrino’s show:

The tamer side of Patrick McDonald:

At Max Azria, Sept. 15:

The uniform of New York fashion week: Very short skirt or shorts, very high strappy bondage heels and motorcycle or boyfriend jacket. Below, front-row footwear at the Jill Stuart show, Sept. 14:

At the Malandrino show:

Jason Wu’s models in their own clothes before the show:

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By Nadine Kam

Photos by Nadine Kam
Models face the crowd. Viscose fringe dress with pierced treccia waistline, detail below, and Macchu Picchu print chiffon off-shoulder dress.

Catherine Malandrino took her guests around the world with her “Nomads” Spring-Summer 2010 collection, with four tableaux gracing the Chelsea Art Museum beginning at 1 p.m. Sept. 15. The aim was to capture the spirit of the Nubas of Sudan, Berbers of the Sahara, Cashibo of Peru and Samoans of Polynesia through silhouettes based on draping and wrapping the body, with harem pants and linen men’s trousers emphasizing a loose shape.

Catherine Malandrino’s ad in the Daily.

The gallery was packed, which caused one photographer to remark, “People actually want to be here?” It’s one thing to be working and another to be part of a mass throng, which makes it hard to take photos. You feel like you can’t really walk around the pedestals or get too close to the models unless you’re a hambone who likes being in others’ shots.

There was a lot to take in, and a lot of details in the clothing. Check it out:

Ciara wears Terracotta Seta jersey Riad jumpsuit with Fiori de Bronzo chained leather necklace.

Selina wears Tokoriki cotton/chiffon applique tunic with degrade fringe chianti skirt.

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By Nadine Kam

M.A.C photos
Models at the Rodarte show were dressed with tribal tattoos inspired by the Maoris of New Zealand.

Makeup during New York Fashion Week isn’t restricted to the face alone. M.A.C senior artist Chantel Miller created the Maori-inspired geometric tattoo makeup seen on the runways at the Rodarte Spring/Summer 2010 runway show today at Gagosian Gallery.

Chantel, who specializes in body painting, spent four intensive hours with a team of 40 artists hand painting the elaborate body art. Each model received a customized combination of design motifs, depending on which look they were wearing in the show. This is why my planned back stage visit didn’t materialize. They scaled back on press because they didn’t need the distraction.

The “tattoos” at the Rodarte show were achieved with M.A.C Micronized Airbrush in Black Black, PRO Mixing Medium/Alcohol Base and Liquidlast Liner in Point Black.

Tom Pecheux for M.A.C also created tribal looks for Catherine Malandrino’s “Nomads” presentation at the Chelsea Art Museum. Her Spring-Summer 2010 collection circled the globe, paying homage to Sudanese clans, Saharan nomads, Peruvian tribes and the Samoans.

Nadine Kam photos
Fringe, flowers and Samoan-inspired tattoos formed one part of Catherine Malandrino’s presentation at the Chelsea Art Museum.