Here’s the Nordstrom March 5 fashion show footage for those who weren’t there, and the many who were there but still missed both runs because of the size of the venue and the general feeding frenzy (of both edible and material sort)!

The show was divided into several cohesive segments. My apologies for the show coordinators, but I’ve mashed segments together so people with the worst Internet connections won’t think it’s too much of a chore to download. The real show had about four times as many outfits. Could have been more. I’m really bad at math, but you’ll get the gist as far as the size of the stage, the pacing and general ambience.I also made a separate video of the men’s segment, again, for easy downloading.

Nadine Kam photos
Easter colors on the runway at Nordstrom.

New faces on the runway. All but two of the 40 models were flown in for the fashion show. Guests were asking why there was a need to import models. Height plays a part, but it’s also all about the walk, which has become more apparent to me while attempting to shoot video and photographs. These models look good with every step.

Still recovering from the fun of the Nordstrom fashion show gala last night. Amazing! About 2,500 people paid $150 to be at the event, which raised $400,000 to benefit Hawaii Theatre Center, Bishop Museum and HUGS.

Guests had the run of all three levels of the store, with performances by Amy Hanaiali’i and Matt Catingub, Jimmy Borges and Mihana Souza centered around the First Floor piano, with attendees dancing when the mood struck. Food and dessert stations, with selections by Chai Chaowasaree, Elua’s Donato Loperfido and Philippe Padovani, and JJ Pastry, were set up all around the store, and cash register counters and makeup counters were turned into makeshift bars.

Guests rode the escalator from floor to floor to see all the store had to offer.

I could tell who reads this blog because they were the ones who came up to me and seeing I was wearing a black (after all) Alice + Olivia dress, told me, “Hey, you’re not wearing what you said you were going to wear!”

Yeah, well, there are always last-minute snafus. I got there close to 8, though I had planned to be there at 7.

For me, the runway show on the third floor was the highlight, and I rushed into the tent for the first show at 8 p.m. When I was told earlier that the show would repeat at 9 p.m., I didn’t understand the rationale, but as large as the venue was—almost as big as many of the New York Fashion Week Bryant Park shows—it would not have been able to contain all the guests, many of whom missed in show in favor of shopping, flirting, noshing, getting foot massages, etc., etc. Those who missed the show said they’d wait for my video. Ooh, the pressure! (more…)

Photo by Nadine Kam
Lunch is served at Neiman Marcus.

Neiman Marcus hosted a Giorgio Armani Spring 2008 fashion show Feb. 29 to benefit The Contemporary Museum.

They did a lot of shuffling to clear floor space for the event, which also featured a lunch served with precision by dozens of waiters who entered the room single file, carrying two plates per person, presented in sync. On the menu was olive bruschetta topped with greens and grilled shrimp panzanella salad. Dessert was a Meyer lemon white chocolate tiramisu with seasonal berries.

The Armani collection was polished and understated, with tailored jackets in varying lengths for women who appreciate classic style. Muted neutrals were shown with an occasional splash of bright red and green, and navy blue. You can see part of the show on the video:

After the event, guests walked over to the Armani boutique area to get a closeup view of the designs.

There were many artists in the house, as well as patrons of the arts. I was seated next to Balcony Gallery’s Jodi Endicott, who is beginning to show work from the Kailua gallery at a special Salon event during First Fridays on Nuuanu Avenue. Check it out from 5 to 9 p.m. March 7 at the Hawaii Times Building, 928 Nu’uanu Ave. Great news for those too lazy to make the short trip over the Pali to Kailua.

AP photos
Design from the Gianni Versace Fall/Winter 2008 collection.

The Milan fall/winter shows started on Wednesday, and it seems as if the global economy has brought Italian and American designers in sync. Many of the streamlined silhouettes and colors looked as if they would have been right at home on New York’s runways. Collections from Dolce & Gabbana, Romeo Gigli and Versace were relatively devoid of excess.

Of course there were luxurious fabrics and accents such as Fendi’s renowned furs, but I can’t help thinking that worries about a sinking economy are leading designers to tame their wildest impulses to create more wearable pieces.

From the Gianni Versace collection.

From Dolce & Gabbana.

From Romeo Gigli.

From Fendi.

Nadine Kam photos
This Paloma Blanca satin charmeuse capped-sleeve sheath gown with empire lace bodice, sash and brooch is $1,875.

The Wedding Cafe and The Bridal Boutique teamed up to play host to 75 brides-to-be, their friends and a handful of supportive grooms-to-be at the “27 Dresses” Couture Wedding Gown show Sunday night. The event had the vibe of a giant bridal shower with desserts, wine, and fun and games from beginning to end.

As usual, guests lined up early and were eventually greeted inside The Bridal Boutique, 614 Cooke St., by the music of Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson, who is a great singer. I’m hyper-critical about that because I sing and I can never figure out how, on “American Idol,” after auditioning thousands and thousands of wannabes, they come up up with such mediocre talent in the top 24. Listening to Maila outside the door, I thought I was listening to a recording and Tanna Dang, of The Wedding Cafe, later told the audience that she booked Ben and Maila for her wedding as soon as she set her date, before making any other arrangements. They are that good.

Before the show, guests lined up for dessert.

From there it was onto wine sampling compliments of Wine the Experience and desserts from Aloha Cakery, such as Heavenly Haupia Squares, Hawaiian Honeymoon Brownies and Strawberry Dream Wedding Cake. My favorite was the Cloud 9 Cream Puff.

Of course, everyone came to see the wedding gowns modeled by friends of the hosts, to show how gowns fit brides of every size. But the star of the evening was 5-year-old flowergirl model Kaylie, who put on her best attitude, even doing a backward stroll down the runway to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

Cheri Cabillon, left, is looking forward to an October wedding, while Belinda Sanchez has set a date in September.

I took an empty seat next to Cheri Cabillon and Belinda Sanchez, two of the most stylish in the house. I asked Sanchez if she was in the fashion biz. “No,” she said, “but I’m French.” She said she didn’t want a traditional wedding dress, and had originally searched for something “couture or funky” to suit her style sense, but once she tried on a wedding cake sort of dress, she was hooked by that traditional image.

Once the show started, she had to remove her jacket. “I’m getting hot, this is serious business,” she said.

Can’t have a shower without toilet-paper games, with Maryn as blushing bride. (more…)

Nadine Kam photos
A model wears one of Monique Zhang’s creations at the C.S. Wo Chinese New Year celebration.

C.S. Wo welcomed the Year of the Rat Feb. 16 with another of their grand celebrations combining food, drink, fireworks, cultural and fashion displays.

On view were the colorful couture garments of Monique Zhang, of San Francisco’s Cicada boutique, presented during a fashion show that preceded the evening’s lion dance. Several lions were needed to bless guests scattered throughout two floors.

Among those who came to see Zhang’s work were local designers Jeanne Chun, Bill Chow and Bernard Foong, who is currently working on Maui but has plans to set up shop in Honolulu. He wore an elegant Mandarin-style robe of his own design.

Monique Zhang, center, with Gloria Untermann, left, and Ethel Oyang.

Also showing her new creations was jewelry designer Julie Wong, who works with semi-precious and precious stones. I was particularly taken by one pair of multiple-strand dangling earrings and realized why when informed the stones on them were black diamonds. Very nice. Colored sapphires were also sparkling charmers. I ran away before becoming too enamored.

Bill Chow dressed for the party in a Moschino jacket with Versace trousers and belt, Paul Smith 100-button tie and a shirt of his own design.

Midweek style editor Yu Shing Ting and Travin Makinano brought 4-month-old Koen Kaimalieokalani Makinano to the party. Yu Shing showed me his urban-style booties, and she’ll probably see to it that he’s wearing the latest gear until he’s old enough to dress himself.

During her stay in Honolulu, Monique fitted several women, like Winona Machado, in her designs. She’ll have a lot of custom work to do once she returns home.

AP photos
Above and below are a trio of designs by Marc Jacobs for Fall/Winter 2008.

As expected Friday, nothing on Marc Jacobs’ runway fit any preconceived notion of silhouettes and proportion. Slouchy blousons and long over short and short over long designs will have others chattering and heading back to the drawing boards for weeks to come.

Meanwhile, the attention has moved on to London, where the runways are the most eccentric of them all. Sadly, some of the city’s best known designers have always chosen to show in more highly populated, media-blitzed shows in Paris and New York, but with coverage guaranteed pretty much anywhere these days, London’s fashion grande dame Vivienne Westwood is returning for her first show in nine years. Can’t wait to see that!

Eley Kishimoto sent this ensemble down the runway on Feb. 11, during London Fashion Week. Below is a design by PPQ.

AP photos
Ruffles by Christian Siriano.

“Project Runway” left five designers standing this week, with two scheduled to be auf wiedersehen’d Feb. 13. So viewers taking Fashion Week’s “Project Runway” fashion show today just had to guess who made the final three and who were there to throw us off track.

Judging from the runway looks and the labor that went into the designs, I’d say Christian Siriano, Rami Kashou and Jillian Lewis were the ones who made it through to the two-part finale, Feb. 27 and March 5, when Victoria Beckham will be a guest judge.

More black from Christian. (more…)

AP photos
There are a lot of prints on New York’s runways. This fall 2008 ensemble is by Michael Kors.

It can feel strange and fashion nerdlike to be writing about what’s coming in the fall when most people are only concerned about what’s in stores now and how to get ready for spring. Anything beyond “What will I wear tomorrow?” is too abstract to consider.

But sometimes your best tactic in approaching the current season is to know what’s coming ahead. You’ll get more mileage out of your wardrobe and avoid one-season wonders by knowing what silhouettes and colors will work beyond a single season. Once you’ve mastered the art of wardrobe building, you can splurge on a couple of those timely seasonal hits with no regrets.

One silhouette emerging for fall is short, with a fitted bodice and full skirt. This dress is from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Last fall, it seemed audacious for designers to suggest magentas, bright yellows and greens for spring 2008. At the time, I wondered how many women would want to wear yellow, but here I am in a yellow sweater over a dress in a Mondrian palette of blue, red, black and yellow over a field of white.

Among the runway trends for fall are the return of prints, more ladylike dressing and the return of the shapely silhouette with fitted bodice and full skirt, though that skirt has been shrunk to make it modern. And, New York’s designers have adopted the no-season philosophy Hawaii has always had. You’ll see many spring-weight dresses intended to be layered with sweaters because so many design houses have taken a hit from two years of warm or late winters that caused people to skip buying winter’s traditional bulky clothing. That’s good news for us because it’ll give us more Hawaii-friendly designs to choose from in fall.

Lighter winter layering at 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Photos courtesy Miss Sixty

Mini buses painted with peace symbols, “Love” and yellow suns provided the backdrop for the Miss Sixty show Sunday during New York Fashion Week, where flower power and retro Carnaby Street style met up in a fall/winter 2008 collection that made the most of layering, mini dresses, long coats and a couple of maxi dresses paired with fuzzy stoles.

At top, the staging reminded all that what the world needs now is peace and love. Seated in the front row, from left, were Chloe Sevigny, Ashley Olsen and Milla Jovovich. Anne Hathaway was also seated next to Sevigny.

Many of the short dresses were shown with floral printed shimmery stockings paired with footwear ranging from booties to boots rising no higher than mid-calf. So cute, and our weather is perfect for wearing them right now! Don’t you sometimes hate the wait between the Fashion Week debuts and retail logistics? (more…)