By Nadine Kam

Sony Pictures photos
Audrey Tautou as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in tweeds, while her sister Adrienne, played by Marie Gillain, wears lace.

“Coco Before Chanel” finally opens in Honolulu a little more than a month after its New York debut on Sept. 25.

I remember the date because I wanted to see it but was bummed because that was the day I had to leave NY. I did see “It Might Get Loud” and “The September Issue” while I was there because I didn’t know when they would arrive in Hawaii. (Both were playing when I got home, thanks to Consolidated Kahala, which is also showing the film about the young Chanel.)

I fell asleep during the movie about the making of Vogue’s September 2007 issue. It felt too much like work, with all the same anxieties, second guessing and frustrations, and it just made me tired. So I never did get to see what happened with Grace Coddington’s spread, though I did find her work inspiring.

“Coco Before Chanel” is also about inspiration, with Audrey Tautou in the title role of the young Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

Those hoping to see fashion on par with “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” will get about 5 minutes of it at the end of the film, but otherwise, the film covers only the first half of her life.

Audrey Tautou as Chanel, dressed like a man at a costume party.

It was funny to see the cabaret scenes during which Gabrielle picked up the name “Coco.” The film has her singing a song about a search for a lost dog named Coco, alledgedly for which she could not shake the connection. I was reminded of what photographer Douglas Kirkland told me during a brief interview earlier this year when his photos of the designer were shown at Chanel Waikiki. He said, “If you knew her, you called her Mademoiselle, not Coco. She hated that. She had a short career as a cabaret singer — not a very successful one. Coco was her stage name.”

Chanel, born in 1883, came of age during the Belle Epoque, the “Beautiful Era,” the decades leading up to World War II, when the European world was at peace and the upper classes enjoyed prosperity and all the toys new technology produced.

Chanel had been left at an orphanage at age 12 by her father after her mother died. To earn her keep, she learned to become a seamstress. As one of society’s have-nots, Chanel is portrayed by Tautou as a self-possessed, impudent young woman who was resentful of the privileged class, as well as advantages of being a man, and fought against inequity in her own fashionable way.

The movie shows Balsan giving the young Chanel a dress, but when confronted with such confections, her impulse is to start ripping out flowers and simplifying matters.

The resourceful young designer is shown using materials at hand — shirts, jackets and ties from her paramour  Étienne Balsan’s closet — to fashion attire for herself and foreshadow her later reputation for adapting menswear for women.

She is depicted saying she favors simplicity and comfort of menswear over the corsets, bustles and petticoats of the other women in Balsan’s circle. Whether this was true or just a matter of necessity, resourcefulness and acceptance is anyone’s guess.

By today’s standard, the outfits she put together — such as a Chaplinesque ensemble of white vest, black jacket, dress shirt with French cuffs and cropped black pant — are  adorable. Perhaps, as a woman, she had less of a tendency to objectify or fetishize women the way a male designer might. But at the time, the clothes she presented must have seemed clownish and outrageous, as happens when an individual is ahead of the curve. Jersey that she used as outerwear for instance, had been thought of as suitable only for underwear.

Chanel dines with the love of her life, Arthur “Boy” Capel, played by Alessandro Nivola, who financed her millinery shop in Brittany. While watching the movie, my eyes were on her dress, so I didn’t notice the camellia he’s wearing, until now.

That was a point made by Arthur “Boy” Capel, who called her an anarchist during a stroll along the beach, where they observed society women lounging and playing while wearing large, lacey picture hats, which Chanel scornfully described as “meringues on their heads.”

By the 1920s, a new slim shape with fewer underpinnings was changing the world of women’s fashion, and war years demanded more practical attire for women. No designer creates in a vacuum, and I’m guessing an overall revolution in women’s wear and growing women’s movement also helped shape her philosophies. She had to be tough and smart to make it in a man’s world when, to this day, all the major French couture houses bear the names of their male creators.

On another side note, the film shows both Chanel and Balsan wearing sleeveless tweed jackets. The sleeveless look will be back this spring in the Dior Homme collection. I got an early look at the collection — which also includes jackets with sleeves — while in New York. I can’t think of many men in Hawaii who will rush for this look, but, if 2010 proves to be as hot as 2009, it makes practical sense! You have four months to warm up to the look.

Nadine Kam photo
Dylan Peckenpaugh of Dior Homme showed me the spring-summer 2010 collection during a preview in New York. The collection features the line’s signature dark suiting, with linen dickeys and vests, plus the new look of sleeveless jackets. Dylan’s from Kauai.

By Nadine Kam

Style.com photos
Peaked shoulders off the Balmain Spring 2009 runway appeared in Michael Jackson’s final concert footage.

I was so happy the footage of Michael Jackson’s last concert rehearsals were made into the film, “This Is It.”

I was especially thrilled for the many dancers, musicians and crew members who worked so hard at rehearsal and could finally get some long-awaited and well-deserved recognition.

There was one segment I wish could have been explored more, and that was the work on the costumes, which promised to be even more spectacular than what we would expect, even by Michael Jackson standards, which is extremely high. They talked about costumes and gloves that would light up by remote control.

I’m familiar with 30 years of signature looks and silhouettes of the fashion icon, and the film introduced one more, straight off the Balmain Spring 2009 runway, of the peaked-shoulder jacket. You can’t miss it, and every time it pops up you’ll wonder whether you love it or hate it. Of course, Michael Jackson being Michael Jackson, his jacket was tricked out with crystals.

You can read more about it in a story that appeared yesterday in the Los Angeles Times.

The movie starts as an ordinary behind-the-scenes concert documentary, but is very touching in then end as we hear Jackson’s thoughts about the state of the environment and our individual roles in making the world a better place while “Man in the Mirror” plays.

If Jackson were alive, I doubt that this documentary would have been released in this form, because he was a perfectionist. Because this is rehearsal footage, I could tell he was delivering only 70 to 80 percent of his full performing capability, but his 70 percent might as well be 100 percent for most people. He’s still amazing to watch and never stops moving on stage.

For all that has been said about his “weirdness” and “eccentricity” over recent years, he comes across as being thoughtful and sincere, and the film reaffirms his musical genius.

By Nadine Kam

Michelle Ramos photos
From left, Lindsey Kemp, Samantha Silverberg and Christine Pagano dressed for Hippie Holiday tonight.

Revisit the summer of love during the first Hippie Holiday event taking place in the Honolulu Arts District from 5 to 10 p.m. today.

I was trekking through Chinatown today after lunch and ran into Lindsey Kemp (@lindseak), who, with Samantha Silverberg and Christine Pagano, was getting a headstart on the gallery stroll featuring 1960’s-inspired art and music, highlighted by the screening of “Playing for Change” — Mark Johnson’s film that starts with street musician Roger Ridley playing for change in Santa Monica — at 8 pm. at NextDoor on Hotel Street. For all the info, check out John Berger’s story in today’s HiLife.

Also spotted this flower-powered Karmann Ghia parked on Pauahi Street:

Bring the love to the Honolulu arts district tonight.

>>>><<<<

Meanwhile, Bare Escentuals is sharing the love with 20 percent off today through June 25, online at BareEscentuals.com (use promo code “SHARE”) or print out the coupon at http://tinyurl.com/mdma7w and redeem at the Ala Moana Center boutique in the Nordstrom wing.

By Nadine Kam

“Valentino: The Last Emperor” photos
Valentino is surrounded by models in his signature red, and his pugs.

We are doubly blessed this month to be able to see the film, “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” playing at Kahala Theatres, followed by a trip to the Chanel Waikiki boutique to get a taste of the rarified world of haute couture, as depicted in the movie, on vivid display.

Chanel will be bringing in its Métiers d’Art Collection 2009, “Paris Moscow,” for a special exhibition May 9 through June 6. (Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld makes an appearance in the “Valentino” film, toward its end.) I’ll have more information about the show, as well as images from the collection in Thursday’s paper, but for now, Valentino.

Anyone with the slightest interest in fashion MUST see this film, by Matt Tyrnauer. I saw it on Friday night, during a benefit screening presented by the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, also held in advance of the organization’s 20th annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, running May 21 to 24.

The film is funny and sad, with all the elements of great drama, including a quixotic protaganist, villains in the form of business execs and financiers, and tragedy in light of market forces and changing of the guard, leading to the end of the era in which Valentino thrived.

Beyond surface beauty, there are dozens of hands involved in constructing these garments by hand, with skills above and beyond what most people will ever be exposed to, because what most of us see is the ready-to-wear. By film’s end, one reviewer still couldn’t separate haute couture from L.L. Bean. That’s so sad. (more…)

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Prada area manager Joe Incao with stylist Crystal Pancipanci, left, and makeup artist Jessica Hoffman.

Prada Corp. celebrated the grand opening of its Miu Miu store last night with a well-attended party of some of Honolulu’s most stylish, as well as a handful of celebs, including “Lost’s” Michael Emerson, dressed in crisp white linen, homegrown actress/singer Tia Carrere and “American Idol” season five finalist Katharine McPhee, who’s also working on her acting skills.

Of course dozens came dressed in Prada or Miu Miu, but the person drawing circles of interrogators all night was Ronald Cheung, dressed in a black Commes de Garcons kilt worn over Louis Vuitton neon leggings, with white shirt and very cool cinched buckled top that had an edgy bondage-meets-straitjacket vibe.

Tia Carrere and Katharine McPhee, both dressed in Miu Miu and in town filming “You May Not Kiss the Bride,” produced by Hawaii Film Partners and also starring Mena Suvari. It’s said to about an American pet photographer who gets caught up with Croatian gangsters while on honeymoon with one of the mobster’s daughters.

It was a great party and the floor was so packed that if you saw someone you knew, you had to grab them right away, before they got swallowed up by the crowd, never to be seen again.

From left, party-goers Denise Nakano, Chanel Wong, Candace Konievic, Rod Iasuda and Lesli-Ann Yano.

(more…)

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
“Lost’s” Michael Emerson on the red carpet.

OK, OK, so it’s been a while. Can’t a person just recover from Sunday’s Oscar Night America festivities at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel?

The event was once again presented by the Hawaii International Film Festival, against the colorful backdrop of the Pink Palace and blue skies. Guests walking the red carpet were also invited to pose for that postcard photo against Diamond Head, with some group so big, they blocked the landmark.

Photographer Jeannemarie Viggiano at work. You can visit jeannemariephoto.com or hiff.org for more photos from the event.

Some guests tried to sidestep the red carpet to avoid getting their pictures taken, but I could see how the red really highlights the person and makes what they wear pop. See how washed out it can look; otherwise, the gold would have looked terrific against red, like in the bottom photo. So if you ever have occasion to walk a red carpet, plan accordingly.

The difficult part of covering the local event means I missed seeing the actual Hollywood red carpet. Only a snippet is shown just before the Oscar ceremonies begin airing. I still haven’t caught up via TV or Internet, so when people talk about Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress or Miley Cyrus’s dress, I can’t offer an opinion. From what I saw from the awards ceremony, I liked Penelope Cruz’s dress, I thought Jennifer Aniston really needs to call a stylist, and Reese Witherspoon’s gown looked as if she had a date with Brian Boitano. The sequins and frills were a little costume-y and over-the-top, so I don’t know what happened. She’s dressed so impeccably for all her red carpet events of the past few years.

The Oscar program was great, and it was a nice touch to honor all the nominees, instead of showing yet another film clip that’s been shown dozens of times during award season. I had a couple of teary moments when Heath Ledger’s family went up to the stage, and when Anne Hathaway and Kate Winslet were being honored. They are such wonderful actresses. I see in Anne the same honesty and earnest quality that Heath brought to his roles, that made him so special, even when he appeared in lightweight fluff. It still makes me sad to think that at 28, he would have had such a brilliant career ahead of him.

Someone actually asked me if, when cameras focused on sadness in the eyes of the audience, if it was real emotion or if they were acting for the cameras. Good question. I only know I could never date an actor because it’s hard enough to gauge what’s in the heart of a normal, lousy actor sort of person.

Filmmaker Brett Wagner, left, with Christina Simpkins and Chris Lee.

Jay Chen, left, was chairman of the event and greeted guests early in the evening.

HIFF executive director Chuck Boller was the center of attention all evening. I had to drag him away for a shot, and even then, people were calling at him from behind me.

The silent auction featured a signed script, props and photos from the TV series, “House,” and some of the gear used in the George Clooney film, “Leatherheads.” (more…)

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photo
Valerie Ragaza-Miao, who’ll be competing as Mrs. Honolulu in the Mrs. Hawaii USA pageant on May 23, draws numbers for dozens of prizes during an advance screening of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” last Thursday at the Consolidated Theatres, Ward Entertainment Center.

As expected, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” offered lots of eye candy, and I’m not just talking clothes. Actor Hugh Dancy was also great to look at, and after catching a preview with my friends we all agreed later that his character was the equivalent of the perfect man: smart, good looking, nice smile, ambitious, rich but not snobby, confident enough to ignore the notion of the obvious trophy girlfriend/wife, understands fashion but again, not snobby or obsessed about it.

Dream shopping from the movie.

Mr. Dancy

Sigh. If you fit the bill, I know at least a dozen women who would love to meet you! You don’t even have to be rich. Money is just the icing on top of all other fine traits.

The preview was also a party for friends and fans of Valerie Joseph’s Valerie Ragaza Miao, who, before the film began, offered dozens of door prizes for those who made Foodbank donations. Some, who didn’t know about the drive, wrote checks on the spot.

In spite of the frivolity at the film’s surface, it offers a starting point to talk about the intersection of desire and ability to pay. The National Endowment of Financial Education has a site Spendster.org that lets visitors confess their own shopaholic tendencies, believing the admissions actually do help people face their weaknesses.

You may have a problem if you have a tendency to:
>> Buy things you want without thinking about whether you can afford them at the moment.
>> Buy things often to cheer yourself up or reward yourself.
>> Struggle paying your bills because you always seem to be living on the financial edge.
>> Tend to keep buying more of your favorite things even if you don’t have a specific need for them.
>> Feel intensely deprived, angry or upset if you have to put off buying something you really want.
>> Turn excessively to credit cards to buy wanted items.

Here are some suggested cures from Spendster:

>> DO prioritize: Often, we fall prey to retailer’s persuasive displays and instead of buying only what we need, we end up with a cart full of all kinds of other stuff. Before you head out to the store, make a list and keep to it.
>> DON’T remove the tags: They’re itchy and scratchy and poke you in weird places, but resist the urge to rip off the tags until you’re sure you are going to keep the item.
>> DO wait 30 minutes before making a purchase. Sometimes if you leave it, you might not want to go back to buy it.
>> DON’T make it easy: Take only the cash you need for the day. Leave your credit cards at home and freeze them if you must. Tell a friend about your situation and empower him or her to tell you “no” when you feel the urge to spend needlessly.
>> DO return it: If it’s a recent offense, dig out your receipt (tip: keep all receipts in a designated pocket of your purse or checkbook for easy recovery) and head straight back to the store. If you feel that you’re unable to return to the “scene of the crime” without either spending more or exchanging for a lower-priced item, ask a spouse or friend to run the errand for you.
>> DON’T pretend it never happened. Denial is a powerful tool, but admitting your spending mistakes allows you the insight to not repeat them. Visit a Web site like Spendster.org for some cathartic reflection. While you’re there, learn from other people that have posted their splurges.
>> DO look to prevent future binges. Plenty of nonprofit organizations have been established to help consumers get a better grip of their finances and budgeting.

Get more advice at www.SmartAboutMoney.org with a search for “compulsive shopping.”

By Nadine Kam

Valerie Joseph is offering the opportunity to win a $50 gift certificate from the Ala Moana Center boutique, just by submitting your confession as a shopaholic, to coincide with the Friday opening of the movie.

How easy is that. Hit the red block above and confess away!

By Nadine Kam

Touchstone Pictures
Isla Fisher, in magenta, stars as shopaholic Rebecca Bloomfield in “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” opening Feb. 13.

As a reporter I try not to make assumptions about people and situations until talking to parties involved, but sometimes when you see a person’s work, it’s hard to separate the professional from the personal.

That’s what happened when I interviewed Patricia Field in advance of the opening of “Confessions of a Shopaholic.” Sizing up her colorful hair, her New York boutique and her wardrobe work on “Sex and the City,” “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Ugly Betty,” I assumed an over-the-top, flamboyant personality who might also be a shopaholic herself.

But no. She’s every bit the fashion pro. And now, when I think about it, I don’t know why I was surprised at all.

I think a lot of people look at fashion as a fun, fluffy business, but it is every bit as demanding as any other field, requiring a lot of discipline and hard work. Those with longevity don’t tend to be shopaholics because the biz rewards those skilled at editing wardrobes, and I imagine a shopaholic would be all over the map when it comes to making selections.

For a moment, I had to wonder if I am one because of my eclectic closet and shopping bags full of unworn items. Just this morning I found two sequin belts (one red, one silver) with heart buckles that I bought from former SB’er Shawn “Speedy” Lopes, now owner of Stylus. Yay! I wanted to wear one two weeks ago! But, while I have been known to be impulsive, buying things the moment I spot them, I’m not addicted to shopping. (more…)

By Nadine Kam

Touchstone Pictures
Isla Fisher, as shopaholic Rebecca Bloomwood, attempts to take charge of her closet. Click on the photo for the trailer.

I got a chance to interview Patricia Field yesterday in advance of the opening of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” though we won’t be running the story until closer to the film’s opening in February.

Who can wait that long?

What was most interesting to me was that the boutique-owning stylist for “Sex and the City” and now, “Ugly Betty,” says she’s NOT a shopaholic. I mean, you’d assume a person who shops for a living might be, right? But the -holic part would suggest a form of mental illness, and she’s firmly in control of her finances and material desires.

While she loves clothing and accessories across the board, high and low, new and worn, she’s very practical about it all, saying that she probably owns less clothing than her fans would imagine, to the point where she says she basically wears the same thing over and over, changing things up with accessories. But that’s where her styling skills come into play and not everyone is so blessed.

Even so, her advice for shopaholics who want to gain control over their spending habits is to stop buying clothes because a T-shirt is a T-shirt is a T-shirt, and focus on learning how to accessorize those basic pieces to update your wardrobe for the most impact and least expenditure.

The film’s timing is good, balancing lots of eye candy with the idea that there is a bigger price to pay for overshopping than what’s on the price tag.

I sent a post off to Twitter about the interview, and fans of Field were quick to respond, including someone I know locally who asked, “OMG, did you die?”

Well, yeah. That happens sometimes when you get a chance to speak with some of the people you idolize. In fact, I’m just lucky she had a good sense of time because she wanted to give me the full 20 minutes allotted to individual journalists across the country in her marathon day of phone calls. Otherwise, I was like, “Hi, uh, um, OK, bye,” which doesn’t happen too often.

The other memorable time I was on nervous mode was talking with the film director Ang Lee, post “Brokeback Mountain” and in advance of “Lust, Caution.” When the man has time to speak, you have to take the call, and unfortunately, it happened on a day I had a five-hour photo shoot for HI Luxury magazine. The session was scheduled to end about 3 p.m., the same time he wanted to call after getting off a plane from LA to New York. With any luck, my shoot would end early and his plane would be delayed to give me time to return about $50,000 worth of clothing to boutiques and get back to my desk.

Didn’t happen. His agent called just as I left the Halekulani and I had to explain I was in my car and could we reschedule in about a half hour. They granted an extra 15 minutes, the point being that once the director arrived home, that was his sanctuary away from work. That gave me enough time to make it to Ala Moana Center and park. But while waiting in the car, I got impatient, and figured I could make a run with the bags to the shops. I had just dropped off the last bags when he called, and there I was with cell phone, trying to balance my notepad on a planter outside Dior, trying to sound intelligent and stress-free.

I don’t think I fooled him, but he is the nicest man.