By Nadine Kam

Dr. Hugo Higa hosted an open house at Aesthetic Vision Center Friday night, where it was rumored he might oblige volunteers willing to give a new botulinum product, Dysport®, a try.

Dysport, which received FDA approval two months ago, is a newer, more affordable and, I’m told, a less painful alternative to Botox® as an anti-wrinkle facial filler.

The event also helped introduce women to the latest skincare products from SkinCeuticals, but those with furrowed brows jumped up when the doctor called for volunteers. It was like watching kids on Christmas morning as about 15 women lined up for injections.

It was a generous offer, considering most of the women received 30 units of Dysport, a value of about $300.

I’m not quite ready for any kind of facial injections, and plan to rely on creams and facials as long as possible. It helps that I have a low threshold for pain, so avoid needles as much as possible. So when they say it’s painless, I don’t know, but there was sure a lot of laughter and zero tears while they were in the chair.

I asked how it feels as the Dysport goes to work, and they said after a while, the area feels heavy. Full relaxation of lines could be expected in about two days, but I could see results on some of the women immediately, and it looked as if they had naturally smooth foreheads.

It’s so amazing that we’ve come to a place where a procedure that might have been done in private a decade ago is now almost a non-stigmatized public spectacle. People are expected to try to look young by any means possible, which is different from altering one’s appearance. When you try to look like Barbie, someone else, or 17 again, you’ve got problems.

I was aware that I was making an icky face as the needle was going into others’ foreheads, when the doctor turned around and laughed when he saw my expression.

As for Higa’s background, he’s a dual–trained ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon, who performs medical procedures to improve quality of vision. Along the way, he added cosmetic procedures that enhance appearance, adopting a “whole you” philosophy after learning that patients were quicker to see a doctor for vanity concerns than health reasons, and while he worked on the beauty aspect, he could also check their eye health.

Aesthetic Vision Center is in the Ala Moana Building that is also home to Bank of Hawaii, opposite Ala Moana Center. You can also visit the Web site www.aestheticvision.com.

By Nadine Kam

Polyvore.com collage built around 3.1 Philip Lim’s draped neck T-shirt. Click on the box to be directed toward the items.

Let’s say you’ve had to slash your spending to pay off past bills. There is a way to shop around without spending, and get almost as much satisfaction.

I’ve been watching Polyvore.com for a while, but was too busy to try it out. Well, a run through Neiman Marcus last week gave me incentive to try it out.

During the Last Call presale I noticed a Marni flower necklace I had admired since spring was still available. I actually wanted the pink, but that was gone, so I had to settle for the blue — it’s more versatile after all — at a third off its original $695 price tag. Yay!

But it’s always one of those restrictive deals. That meant I would have to postpone any current season buys, so bye-bye 3.1 Phillip Lim black-and-gray striped T-shirt. I notice a lot of designers have been addressing the economy by offering more affordable creations, affordable for Philip being $195.

Polyvore.com allows you to put your artistry at work, creating collages of things you want but can’t afford. It’s also a fun way of putting your styling skills to work on paper, in building fantasy collections. It’s the contemporary equivalent of playing with collage or paper dolls and will help build your artistic skills as well.

My boyfriend took a look at my first collage, and when I told him, I can’t afford any of this, he said, “That’s good,” because it was a little to rock ‘n’ roll costumey for his taste. Not that I’d wear it public, but it’s fun to imagine. I think any collage I put together will always have high heels, for instance, but I avoid them in real life. Too painful. I long ago crossed over the threshold from where people believe you must suffer for fashion. I like being comfortable.

I built my second collection around the Philip Lim shirt. Polyvore allows you to pull images off shopping Web sites across the Internet. They also provide a few essentials in various categores: bags, shirts, dresses, jeans, accessories, etc., for those who don’t have time to go searching all over. The idea being, if you like something you see, clicking on the object will take you to the home site where you can make your purchase.

Unfortunately, the T-shirt was the least expensive item in my collection, so I can only gaze at the Lanvin purse and Fendi platform shoes. But at least I can see how they might go together.

By Nadine Kam

A couple of respected names in Hawaii beauty and fashion continue to be hailed in the bigger pond of national media as well:

J Salon has been named as one of ELLE’s Top 100 Salons in America and will be featured in the magazine’s August 2009 issue. J Salon is the only Hawaii salon to make the list, placing Joe Randazzo’s company in league with such renowned salons as Oribe Salon in Miami, Butterfly Studio in New York City, Warren Tricomi in Los Angeles and Maxine in Chicago.

If your hair is in need, book your appointment at 550-4441. The salon is at 1240 Ala Moana Blvd. Find out more at www.jsalon.com.

Where Eva Longoria goes, the paparazzi follow, and last week she just so happened to be wearing a Fighting Eel dress when she headed to Katsuya restaurant in L.A. Photographs of the actress in FE’s fall Tube Iris duly appeared on InStyle.com and People.com, with InStyle calling attention to pairing of the Fighting Eel dress with Louboutin heels, calling it the “Look of the Day” for July 23.

I’ve been living in Fighting Eel over the long hot summer, and plan to pack a bunch of their dresses for NY Fashion Week. I like that they manage to be comfortable, but dressy when occasions demand it, and also manage to pack down to next to nothing. There’s nothing beautiful about sweating and struggling with a suitcase so even before the airlines started charging for extra luggage, I only traveled with one carry-on. Yeah, I pick up stuff on the road, but always ship things home rather than lug them around.

By Nadine Kam

Clarisonic
The Clarisonic and anemone flower that is the not-so-secret-anymore ingredient in Kinerase products.

Stopped by Sephora Ala Moana last night for a quick demo of the Clarisonic, the deep-cleaning sonic-care brush that massages your face as it cleans.

The demo was in conjunction with Kinerase, a powerful protection-oriented brand. The event introduces its new PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System, with a starter kit valued at $143 selling for $100. The secret ingredient in the products is kinetin, an antioxidant derived from the anemone flower, which keeps the petals hydrated.

Brands often partner with Clarisonic, because the deep pore cleaning increases the efficacy of any serum or moisturizer you do use. Removing all the dead cells and dirt allows products to penetrate better.

The event repeats at the Ala Moana store from 1 to 6 p.m. today, and at the Pearlridge Sephora from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Appointment spots may be full, but you can always watch and ask questions.

The first time they were offering demos, I didn’t have time to go through it. This time I tried it on my hand because I didn’t want to take off my makeup. Such a bother to reapply, and I was off to Pecha Kucha at Linekona School, where Bytemarks’ Burt Lum was naming his picks for Hawaii’s Top 20 Social Media Geeks, and I was one of them! Thanks Burt!

My giant face on screen.

I found myself in the company of people I’ve met through work, but also, many people I’ve met strictly through Twitter. I later cornered Burt to ask him the whys of his human, non-database analytics, and he said he was looking for successful personal branding, community profile and active promotion of social media. As part of the old media guard branching into new media, I see that as a responsibility anyway, dragging my MSM peers into this new world order, as well as guiding mainstream readers through this territory.

Here’s his countdown, as borrowed from L.P. “Neenz” Faleafine’s Pono Media Web site. Names are followed by Twitter IDs should you wish to follow along.

20. Burt Lum @bytemarks
19. Judi Clark @judico
18. Ryan Ozawa @hawaii
17. Christa Wittmier @supercw
16. Ian Kitajima @ikitajima
15. Donna Nakasue @champuru
14. Liza Pierce @amauiblog
13. Jared Kuroiwa @KGMB9
12. Dan Leuck @dleuck
11. Greg Yamane @geewhy / Susie Collins @thecanaryreport
10. Todd Cochrane @geeknews
9. Roxanne Darling @roxannedarling
8. Vernon Brown @vbrown
7. Paula Bender @lavagal
6. Mitchell Dwyer @scrivener
5. Melissa Chang @melissa808
4. Nathan Kam @nathankam
3. Nadine Kam @fashiontribe
2. Andy Bumatai @andybumatai
1. L.P. “Neenz” Faleafine @neenz

Congrats all!

I still meet so many people who don’t know anything about Facebook or Twitter beyond the brand names. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like a parallel universe to the mainstream world, where people are meeting, conducting business and creating partnerships and events that pop up in the mainstream.

There are still so many people who tell me they’re afraid of social media because they’re afraid of loss of privacy. Well, guess what? The information you’d probably want to keep most private is already online in public data bases.

For the rest, your habits and goings on, you need only share what you want to share. If you’re attending an event, you can talk about it after the fact if you fear that someone will stalk you while you’re there.

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By Nadine Kam

Photos by Cheyne Gallarde

If you don’t mind being nearly nekkid and swapping the clothes off your back for others’ threads, then tomorrow’s Swap and Bop is for you.

The second event begins at 9 p.m. May 30 at the Mercury Bar in Chaplain Lane downtown. Some simple rules apply:

1. Don’t wear anything you can’t part with.
2. When the siren sounds you MUST swap clothes with the closest person next to you! Except those with Voyeur bracelet who just want to see the clothes fly.
3. All items of clothing must be clean and in good condition.
4. No nakedness or fighting over clothes is allowed.
5. Have fun, and don’t forget to pose for the paparazzi in your new getups.
6. You must be 21.

General admission is $5, though participants can get in free with a clothing donation at the door. Voyeur bracelets granting you immunity from the swap are $10.

Clothing donations and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Next Step Kakaako (H-5 Charities). H-5 is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending homelessness through innovative approaches that build confidence and accountability while empowering individuals to become self sufficient.

The Next Step Project is the first homeless shelter created by Gov. Linda Lingle in response to the after-dark closure of Ala Moana Beach Park in May, 2006. This project is entering into its third year as a provider of shelter in urban Honolulu.

For more information on all Swap and Bop events, go to www.myspace.com/swapandbop

Also, if you’re looking for a way to beat the heat, Shasa Emporium’s got a weekend sale for you:

By Nadine Kam

Among items up for grabs at the Dream Sequins blog is a Garfield artist-designed tote from Stand Up Comedy and LucyJ chic shopper.

I can imagine kids wondering how any of us survived in the pre-Internet age. It is especially wonderful for those of us on these isolated rocks, allowing us to feel connected to the bigger world out there.

It was otherwise an alienating feeling growing up in Waipahu with an interest in fashion, but no one around who shared similar interest. What I got from it was that I was a weird kid surrounded by palaka (Arakawa’s) and swimwear, who shopped with friends at Sera’s and H.I.C., but preferred solo sojourns to admire the vintage 1920s and ’40s clothing at Bailey’s, when it was in Waikiki, and enjoyed disappearing into the racks at Carol & Mary at Ala Moana. I enjoyed the way the clothes provided a window into other times, other lives and even into others’ heads as a reflection of how they viewed themselves.

I don’t remember specific garments, but I thought the room, in addition to being very pink, felt very cozy, like sitting in a giant jewelry box. Its centerpiece was a plush round bench settee and its salespeople, thankfully, left me alone with my studies. The “old lady” clothes I couldn’t afford were intriguing, and though I had no intention of wearing them, I understood, through sewing, a little bit about fabrication and construction, and recognized that they were better than what anyone my age was wearing.

All this is a long way of saying, now, through blogs and Twitter, I meet like-spirited people all the time, and sharing a passion for fashion is no longer geographically exclusive.

One of my Tweeps, Deanne aka @DreamSequins, who I “met” while in a quandary pondering the cost vs. value of a Balenciaga City bag (she was the enabler who, from 5,000 miles away, finally convinced me to get it), is marking her 100th post with a giveaway on her blog, and you can check out her blog and her list of prizes and rules here: http://tinyurl.com/pfy7yv

Good luck!

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
At Kawaii Kon Saturday, Monchalee Steiger is Kanu Unchou.

If I return to Kawaii Kon next year, I gotta get myself a costume. Walking among those dressed as their favorite characters, it felt strange to be walking around in mainstream clothes. No. 1 rule of fashion after all, is to dress to the occasion, or bring it, in your own unique way of course.

I cover so many fashion stories, but it’s hard to parachute into the anime/manga/cosplay/Lolita worlds because they have a language and depth all their own, which can’t be learned in a couple of days. I tried to get it right.

Bryce Saito, left, is Suzaku from “Code Geass.”

Look around and you’ll always find drama at Kawaii Kon.

Christian Martin in character as M. Bison, from “Street Fighter.”

Yes there are human beings in there. Won Park, left, and Danielle Tubania are Transformers.

Capturing the moment.

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By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Finale of the Lolita Fashion Show at Kawaii Kon.

There was a lot of lace, eyelet, ribbons and bows during the Lolita Fashion Show that took place Friday as part of Kawaii Kon 2009 at Hawai’i Convention Center. It was fun to watch the creations stitched up by Lauren Lee, as well as Japan brands such as Angelic Pretty and Victorian Maiden and Innocent World.

They showed the range of Lolita style, from gothic to sweet to country Lolitas and elegant gothic aristocrats, as well as demonstrated how to get the Lolita look from traditional stores while shopping on a budget, sourcing pieces from Payless Shoes, Charlotte Russe and Forever 21.

Why, you may have all the pieces for a Lolita outfit in your closet and not even know it! I know I do. That may just be because the shape of the garments are particularly suited to petite figures. It’s one of the few incidences where short girls rule on the runway!

You can learn all about Lolita style at http://lolitafashion.org/ which covers topics ranging from “Anatomy of a Lolita Outfit” to debunking “Lolita Myths.”

A blue belle, thanks to Angelic Pretty.

Lolitas on stage had to compete with Lolitas in the audience, like Salem Sipes.

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By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
A T&C purple, long-sleeved shirt was altered to go from laidback casual to sexy.

Over the weekend, Jon Ching, manager of T&C Surf Designs’ Kahala Mall store, presented in-store Deconstruction/Reconstruction demonstrations on how-to recycle plain, old T-shirts into sexier, edgier pieces.

Perhaps borrowing from a burger campaign, the idea is T&C Your Way. This is, after all, the era of personalization and consumers want choices in all matters. So why wear a T-shirt everyone has if you don’t have to?

Ching showed a braiding technique that can be done simply and easily using only scissors, needle and thread. It leaves a ruched effect and a more shapely, body-conscious fit.

The technique worked really well with T&C’s tattoo graphics, so as a result, people bought new shirts like those used by the T&C crew used in the store’s window display. The window was designed by UH fashion merchandising students, and the clothing on view is up for auction, tentatively through the end of the week. When I was there, it was up to $75 for one of the men’s outfits, and $65 for the dress with hot pink braided straps.

For those with no talent whatsoever, or those too timid to take scissors to their new shirt, Ching is actually willing to do the work free, for now. That is a really good deal because the purple tattoo shirt in the window is only $24, and to have a custom piece at that price is pretty awesome.

Three men’s shirts were cut and stitched together to creating this wearable collage.

By Nadine Kam

Associated Press photos
A rare bit of bright color on Milan’s runways, from Dolce & Gabbana.

The rich, warm, earthy colors filling the runway in Milan reflect an Italian autumn, but the pared down styles suggest a familiar American approach to design, focusing on comfort and wearability over the fantastic.

As if to reinforce that notion, Dsquared2 sent out models with coffee cups in their hand, sipping Starbucks commuter-style:

Dolce & Gabbana didn’t resist touches of dramatic color and images of 1950s stars like Marilyn Monroe in their collection, but that was more theatrical than most shows. Even the sexiest of them all, Versace, toned down to present evening gowns that, though bare, were more elegant than suggestive.

The mood is so dark all around the globe and the shows are reflecting that we’re all experiencing this period of uncertainty. At this point, comfort trumps creativity.

At home, I am curling up in cargo pants every day, which I never did before. If I were out of work, I would probably live in cargo pants. Before, I thought of them as being symbolic of giving up on appearance and giving into sloth. Now, I just find them cozy and reassuring.

Two looks from Prada in toasty brocade and strips of dark leather.

Restraint and a goddessy look at Versace.

Cocooning at Fendi.

A night at the opera in clack and white, from Dolce & Gabbana.