By Nadine Kam

Sample entries at www.jimmychoo72.com.

Hey shoe lovers, put your head to work and you may win seven pairs of shoes and two handbags from Jimmy Choo.

The shoe company has partnered its Project PEP with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to support funding of the Simelela Rape Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, which provides victims of abuse with the HIV preventative PEP
medication (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) as well as other medical, counseling and legal support.

Proceeds raised by sales of a Jimmy Choo Project PEP capsule collection with punk rock print will enable the clinic to stay open day and night providing 24/7 access to treatment.

Sample entry by Tigzy.

To build awareness for the project, the public is being invited to submit photographs reflecting the PEP campaign slogan, “You, Your Shoes and 72.” The number reflects the time frame for administering the life-saving treatment, which must take place withing 72 hours of exposure to HIV.

Visit www.jimmychoo72.com to see more entries and enter. The deadline is Dec. 7, 2009.

Here’s a look at one possible grand prize, for encouragement. The overall winner will be given the ultimate Jimmy Choo VIP experience that includes a visit to the VIP Room at Jimmy Choo Headquarters to select seven pairs of shoes and two handbags of your choice. (Note that choices may be restricted due to availability and this offer does not include exotic skins or jeweled items.)

There will be 11 other place winners, with the second place winner receiving the medium sized Project PEP capsule collection Stevie bag below, valued at $795. One hundred runners up will receive a Project PEP Eco bag.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photo
A model and photographer from the Open Air 8X10 Fashion Show bring pedestrians into the fashion picture.

I received an email from the Extremely Hungary organization that jogged another N.Y. memory. The pro-Hungarian group hosted a fashion/art project on 6th Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd streets, bringing the fashion shoot to the street by photographing passersby with models dressed in creations by Hungarian designers in an event called the “Open Air 8X10 Fashion Show.” You can see some of the resulting images by visiting their Flickr stream.

Open Air photos

I’m afraid I got caught up in the moment and was one of those who posed for them, but had the sense of mind not to sign the release form that would have allowed the photo to be unleashed who knows where around the world. I did give them my email address to receive the photo, but didn’t think they’d be organized enough to figure out which email went with which photo.

It was a fun idea that brought a lot of people not normally interested in fashion into the picture.

Nadine Kam photos
Polaroid images of some of those who stopped to pose on the street.

Here’s a DIY idea for updating your old shoes. One of the models was wearing a pair of black slingback wedges dressed up with various pieces of colored leather and fabric.

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

Nadine Kam photos
This is where I ended up Friday night, admiring the photographs of Harold Julian at Honolulu Design Center, the setting for the launch of the GroundUP Agency’s Model Division. Also exhibiting photos were Willy Branland, Aaron Yoshino, John Hook and Aaron Rideout.

Friday was the live equivalent of a variety show, that started at the Halekulani, followed by Dave & Buster’s, then the Honolulu Design Center.

The ballroom of Halekulani was packed with guests celebrating the 25th anniversary since the hotel’s 1984 renovation and reopening. (Halekulani’s legacy actually dates to 1917, when the hotel comprised a few modest bungalows on Gray’s Beach.) Coincidentally, Halekulani Corp. announced a new partnership alliance with Japan’s luxury Imperial Hotel group, adding another reason to celebrate, with Imperial president Tetsuya Kobayashi also in town for the occasion.

The room was so full that it was hard to back up for photos. One person back for the event, from Las Vegas, was the hotel’s former head of public relations, Joyce Matsumoto, who said she would not have missed it for the world. Nobu had not opened when she left, so she planted herself in front of the chef’s station to enjoy his sushi. Guests also raved about the shrimp ravioli with mushroom sauce and the foie gras paté at other stations.

Matt Catingub and his musical friends entertained guests at Halekulani’s 25th anniversary celebration May 8.

Amity Street introduced their CD with a performance in the Dave & Buster’s Showroom. From left are Jason Everett, Eli Oguma, Jhon Lynch and John Gonzalez Del Solar.

After Halekulani, I made a stop to check out Amity Street in Dave & Buster’s Showroom. I heard them playing live on KTUH one night and was compelled to check out the band in person. You can hear them on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/amitystreet or check out my video here to listen to them perform “Chameleon.”

Then it was on to Honolulu Design Center where GroundUP artists were busy with a couple of live paintings in the Cupola Theatre.

The event was held to launch the GroundUP Agency’s new model division, bringing a fashion element to the agency’s growing arts and entertainment empire. Models stepped onto the runway in basic white tank tops, jeans, black attire and bikinis to demonstrate their walk for event planners, stylists, photographers and young designers in the crowd.

GroundUP crew members take a break from their work to strike a pose with Boss Noa Laporga (front, second from right).

The event introduced models from the GroundUP Agency’s new model division.

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By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos, except for Douglas Kirkland’s, which should be evident
The third floor VIP Salon at Chanel Waikiki has been transformed into an art gallery for the exhibition of 36 photos by Douglas Kirkland of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, taken in 1962 when the designer was 27 years old.

Chanel’s Waikiki boutique welcomed Douglas Kirkland during a reception Thursday night welcoming the photographer and opening the exhibition of 36 of his photos of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, taken in 1962. The show continues through June 6.

The exhibition opened in New York eight months ago, and while curator James Cavello, president of Westwood Gallery in New York, said he showed 15 pieces at Art Basel in Miami — the most important art show in the nation — and in Los Angeles, but this is only the second time the exhibition is being shown in its entirety. The occasion is to mark Chanel’s 25th anniversary in Honolulu, the first city in the United States to have a Chanel boutique. To make way for the exhibition, the boutique’s third-floor was emptied of its usual displays and walls and track lighting were added to transform it into a fitting gallery space for Kirkland’s work.

Seeing the photos again, he said, “I feel Mademoiselle is here tonight.”

For many guests, meeting Kirkland provided a connection to the fashion icon, who he still refers to as Mademoiselle.

“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.”

The photographer was only 27 when he got the assignment from Look magazine to photograph Chanel. The interest grew out of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wardrobe, which included Chanel pieces, and editors at the time wanted to share a glimpse into the world of haute couture.

Kirkland said, naturally, “I felt overwhelmed, but whenever I was in these situations I would never admit this. That was my attitude.”

Because of his youth, however, he said the designer didn’t trust him and requested that he first photograph her models in her designs.

“I brought her the prints, and what she saw she liked, and the doors opened,” he said. “I was free to go anywhere in her atelier.”

Kirkland has shot in Hawaii before, during the making of the movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and for the “Day in the Life of Hawaii” photography project in 1983, when he photographed the Big Island by air. He also notably spent an “evening with Marilyn Monroe” for Look, photographing her in bed the year before she died.

Douglas Kirkland photo
The photographer spent an evening with Marilyn Monroe in 1961.

One party-goer, Holly Bloom, brought back more memories for Kirkland, by wearing a dress bearing an image of Audrey Hepburn, who he photographed on the set of “How to Steal a Million.” He was photographing Audrey when he met his wife Françoise, who was visiting her mother, who worked in the film’s publicity department.

“Was it love at first sight?” I asked. “Yes!” he said, before backtracking a bit, saying, “Well, you better ask her.”

Karl Lagerfeld was recently taken by one of Kirkland’s images of a Chanel dress modeled by Yves Saint Laurent muse Betty Catroux, and he plans to recreate the dress in a future collection. Inspired by the images, he also reproduced Kirkland’s images in a book, “Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel Summer 62.”

I asked people throughout the evening which was their favorite photo, and many chose this image of the iconic Chanel, observing a sitting in her 31 Rue Cambon atelier, cigarette hanging from her lips, and scissors dangling from a length of ribbon around her neck.

Douglas Kirkland holds court, surrounded by a circle of admirers in the center of the salon.

Douglas, at 27, with Mademoiselle.

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By Nadine Kam

Jason Momoa is well-dressed for a family outing, He and Lisa Bonet welcomed their second child together, son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, in early December, reports his hanai dad Takeo, who explained Nakoa means “warrior,” mana means “strength” or “spirit,” kaua means “rain” and “po” means dark, referring to his time of birth on a dark and stormy night. Namakaeha is also Jason’s middle name.

Meanwhile, Maui-raised model Tori Praver will be featured again in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition due Feb. 15. Tori is one of three models in the running for the cover of the issue, which is kept secret until its release. Tori became the youngest face of GUESS? when she was 17, and since then has graced the covers of Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines, as well as the pages of the 2007 and 2008 SI Swimsuit editions. Maybe her third time will be a charm. The photo is from the 2008 edition.

Terry Tsiolis photo for Details

Honorary local by now? Matthew Fox makes the cover of the January/February issue of Details magazine, which hits newsstands on Obama’s inauguration day, Jan. 20. Timed in advance of the return of the TV series Jan. 21, he talks about the “Lost” series finale, saying, “It’s going to have a very global and epic ending.” Can’t wait to see how it all comes together and wraps up.

By Nadine Kam

Sorry I haven’t added to my blog in a week but the new year has been off to a fast start. Adding to the regular January mix of stories is the added “bonus” of inauguration activities surrounding the change Jan. 20. This is the first time Hawaii has shared some of the presidential limelight and it could provide a bit of a boost to businesses as several events are being held to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidency and all the hope it brings.

I’ve been super busy finishing up four stories for sister publication HI Luxury magazine, including another fashion spread. They keep getting bigger and more ambitious, requiring more elaborate sets, more props and storyboarding that has more in common with filmmaking than our typical newspaper photo sessions. Which is all I could think about over the holidays as we essentially brainstormed a mini feature film.

I had many a “Rachel Zoe Project” moment where I was thinking, “I need options, I need more options,” and went through much hand-wringing while praying clothing we requested from Gucci in New York and Cosabella in Miami would arrive on time. All this while people were on vacation or leaving offices early in celebration of Christmas and New Year holidays, and in Hawaii we’re at a distinct disadvantage due to the time differences.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until February to see the spread.

By Nadine Kam

Swann Galleries
Visionaire issues are “albums of inspiration” reflecting a collaboration of artists, designers, writers and photographers. Each issued is unique, built around a theme. At front is a deluxe monogrammed portfolio by Louis Vuitton, created to house a particular issue.

For those interested in collecting a piece of fashion history, New York’s Swann Auction Galleries is hosting a Photographic Literature and Photographs Sale on Dec. 11, spotlighting issues 1 to 50 of Visionaire (Lot 267), a collection of the extraordinary art and fashion publication — artworks themselves — worth an estimated $25,000 to 35,000.

Visionaire features artist collaborations and elaborate packaging for each of its uniquely themed issues. Each issue is conceived as “an album of inspiration,” incorporating the work of renowned artists, designers and photographers, crafted specifically for the publication. Among the designers and brands who have participated in the creation of the publications are Louis Vuitton, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang, and François Berthoud, along with photographers such as Mario Testino, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Weber, Nan Goldin, Nobuyoshi Araki, and James Nachtwey.

The issues have typically employed multiple materials, including a luxurious Hermés leather travel pouch containing postcards from around the world, a Tiffany’s box (the post-9/11 “Love” issue) with an Elsa Peretti heart, a Levi’s One-Pocket Sack Coat, Diana Vreeland’s newly disclosed memos, the first battery-operated publication, and an inkless issue. The issues were created between 1991 and 2007.

The auction will also include such imagery as Herb Ritts silver print “Madonna, Hollywood (1986),” edition notations 8/25, in pencil, estimated to sell for $4,000 to 6,000. (Lot 388)

Other works up for grabs:

Weegee’s “Woman in Ruffled Bikini / Acrobat,” two silver prints from the late 1950s to early ’60s, estimated to sell for $2,000 to $3,000. (Lot 359)

Édouard Boubat’s “Paris” (Lovers), silver print with the photographer’s signature, dated 1960; printed in the 1980s, estimated to be worth $2,500 to 3,500. (Lot 364)

Brush up on more photo history at www.swanngalleries.com

By Nadine Kam

Russell Tanoue photos

Oahu-based glamour and celeb photographer Russell Tanoue is heading to Maui Dec. 6 and 7 and booking appointments — you know who you are — for aspiring models, actors and others in need of graduation or engagement portraits, or gift portraits timed for the holidays.

For a session costing $325, you will be photographed in two looks (including hair and makeup services), and all the high-resolution images on a CD. You will retain full rights to your photos.

Tanoue has built his reputation photographing models for swimsuit and fashion spreads, as well as creating portfolio images for young talents including “America’s Next Top Model’s” Anya, singer Raiatea Helm, “So You Think You Can Dance” finalist Mark Kanemura, actress Kelly Hu, and many more. More of his work can be viewed at www.russelltanoue.com or www.rtfoto.com.

To book, contact Heather at diverseculturehawaii@yahoo.com or email rtfotobooking@aol.com.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Here’s one of my candids of Kate Schuette in Dior from our fashion shoot at Foster Botanic Garden, where the first thing that happened was I was attacked by a swarm of fast, crazy ants running up my legs in the parking lot, causing the crew to say, “Look, Nadine’s dancing.” Yeah.

I’m on vacation but that doesn’t mean the work stops. Another HI Luxury deadline looms. Darn if we didn’t just finish the October/November issue, available at Borders and Barnes & Noble. It has Daniel Dae Kim on the cover and model Kate Schuette in a fall fantasy fashion spread featuring Dior, Fendi, Escada, Issey Miyake and Versace.

Another outtake of Kate in Versace. Leah Ball took the photos that appear in the magazine.