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

Anteprima/Wirebag
The “Fiori Kitty” square-shape bag is $343. A version in black is $312.

Anteprima Wirebags last Hellow Kitty collection proved to be so popular that the company is back with round two. The new Antemprima x Hello Kitty collection is back and available in limited quantities at the Ala Moana and Royal Hawaiian Center stores.

The new collection of wirebags are priced from $312 to $581, with mini pouches priced from $228 to $252, and six styles of purse charms ranging from $44 to $144.

The charm of these purses is that they are waterproof so can go straight from beach to a dressy evening out for that prized mix of the practical and stylish.

The basket shape “Fiori Kitty” is a Hawaii exclusive. This one is $470. A silver-pink version is $521.

This charm comes in purple, orange, pink, mustard, green.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Emeril Lagasse addresses diners during The Essence of Emeril dinner June 12, during The Kahala Food & Wine Classic.

The foodies were out at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, where chef Emeril Lagasse was in the house Friday and Saturday for a series of demonstrations and food showcases. I was there for a Friday night dinner that included the kiawe-smoked salmon, below, served atop a Kahuku corn pancake and topped with Osetra caviar. My favorite dish of the evening was a crabmeat-stuffed moi roulade served with Kauai shrimp and a charred tomato butter sauce.

Kiawe-smoked salmon. At left is the centerpiece of roses and feathers arranged to look like a pineapple.

All this was detailed in our food editor Joleen Oshiro’s story here so I feel no need to elaborate more about food, but I did note that many of the women planned ahead so tended to wear cute and roomy sack or trapeze dresses that leave plenty of room for hiding the aftermath of a dinner like this, especially given the chef’s penchant for hearty ingredients. Two of the entrees were boudin sausage-stuffed whole quail and macadamia nut-crusted veal with white cheddar grits and andouille sausage ragout!

I thought about it when getting dressed in a pencil skirt and femme blouse that morning to meet a family of European artists. For a minute I considered changing into a dinner-friendly dress, but then decided just to eat less. I always think those bubbles, sacks and swing dresses, in being so forgiving, allow people to expand into them the way work expands to fill whatever time you have. (Given a day you’ll take all day; given two weeks, the same task will take two weeks.) Trying to stick to slim shapes can be so difficult and uncomfortable, but the alternative feels like giving in to the doesn’t-have-to-be-inevitable middle-age spread.

While there Jo McGarry also pointed out the Hermès SilkyCity tote on Lisa Higashigushi’s shoulder, that pays homage to Hermès’ scarf tradition. Her friend Allison Lohfeld, left, also has the same bag but wasn’t carrying it that evening. You can see more of the design details on the Hermès site here.

After dinner, men and women gathered around Michael Herklots, left, for a cigar tasting.

Special guests at the dinner were Fred Schrader, proprietor of Schrader Cellars, Napa Valley, and Schrader Cellars winemaker Thomas Brown, proprietor of Rivers-Marie, plus Michael Herklots, general manager of Davidoff of Geneva, New York. He laughed when I said I couldn’t remember if I smoked cigars before. I think I did when the craze began here about 14 years ago, but there are, unfortunately, many parts of my life I’ve forgotten. A while ago I was talking to a friend about not remembering if I ever saw the Foo Fighters in concert, and he said, “Yeah you did, you saw it with me!”

This car was parked up front when I arrived and when I left. Is that a Corvette?

By Nadine Kam

Kate Spade graphic

Kate Spade is opening at Ala Moana Center June 17, and to mark the occasion, the company is giving away a trip to Hawaii. You can also check out the store’s hula bags, made of raffia, when the store opens:

For readers outside our islands, enter at www.katespade.com by June 12.

Here’s what the prize entails:

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Angry Little Girl Kim graces the entry of the Split Obsession boutique.

Caught up with artist/actress Lela Lee Sunday at Split Obsession, where she was showing her canvases depicting her Angry Little Girls characters and signing autographs for fans.

Boutique owners Erica Apana and Bruce Chin were kept busy all afternoon, she at the register ringing up sales of Lela’s totebags, accessories and books, and he taking photos of visitors for the shop blog.

Wish they had some of her T-shirts there, but that’ll have to be next time. She says she wants to come back every year and is entertaining thoughts of moving here.

Steve Czerniak of Alliway was there, and we both agreed that if she does move here, she’ll have plenty of fodder for her work. A lot of people are angry here and it manifests in passive/aggressive behaviors, I told her, like pedestrians walking extra slowly to block cars’ progress, or drivers speeding up when you’re crossing the Longs’ parking lot.

My interview with Lela is here. Lela’s Web site is http://www.angrylittlegirls.com/

Split Obsession has been great at bringing in cool artists, from Buff Monster to SKAFFS’ Luke Feldman to Bigfoot, as well as hosting local talent. Keep ‘em coming!

I picked up this sassy tote bag (and some equally sassy Allison Izu shorts as well) that Lela’s signing in the photo. Maybe you can read it. It may not be nice for me to use the last word in the panel, and she has a censored version of the panel as well. I thought it suited my bag fetish, but in reality, when people say, “Wow, cute bag,” I’m so happy I say, “Thank you!”

Steve Czerniak took a break from duties at his and wife Allison’s Alliway boutique to say hello and show his support for Erica, Bruce and Lela. He picked up Lee’s book “Angry Little Girls in Love,” and her “Angry Little Asian Girl” DVD, the work that started her on her path to fame. He’s certain it’ll be a collector’s item.

Steve also offered Lela the pack of gum from Alliway, which fit the Angry Girl spirit. It reads “Don’t Waste My Daytime Minutes.”

Lela with her son Spencer. It would be great if the lesson learned from her book is to be a man who doesn’t make women angry.

Joleen Oshiro with Lela and her Angry Girl tote with heart-shaped pocket.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos

I lost one of my rubber slippers when it fell out of my car at the Hilton Saturday, so I had to look for a new pair on Easter Sunday.

While wandering through Ala Moana Center, I passed the timely Fifi Lapin artist-in-residence display at LeSportsac. So cute! Find out more about the artist and view more of Fifi’s fashion images at http://fifi-lapin.blogspot.com

Of course the job of a window display is to stop people in their tracks and make them walk in the door, where one of the front displays was a Hawaii and Guam exclusive bag bearing images of manapua, coconuts, Spam musubi and other images of island culture. Check it out:

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 photo
Kawaii Kon’s Lolita fashion show is over, but you can catch two more days of Lolita style, anime dressup and cosplay this weekend at Hawai’i Convention Center.

I’ll be posting more from Kawaii Kon later, but just wanted to let any Lolitas out there know that some of the designs featured in today’s Lolita Fashion Show will be offered for purchase tomorrow during the event at Hawai’i Convention Center. Who could resist a yummy cupcake purse or cake hat like the one in the photo? Lauren Lee will also be there taking orders for her custom dresses.

You can also check out Lolita accessories at “Ever After Creations,” table 45 near the photo booth at Artist’s Alley.

You can find more information about the event at www.kawaii-kon.org

Also going on:

Alliway’s Spring 2009 Nest collection is being offered at 25 percent off through Saturday. Everything else in the store is 15 percent off. The boutique is at Ward Warehouse. Call 589-1141.

Enjoy discounts Easter Sunday at Valerie Joseph, Ala Moana Center.

Stuart Weitzman fans have the opportunity to preview the Fall 2009 shoe and handbag collections and place orders for the styles. Check it out from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Ala Moana Center boutique. Call 941-4371 for more information.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Bessie Fujioka, Junior League of Honolulu president Chris Lau and Debbie Lau got into a tug of war with this Cole Haan purse. Janice Choate-Zavakos joined the fray seconds later.

People can go crazy when there’s a sale. The situation was a little more civil when the polite women of The Junior League of Honolulu hosted the 5th annual Sacs in the City fundraiser April 4, but you could feel anxiety in the air when it was near closing time for the silent auctions.

Dior
Marion Cotillard with a Lady Dior in Dior’s ad campaign.

“It’s gonna get bloody for the Dior,” said Emmy Kasten, who outbid me on said Lady Dior. I made the starting bid for The Lady Dior, at $680 for a purse that retails at $1,950. The one shown was black, which would not have tempted me, but the offer was to choose your own color. The Dior has been on my want list for at least two years.

Emmy was also bidding on a Gucci tote and had Noreen Kam (no relation) guard the bidding sheet while she waited near the Dior, though she called it quits after bidding went over $1,000.

Sacs is all about love of the handbag. There were dozens of luxury and casual purses, totes and clutches up for bid during the silent auction, most starting at a third to a quarter of retail price. Funds raised will benefit the JLH community projects: My Story to help adolescent girls, Kids in the Kitchen to promote nutrition, the HerStory women’s issues conference, and Impact Honolulu short-term projects geared toward children and families.

Balenciaga

I had scooped up my grail bag at Neiman a couple of weeks ago, a Balenciaga City bag like the one above, except in the Mandarin orange color, so even though purses are my weak spot—to me they’re like portable, practical works of art—I felt pretty certain I wouldn’t be tempted to bid on anything. The first thing I spied upon entering the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom was a Cartier evening bag I had admired in the store, at $1,680, offered at a starting bid of $585. Hmmm. At the time I had decided I’d rather save for the Love bangle. That was before the stock market crash when I actually had some spare change. So I kept moving.

A little while later, I ran into Denise Nakano, who was already carrying a very nice Miu Miu, yet pleaded, “Don’t outbid me.”

“I don’t even know what you’re bidding on,” I said. I couldn’t make any promises until I knew what we were talking about, and it just so happened hers was the only bid, thus far, on the Cartier. She must be psychic.

I don’t know if she won, but it did pick up more bids later. It’s tough to compete with the purchasing power of Junior League members and some of the dynastic names in the crowd, like Wo and Watamull.

The Cartier.

Manuheali’i models on the runway during the fashion show segment.

Here’s some video:

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By Nadine Kam

Miu Miu photo
Miu Miu’s Hawaii Exclusive bag is $795.

To mark the opening of its new Ala Moana Center boutique, Miu Miu is offering a Hawaii Exclusive purse, of which only 50 are available.

There will be a lot of exclusives and specials at the center in the coming week as Nordstrom and the Nordstrom Wing prepare to celebrate their anniversaries, and as the mall gears up for the start of Shop A Le’a Monday.

Nordstrom gets the party rolling with its Day of Beauty event Saturday, beginning with an early morning fashion show that sold out last week.

Win one of three gift kits from Laila Essence of Norway creator Geir Ness.

One of the special guests for the event is the perfumer behind Laila — the essence of Norway, Geir Ness. He sent in advance a few kits containing samples of his products, including mini Laila (for women) and Geir (for men) fragrances, hand-and-body cream, and Luscious Lip Tingle lipgloss in a Watermelon Breeze color. They come in a cute leopard-trimmed envelope and I have three to give away. Just let me know via comment if you want to be included, by noon March 20, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for one of the kits. (more…)