It was raining outside, but inside Gotham Hall it was all blue skies for the
staging of Heatherette’s Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show.
Had an awesome lunch at The Modern today, but I’ll serve up details later. Hard to think about food and fashion at the same time, especially after putting my hand on my hip one day while waiting around back stage at the Temperley London show and finding my usual roll of fat gone from all the walking I’ve been doing. Makes me want to stop eating and keep walking.
With about an hour to kill before making it over to the Heatherette show in Gotham Hall, I stopped by the New York Public Library where there was a memorial service for Brooke Astor taking place in the Celeste Bartos Forum. I hung around the entrance for a short time, long enough to see Barbara Walters walk in.
But I wanted to see the library, so headed upstairs where I got onto a computer and started doing a genealogical search for members of my family, then started looking up subjects like the Chinatown fire and bubonic plague in Hawaii. I got so wrapped up in the stories that when I looked up at the clock it was 5:30 p.m. and I was supposed to be at the Heatherette show at 5. I was a little freaked out by having to make it seven blocks from the library to 36th St. and Sixth Ave.
Spotted in the crowd: Some people will wear (or not wear) anything.
When I got there it was a crazy scene with people trying to get in the front and a line stretching a block and a half. I had the bf in tow and he said, “You expect me to get into that?” I was a little worried myself. It’s not easy getting into places and security is hardened and unwilling to hear your story, because there are so many people who will lie or play up any angle to try to get in.
Luckily I did have permission to go back stage and there were fewer people waiting to get in at the back entrance. Later, I heard Heatherette’s show was the worst to get into because there’s always massive confusion at the door. I was lucky to breeze in, although with the show about to start, I could no longer go backstage.
People were already in my seat, but here, a “snooze you lose” mentality prevails. Someone sits in your seat, you sit in whatever seat you can find, and if by chance the rightful owner shows up, too bad he/she was late. The auditorium was completely packed so it was obvious none of the people in line were going to get in.
Models return for the finale.
The show opened with Lil’ Mama performing her song “Lip Gloss,” before models hit the stage, their hair done up in a poodle or topiary sort of way, wearing virginal white lace dresses. There was a lot of Americana on the runway as well. Perhaps in acknowledging the anniversary of 9/11, the show was themed “Star Spangled Smiles,” with plenty of red, white and blue fabric. And it’s not a Heatherette show without the costumey aspect of mini skirts formed with layers of netting.
Tyson Beckford is interviewed after the show.
As always, transsexual icon Amanda Lepore took the stage in all her pneumatic glory before designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains took their bows. Celebs in the crowd: Sean Combs (or whatever name he’s going by) and model Tyson Beckford.
Heatherette co-designer Traver Rains walks the runway
during the finale of the fashion show on 9/11. He’s followed
by Amanda Lepore while Richie Rich waves to photographers.
Yohji Yamamoto made it rain during his Saturday afternoon
show for Adidas Y-3. Guests were led to the door by staffers
carrying umbrellas.
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Yohji Yamamoto’s Adidas Y-3 fashion show underneath the High Line at 21st Street, an abandoned elevated rail line being repurposed as a public park, with the first segment set to open in 2008.
Yamamoto always promises a spectacle, and this time created rain with hoses that poured onto the street, while under the rail guests sat on aluminum bleachers surrounding the street runway, slick and puddly after also being hosed down. Guests who entered on the wrong side of the street were led to the line to get in by staffers carrying umbrellas.
So, it’s a hot day, the venue is outdoors, the line encompasses sportswear. How would you dress? I wore a Theory black tank top, Diesel skirt and trusty old rubber slippers. One Asian girl got it all wrong, dressing as if she was headed to a cocktail party in a pouffy dress, chandelier earrings, Chanel purse and mink-trimmed stilettos. I’m sure she really loved stepping into water puddles.
Stephen Gan arrives and was photographed upon the
arrival of his Visionaire co-editor Cecilia Dean.
Spotted Visionaire’s Stephen Gan in a white T-shirt and jeans and realized I had not spotted his cohort Cecilia Dean all week. She turned up 10 minutes later in a simple leopard-spotted shift and flats, definitely shorter in person than she appears in photographs. Celebs in the house included LL Cool J, who’s a really big guy, Samuel L. Jackson and Mena Suvari, who wore a white tank top and jeans. Her hair was buzz cut, no doubt for a movie role. She also had that Hollywood glowing skin that comes from pampering and no worries while handlers are paid to do your worrying for you. In this case, the stars hung out in trailers parked in back of the venue where they could rest and sip champagne, entering just 5 minutes before show time.
A model in her own dress walks through the
puddle-covered venue during rehearsals before the show.
They weren’t adequately spaced though. While all cameras followed LL Cool J, Jackson entered with zero fanfare. It’s funny how he seems like such a larger-than-life character on film; he looks like an unassuming man on the street without the camera’s glare.
A model, in red, crosses the wet asphalt while
guests sat on aluminum bleachers.
The show started with the sound of thunder, and when the hoses came on, those who did not see the rehearsal thought it had really started to rain. Clothes shown were fluid pieces, meant for active lifestyles but minimalist and chic enough for the street. The designer, who observed rehearsals with the anxiety and pride of a parent, seemed pleased, smiling serenely.
In the front row at Miss Sixty, Maggie Gyllenhaal,
Hilary Swank and Demi Moore.
Hit the tent at Bryant Park today for a 10 a.m. Miss Sixty show. It ended up as a full day of standing in lines, which anyone who knows me know I hate. There’s standing in line to get your seat assignment, then standing in another line to actually go into the Tent or the Salon where the show is being held, while they make sure everyone from the previous show has exited another door.
If you have a seat assignment, it doesn’t pay to show up early. Ivana Trump has this down to a science. The Fashion Week veteran was among the last to arrive at the Carlos Miele show, and the first to leave. She breezed in and out so quickly, no paparazzi in the main tent documented her arrival and departure.
Within the show tent it was another story at Miss Sixty, when the stars arrived in ample time to be photographed. Sitting side by side in the front row, though arriving separately, were Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hilary Swank and Demi Moore, all casually dressed but radiant (one designer complained in the WWD Fashion Week supplement that the stars should try harder to dress for the occasion, but the risk would be alienating one designer by wearing another designer’s work). Any money they spend on upkeep is definitely worth it. Overhead lights were not flattering on any faces in the room, leaving pretty much 99 percent of the crowd looking haggard, but the stars showed no trace of wear, stress or sleeplessness.
Oh, my bad. Clive Owen was sitting next to Demi, but I didn’t get a good photo of him because his head was turned away from her every time. I also heard Mischa Barton was in the house, but I didn’t see her.
“She’s so pretty,” women behind me cooed when they spied Gyllenhaal.
You can spot the stars by following the cameras. Every time one shows up, the swarm moves in unison. Heaven forbid you should be a B-lister when an A-lister shows up. Perry Farrell also showed up with his wife, but as a musician, he wasn’t recognized by the lensmen focused on faces they know from the big screen. When the lights went out before the show started, they came back on brighter than before, and Demi was prepared, having donned a movie-star size pair of shades.
I realized I had nothing to wear so I wore the DKNY and silver Malandrino skirt I bought a few days ago at Woodbury. That worked out as silver appeared in abundance at the Miss Sixty show, inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1966 film, “The Chelsea Girls.”
Seeing silver at Miss Sixty.
Next stop was at the Cynthia Steffe show in the Salon, where the house was packed but I didn’t spot any stars. As a more commercially oriented retail line, it’s probably too sedate to draw them out. As designers clean up for Spring/Summer 2008, so has Steffe. Usually known for embroidered touches, bows, whimsical buttons and other details, her current collection appears more restrained and more ladylike than girly. Blousons and dropped waist skirts give women back some shape currenty lost in cocoons.
After the shows, I exited the tent to decompress before unloading another 5 pounds of magazines at home. Sitting in Bryant Park to change back to rubbah slippahs, I was handed a flyer by a PETA “cop” there to protest use of animal skins as fashion. Rubbah slippahs are approved apparel. Earlier inside the tent, I saw a woman change out of her black velvet wedges and into white rubber slippers, while another with taupe suede pumps with gold stiletto heels changed into gold ballerina flats. “I do that, too. It’s a killer!” another woman told her.
Sergio Davila took over an upstairs gallery
at the Chelsea Art Museum for his menswear show.
In the evening, I headed to the Chelsea Art Museum for a change of pace with Sergio Davilo’s men’s show. “California Dreaming” was the theme, with inspiration taken from surf chic. Button-up shirts and jackets were often paired with casual check and striped shorts. I couldn’t read the expressions of the men; the women were looking at the male models.
Y and Kei’s Spring/Summer 2008 collection embraces the urban hippie.
Eased my way into Fashion Week, away from the tents and into the sedate setting of the New York Public Library Celeste Bartos Forum, where Y and Kei Water the Earth hosted a presentation of its Spring 2008 Collection. It’s a little jarring to be thinking about spring just when the fall collections have moved into the stores, but it seems fall’s cocoons, sheaths and chemises will still be with us at least for another eight months.
The presentation had 17 models arranged in a circle on a circular mirror with a sculptural arrangement of ladder-like pieces of blond wood behind them. Photographers, fashion writers and editors circled, studied, took notes, then stood by to watch everyone else do the same. The designs by Hanii Y and Gene Kei offer a modern interpretation of the carefree hippie girl who embraces love, peace and freedom, and just a trace of rebellion to make life interesting.
Tiah wears a gray-blue variegated jacquard
dolman-sleeve chemise with drawstring neckline. Check out their Y & Kei shoes with bunchy hose.
Below, Lucyna wears a silver metallic cotton dress with
hand-cut and applique chiffon feather scallops.
Haven’t been going out lately while trying to cram in a bunch of stories for the newspaper before heading off to New York. I will be packing in spite of all the crazy advice I’m getting to just bring an empty suitcase and buy my wardrobe there.
Are you nuts? What are the odds of finding the right piece at the right time? Shopping on the road is fraught with peril because you’re under pressure to get it “now or never” and that kind of thinking can lead anyone astray. Even in the best of situations, when you’re at home and have a couple of days to think about a purchase, it’s possible to make a wrong decision, so what chance do you have when you’ve only got one shot? Might as well flip a coin.
That said, I will be running into some Labor Day sales upon my arrival in NY, but I will try to remember one of the golden rules of shopping: It’s no bargain if you won’t/don’t wear it.
Lindsay on the left, Jamie Lynn on the right
in Fighting Eel.
I typically travel with only one carry-on to avoid needless suffering. Some things I’m taking for sure are a vintage 1960s Jackie O/Balenciaga-style black jacket, Theory summer 2007 black jacket, Roberta Oaks Spring/Summer 2007 Quaint dress, and two or three metallic (two gold, one silver) Fighting Eel dresses from Fall 2006. Lindsay Lohan was photographed earlier this year in a gold dress that looked suspiciously like Fighting Eel’s dress, but credited to ABS. Fighting Eel’s Lan Chung said she felt certain it was FE’s. I’d have to agree. I can’t imagine Lindsay wearing ABS.
The dress and photo popped up on the radar because Jamie Lynn Sigler was also pictured in the dress and People.com ran photos of the two in April as an Off the Rack “who wears it better” Face-off. I think Sigler won.
Lan thought I was crazy to get so many of the dresses. Everytime I bought one at their Friday shopping events, she would be like, “Don’t you have that already?”
(She doesn’t know but I bought a fourth one at Second Skin at Ward Warehouse.)
I really like them because they’re comfortable and to me, go anywhere, even if they were intended to be holiday evening dresses. I believe in repurposing everything in your closet and jewelry box.
I wore the Fighting Eel dress in silver, center, to the “Breakfast at Tiffany” event in March, celebrating the 16th anniversary of Hawaii Bride & Groom magazine. From right are Lance Ishibashi, Gavin Kobayashi, Julie Aragaki and Anthony Gambino in a photo by MidWeek’s Yu Shing Ting.
If you take a look at page A2 in the Star-Bulletin today, you’ll see John Berger’s photo of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa with Mayor Mufi Hannemann at the Aug. 27 preview of Tagawa’s latest film, “Balls of Fury,” at Regal Dole.
I’m getting feedback from my scene spies about the actor’s ensemble: aloha shirt, normal; jeans, normal; geta, quirky but cool. We’re just wondering about the straw hat, indoors, at night. Ain’t no reason for that, but he seems like a genuinely nice, easy-going sort of guy so I guess we can forgive him for going a little too local.
I wasn’t at the sneak. There are only 4 reasons for me to see a film: great story, great director, great (or hot) actors, great costumes. One out of 4 ain’t bad. All 4 is killer. Still waiting to see “Becoming Jane.” Always love a period costume drama.
Hiya and welcome to Fashion Tribe, a creation that I hope will be as much about you as the designers, fashion, style, beauty, the arts and culture covered in the Star-Bulletin Style pages.
I’d like this space to address one subject missing in the daily paper, where, due to space limitations, those who wear and love fashion tend to be underrepresented while I try to keep up with everything our busy retailers and designers are up to. Hopefully, you’ll feel comfortable enough to share your thoughts on trends, designers you love, and what you’re wearing, as well as what beauty products work or don’t work for you to help all who need this vast treasure trove of combined knowledge. Guys are welcome to share too!
This will be a work in progress, but our techies are busily working on a way for you to post photos of your favorite outfits, season must-haves that you’re eyeing, and cool stuff you want to share with the community.
I do want to promote a friendly haven for fashionphiles, so if you are posting, I expect you to play nicely. There will likely be some who want to trash fashion because they consider it to be a frivolous pursuit prone to excess. I think quite the opposite. As a form of art, fashion is an expression of cultural and creative achievement. I can think of no finer use for a pair of hands than to create something of beauty.
I think it’s a mistake to confuse fashion with consumerism, which I believe can be attributed to immaturity. I know the older I get, I tend to buy fewer things because I make better choices, or at least buy things I will actually wear vs. adding to my closet decor. There’s nothing like years of sending costly mistakes off to Goodwill, Salvation Army or Savers to make a person start shopping smarter. This is not to say I have a 100 percent perfect record yet. This brings me to …
Here I am in a photo taken by Emi Hart, with a shirt
Allison Izu Nagato, right, helped me turn
into a halter top at Closet Swap. More photos
of the event can be found at the Fashionista’s Market Web site.
Closet R/X
Erin Kaichi, left, and Jennifer Lim show their T-shirt-turned-halter creations.
Closet mistakes were addressed during Fashionista’s Market first Closet Swap event on Aug. 16. The event brought about 200 women to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii to trade unwanted items.
Women showed up from 9 a.m. with bags of prom dresses, old jeans, T-shirts and other garb that never fit or they never cared to wear after shopping exuberance faded. Some items still had price tags attached.
Ed Muncal gives Elina Koretsky a touch of color.
While waiting for clothing to be sorted and hung on racks, participants were able to get a chair massage courtesy of Elements Spa & Salon, updos and other hairstyling by Ulupono Academy, makeup by Ed Muncal or Flaunt make-overs, decorate cookies, pick up Alterna hair and skincare products at a discount, and take part in a T-shirt workshop with Allison Izu Nagato of Reincarnation.
Allison Izu Nagato helps Amanda Wong on the sewing machine.
I brought in three of my own T-shirts to be reworked. These included a pink Yoshitomo Nara baby-T that was always too snug, a Paul Frank Clancy T that was getting a bit tired, and a psychedelic Japan-made shirt I picked up this year at the Hawaii Opera Theatre Act II fundraiser, that was cute but always too long. I reshaped all into different kinds of halter tops. Very fun and a big mahalo to Allison, who got on the sewing machine to help everyone stitch up their creations. When someone slipped in a shirt studded in rhinestones that broke her sewing needle, she started stitching up garments by hand!
An orange blossom provided color inspiration for Noelehua Archambault.
The more they saw, the more creative women got as the morning progressed, mixing and matching various T-shirt designs from shirts culled from the stacks of clothing that women brought in to swap. All were put to good use, recycled into skirts, pillow cases and tote bags.
I brought in 16 items of clothing to swap, including tops from Banana Republic and A/X, a skirt by Laundry and DKNY cropped hoodie. I thought I’d be lucky if I could find two items in the stacks to take home. My finds included a camel-colored kid leather skirt (tags attached) and an elaborate beaded and sequinned red halter top. Thanks to those who gave these up; I promise to make good use of them!
FM Style Sisters Emi Hart and Alyssa Fung made a call for those who contributed the most clothing and accessories. About a dozen women brought in more than 50 items, but the biggest donations came from Tia Yamashita (74 items) and Rhonda Riveira (79 items). For her contribution, Riveira received a $100 Fashionista’s Market gift certificate. (Next one’s Sept. 29 and 30 at JCCH, see fashionistasmarket.com.)
Knowing that the clothing would go to a good cause, Riveira had emptied her own closet, as well as asking friends and family members for their unwanted items.
Yamashita said she was glad to give up the things she can’t use, knowing that a portion of funds raised from the event , as well as unclaimed clothing would be going to the Leeward Domestic Abuse Shelter. “I think the cause is a good one,” she said.
The shelter needs clothing throughout the year to clothe those who require its services, including children and teens in need of school clothes, and women who need outfits for work or job interviews.
I was surprised to see Will Hoover there covering the event for the Honolulu Advertiser. Fashion’s not his usual beat, but his opinion was, “This is pretty cool.” He said he was sent by editors who hoped a fight would ensue, but he’s a funny guy so might have been joking.
No such catfights materialized. There was no shoving or elbowing and no one got trampled in the dash for the racks. It was so cordial, that when I dropped a few things, another girl took time off from her hunting to help me pick them up.
Women paid $20 to $30 to swap ’til they drop while also enjoying a bento lunch and going home with goodie bags of samples from Alterna and other sponsors, and a can of Red Bull to get them through the rest of the day. It was a great event! Next up for Fashionista’s Market is its 2nd anniversary party Sept. 22 at Pearl Ultra Lounge.
Fendi at HDC
Doug Jago’s feather accents.
Later that night I headed to the Honolulu Design Center for the Tau Dance Theatre fund-raiser that included a Fendi fashion show.
At the door I ran into Douglas Jago, visual presentation manager for Neiman Marcus, who always manages to catch my eye with his individual panache. He always knows how to capture the spirit of an event while having fun with fashion. His ensemble included a Jil Sander black leather jacket worn under a cream-colored Hugo Boss satin jacket, paired with a black Marc Jacobs skirt. Hidden underneath it all were red sequined pants and the piece de resistance were a bunch of green feathers tucked into his breast pocket. He acquired the feathers from his friend Gipsy Norton.
The man of the evening, Tau Dance Theatre founder and director Peter Rockford Espiritu, was dressed to stand out in a Trina Turk jacket featuring a floral print of chrysanthemums and stylized blossoms reminiscent of clouds in Chinese paintings.
Dialta Alliata de Montereale and Azzurra Alliata, taking a break after the Fendi fashion show.
One of Espiritu’s best cheerleaders is Dialta Alliata de Montereale, who’s enlisted her children in “the cause.” Azzurra Alliata served as one of the Fendi models, while Yana was responsible for capturing the evening’s proceedings on videotape.
The best dressed women were models on the Fendi stage, wearing Fall 2007’s furs, coats and evening dresses. But the talk after the show turned to shoes. Women marveled over the models’ ability to maneuver in 7- to 8-inch heels, a feat that could be perilous on a bumpy street. “They’re actually comfortable,” said model Rain Maiava when I saw her a couple of days after the show.
Also in the crowd was Audrey Fu, who’s enjoying her retirement since closing Villa Roma this summer. Since then, I’ve spotted her at Nobu’s and the Honolulu Academy of Arts Prada preview night for “Showcase 2007.”
Also attending was Tina Bovino Agostini, below center, who had time after modeling to enjoy the rest of the evening with her mother Charlotte Chang, below left, and friend Yvie Bryan. In addition to modeling, Agostini got her real estate license as a Realtor Associate last year and is now helping with her mom at Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties.
