By Nadine Kam

Doh! I missed a Saturday email, so sorry if I’m letting you size 6 shoe fiends down, but the Stuart Weitzman Ala Moana boutique has a current season sample sale going on, starting today, of sizes 6 M only for $109.

For those who can’t afford to pay $400 or more, there are about 250 pairs of evening, fashion, everyday shoes and sandals available, and about 100 pairs of boots.

Shoes are THE accessory for spring 2009.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
The storefront minutes after the Miu Miu name was added at far right.

Miu Miu opened its doors at Ala Moana Center this morning and I had to make the tough decision of rolling out of bed at 7 a.m. for the 8:30 a..m. blessing, or stay home and convalesce. I don’t know, maybe standing in the rain last week at the Royal was too much for me, combined with the stress of appearing in two traffic courts at the same time Monday. (Totally dismissed, of course!) I was moving at that typical local uncle’s glacial pace by Wednesday, and stayed home completely on Thursday.

I was awake anyway, before the alarm went off, and was debating the merits of going out in the rain again, or staying in bed, and bed was winning. I could always go later in the day, because the store will be there, but then I started thinking about parking and how nightmarish it would be any time after 9 a.m.

I wanted to snag a space in the sweet spot just beyond the new addition, behind and between Nordstrom and J. Crew-on-the-Island, which makes it easy to traverse the mall in any direction.

One of Miu Miu’s mosaic design dresses.

By the time I got there at 9 a.m., I found I could have stayed in bed because the kahu was late and wouldn’t be there until 10:30 a.m. Prada area manager Joseph Incao took charge and welcomed employees and first customers into the store. The blessing would have to wait.

It’s funny to me how these stores remind me of the process of sending newspapers to print at the last second, in that I’ve seen so many instances in which they’re always fitting the last tiles just before the guests arrive. With luck, you don’t see the menehune behind the magic, but this time the menehune were in plain view: Roberto Stefanini, Franco La Rosa, Rudi Malisani and Simone Gazzetti, who had come from Italy a month-and-a-half ago to work on the boutique. They were putting up one the finishing touches, the Miu Miu name on the storefront.

Prada area manager Joseph Incao, right, welcomes staffers to their new home.

One of the first shoppers inside the store was a woman headed to the airport, left, who couldn’t leave town without something from Miu Miu. She entered with large black suitcase in tow. (more…)

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Fighting Eel injects humor, lightness and a lot of back details into its Spring 2009 Collection.

Fighting Eel introduced its Spring 2009 collection during a casual runway and trunk show Sunday afternoon outside The Butik. They showed a flirty collection of dresses highlighted by a fun banana print created by Rona Bennett, one-half of the designing duo. The print is shown here in two colors.

They didn’t show many separates, but if you go to their Web site, you’ll also see a sassy mini skirt using the banana print. So cute!

Tani Lynn models a more colorful version of the banana print.

Yasmin Dar in Fighting Eel.

One of the bright colors of the season.

The next generation of FE fans get a head start in Baby Eel.

Of course these girls will only get better at their close-up with practice. Pretty soon they’ll be demanding right of approval from designer Lan Chung.

The shoes in the show were from Nine West, but they reminded me of these wide strappy runway styles, worn here with short lengths of nude hose, that I photographed during the Y & Kei Water the Earth Spring 2008 presentation during New York Fashion Week, Sept. 5, 2007. It’s essentially taken a year and a half to reach the mass market. While similar styles have been available at high-end retail, wide straps and lots of high vamp details are really turning up strong this spring.

See more of the show here:

By Nadine Kam

If you’re in need of a color boost to lift your spirits, check out the bright juicy colors of the new Rock & Republic line on view at the front counter of Neiman Marcus’s Cosmetics department.

Definitely not for those too timid for shocking pinks and other saturated colors for eyes, lips and cheeks.

And, to add to your sales stops, the Stuart Weitzman boutique at Ala Moana Center is having a sale that starts today, the 20th. Get 30 percent off your first item, 40 percent of your second, and 50 percent off your third and beyond, the latter on select styles only. The sales prices are not applicable online. Call 941-4371 if you need more info.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
The Harajuku Girls handed out scent cards yesterday at Sephora Ala Moana Center, each representing the scents and characters from the Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection. They’re at the Pearlridge Sephora today, to 6 p.m.

The Harajuku Lovers Fragrance Collection arrived at Sephora Ala Moana Center yesterday with five scents: Love, Lil’Angel, G, Music and Baby available in .33 ounce ($25), 1 ounce ($45) and solid perfume ($60) sizes. Those who bought all five would receive a cute metal charm bracelet with the faces of the five characters.

I already had the G and floral Baby scents thanks to a friend who saw them in New York and sent them to me. Yay! Now I’m just wondering where to get my hands on those cute T-shirts and tank tops they’re wearing!

Earlier that day, Sephora was introducing some of its Christmas collection of holiday palettes and products, and to go with the product demonstrations, Lynette Jee was enlisted to share some of her teas, macaroons and other confections from her Pacific Place Tea Garden Cafe.

Adding a twist to the idea of the culinary tasting, Jee created some teas inspired by the chocolate, vanilla and fruity flavors that fill today’s cosmetics. The cosmetics aren’t really edible, but their bouquet did blend beautifully with Jee’s warm and spicy holiday chais, vanilla Hojicha roasted green tea and fruity tisanes. It was a very pleasant experience.

At Sephora, Lynette Jee shows the Korres Cherry lipgloss that inspired Pacific Place Tea Garden’s Very Cherry Tisane. The flavor was very cherry indeed, but the dry tea had a strong li hing scent.

In town for the event was Pamela Fischer of DeVries Public Relations, and after all the cosmetics talk was pau, I had to ask her how she kept her layered necklaces from tangling. She guessed it was a matter of varying chain weights, but she also stacked them side by side, rather than vertically.

She mentioned she had picked up one Alliway necklace she was wearing on her trip and was happy about her “discovery” of the Hawaii designer. Today would have been her lucky day if she wasn’t en route home. Alli is having her first store anniversary celebration to 8 p.m. at Ward Warehouse with prizes, refreshments and discounts on clothing, jewelry and accessories, including 30 percent off Alliway jewelry. See you there!

By Nadine Kam

By Nadine Kam

Bill Cunningham for the New York Times
Click on the photo to view Bill’s narrated slide show on his recent “On the Street” photo feature on the appeal of the heel.

Went to Ala Moana over the weekend to help the boyfriend pick out a jacket and nearly escaped unscathed. It was my mistake to walk into Nordstrom at the end of the day, “just for a look.” I wanted to see clothes coming in for fall—it’s a work thing. Never made it that far. Got sidetracked by a 2-day shoe sale going on and a pair of $60 shoes.

Tried it on. It was OK, but did I tell you these guys are goooood. The salesman didn’t just bring one pair of shoes; he brought out something like 10 different pairs. Even though I already have a pair of super-shiny red shoes, I tried on three more. In the end, one pair stood out — a pair of Stuart Weitzmans. And of course once the platform stilettos were on my feet, I had to have them.

The funny thing is, I had just gone to the Weitzman boutique opening Friday and thought myself immune. That happens at a high-end boutique because you know you really shouldn’t be buying, so you will yourself to tune out, though I did not see this style there. But at Nordstrom, when it’s mixed in with $60 shoes and $100 shoes, you get lulled into thinking, “How bad can it be?” With Weitzman, oh, it be.

Learning to walk in them without breaking a leg, when I’m most at home in rubbah slippahs, will be a trick, but then I start to think of those women in New York, who wear heels all around the city on a daily basis. See Bill Cunningham’s photo at the top of the page and click on the image for a slide show. If they can do it, I certainly can try.

I love all the new peep-toe pumps and booties and two-tone styles coming in as well.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Stuart Weitzman store manager Gillis Asao with his wife Avis. The new boutique occupies the Max & Co. space where Avis once worked. She’s now at Cartier, Waikiki.

Stuart Weitzman held its grand opening at Ala Moana Center this morning, with guests among the first to try on and snap up shoes starting at about $255. We admired, but stayed away from the 6-inch heels that we could imagine in many a life-or-death scenario.

Vouching for the brand’s quality, Pam Chambers wore a pair of Stuart Weitzman wing-tip, leather mosaic-on-suede shoe that she bought 20 years ago, that looked as new and stylish as any on the shelves today.

Pam Chambers admired the heel on this shoe, but when time comes to buy, she’ll opt for a flat.

“I can’t remember how much I paid for it, but I remember thinking it was a lot,” she said. “But whatever I paid, it was well worth it for something stylish and made to last.”

If store manager Gillis Asao ever needs a testimonial, he should call her.

It was a little strange to see Danny Kaleikini there, just because I’m not accustomed to seeing the entertainer/businessman on the fashion circuit.

Danny Kaleikini wasn’t in the market for shoes but was happy his daughter Leonn found a pair she liked.

“I looked for size 14 but they don’t have my size,” he joked. He was there with his daughter Leonn Kaleikini, who works for Ferragamo.

At one point, Danny started speaking to PR woman Masako Nashimoto in Japanese. I told him it was time to start switching to Chinese, and da buggah he speak five languages! I’m seriously thinking about enrolling in Chinese immersion classes. It’s just a matter of time before China takes over the world and I’d better be ready. I’m fairly certain there’s no one they’ll scorn more than a Chinese-American who can’t speak the Mother tongue.

Can you see me now? Masako Nashimoto is framed by a Stuart Weitzman suede pump.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam videoHere’s the video for the Aloha!Alice story in the paper. It’s great how the Internet allows anyone with a creative streak to connect with a niche market.

Maybe I’ll start a photo shop at Etsy.com. A friend told me that any business started on 8/8/08 can’t fail!

By Nadine Kam

For those who can’t have enough pairs of rubbah slippahs, and you can snatch those up at Old Navy on the 28th, “Flip Flop Saturday.” Solid color slippers for summer will be $1 per pair, with a five-pair limit per customer, as a door buster special beginning at 8 a.m.I guess they’ve done this before, because when I talked to one of the employees at the Ala Moana Center location on the phone, she said, “If I were you, I’d get here early.”