By Nadine Kam

The postcard from Valerie Joseph speaks for itself. Call  942-5258 for more information.

If you want to beat the Black Friday crowds, better start your holiday shopping early. Here are some spots to check out:

Things Japanese Sale:
At Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays through Dec. 5. Find all things Japanese, including kimono and obi for display or wear, ningyō (dolls), antique tea and dish sets that were made in Japan, and vintage accessories that were donated for this annual sale. Cultural Center members who can wait will receive 50 percent off selected items from Dec. 1 through 5. Funds raised will go toward educational programs and cultural activities presented throughout the year. Admission is free.

Play.savvycircle.com
If you’re looking for deals on meals and entertainment, this site offers restaurant and spa vouchers and entertainment tickets at a discount. The way it works is that a certain amount of vouchers/tickets are offered, with a minimum number of people needed to sign up to get the deal. If the minimum is met, everyone who signs up before and thereafter get the deal. If not, no one gets it. The site has currently reserved 500 of the best seats in Hawaii Theatre for the New Year’s Eve show of “STOMP,” at 40 percent off. A minimum of 50 need to sign up to get the deal. The $55 tickets are being offered for $33.

Pearlridge
If you haven’t been to the shopping center in a while, Blazin’ Steaks offers one more place to sit down for lunch or dinner in the Downtown, third level, and three retail tenants opened in November, offering seasonal merchandise:

Calendar Club (Downtown, second level). Temporary holiday store in the former Rave location features calendars and related 2010 seasonal merchandise.

My Pillow Pets (Uptown, first level) opened near the American Savings Bank Convenience Center. The kiosk features 38 plush animals that combine the comfort of a chenille pillow with the cuddliness of a high-quality stuffed animal. My Pillow Pets are safe for little ones and have won Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Product award, iParenting Hot Award and the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval.

Santa’s Pen (Downtown, second level) opened as a temporary holiday store in the former Hobby Company space. The holiday specialist features personalized Christmas ornaments and other gift items, holiday stockings and stocking stuffers, island-style ornaments and other home accessories.

Ki-ele jewelry personalized with initials.

Shasa Emporium
The Kahala Mall boutique is hosting the Ki-ele Holiday 2009 collection designed by Marylea Conrad, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 21. Customers can personalize one of the necklace designs with an initial, for themselves or as a gift for someone special. Call 735-5122 for more information.

Shop Toast
Among other things, the little shop is offering Envirosax designer eco-totes that can be used to bag your gifts to eco-conscious friends and family. The bags, in pouch, measure 4-by-1.5 inches. Unrolled, they open to 19.5-by-16.5 inches and have a capacity for holding 44 pounds. There are several designs to choose from, at $10. Neat, eh? Shop Toast is at 3434 Waialae Ave. #3, open noon to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays or by appointment at 447-9233. Or look for them at Season’s Best Craft & Gift Fair at Aliiolani School Dec. 5; Hawaii’s “Bigger & Better” Gift & Craft Fair at the TOPA Financial Center, Fort Street Mall, Dec. 9 and 10; or Moanalua High School Winter Craft Fair Dec. 12. Click on this link and go to the bottom of the page for a coupon for a free tote with $50 purchase, good through Dec. 31, 2009, while supplies last: http://www.hsblinks.com/1cv

So Good Jewelry:

By Nadine Kam

AR Collection
Pieces from Aloha Rag’s first collection will range from about $200 to $400, except for leather motorcycle jackets like the one below, which will run higher.

Here’s a look at a few more of the samples from Aloha Rag’s inaugural AR Collection set to hit the boutique’s sales floor in early 2010. Not all the images could fit the print edition of my story today: http://www.hsblinks.com/1ca

The story had a long genesis, perhaps dating about 10 years back when I first started shopping at Tatsugo Yoda’s Kapiolani Boulevard store. I loved the store because, predating Neiman Marcus’s entry into the marketplace, Yoda was a pioneer in bringing in small designer brands we could otherwise only read about. There wasn’t much of a market here for mid-range ($400 to $600) designer apparel in those days, so traffic at the boutique was slow and I was intrigued when one of the salespeople there told me Yoda didn’t care if pieces sold. He just bought what he liked and hoped someone else would be able to relate to his spare, evolved aesthetic. I liked the idea that he seemed to envision himself as more of a connoisseur or curator of clothing than marketer.

I kept thinking I would love to sit down and talk to him. But once his merchandise mix hit the $1,000 mark, I couldn’t afford to visit very often. If I did drop in, it was usually during a sale or because I was heading for dinner at nearby Gyu-Kaku.

I finally caught up with Yoda in New York, where I just happened to walk past his boutique during a stroll after dinner at Flor del Sol. (At the restaurant I spied about a half dozen blondes dining with a group of a half dozen brunettes, with all the dark-haired women lined up on one side of the table, and the blondes on the other. I wanted to snap a photo, but my b.f. said that would be rude. So now the moment is lost to the eye.)

I made a note of the address, at 505 Greenwich St., and returned the next day because I had read so much of the NY press that said how much his New York (downtown) merchandise mix differs from the Hawaii (uptown) store. It seemed weird that he would have to reinvent Aloha Rag for NY, but it all makes sense when you read my story (see link above).

Yoda was at the shop unpacking boxes when I arrived on a rainy day after the Erin Fetherston show. So we made plans to meet up again in Honolulu when he returned last month, though his visit here was shorter than expected due to his need to continue working on his line.

Alexander Wang Fall 2009 top, pictured at Style.com.

At his boutique, still under the influence of the spring shows, I bought a white Alexander Wang top from the designer’s Fall 2009 collection. Apparently, Wang was a season ahead of everyone else in doing whites and cutouts, so the top will work fine into the new year.

Wang recently picked up another accolade, having won the 2009 juried Swiss Textiles Award on Nov. 13, with a prize of 100,000 euros, or $147,000 toward producing and marketing a future collection, partially incorporating Swiss fabric. Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy were the 2008 winners.

I really like Wang’s Resort 2010 collection. I wish his clothes weren’t so darned pricey, though. Michael Kors better be looking over his shoulder because if Wang wanted to claim the “great American sportswear designer” title, it’s his as far as I’m concerned. Not that I believe he’d ever want to box himself in with such a label.

The hero shot from Alexander Wang’s Fall 2009 collection.

Love Alexander Wang’s 2010 Resort collection for its marriage of structure and ease. Looks like he’s also trying to bring back light denim, and in one case, the overall bib!

By Nadine Kam

DailyCandy

DailyCandy is about to enter the e-commerce world with the BETA launch of Swirl, Sample Sales by DailyCandy tomorrow, featuring cashmere sweaters by Alisha Levine. (The official hard launch of the members-only site will take place on Feb. 1, 2010, but who can wait that long?)

When it does launch, you’ll see their editors’ hand-selected picks of clothing and accessories from up-and coming buzz artists toestablished brands, at up to 80 percent off.

For now, 100 early members get a chance to win a $100 Swirl gift cards too. Visit www.Swirl.com to sign up now.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Nars is presenting 15 iconic looks on some of his fashionable friends to celebrate its 15th anniversary and the launch of a limited-edition book, “NARS 15X15,” of 15 celebrity portraits inspired by one of his products. Here, model Dayle Haddon is made up to look like Elizabeth Taylor. I enjoyed seeing all the images at the Nars counter.

The Cosmetics Trend Event, a makeup road show, returned to Nordstrom on Saturday. This time, I slept through the 8 a.m. event, figuring I’d just head in later to see what’s new on the floor.

Gotta give the visiting makeup artists a lot of credit for always waking up early to put on energetic and entertaining shows to introduce the new season, no matter how jet lagged they might feel.

Here are a couple of videos with Smahsbox’s Hank Hoffman, and ZO Skin Health’s Dr. Zein Obagi. Obagi had a lot of startling things to say, such as challenging the wisdom of using moisturizer, and that it can be better to no nothing than do the wrong thing.

After Hoffman’s presentation, a woman lamented that she—meaning older women and women without classically beautiful features—could never look as good as the model.

That must be frustrating for any makeup artist to hear, because they repeat themselves over and over, and all the information is out there in newspapers, magazines and online, but women still have misconceptions about what makeup can and cannot do.

True, if you didn’t win the genetic lottery, you will never have classically beautiful features without surgical chiseling, and for older women less is more, but the point is to work with what you have and learn to play up your best features to put your best face forward. That’s all. If women don’t want to wear makeup, they shouldn’t have to, but no one should use the excuse that there’s no point in doing so because she’ll never look like a model. Few people do, but most still want to try to look their best.

M.A.C’s holiday palette

This was the gift tote with sample goodies for those who paid $15 (applicable toward the cost of cosmetics purchased that day) to attend the event. I couldn’t wake up before 8 a.m. on a Saturday, so missed out.

The cosmetics department happens to be right next door to the women’s shoe department, so I found myself wandering over there after spotting the season’s thigh-high boots. Wonder who will be the first to wear them. Not me. I’d be swallowed up by those.

The first window display of the season’s boots was in New York in September, with a showing of Louis Vuitton footwear at Sak’s Fifth Avenue. I thought I had taken a photo, but I guess I only photographed the shoes, coming up later in this post.

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By Nadine Kam

Tori Richard
The lovely Michelle Vawer on the cover of the Tori Richard holiday/resort catalog in a Kalena dress from the Sprinkles group set to arrive in the boutiques Nov. 17.

Backtracking all the way back to Sept. 25, I was at the Tori Richard fashion show previewing the holiday/resort and spring 2010 collections at the Honolulu Academy of Arts ARTS after DARK event.

I missed a lot of what was going on here while I was in New York, though I kept up with emails and when I was invited to the show, that took place the same day I was set to return home, I just said I’d be there, figuring I’d return home the same way I arrived in NY, hitting the ground running. My bf thought I was crazy. He said, “What? You’re going to get off the plane and go to a fashion show?”

My answer to that is “Why not?”

Of course, it always goes better in my head than in reality and I didn’t realize how long it would take to catch up, but here we are in November and it turns out to be timely as the first pieces of the holiday collection are arriving in the Tori Richard boutiques, with dresses running from about $98 to $198, and tops about $62 to $118. You can also find lookbooks and designs online at www.toririchard.com.

For both of the collections, designer Tamar Hassing Wong went into the company’s vast archives to bring back prints from the 1960s and ’70s to compliment the relaxed, leisure styles.

The bold prints fit perfectly with today’s strong graphic sensibilities. My favorite, though, was one of the newer prints, on cotton/silk voile, that’s inspired by centuries-old ikat weaving. The monstera leaf is a longstanding graphic design but this one brings back some of the lush ambience of 1940s and ’50s design, while the white-and-purple Iris color combination bring it up to date. Can’t wait for that one, coming up in spring.

Melody jersey knit dress from the Blooming group.

Island Ikat Tea Time dress in Iris color, from the Tori Richard Spring 2010 collection.

Coconut camisole in Jewel Box (1973) archive print, in Carnation color, also from the spring 2010 collection.

By Nadine Kam

Shaesby
Shaesby Scott’s bridal jewelry collection is on view at Neiman Marcus.

Jewelry designer Shaesby Scott is in Hawaii to introduce his first bridal collection, already an award winner in the Bridal Boutique category of the Platinum Guild International Couture Style Challenge.

The designer was at Neiman Marcus last night, and will be in the store until 5 p.m. today to help customers with their selections.

He said his clients have long requested bridal pieces, but he took his time coming up with the collection to create pieces that would be simultaneously contemporary, classic and timeless.

Nadine Kam photos
Shaesby Scott at Neiman Marcus, where, in the background, women examine his jewelry.

Pieces on view feature Shaesby’s signature satin texture, marquis diamonds and organic lines, reflecting an Art Deco sensibility. Each band is handcrafted in Shaesby’s Austin studio so that no two are alike, and they can be customized with the option of 18k yellow gold or platinum with rubies, sapphires and black or yellow diamonds in addition to the traditional white diamonds.

Shaesby’s pieces possess a delicate beauty. 

Rings are designed to be stackable for combinations unique to every bride, so that even if they are meant to be worn for eternity, they can be arranged and recombined to look different from day to day.

I was told that those who spend $500 or more today on Shaesby’s jewelry on an NM card during the Be Jeweled event will receive a NM gift card, a choice of a Shaesby gift necklace or earrings, and a Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel necklace.

The Be Jeweled Event continues through Sunday with gift card offers and the Lee Angel gift necklace available with purchases from other Designer and Precious Jewelry collections as well.

Lee Angel necklace that is a gift with a purchase of $500 or more.

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Trying on the Elizabeth & James leather jacket. Love the red but it’s still pretty hot outside.

While I was there, the store was offering a 40 percent sale on most of the Contemporary Women’s apparel, so of course I had to check it out. The thing is, I look at sale offers from online marketers like Shopittome and Gilt Group all the time and never want anything so I feel immune to most clothes with standard shapes. Things have to be a little “out there” to catch my eye.

I gravitated toward a red leather jacket from Elizabeth & James, then two things that were not on sale.

I told Neiman Marcus’ Contemporary Sportswear Specialist Alen Ajed that “just for fun” I wanted to try on a 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket (hanging and on a model, above), and without skipping a beat, he just said, “I know which one,” and OMG he can read my mind! He came back with the correct sequined cardigan. I LOVED it, but at about $900, I think I have to wait til I finish paying off my trip.

Last piece I wanted was this hat, also not on sale. Please don’t try to imagine the hat and cardigan worn together.

By Nadine Kam

Christian Siriano

When I watched the spring/summer shows in New York, it was hard to imagine the final form in which the designs would reach consumers. The shows are not always about what’s wearable, but about impressions, mood and image setting.

Well, we didn’t have to wait long to see Christian Siriano’s runway to realway interpretations. The designer introduced today a limited-edition and affordable capsule collection of signature silhouettes and print from his Spring/Summer 2010 runway collection shown a month ago during New York Fashion Week.

Oceanic print blouse, $19o, worn with silk charmeuse pencil skirt, $139. A blouse detail, below:

The capsule selection includes a dress and blouse in silk charmeuse and metallic pencil skirt, as a knit tee, scarf and blouse in Siriano’s blue Oceanic print.

Prices range from $98 to $220, and the pieces are available exclusively on www.christianvsiriano.com.

Here’s a link to my coverage of his show:  http://www.hsblinks.com/16o

And a photo of one of his key runway designs:

Getty Images

His runway collection is currently distributed at Saks Fifth Avenue and boutiques including 4510, Helen Yi and Wynn in North America and Alothman in the Middle East.

Siriano will appear as a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” today, featuring a showcase of his Spring 2010 evening gowns and Payless runway collection shoes well as his recently released book, “Fierce Style: How to be Your Most Fabulous Self.”

By Nadine Kam

It’s been rather hot and sticky lately, not ideal for clothes shopping, but for those who believe every holiday just means more time to shop, Split Obsession is offering a discount of 10 to 30 percent off regular-priced clothing and accessories, and 70 percent off the sales rack at both Ala Moana Center and Koko Marina locations through Monday.

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If you’re on the other side of the island, Waikele Premium Outlets has extended its hours over the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Shop to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12.

Some sample promotions:

A|X Armani Exchange: Earlybirds can take an additional 20 percent off all merchandise from 8 to 10 a.m. through

Michael Kors: Enjoy additional savings of 25 percent off select apparel, outerwear, handbags and more. (Restrictions.)

Nine West: Take 30 percent off selects styles of boots. (Not included in Buy One Get One 50 percent off promotion.)

Perfumania: Take extra 20 percent off on select items storewide, including Burberry men and women’s fragrances; take an extra 25 percent off Cerruti fragrances.

Tommy Bahama: Get 50 percent off, excluding fragrance, CD and clearance items.

Tommy Hilfiger: Save 40 percent off original company store prices on select outerwear through Oct. 13.

True Religion: Shop for $99.99 denim and down jackets, and $79.99 down vests while supplies last.

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And, for those whose sense of style extends to their desk and writing instruments, Bittner is hosting a Cross trunk show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at its Waikiki store.

Among designs to shown are the Cross Affinity Collection, Cross Sentiment Shoppers and the Cross Townsend Obama pen engraved with President Barack Obama’s signature on the barrel, and adorned with the Presidential Coat of Arms.

The official Presidential Townsend Rolling Ball Pens will be used to sign a series of inaugural documents, as well as The Obama Transition team commissioned Cross to create a customized pen for the president and newly named Nobel Peace Prize winner’s official use.

Shoppers that day will receive a leather pen case with purchase, and guests will be eligible to win a Cross pen.

The boutique is at 2170 Kalia Road at the corner of Kalia Road and Beach Walk. Call 924-8828.
Validated parking is offered at Embassy Suites.

By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Victoria’s Secret Angel Marisa Miller will sign autographs for fans from 4 to 6 p.m. today.

I was at the opening at the Victoria’s Secret store this morning at 8 a.m. for its blessing because it’s my job to be there. What I don’t understand is why, by the time the store actually opened at 9:30 a.m., there were more than 600 people in line waiting to get in. Do they think they’re going to run out of bras? Is it a point of pride to be the very first customer? It’s not like a pop-up shop that’s going to go away overnight. Victoria’s Secret is really here to stay after we’ve patiently and agonizingly waited our turn while they opened more than 1,000 other stores around the world.

The line started at 6:30 a.m. and that’s got to make the company happy. Victoria’s Secret Angel Marisa Miller was there for photographs and interviews, and the City Managing Director Kirk Caldwell was there to welcome the store, and, filling in for our traveling mayor, to place a lei around Miller’s neck with requisite kiss. The opening, he said, is “very good news for Hawaii,” as a bright spot in our economy with such a major retailer demonstrating their confidence and commitment to the state.

If you read the story in the print edition today, you can learn about the opportunity to become the next VS Angel by entering online at VSAllAccess.com and CBS.com.

Star-Bulletin business reporter Nina Wu, in black, interviews the first people in line to get into Victoria’s Secret. The line went around the corner, between Sears and Longs, to the parking lot, and alongside Sears past Jamba Juice. As person after person entered the store, I wondered how many it could contain. (It swallowed up the former Island Snow, TheGap and Disney spaces.) They stopped the line at 500, then started admitting a few people at a time as shoppers exited.

The job is more demanding than you’d imagine, and the Angels have to have more going for them than a super body and pretty face as they also serve as ambassadors and spokesmodels for the brand. You can begin to imagine what that takes when you realize such media dynamos as Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum have served as Angels.

Kelly Boy De Lima, of Kapena, was the second person to make a purchase. Guys are quick, no-nonsense shoppers and he picked up a gift card for his daughter’s 18th birthday.

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By Nadine Kam

Nadine Kam photos
Among things I brought home from New York were a cropped sequin top from a flea market, a black sequin skirt from Loehmann’s and black sequin vest from H&M. I plan to wear them all together. Just kidding.

Packing for New York was easy. Figuring it would be good to represent Hawaii I brought along six Fighting Eel dresses, a Maggie Coulombe black wrap dress and cocoon wrap from Maggie Coulombe, a wool wrap from Jeanie Chun, Allisonizu denim pencil skirt and shorts, and hand-painted purple fish scale tote/clutch by Hazel Lee, keeping company with other items by Phillip Lim, DVF, Missoni, Rebecca Taylor and jewelry by Marni.

The trip was going to be pricey so I didn’t want to go there and feel like I needed a bunch of clothes, so my aim was to bring things so beautiful I wouldn’t be tempted to go overboard shopping.

Just before I left, though, I was struck by this nagging notion that I should have sequins and pulled from my closet the silver shrug, colorful bolero jacket and black tube top, below, that could be worn with casual basics. It was crazy because I only travel with one small carry-on suitcase and didn’t want to bring anything extraneous. In the end, I just brought the bolero jacket that I had cut down from a thrift-store dress, figuring I could wear it with jeans and a tank top.

I don’t usually wear these things at home because Hawaii sunlight being what it is, you’d end up looking like a disco ball walking down the street. To my delight, sequins were everywhere during Fashion Week, worn on jackets and vests of attendees, as well as on the runways, where touches of silver sparkle were everywhere. On the streets, the black sequins added a touch of gloss to matte black, just the antidote to breathe life into a city palette of neutral gray concrete and cement, as well as cloudy skies. It rained early during the events, and though temperatures averaged about 70 degrees, it did dip to 49 degrees a couple of days.

During Fashion Week, there was little time to shop, or eat, and when it was over, it had been seven days since I’d shopped. The first stop was Century 21, where I didn’t see much. I bought a dress and sweater top that I immediately wanted to return, but never had a chance to go back. After that, it was H&M where I saw fall’s green mini skirt that I absolutely had to have. Only problem was they were out of small sizes. I tried two other H&Ms in SoHo, and finally asked a sales person if there would be anymore. He said the display had already been out two weeks, so they were probably all gone. Two weeks! If there’s a retailer doing well, it’s H&M due to their combination of low prices (mostly $34.95 and under) and more-than-decent quality for the cost.

This is the green skirt that almost got away at H&M. You can dress the model with the Fashion Studio feature at www.hm.com/us. I just used it to also show one of the faux fur vests that were flying out the door; a bit impractical for us in Hawaii.

I also checked out Zara, which was showing heavier winter garb, so that was easy to resist when remembering that I would be coming home to 80- or 90-degree weather.

Sequin layering in a TopShop image.

After that, I tried two more H&Ms on the Upper East Side, thinking there’s probably less traffic there. But no, there were none there either. I was growing desperate because time was running out, so I had a salesperson try calling another store. Just then, a girl was returning a green skirt, which she said fit too tight at a size 10 and there was no way she was going to go up to a size 12. (The sizing of the Euro brand is unforgiving when it comes to American vanity sizing; their 6 is equivalent to our size 0 or 2, and 8 is a 4.) That was too big for me, but I tried it on anyway. I had to hold out for a 6 or 8 and eventually found an 8 in one of three busy Midtown branches, where I also found the small version of the black oversize top with animal pattern in gold sequins, below.

I also came home with this gold sequin top from H&M.

I ended up buying a whole lot of sequins and not much else, though I did find the one thing I wanted to get, a black jacket ($59.95 at H&M.) The two other things I bought were a black dress shirt and purple skirt from Uniqlo. And the last thing I was looking for before leaving was a sequined beret, but I figure I can find that anywhere.

The one piece that got away was a lightweight matte silver retro jacket from Topshop. Where other pieces I found were all less than $40, the jacket was $270. I had to think about it. I’m still thinking about it now that I’m home, and don’t see it online. Bummer. I really like it, but I’m still non-commital. I can’t imagine getting that much wear out of it. I have a partial picture of it below, on the left hanging in the TopShop dressing room while I also tried on a gold scalloped beaded jacket I don’t need. It’s always fun to try on, though.

In the dressing room at Topshop.

It was kind of sad to be going straight from Fashion Week to H&M, but it’s a problem designers and retailers face in the current economic climate. To even it up a bit, I did pay $300 for an Alexander Wang top at Aloha Rag, of all places, and that was due to seeing all the whites and cut-out designs on the runways, and the fact there is nothing similar available this fall, but for the new frugalistas, H&M has the prized combination of style and practicality that makes them hard to beat. Especially when you’re not quite sure you need one more sequined top.