Lots of designer merch hit the pre-sale racks at NM.

Neiman Marcus was crowded with shoppers this morning, all hoping to scoop up some pre-sale deals from merchandise shipped in from other NM’s across the country. The memory of a Temperley London dress of silk chiffon and leather last year was enough to bring me out.Alas, nothing by Alice Temperley but I did find a Naoki Takizawa black dress now tucked away safely before the Last Call sale starts on Aug. 5. Also loved a line of Dolce & Gabbana skirts, but they were something like $935 on sale so I had to scuttle away.

What’s new:

>> Valerie Joseph is now open on the ground floor of Ala Moana Center, facing Kona Street.

Composable bracelets from Pandora allow you to add charms reflecting your life’s journey. It’s among the jewelry offered at Jewel Flair.

>> Jewel Flair, a sister to Ward Warehouse’s Craft Flair, has its grand opening from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Aug. 2, at Ala Moana Center near Center Stage (across from Swatch). Shoppers can meet local designers such as Kimberly Le and Fran Takemoto and win prizes. One of the hottest lines is Pandora, from Denmark, offering “composable” charm bracelets. Beads starting at $25 in sterling silver to 14K gold can be purchased by oneself, friends and lovers to be added on over a lifetime, resulting in an expression of your personality, life milestones and the special people in your life who added to it.

>> Stylus 3rd anniversary: Former SB’er Shawn “Speedy” Lopes marks his resale clothing and record boutique’s 3rd year with a party from 11 a.m. tomorrow. Stylus is at University Square, 2615 S. King, on the third floor. Shop for trendy, secondhand apparel; most pieces cost less than $10.

>> “Vogue in Japan: Edo Fashion Through Japanese Prints”: So you can’t afford to shop? You can still find time to appreciate fashion as worn in the past. This ukiyo-e exhibition opened Wednesday at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and will continue through Oct. 19, 2008. The show focuses on the fashion of married women, the fashion of people from different social classes (women of the warrior class, of wealthy merchants, high-ranking courtesans, and townspeople), lingerie, and men’s fashion. Can’t wait to see it.

Miemiko Atelier

Those who want to put a little more style into their correspondence might want to head to Alliway tomorrow night, the 31st, for Gotta Have It Thursday.

The evening’s special guest will be letterpress print shop designer Cari Nakanishi, of Miemiko Atelier, who will be displaying her boutique cards and journals from 4 to 8 p.m., when you can browse while enjoying desserts and drinks. There will also be discounts on Origami Bijoux jewelry, Stephanie B apparel, Melie Bianco handbags and Blue Q shopper bags. A $25 purchase will get you a free gift bag.
It’s been said for decades that the more technologically advanced a society becomes — to counter a mix of the attendant fear and confusion — the more it turns to things that are handmade and tactile, and that would apply here, as well as to the DIY movement big with both creators and consumers.

Miemiko Atelier can also create custom cards and stationery by hand-feeding specialty papers through a century-old cast-iron printing press.

I’m glad someone is preserving the old-fashioned printer’s skill. Setting individual pieces of type by hand seems so quaint in the blog age, but was once one of the stages in producing newspapers. I tried it out years ago, learning how to set pages of poetry and my favorite song lyrics, and learning to read upside down and backward in the process.

Alliway is in the Ward Warehouse. Call 589-1141.

Nadine Kam photos
A look at Club Monaco style in mostly black and white, with seasonal color accents.

Club Monaco opened its doors July 11 and I think I was the second customer, which caused Joline Tang and Desiree Yamamoto of PacRim Marketing and Crystal Yamasaki and Char Chang of the Bennet Group to make fun of me. Yeah, we all know shopping is an occupational hazard from working in the vicinity of all these boutiques.

I can look impulsive but I’m not a frivolous spender. I tend to study everything available before making a single purchase. Being no richie, not even close, I look for what will deliver the most in terms of versatility, longevity and wow factor, as well as pairing with what I already own. It’s the Club Monaco philosophy as well, so I’m naturally drawn to their “blank slate” designs. You can do anything you want with them in terms of mixing them into your own wardrobe without looking “branded.” These points were lost on some Hollister-branded kids who came in to make fun of the clothes. (more…)

Valerie Joseph will be moving into Ala Moana Center, but the first order of business is to pack up the Ward shop and some things have to go to make the job easier.

The boutique’s last day at the Ward Entertainment Center is Wednesday, July 9, when there’ll be a cocktail reception provided by Phuket Thai from 5 to 9 p.m., and 15 percent discount off all items.

Call 593-7388 for more info.

It’s kind of sad that in the wisdom of our current presidential administration, their only solution to the country’s economic woe is to tell us that it’s our patriotic duty to shop, and BTW, here’s $600 to do it.

In more prudent times, presidents have sent the opposite message, that this would be a fine time for sacrifice and getting our financial houses in order. But, since then, the market has become a colossal arrangement of dominos, and when one falls, well, you know what happens. We’re already seeing business closures and layoffs. It seems like a Catch-22 situation, where we need to clear our debts, but it is spending that is staving off the prospect of more companies sinking.

After 9/11, when it was revealed that the terrorists’ aim was to destroy the American economy, that we said we would not let it happen. Our spirit was strong and we would rebuild. So, it’s strange how the current turmoil has been the result of our own government’s war and monetary policies over the past five years. And now it’s up to consumers to bail them out.

This being the 4th of July, the sales are in full swing, and retailers are hoping you still have that $600 on you. If the idea of helping your country makes you feel good about picking up a new purse or pair of jeans, go to it. (more…)

Nadine Kam photos
At So Good Jewelry, from left, are Alen Kaneshiro, Reid Higashi, Kris Muranaka, Christopher Otto, Kristin Imose and Jonah Nakaza-Koizumi. Kris and Kristin wear jewelry off the racks.

So Good Jewelry celebrated its one-year anniversary June 27 with a friends and family party at its Waikiki Trade Center location. Guests were greeted with champagne and strawberries, and all the girls received Alen Kaneshiro and Christopher Otto’s version of the lei, clear necklaces to match what they were wearing! I went home with a lovely clear heart on a long gold-tone chain.

Their costume jewelry, in every style imaginable, is affordably priced and makes sense for those who want to accessorize without paying the high price of gold, and these days, even silver.

They’ve done well in Waikiki, where the concept also makes sense for visitors who can’t bring all the right jewelry with them. They can easily pick up something at the store if it helps them feel more complete.

Happy 1st b-day!

Check it out at 2255 Kuhio Ave., ground floor. Call 926-9588.

Maggie Li and Julie Ann Aragaki try on matching rhinestone headbands. Both wear the necklaces given to them at the door.

The headbands are not only for women, Jerrell Kaeo tries one as a hatband.

Kalie Hoang kept busy ringing up sales.

 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.”

Tahiti Pearl Market photo

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, the Social Wahines, Pacific Edge magazine and Fashionista’s Market are hosting “Eco-Chic Wahine” in the Ward Warehouse conference rooms above The Wedding Cafe.

The event, sponsored by Tahiti Pearl Market, runs 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 25. It’s an eco-friendly shopping party featuring Kanu Hawaii, Lei Saisons, Alliway, Styrophobia, Roketo Design, and Organik Clothing, which will be showing its Fall 2008 eco collection.

Guests will enjoy complimentary dessert and iced tea, while shopping and mingling with fellow wahines. RSVP online at www.socialwahines.com/rsvp for the co-ed event. The cost to attend is $10 per person.

Social Wahines is a social and business network for Hawaii’s young professional women interested in meeting people, making new business contacts, and most of all, having fun.

 June 20 is the first day of summer! What will you be doing? If you have no plans, there’s always a sale to clear out the spring merch:

Photo courtesy Fighting Eel

Fighting Eel and Ginger 13 are teaming up for a sample sale from 5 to 8 p.m. June 20 at the FE headquarters, 47 N. Hotel St., second floor.

Check out discounted styles for a $2 entry fee that will be matched and donated to the American Red Cross China Relief Fund.

Sales are cash only. Call 524-1472 or email info@fightingeel.com for more information.

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Photo courtesy mixmix

mixmix Ala Moana is offering a 40 percent discount on every collection, and for great deals on designer clothing, head out to the boutique’s 1133 Bethel St. location (544-0011), now serving as an outlet since their big move to 1440 Kapiolani (945-3131), across from the Bank of Hawaii and Nordstrom. (more…)

Paco Rabanne’s chainlink armored mini dress, circa 1967, is among the pieces up for grabs via eBay Live June 10. Bidding for this piece will start at about $6,000.

Those who appreciate vintage fashion might enjoy taking a look at the garb up for grabs via eBay Live’s “Passion for Fashion and Fine Textiles,” an auction taking place June 10.

Found it by accident while doing one of my standard searches for Ossie Clark and Lanvin and hit the Mother Lode of European fashion, 1920s through 1980s. What a pleasant surprise. Usually, I feel lucky if I see one beautiful, collectible piece.

I have a love of vintage clothing that dates to my teen years. It was the most tangible way for a girl from Waipahu — pre-Internet — to feel connected to the larger world, past and present. After running my own vintage/consignment boutique here and scoring my own vintage Pucci and Lanvin dresses, I became particularly enamored of the work of European designers done in the 1930s through ’40s, and 1960s through ’70s.

I read that ’40s and ’70s inspired H&M’s Fall 208 collection, described as “sharp, androgynous, elegant.”

You can own Jerry Hall’s Antony Price white lace wedding dress dating to her 1990 marriage to Mick Jagger. Bust 34, waist 26 inches. Who knew she was so tiny? She looks like a big girl standing next to Mick.

Ossie Clark snakeskin coat, circa 1967-68. Bidding starts at about $700. Fits a 34-inch bust. People were tiny back then, before they started pumping up at gyms and supersizing meals.

The auction also features tapestries and garments from the 1700s, and it appears that Jerry Hall is emptying her closet of clothing circa her life with Mick Jagger, including her wedding dress, which is starting at about $300.

Even if you can’t or don’t want to buy anything, it’s fun to look at the pieces and certainly would be beneficial for any alleged student of fashion to see. (more…)