Andy South, more TK

Nadine Kam photos
Fans lined up for photos with Andy South at the "Project Runway" finale viewing party Oct. 28 at Honolulu Design Center. Andy's manager Monica Ivey, right, was there to make sure there was order to the madness, though his Honolulu Community College instructors Lillian Zane, Joy Nagaue and Karen Hastings inadvertently cut in early, in excited rush to congratulate him.

A couple hundred people poured into the Honolulu Design Center’s Cupola Theater on Thursday night for Andy South, whose fate on season 8 of “Project Runway” was finally revealed during a public viewing of the finale.

Fans lined up for picture taking that started at 7 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session with the designer before the finale screening at 9 p.m., which meant that people who stayed home to watch learned of the results before most in the room.

I say “most” because those who really, really, really wanted to know who won needed only to have looked at Twitter or Facebook, where East Coast viewers had begun spilling the beans at 5 p.m. Hawaii time.

OK. I peeked. But I had a print deadline to deal with before I left the office for the event, though it was uncomfortable to interrupt him midway through the event to ask him the main question of how he felt about the results.

Models Momoko Metzker, from left, Nalani Ravelo and Kiani Yamamoto show designs from Andy's Fall/Winter 2010 collection, which he used to audition for "Project Runway."

In an interview prior to the event, Andy confessed to feeling relief that finale time had arrived and he would be free of the secret he’s kept for nearly two months.

But there was one other secret he revealed in his audition video, which was also screened for the audience. That is, he tries on all his designs, including gowns, and, oh Lordy, swimsuits!

“It’s fun!” he gushed in the video.

Prior to admitting guests, Andy dressed his models, including placing this rose headpiece on Daniela Voicescu, also below, for a fantasy ensemble. The pheasant feathers were from HCC professor Karen Hastings, which Andy dyed to suit his designs.

Another secret revealed when his mother took the microphone, was that even at age 4, he was already attracted to beautiful things. During a trip to Thailand, she said, the future designer admired the long nail ornaments worn by the Thai dancers, and told his mom, "I want those." When she said she would shop for them tomorrow, he said, "Now."

Andy with his mom Nora Sisounthone and her friend Robin Nanark.

After he got them, he put them on and tried to mimic the dancers' movements. Oh, and he also wore his sisters' dresses, which, broadcast to the room, made the designer bury his head on the floor, where he was sitting and watching the show unfold for the first time, just like the rest of us.

Somehow, that wasn't a shock after his saying he tries on all his women's designs, but there's a lesson in that for everyone else. Unless your mom is a public person, who understands the game, never let her tell stories about your childhood, when you were too young to self-edit! LOL!

Jenny Chen wore a lace top deemed "very Casanova," inspired by another of the "Project Runway" designers. Her cries of "Noooo," regarding the winner, echoed through the elevator and parking lot as I left the building. It was a little crazy as one guy zipped out of the parking lot without regard to people walking to their cars. There could have been a lot of dead stylists on the ground in his wake. Below, Casanova at work on his Episode 5-winning design.

Lifetime photo

There was a roomful of groans and “Noooo’s,” when viewers learned that Gretchen Jones had won the competition, but, ever gracious, Andy said he was happy for her, and thanked guests for staying out until 11 p.m. to watch the finale with him.

“This isn’t the end,” he promised. “Keep an eye out for my next project.” You can read more about what he's working on in the Sunday Star-Advertiser.

New Honolulu mayor Peter Carlisle was there, as was Malika Dudley. When I said to the mayor, "I didn't know you were a fashion fan," he was surprised. "Really? Look at me," he said.

On the Eurocinema red carpet

Nadine Kam photos
EuroCinema Hawaii lifetime achievement award winner Richard Dreyfuss introduced the award winners at the event's awards gala at the Moana Surfrider Hotel Oct. 22.


The inaugural Eurocinema Hawaii awards gala took place Friday, Oct. 22 at the Moana Surfrider Waikiki.

E! Entertainment’s Debbie Matenopoulos greeted filmmakers and EuroCinema’s lifetime achievement award winner, Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, on the red carpet.

Beyond the lights and cameras, guests mingled on the lawn in an open-air setting. It was humid, but no one could control the weather. Those who were thirsty could enjoy specialty drinks created for the event by Liz Kawananakoa, including The Hornets Nest of Absolut pear vodka with fresh ginger and serrano chilies, as well as the Dialta Daquiri-Cruzan aged light rum, lime juice, X-rated Fusion liqueur and sugar.

Arts and film supporter Princess Dialta Alliata di Montereale, center, namesake for the awards, is surrounded by friends Liz Kawananakoa, Nora Meijide-Gentry, Marissa Gey and Candes Gentry.


Dialta, of course, is the Princess Dialta Alliata di Montereale, an arts enthusiast who’s one of the major forces behind the film festival, and also the namesake for the awards given to the best film, best student film, and best actor, actress and director awards. Winning films were selected by jurors Chris Kahunahana, Kal Penn and Barry Sabath. Kal couldn’t be there, Kahunahana said, because he had been called away by “a certain leader of the free world (Obama)” to speak in L.A.

Up for the awards were the festival’s eight feature films that had their Hawaii premieres at the festival.
Prior to introducing the film's winners, a tribute to Dreyfuss was screened, featuring clips of his work in "American Graffiti," "Jaws," "The Goodbye Girl," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Mr. Holland's Opus."

Films came from France, Germany, England, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Italy and Denmark, and included the thriller “The girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest, and Martin Scorsese’s restoration of Luchino Visconte’s 1963 film, "The Leopard."

University of Hawai'i Academy for Creative Media founder Chris Lee, right, channels Tom Ford on the red carpet, with Debbie Matenopoulos, and filmmakers Phillip Montgomery, left, and Matt DeRoss, whose documentary "Regeneration," examines youth issues.



At 9 p.m., winners were announced. The best acting prize went to Stellan Skarsgard for his role in “A Somewhat Gentle Man,” from Norway.

Best actress winner was Juliette Binoche, who starred in “Certified Copy.”

Best director was Aleksei Popogrebsky for “How I Ended This Summer.”

The best student film represented a collaboration between the Academy for Creative Media, started by Chris Lee at the University of Hawaii, and Shanghai University. The winners were are Oscar Zhang, Paulo Kobayashi and Marshall Woo, for “A Summer, a Boy and a Cab.” The title sets the imagination running, right?

And the top prize of best film for 2010 went to “Four Lions,” a U.K. jihadism farce directed by Christopher Morris.

View lots more photos by Jason Genegabus at www.honolulupulse.com.

More photos by Mark Ramelb can also be viewed at the Eurocinema website.

The best student film award went to, from left, Paulo Kobayashi, Oscar Zhang and Marshall Woo for  “A Summer, a Boy and a Cab.”

E! Entertainment's Debbie Matenopoulos interviews designer Andy South on the red carpet.

Krista Alverez wears Andy South's signature lantern-sleeve ensemble.

Next Door owner and film supporter Chris Kahunahana with artist Nicole Naone. I met her on the closing night of Urban Nomad, just before its owner Freida Hulse jetted off to New York. Nicole is wearing one of her Freida finds.

From left, Roycen Dehmer, Monica Salmaso, a friend, Nicole Fox and Alvin Chung were also among the guests.

HIFF: Film illuminates photog's passion for fashion

From "Bill Cunningham New York"
Photographer Bill Cunningham prowls the streets of New York, zooming in on his targets, shoes, accessories and clothing.


It's always a Sunday morning treat to pull out the Style section of the New York Times—I get old-school delivery instead of reading it on the Internet—and turn to Bill Cunningham's "On the Street" photos.

Through the Hawaii International Film Festival's art and design showcase, I got a chance to see Bill in action through Richard Press' documentary "Bill Cunningham: New York," which screened on Friday and Saturday at the Regal Dole theaters.

Even with my familiarity about the print business, I came away with a greater appreciation for his work. Most mind-boggling with that he still uses film cameras for his deadline work, when the rest of the media world converted to digital about 15 years ago for the obvious reason of speed.

Anyone who has a blog knows how much time it takes to upload dozens of digital files, much less take the time to process film, which is done for Bill off-site at commercial printers. And with his work for the "Evening Hours" party/society/gala scene, he goes through a lot of film.

Apparently, because of his preferred medium, he's often late in meeting deadlines, something his editors regard with humor, understanding the value he brings to the paper.

From "Bill Cunningham New York"
Photographer Bill Cunningham on the job.

I also appreciated the input he has in the design of his pages. Major daily newspapers work with a simple grid for speed an efficiency in page design that incorporates relatively few large rectangular photos, both horizontal and vertical. His layouts comprise dozens of tiny, extreme vertical and a few of horizontal blocks that don't seem arranged to work on any particular grid, due to his desire to show all the photos that convey his visual story. He works closely with a page designer in painstakingly shuffling dozens of photos around on the page until getting the right mix, with photos that speak to each other.

Let's put it this way. If he were are at our paper, he would be shot for all the time-consuming demands on a page editor's time. Yet, this is the same photographer who is so articulate and passionate about fashion that early Details magazine, one of my favorite magazines (before Condé Nast bought it), considered it perfectly normal to devote as many as 111 pages per issue to his fashion photography.

At 81 years old, he's still as spry as any 20something papparazzo (just don't call him that), and zips around the city via bicycle.

In his print space, he's given about 2 inches to talk about the fashion presented, so in all my years of looking at the page, I didn't realize how eloquent he is in speaking about fashion, until the Times started creating video slide shows with Bill's voiceovers. Here's another from Paris. In the videos is where his enthusiasm, good humor and intelligence about interpreting what he observes really shines through. He said he never sets out to look for individuals who buy into a trend, instead allowing the street to speak for itself in revealing the fashion zeitgeist, free from editorial and retail dictates.

While some people always see great mystery in trends—whether from the streets or from the fashion elite— or believe it's a retail ruse to get people to buy, I always feel there is something in the air that causes people to act in concert.

I don't believe retailers can urge people to buy what they don't want, no matter how many advertising dollars they may spend, whether in promoting a bubble skirt or caftan. All I know is that my eyes grow tired from seeing certain colors and shapes and actively seeks something different.

Once, I went to a pau hana event wearing pink and black. Unusual, right? And, a combination I rarely put together. Well, three of four women in our group were wearing the same combination. It was bizarre!

Even in this place, where seasonal change is barely perceptible, there's a natural inclination toward lighter colors in spring, and darker, richer, saturated colors in fall. It has to do with light, ambience and mood, and I notice this even with people who do not particularly follow fashion. There are some days, when nearly every editor here or nearly everone in our feature section is wearing the same color. I believe we are more in tune with this subconscious fashion wavelength than not.

I tried street photography years ago and started this blog with the idea that I could make note of what people are wearing on the streets and at events, but it's discouraging to go to just about any Hawaii event, ask what people are wearing, and hear only Forever21 and Wet Seal. Not that you have to spend money on fashion, but I just like to see an unusual mix, whether high-low or contemporary-vintage. Off the same rack doesn't interest me at all, whether it's all trendy-inexpensive or all Louis or Gucci. Mix it up!

Project Runway: Andy moves on to finale part II

Lifetime photos
Andy South welcomes Tim Gunn to his studio.

Tracking the progress of Hawaii’s Andy South:

In part I of the "Project Runway" finale, Tim Gunn headed across the nation to visit with the final four designers: Michael Costello, Mondo Guerra, Gretchen Jones and Hawaii's Andy South, who were all given $9,000 and six weeks to create a 10-piece collection. In an interview in advance of Gunn's Oct. 16 appearance at Ala Moana Center, he said he visited 10 finalists because there's so much scrutiny over the show and interest in learning the finalists' identities ahead of the New York Fashion Week show, which took place Sept. 9. A long time to keep a secret!

Tim is aghast at the sight of the eely looking Chinese catfish Andy raises.

Gunn was here in August to visit with Andy. People across the nation will see a view of Hawaii that most people who live here don't get to see, a vast tract of land in Waianae, where Andy grew up raising produce, flowers and Chinese catfish, which scared Tim with their eely bodies. He actually jumped back and screamed! LOL! I had to play that part three times on the Lifetime website. Andy also easily hacked the top off a coconut and had Tim drinking coconut water. Can you imagine Tim moderately roughing it? That's awesome. If you missed it, you must watch it: Episode 13. You won't have to wait long since Andy's is the first, and most interesting home visit.

It'll probably fuel misconceptions about the way we live here, which is more typically in matchbox apartments in the sky, or suburban tract houses.

Once they were at Andy's studio, he had very little to show Tim because he had been waiting to receive fabric from Laos. So Andy ended up with only two weeks to finish his collection. With the home visits, we got to see more of the designers' back stories and what it took to be on the show. For many, the show is a godsend after years of struggle with little notice, the fashion design equivalent of a lottery, though one involving more skill than luck.

Andy returned to New York with a long mohawk, which one of the other designers described as mohawk meets Naomi Campbell. At the grand opening party for Morimoto Waikiki Sunday, I asked him about his many changing hairstyles throughout the show's season, and he said they had to show Michael Drummond working on his hair so people wouldn't wonder "when did he have time to do that?" The first surprise that awaited them was a good one, R&R at various exotic destination Hilton properties, and for Andy, a stay close to home, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The next surprise was not unexpected; they had to create another look to present with two pieces from their respective collections. They had two days to do so, and $300 for materials, this time without the extra drama of bringing back auf'ed designers. Anyway, we already saw that three weeks ago.

Andy aimed to impress with a swim look and two dresses. If not for the elaborately pleated green dress he completed when he got back to New York, he might have been sent home.

Andy created an elaborate pleated silk ensemble, which had the judges thinking that was one of his original finale pieces. I think all of the designers stumbled a little on this presentation, by withholding their best pieces. There was no wow factor on stage, with Gretchen and Andy essentially saying they were hoping merely to pique judges' interest, while saving the drama for the finale. Which left very little to judge. There was a sameness across the board, and once Mondo and Gretchen made the cut, Andy was told he did himself a disservice by showing a swimsuit and coverup that underwhelmed.

In the end, the 13th episode proved lucky for Andy, who was sent on to the finale and a tearful Michael Costello was sent packing, leaving everyone wondering whether he would be OK, given the non-supportive nature of his family. Everyone should follow their dreams. Anyone who watches the show know its message of making any situation work in pursuit of one's dreams.

Next Thursday: Fashion Week broadcast! And in Honolulu, a live fashion event from 6 to 10 p.m. at Honolulu Design Center, with a presentation of Spring/Summer 2011 designs by Andy South.

Convention Center venue for Namba show

Nadine Kam video stills
A model walks in the finale to Anne Namba's fashion show for Hui Makaala.

Hui Makaala presented its annual scholarship fashion show at the Hawai'i Convention Center on Oct. 10, 2010. It was the first time, aside from a small Kawaii Kon Lolita show, that I'd seen a fashion show of this caliber staged at this venue. It was comparable in size and audio-visual scope to shows that have usually gone into the Sheraton Waikiki Ballrooms.

It's a very nice venue that easily packed in 600 supporters of the Okinawan scholarship organization, which this year selected seven scholarship recipients: Glen Allen Beavers (Pahoa High), Natalie Fukuhara (Aiea High), Darlene Fukuji (Hawaii Baptist Academy), Kara Funakoshi (Maryknoll), Melanie Matsuda (Kohala High), Marcie Moribe (Pacific Buddhist Academy) and Shawna Watanabe (Pearl City High).

Anne Namba was the afternoon's designer, presenting pieces from her "Madama Butterfly" collection, based on costumes she created for the Savonlinna Opera Festival's production of the opera last year, with Hawaii Opera Theatre's Henry Akina as stage director. Opening the show was a snippet o video from the production, which was set against the centuries-old gray stone walls of the Finland castle that houses the annual festival.

I've seen at least three different incarnations of Namba's show. One of the downside of being in Hawaii is there are still too few who can stage a show on this scale, so organizations that go scouting usually rely on the same designers. Even so, Namba has managed to change the staging each time, and the setting allowed for beautiful projected images, opera arias by Chiho Villasenor, Maya Hoover and Erik Haines, and piano accompaniment by Beebe Freitas.

PYNK Salon and Lloyd Horibe of Hairscapes were responsible for the models' hair, and Kecia Littman and Alana Kazimirski did the makeup.

The show was vast, divided into four segments, each with its own video below. Where applicable, the opening art images are by Kazuko Sakima:


Another of Anne Namba's designs, inspired by Puccini's "Madama Butterfly."


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Tim Gunn to Honolulu: Wear What You Want

Nadine Kam photos
Tim Gunn posed for photos with fans on Ala Moana's Centerstage. A computer and printer hookup made it possible for them to get their photos on the spot.

In what he says is a first, Tim Gunn, "Project Runway" co-host and chief creative officer for Liz Claiborne, Inc., proclaimed Hawaii a "fashion rules free zone" while here to present a fashion show for the Claiborne family of brands: Kate Spade, Juicy Couture and Lucky Brand Jeans on Oct. 16 at Ala Moana Center’s Centerstage.

Appearing in a Banana Republic suit, no tie, Gunn said it was a landmark moment because he never makes formal appearances without a tie. Different from most shows, Gunn and Leah Salak, director of marketing and special events for Liz Claiborne, offered tips on wearing the styles and personalizing them with accessories. To address consumers’ complaints that “I could never wear that,” they brought up a couple of short women from the audience to wear pieces borrowed off the models’ bodies to show that one needn’t be tall or thin to make garments work. Looking good is a matter of fit, understanding proportions and optical illusions that make a person look taller or thinner than they are.

They followed up with a question-and-answer session that included answers to mens’ dilemmas, women’s fit and trend issues, and questions about “Project Runway.”


iPhone link

In this video, Tim Gunn proclaims Hawaii a "Fashion Rules Free Zone," granting residents the OK to "wear anything you want."

In the searing October heat, Gunn said he had the epiphany that the usual rules of seasonal fashion just don’t apply here, not that he has many rules in the first place. If you ever caught his other TV show, "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style," or read his 2007 book, "Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style," he always espouses a wardrobe of 10 basic items, such as a white shirt, day dress, blazer, trench coat (the latter not all that applicable in Hawaii).

I don't know anyone who is that disciplined. We are hunter-gatherers by nature, so when we see something beautiful, we have to have it. Whenever people say they have nothing to wear and ask me how to build a wardrobe, I just tell them to start with basics, preferably easy-to-wear black if you're on a budget, and when adding pieces, to make sure each goes with at least two items you already have.

Then I'm told, "That's boring." But, if you're on a budget, boring works and looks more impressive than amassing a lot of cheap pieces that don't go together. Once you have all your basics in place, then you can buy more playful pieces.

I still feel surprised when people in fashion, like Patricia Field, tell me they don't have a lot of clothes. Instead, they'll keep up a steady diet of classics, casting out the old and adding about seven key pieces each season. No one else needs to keep up with "trends," which to Gunn is a dirty word. He'd prefer that people ignore such dictates and stick to what works for them.




Found this photo of Julia Stiles in a magazine, in classic black and white dressed up with a Chanel necklace, as an example of what a strong accessory can do.

Trends are mostly code for insiders, a way of communicating, "We know what's going on. We're on the same wavelength. We're in the same business." That's all. From my perspective as a fashion editor, writing about trends is not intended to set rules, but simply report about what's new. You can check them out or not, depending on whether they fit your lifestyle. It's all about what works with your lifestyle, although I would have to add that dressing decently is also a sign of respect toward others. Looking like a dirty dishrag broadcasts, "I don't care about myself and even less about what you think of me."

Don't limit yourself to thinking about clothing in dressing. Key pieces are also likely to be jewelry, handbags and shoes that can easily transform and elevate basics. Don't ignore the effect of a dramatic necklace and striking shoes.





Leah Salak pulled up a couple of girls in the audience to show how a faux fur trimmed vest from Juicy Couture, worn by models above, could work with more casual items of clothing on shorter girls.

Tim Gunn, center, meets with, from left, Kyle Kagamida, Anya Rozova, Tyson Joines and Kai Omo.

FM busy with Closet Swap and anniversaries

Nadine Kam photos
Fashionista's Market owner Alyssa Fung, right, and Anita Clemente, celebrated Closet Swap with some Barefoot Bubbly.

Time sure flies. Fashionista's Market celebrated its fifth anniversary and the first-year anniversary of its downtown boutique on Friday night. But festivities started even sooner with FM's Closet Swap, that took place at the beautiful Luana Hills Country Club Oct. 9. As painful as it is to wake up early on the weekend, it's such a beautiful drive up to the clubhouse, where much craziness ensued.

To get participants' strength and enthusiasm up, breakfast of scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage, rice, fresh fruit and pastries awaited, accompanied by plenty of Barefoot Wine & Bubbly champagne.

Some girls laid claim to a gold bangle that was a centerpiece at each table, with promise of a prize in store for the wearers' of said bracelet. Having attended this event before, and being a shy, retiring type, I knew better than to put it on! Besides, I was going to be one of the judges the costume contest, theme to be announced.


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Fashionista's Market and Closet Swap founder Alyssa Fung hinted at the contest that would involve stacks of newspaper and glossy magazines, and at that, women at the tables got busy constructing ... I don't know what they thought they were going to create without knowing the theme, but they were already making pleats, cutting strips and fashioning florettes out of newsprint.

There was a cheer when they were told Lady Gaga would be their inspiration, and the winning two tables would be given the first opportunity to enter the swap, with more than 5,000 articles of clothing and accessories up for grabs, and pick up the equivalent to what they'd donated for a few minutes, free from the stampede of women. Let's just say that was plenty of motivation. And the women with the gold bangles—Gaga models! Luckily, the same chutzpah that had them grabbing the bracelet made for one saucy catwalk.

Articles of clothing for the swap that followed came from donations made by participants, and each is able to pick up one piece for every item dropped off at FM in advance of the event. The beauty of having an event like this associated with a boutique is that pretty much everyone there has the same style and is about the same size, so swapping with like minds makes sense.

Also allowed to enter first and shop for 5 uninterrupted minutes were those who had donated the most articles: Robin Wright, who brought in 253 items, and Anna DeQuintanaRoo, who contributed 183 pieces.

Last time I came to this event I picked up a leather-and-lace skirt that I still wear. This time I picked up a couple of retro hippie leather bags, that, being the last to enter, I really don't think anyone else wanted!

In light of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, pieces remaining after the event ended were donated to the Leeward Domestic Abuse Shelter, which the event has supported for four years.

Great job Alyssa! Sorry I missed the dancing!

Tasia Rivera with her son Peiton, his lips purple from a breakfast snack, coincidentally matching her hair color.


Modeling their newsprint and glossy paper Lady Gaga getups were Joanie Lavosh, left, and Denise Sullivan. Their respective tablemates, who were responsible for creating their looks, won the opportunity to enter the Closet Swap first.


All the tables, including Joanie's, started fashioning paper pieces before the contest theme was announced.


I liked how clean this ensemble was, without a lot of paper flying all over.

Groups were told to make use of everything available to them, and for many tables, that included the Portuguese sausage from breakfast!


Examining the spoils of the swap.



Stacie Ayers of Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, kept the moscato and the rose and brut cuvée champagne flowing.

Waikiki Edition opens with style

Nadine Kam
The Waikiki Edition's Private Sunset Beach and Bar is surrounded by white sand, with lounge chairs sitting in its shallow water.

I hate to play the part of the fangirl. It's so high school. but I couldn't help it on Friday when I went to a press conference for the grand opening of the Waikiki Edition. It was an opportunity to listen to renowned hotelier Ian Schrager speak about the project which he conceived in partnership with Marriott International.

The new hotel, the first introducing the new boutique Edition brand with aims set on destinations around the globe—the next will open next year in Istanbul—is spectacular and something Hawaii can be proud of. Many who have set foot on the premises said it has set a new standard for Waikiki.

I'm been fascinated by Schrager for a long time because of his larger-than-life story, starting with co-founding New York's Studio 54 with his late partner Steve Rubell, followed by some jail time and reinventing himself as a hotelier. I never imagined I would ever get to be in the same room as the legend! Schrager's been credited as the creator of the boutique hotel concept, having injected an arty, hip vibe to what was once a stodgy experience for low- to mid-budget travelers. When he teamed with designer Phillipe Starck years ago, I decided I had to stay at one of his properties.

Whenever I go to New York, I always stay at a couple of hotels, moving around to different areas of the city to experience the various neighborhoods. So once, I booked just a night at the Paramount. It was an experience. Yes, the room was stylish, but it was also tiny. The things I remember most were climbing over the bed to get to the bathroom, and not being able to open the closet door to store my suitcase because the bed was blocking the way! It was kind of funny. The bed was one of the most comfortable I'd ever slept in. If only the room fit it!

I was glad that for most of that stay, I had been staying in a one-bedroom suite in Nolita. But hey, I got to stay at an Ian Schrager property, and now Hawaii's got one of its own. I checked out the rooms here, and they were normal size. Hallelujah.

If I had been thinking about the big weekend that included The Waikiki Edition's grand opening Oct. 15, a private book signing party for Lauren Dylan of Dylan's Candy Store on Oct. 16, and the grand opening party for Morimoto Waikiki on the 17th (this will be posted at my Take A Bite blog in the next few days), I would have booked a room, which were starting at $195 for bookings by the 15th, but are now set at $375 for a city view, to $9,995 for the penthouse.

Ian Schrager, right, and Arne M. Sorenson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Marriott International, Inc., at a press conference for the grand opening of The Waikiki Edition Oct. 15.

The Marriott Group was particularly interested in Schrager's work on the Gramercy Park Hotel when they approached him. At the press conference, Schrager took all questions, including one about all the secrecy surrounding the opening of the property.

He said "It's a little like opening a Broadway show or a movie." The aim is to build buzz and curiosity, he said, adding, "I don't consider myself to be in the hotel business, but show business."

The design of the property was "not pulled out of a catalog," he said, because the aim was to create something new. Neither did he worry about the economy, saying he's always had the attitude of "build it and people will come," adding that he's never had a good location to work with. And rather than try to keep up with the one-upmanship in design and other hotel concepts, he's tried to consider the ways people experience a property and deliver a combination of provacative design, humanized spaces and exceptional service.

Someone asked Schrager about his clientele demographic, but he said the appeal of the Edition properties—each unique to their city and culture—will be more psychographic, in that the properties will appeal to an aesthetic and sensibility, rather than to a particular age or income group.

"People respond to what they like, and that's always been our customer," he said, expecting to attract anyone from age 16 up. He's 64, and has based his creation on many of the things he likes, including the surfboard art that caught his eye at a gallery show when he wasn't even thinking about work.

The Sunrise Pool and Bar, surrounded by a wood deck, was the epicenter of Friday night's grand opening party. Looking at it by day, it didn't seem big enough, but once the lounge chairs were removed, there was plenty of space for the evening's mix of Hollywood celebrities (Christina Aguilera, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzmán, and more), and scenesters from Hawaii's fashion, film and restaurant communities.

At the New Edition grand opening party later that evening were, from left, Marissa Nagai, James Schaefer and Sawako Hayashi, all from Harry Winston.

Among opening night party goers, from left, filmmaker Vince Keala Lucero, writer Meilinda Soerjoko, surfer and actress Keala Kennelly, and actor Luis Guzmán, who's appeared in "Out of Sight," "Carlito's Way," "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia," to name a few films, as well as "Punch-Drunk Love," filmed partially in Hawaii.

HIFF: Radiant documentary on legendary Basquiat

Stills from "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child"

Hawai 'i International Film Festival presents:

"Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child"
Screens at 9:15 p.m. Oct. 14  and 3 p.m. Oct. 15 at  Dole Cannery A

I have an art teacher who makes a point of testing my knowledge  of people and events through history. He'd ask questions like, "Were Claude Monet and Albert Einstein alive at the same time?" (Answer below.) The point being that, if they were, they might have crossed paths, or  even if not, would certainly have been aware of each other's renown, and perhaps been subconsciously influenced by each other's work. Events, too, shape lives and perceptions.

That is the first thought I had while watching Tamra Davis's magnificent documentary, "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child," about the artist's stratospheric rise to fame in the early 1980s, and near decade of notoriety until his death in 1988
at the age of 27.

I was on the planet the same time as Basquiat, but a continent and ocean away from the New York streets that were his turf, I did not
become acquainted with his work until years after his death, which is odd considering I was well aware of some of his
contemporaries and predecessors such as Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.



Not knowing his work while he was alive, I became even more fascinated with his life , regretting my lack of firsthand context that would have helped me place him in my own pantheon of artists. When a young star dies, it is sometimes hard to separate the legend, hype and celebrity from the artist's actual talent. Certainly, Basquiat had an arresting beauty and bearing that, even lacking talent, would have opened doors in the 1970s when he arrived on the New York scene from Brooklyn. At that time, fellow artists said, you could just buy a camera, paintbrushes, guitar, boom, and respectively call yourself a filmmaker, painter, musician, etc., and no one would question it.

Over the years, the tale of his rise from ashes are what stuck with me, and Davis, a friend of his who interviewed him in 1986, makes clear through interviews with others who were around Basquiat from the start, that this was not the case. In fact, he came from a well-to-do household. He was exposed to art at a young age and was a member of the Brooklyn Museum from age 6. He was well-versed in art history, and as noted by museum curators, become one of the pioneers of Neo-Expressionism, though at that time he was denied entry into major museums, because, as one said, "If it is significant, it will be uncomfortable."



Gallery owner Annina Nosei obliged when Basquiat came to her and asked for canvases he could paint. She was thrilled by his work and became the first to show his work in a formal setting.

Looking at the parade of artwork in the film, it was hard to decide which images to show. Each is compelling, dramatic and evocative of his spirit, reflecting childhood memories, a love of jazz, people he knew, and so much more. His work has held up over these 30 years, as arresting today as they must have appeared when he painted them, although those growing up today, speaking the same visual street language are probably more open to his imagery than the 1980s mainstream.

Basquiat arrived in Manhattan in 1978, perfectly willing to make his home on the street, where he became known for his SAMO graffiti, challenging the status quo. Blondie's Debbie Harry was among the first to buy one of Basquiat's works for $200. In a few years, his works were selling for $5,000, and by the time he entered Los Angeles galleries in 1983, he was commanding $30,000. With no bank account, he kept his money hidden or in stacks at a friend's apartment.

One early collector said Basquiat did terrific paintings and while he bought a few, now laments, "I should have bought every one."

See this film if you can. And, yes the lives of Monet and Einstein intersected in time, though Monet was born in 1840 and Einstein, in 1879.



Basquiat was interested in dialog with other artists, and created many paintings in response to their work, such as the Piccasso at top left, and Van Gogh's self-portrait, below. He was inspired by Picasso's "Guernica" when he was a child, but his work could just as easily be influenced by things friends said, something he saw on television, and he also was inspired by William Burroughs'  cutup texts to create his own mashups of visual imagery.







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And the other film fashionistas may want to see is "Bill Cunningham New York," who has documented the way New Yorkers dress for 30 years in the New York Times. He takes street photos every day, and still manages to be thoroughly excited by what he finds. The documentary screens at  9 p.m.    Oct. 22 and 5:30 p.m. Oct. 23  at Dole Cannery A.