Monday, November 22, 2010

Academy of Arts celebrates cloth




Nadine Kam photos
Visitors to the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Family Sunday on Nov. 21 could participate in various cloth and craft activities, including learning to tie-dye. Darius Homay  dips guests' tied pieces of fabric into red dye. Finished pieces are hanged to dry. Different colors were achieved by choosing various color fabrics, from yellow to deep blue, which created a royal purple.


The Honolulu Academy of Arts and Bank of Hawaii were host to "Family Sunday: Woman of The Cloth" on Nov. 21, with activities, entertainment and demonstrations inspired by its textile exhibition "Embroidered and Embellished: The Margaret Brewer Fowler Collection," on view in the Textile Gallery through Feb. 6, 2011.

According to the academy's collection manager of textiles Sara Oka, Margaret Brewer taught on Oahu from 1885 to 1895, first at the Kawaiahao Seminary and later at Punahou School. After she died in 1931, her sister, Henrietta Brewer selected pieces from Margaret's extensive collection to fill gaps in the museum's textile collection.

Included were pieces from Morocco to India, and Oka said the most impressive portion features Turkish and Greek embroideries with luxurious silk floss. Seeing the works up close gives viewers an appreciation of the kind of labor that went into creating cloth in the past. Things made by hand were treasured, and their creators would probably be shocked by today's throwaway lifestyles.

People could choose different color squares or cotton triangle pieces of fabric to work with. A mother and daughter work together.

Rubber band-tied pieces of fabric were left to be dyed with owners' names. Unfortunately, there were so many, mine was left in the sink with two other pieces when the intern worker went to lunch, and a family absconded with my scarf, and I was left with their child's. I was told earlier that happens a lot at demos. Ceramist Rochelle Lum said she'll create a demo piece, and when people come back later to pick up their fired pieces, they argue that hers is theirs! 


Chloe Greer undoes the rubber bands and rinses off the fabric, in a sink installed in one of the academy's courtyards, after it emerges from the dye vat.

Cotton, silk, plain weave, embroidery remnant from 19th century Turkestan, Bukhara. A gift from the Brewer MBF Estate, 1949, to the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Cotton, plain weave, embroidery fragment from 19th century Greece, Attica. A gift from Henrietta Brewer, 1933, to the academy.

After visiting the exhibition, check out textiles available for sale in the Academy Shop.

Japan wears: Fur



Rae Huo photos


Hawaii-based photographer Rae Huo is on the road again and sent back these photos from Japan documented the fur trend there.

"Fur is everywhere," Rae reports and, being a photographer, her favorite pieces are the faux fur animal gloves. "Can you see me holding my camera with them on!" she wrote.

Check out more of her work at her website: www.raehuosworld.com









This has nothing to do with fur, but one day last year Rae came over to my house and took this series of photos of one of my birds enjoying his bath:











Luxury Row and new admin support the arts


Luxury Row photos

New Honolulu mayor Peter Carlisle, third from right, stopped by Luxury Row's Art Walk Nov. 18. He's flanked by, from left, Anthony Gambino and Masako Nashimoto of Nashimoto & Associates, artist Diane KW, Luxury Row property manager Laurie Akau and Tiffany's John Geppert, whose store was the backdrop for Diane's work.


Luxury Row and Cedar Street Galleries hosted the grand opening of its annual "Hawaii's Modern Masters" exhibition Nov. 18, featuring the works of 11 artists as suited to environments within the Chanel, Coach, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Tiffany & Co., Tod's and Yves Saint Laurent boutiques.

The artists featured in the exhibition are Diane KW and her collaborators (at Tiffany); Bernice Akamine, May Izumi, Michelle Kaskovich and Lori Uyehara (at Coach); Scottie Flamm (YSL); John Koga and Maka'i Tubbs (Chanel); Fred Roster (Gucci); Arabella Ark (Tod's); and Daniel Wooddell (Hugo Boss). The exhibition will continue through Dec. 6.

The occasion also represented Luxury Row's formal donation of $ 5,000 to help support the Honolulu Academy of Arts non-profit outreach "Art to Go" program serving Hawaii's youth at risk by sending artist instructors and supplies to host sites throughout the islands.

What's great is how the new governor and Honolulu mayor administrations are showing their support for the arts by turning out at recent events, including those documented on this blog. Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie showed up at the opening of Rick Ralston's Rix Island Wear boutique and at the Island Edge Design Star Finale to voice his support for the fashion industry. New mayor Peter Carlisle showed up at the "Project Runway" finale party and was at this event showing support for the arts as well.

When times are hard, art programs are often cut from schools, but that is so short-sighted. Hawaii would not be a place worth living without art, beauty and sparks of creativity.

And speaking of support, designer Andy South is hard at work on an ensemble for new First Lady Nancy Caraway to wear at Abercrombie's inauguration Dec. 6. It'll be great to see fashion in the Washington Place Governor's Mansion again.




Laurie Akau presents $ 5,000 donation check from Luxury Row's owners to Vince Hazen, director of the Academy Art Center at Linekona, to benefit the school's "Art to Go" program.


Mixed media artist and sculptor John Koga at Chanel.


Glass artist Daniel Wooddell at Hugo Boss.


Ceramic artist Arabella Ark at Tod's.


Mixed media artist and sculptor Fred Roster at Gucci.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Rose Marie Wilson rules the runway

Nadine Kam photos
Model Ellen Baron wears a dress by Lehua Rabelas, behind her, who was the third-place winner in The Bella Project's "Rule the Runway" competition.

The Bella Project launched its first "Rule the Runway" competition Nov. 17 at The Venue on Bethel St. with 15 Hawaii designers showing their best prom-worthy designs, created from old prom dresses no contemporary girl would even want to touch.

Preliminaries began in September, with designers entering for a spot in the competition. From 23 hopefuls, the field was narrowed to 15 who showed their work on stage.

I was one of the judges, along with hairdresser Paul Brown, and designers Roberta Oaks and Andy South. Malika Dudley was the emcee for the evening, and I was marveling at her corkscrew locks before the show. I thought she had it done on site, but she said her hair is naturally curly. I never would have guessed from her perfectly straight locks on Hawaii News Now, but curly hair doesn't work with green screen. Empty spaces end up looking like holes, like a Swiss cheese.

Judging these things is kind of scary. The models go by so fast, and it's only when they get close on stage that you can see some of the details, and in just a few minutes we had to judge on creativity, workmanship, original dress content (at least three yards), wearability and some other criteria.

Images of the original dresses were projected on a screen, so we could see how much they varied, or didn't vary enough, from the original.


iPhone video link

The "Project Runway" plague of crooked hemlines abounded on this runway, and there were a lot of lining fabrics sticking out beyond the skirts, that weren't pretty enough to be intentional. Just in case, we had the opportunity to ask five finalists about their creations before final judging.

From our initial scores, the five finalists were Thomas Downes, Malia Flores, Lauren Lee, Lehua Rabelas and Rose Marie Wilson. Judging was blind, but I was already familiar with Thomas and Lauren's work. They were classmates at Honolulu Community College and Lauren is a star in the niche world of Lolita fashion. I'd also interviewed Malia before, based on her business of making diaper soakers. She said her pink prom dress was her first dress creation, and after the event was over, she asked me if I recognized the diaper pant snaps she used for the back of her dress! (No, I didn't make that connection.)

When Rose Marie was announced as the winner, I pounced on her right away, as in "Who are you? Where did you come from? How come I don't know you?"

She said she knew she was the oddball in the competition because all the other designers were about the same age, or came out of HCC, or knew each other. She said she's just liked sewing since she was in the third grade. She's helped create dresses and wedding gowns for friends over the years, but hadn't pursued it as a career.

Her fabric was velvet, which isn't easy to work with because of its weight and nap. She employed the long over short trick to give her dress a little buoyancy, creating a short dress with a scalloped hem, with a detachable skirt overlay in a lighter color and fabric. Her tailoring was impeccable.

Congratulations all, and congratulations to Bella Project founder Amanda Ross and her team for a job well done, and one more venue for new designers to share their work.

Before final judging, second-place winner Thomas Downes talked about his dyed fabric and use of feathers on his dress worn by Lauren Landry.

Rose Marie Wilson takes her winner's walk down the runway with her model Que Gibson.

Fellow judge Roberta Oaks, left, with the evening's emcee Malika Dudley.


From left, the Bella Project founder and executive director Amanda Ross, with second place finisher Thomas Downes and his model, designer and judge Andy South, and "Rule the Runway" winner Rose Marie Wilson.
Malia Flores, right, was a finalist with this pink dress that marked her first attempt at dressmaking.

Chanel shoes and peek into a dream closet


Nadine Kam photos
Designs from Chanel's fall footwear collection were showcased in celebration of the brand's biggest Hawaii fan. A peek into her closet proves the point.

It was all about Chanel footwear yesterday, Nov. 17, when Tiana Torii opened her home to Chanel and about a dozen fellow afficionados for a private showcase of fall designs not carried by the boutiques here.

Joseph Cruz, national sales director for shoes, retail division, was in town from New York to help fit and match guests with shoes that best suit their personalities.

I gravitated to the pearl boot below, and Princess Dialta Alliata de Montereale humorously advised, "Never ask the price. In cases like this, you just close your eyes and give them your credit card."

I don't know if it's more a function of being a journo or economically challenged, but I always have to know every detail, and the main detail is that the boot is $1,525. Sigh. It was hard to take them off. Can you imagine these with the right outfit?!




Chanel's Joseph Cruz with a Shanghai-inspired boot with lantern embossing and a silver lantern on the heel.



Tiana, second from left, with her friends Kim Yoshino, Kristi Komeya and Tessie Schmisseur.

Oh, but heart be still! The real piece de resistance was a trek through Tiana's dream closet, with Chanel's pretty tweed suits, shoes and handbags lined up in a row. It was amazing to behold, but the impact of it all really didn't hit me until later, when I woke up in the middle of the night, started thinking about it and couldn't go back to sleep.

My first thought was of a black tank top introduced a couple years back, embellished with five pieces of applique, that I know she owns and wished I could see again.

Then I thought of how there are so many words associated with the brand, like "iconic, classic, timeless," that I can spew them out without much thought. They are a shorthand for getting an idea across. But as I looked at the pieces in Tiana's closet, I realized how any of those pieces, no matter which season or which year, could be worn with any of the other pieces, and look just as current now as a decade ago, and always be recognized as Chanel. It's the reason she said she has trouble parting with any of her Chanel pieces. They can be worn forever. She also has an eye for the most iconic pieces of any collection, making them instantly collectible.

That shows how strong the brand, its vision and aesthetics are, and it's quite a feat. I can't think of many other brands that can sustain that instant recognition over decades. Certainly in terms of accessories, there is Hermes, Dior and Louis Vuitton, but in clothing?

My introduction to couture was through Chanel, one of the first luxury brands to have arrived in Hawaii in the 1980s. I wish I had the kind of personal technology available today to capture the fantastic runway shows produced at that time, along with the initial French Festival shows that brought the haute couture to Hawaii. They are now relegated strictly to memory, but the Chanel, Dior and Sonia Rykiel shows were fantastic.

Far from being stuffy, the same ethos that led Chanel to buy and preserve the work of such Maisons d'Art as Lemarié (feathers), Lesage (embroidery) Desrues (metalwork), Goossens (goldsmith) and Guillet (flowers), made them eager to share the handwork of its haute couture garments, and demonstrate to those who cannot fathom the expense of such garments, what separates their work from what we usually wear. They represent the highest achievement in fashion, as well as a connection to the past.

Catherine Lin tries on one of Tiana's favorites from the fall collection, a bootie dressed with a row of camellias.


Tiana's love for Chanel is also reflected in this Bearbrick figure dressed in Chanel's iconic suit, pearls, shades and camellia.

A glimpse of the dream closet, with some of Tiana's Chanel purses.

Then there's her shoe collection.


Monday, November 15, 2010

Stenciling with Sierra Dew


Nadine Kam photos
People of all ages can appreciate the ease and results of stenciling.


Spent a fun and creative afternoon at Fresh Cafe, where Sierra Dew was sharing her time, talent and materials to present her workshop "Using Your Stencil Pencil" as part of GirlFest.

Apparently, it was craziest in the morning, when people were anxious to get started creating. I showed up in the afternoon when things had calmed down. The downside was the T-shirts were all gone so only tote bags were left.

Sierra was so funny, because I had busted out my iPhone while interviewing her and she picked up on the Hello Kitty case right away, and said she had some Hello Kitty stencils that are popular with kids when she does her workshops. So, as soon as she saw me she busted out one of those stencils! I wasn't planning on using a Hello Kitty design, but it was so cute, I figured, why not?

I couldn't leave the design alone, so started adding a sort of leopard camouflage pattern over kitty. I was moving the stencil around before paint dried, hence the resulting smears.
Sierra's so reassuring, telling those who didn't like those smudges and smears, "It's your first one." She's learned from many a workshop that adults are very hard on themselves because they expect precision. But, like everything, it takes practice and constantly trying to improve on one's skills.

Thanks Sierra!

Participants in Sierra Dew's workshop used combinations of graphics and lettering for their T-shirt and tote designs.

Sierra Dew, left, with one of the workshop participants and her finished shirt.




I dressed Hello Kitty in a sort of leopard-spot camo.


On the other side of my tote, I used Sierra's buffalo design, created exclusively for her husband, but which she slipped into her box of stencils. Digging deep, I found it and it appealed to me more than some of the girly designs. If you're wondering why it has a yellow butt, that's from a peacock feather design I put on the tote first. Go figure.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Abercrombie pledges support for fashion


Nadine Kam photos
In addition to receiving $2,000 as winner of Island Edge's inaugural Design Star competition, Sina Thomsen received another $500 to donate to an organization of her choice, and she chose her alma mater, Honolulu Community College. She presented the check to her former instructor Joy Nagaue, and Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie pledged to match that donation.

Governor-elect Neil Abercrombie made a commitment to the fashion industry Nov. 12 at Island Edge, at the finale of the boutique's search for Hawaii's next design star.

"I can assure you that this administration, an Abercrombie administration, is going to be behind island fashion 100 percent," he said shortly before announcing Sina Thomsen as the winner of the competition.

You can hear his remarks in the video, but it was nice to hear Abercrombie pledge his support for the industry, a seeming no-brainer but seriously overlooked by past administrations. Fashion is a multi-million dollar industry but over the past few decades we have lost a lot of talent to Los Angeles and New York for lack of infrastructure to support such businesses. People who have been in the industry a long time often remind me that fashion was once the isles' largest industry. The downside to manufacturing here is that all the raw materials must be imported, adding to the cost of doing business in Hawaii, but if there is enough business, everyone benefits, and Abercrombie recognizes that.


iPhone video link

He added, "I fully intend to support, not just Island Edge, but anybody and everybody who's promoting island fashion, and the more that we can do and the more that I can do, I pledge to you, being able to see to it not only that we do our designing here, but that we do as much as possible as we can in support of manufacturing and sale, and seeing to it that by virtue that by the state supporting island designers, manufacturers and clothiers that we do our exports as well.

"We're going to take island fashion to new heights in terms of our exports we're not just going to be sending dollars out of the state, we're going to be bringing dollars into the state because fashion is going to be a centerpiece of our administration."


The finalists posed in front of their designs early in the evening. From left, Reise Kochi, Sina Thomsen and Randy Oribello.

Island Edge's competition started months ago, with submission of one design, photographs and sketches for collections. After narrowing the field to three designers, including HCC graduates Reise Kochi and Randy Oribello, the designs were displayed at Island Edge, and shoppers were allowed to cast their votes for their favorite design, leading to Thomsen's victory.

As the winner, Thomesen will have her hand-stamped halter dress manufactured under a label she gets to name, to be sold at Island Edge, along with prize money of $2,000 and a donation of $500 to the Honolulu Community College’s Fashion Technology Department.

Honorable mention menswear winner Randy Oribello, and honorable mention womenswear winner Reise Kochi each received $1,500.

Most importantly, it is nice to see a big business hold out a hand to young designers who have not received much support in the past. Island Edge is a retail concept by Pomare, Ltd., which does business as Hilo Hattie. The store is doing a great job in bringing young indie designers into the mainstream and hasn't been afraid of bringing in the unusual and quirky more often associated with street fairs and underground boutiques. That's refreshing because to any shopaholic, a lot of retail looks the same, and because images spread through multiple media channels are so repetitive, I think people want to see something different.


Among the unusual items carried at Island Edge, Cynthia Chee's purses fashioned from vinyl records and album covers.


Joleen Iwaniec models a Trina Turk dress carried at Island Edge along with apparel and accessories by such local designers as Roberta Oaks, 1979, and Sierra Dew. She posed for a photo with Pomaré CEO and President Donald Kang.



Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie with Andy South, one of the judges for the design competition, new First Lady Nancy Caraway, and Amos Kotomori, who was presenting a trunk show of his Bijoux Tamayo (Bling Tamayo) jewelry line, named after his mother. One of his pieces is shown below.



Amos Kotomori's jewelry line comprises beads, stones and findings from his travels around the world over many years.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Beauty Spot: Inside DFS Beauty World


Nadine Kam photos

The entrance to DFS Galleria Waikiki's newly transformed Beauty World.

This fall has been exceptionally busy, and well, sometimes things slip through the cracks. I wasn't able to make it to the grand reopening of DFS Galleria Waikiki's renovated Beauty World last month, but stopped by recently for a look, to find the place totally and gorgeously transformed with video display panels, and each brand well-representative by the design of its space, each one a boutique in itself.

It's easily the largest cosmetics department in Hawaii, at 19,000 square feet, carrying more than 55 brands, and one of its biggest selling points is that locals, as well as visitors, can shop excise tax free in Beauty World, as well as other first- and second-floor departments.

Brands exclusive to DFS in Hawaii are Paul & Joe, Anna Sui, and Helena Rubinstein. Here are is the rest of the complete brand listing:

Aramis, Bare Escentuals, Benefit, Bliss, Bobbi Brown, Bremenn Research/Basic Research, Burberry, Bvlgari, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Chloé, Clarins, Clinique, Coach, Davidoff, Diesel, Dior, DKNY, Dolce & Gabanna, Elizabeth Arden, Emilio Pucci, Estée Lauder, Girogio Armani, Givenchy, Go Smile, GoodSkin Labs, Gucci, Guerlain, Hermès, IKKO, Juice Beauty, Juicy Couture, Jurlique, Kenzo, Kiehl’s, Korres, La Mer, Lancôme, L’Occitane, M·A·C, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, Paul & Joe, Peter Thomas Roth, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Prada, Prevage, Salvatore Ferragamo, Strivectin, Tommy Hilfiger, Tweezerman, Versace, Viktor & Rolf, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Take a look next time you're in Waikiki. It's at 330 Royal Hawaiian Ave., fronting Kalakaua Avenue.


The Anna Sui section.


High gloss at the Chanel department.


Kiehl's is set up like a turn-of-the-20th-century apothecary.


An aquarium befits La Mer.


Video screens feature projections of the latest beauty products and runway looks from Dior, as well as several other brands.


Paul & Joe is one of the brands exclusive in Hawaii to DFS. The kitty lipstick is available for fall.


Chairs in the Clinique section reflect the colors of its liquid facial soaps and toners, below.