Uniqlo-'IOLANI collaboration line due in May

 Uniqlo photos
Uniqlo designers used prints and artwork from 'IOLANI Sportwear's archives, dating as far back as the 1960s, for the collaboration 'IOLANI Hawaiian Classics Collection, due in May. Many prints were scaled down to appeal to Uniqlo fans around the globe. The collection won over the fashion press during an earlier preview in Paris.

Uniqlo may not be coming to Hawaii any time soon, but a piece of Hawaii will be traveling to 1,200 Uniqlo stores around the globe this summer thanks to a collaboration between longtime kama'aina company 'IOLANI Sportswear, and the Tokyo-based apparel giant.

The announcement was made earlier today during a news conference from the JFW-International Fashion Fair’s Hawaii Pavilion in Tokyo, where ‘IOLANI is one of several local clothing companies participating in a DBEDT-sponsored initiative promoting Hawaii designers abroad.

The 2014 spring/summer ‘IOLANI Hawaiian Classics line will be available in Uniqlo stores beginning in May. Because there is no Uniqlo store locally, online shopping will have to suffice for fans of both brands.

The collection will include men’s shirts, shorts and T-shirts and women’s tunics, dresses, shorts, handbags, skirts and T-shirts, all inspired by ‘IOLANI’s print archives, with design, fabric and production by Uniqlo.

The rest of the story will appear in tomorrow's Star-Advertiser.

Among the Uniqlo collaboration 'IOLANI Hawaiian Classics pieces will be men's steteco pants, cooling long underwear intended to wear under trousers or yukata for added comfort during humid summer months. Uniqlo is bringing them back, creating contrast when worn under shorts.

MAIA Couture brings touch of India to Hawaii

Nadine Kam photos
Rupal Gohil, front, takes her bows with her models following the launch of her MAIA Couture collection.

Rupal Gohil, founder and creative director of MAIA Couture, introduced her luxury resort, beach and accessories line during a "Bollywood Wedding"-themed, invite-only runway show at The Modern Honolulu's on Jan. 18.

Models got their feet wet, using the circular Sunset Pool, as a runway, so every guest had a closeup glimpse of the breezy, sherbet- and jewel-colored India- and Hawaii-inspired garments as the models made their counter-clockwise strides.

Many of the guests showed up dressed for the occasion, in silk saris and henna hand tattoos.

Strangely enough, it was one fashion show that started ON TIME, meaning I was late by four models. When I mentioned that to other guests later, they explained that Gohil is a doctor of internal medicine. It's that left-brained logical, practical kind of thinking, vs. right-brained artiste mind.

MAIA founder and creative director Rupal Gohil, draped in lei, with one of her models.

But she gave the right side of her brain a workout by studying fashion in India, and says that MAIA "has been an idea in motion since 2004," since traveling to India and finding herself drawn to its vibrant colors, luxurious fabrics and ornamental quality. When she moved to Hawaii in 2009, she was similarly inspired by nature and our island lifestyle to create her laidback collection, handcrafted in India.

"I spent time designing with local artisans to create unique and opulent pieces including bridal wear."

Coincidentally, Gohil will soon be a bride herself, and maybe the show was simply a rehearsal for her own Bollywood-style wedding!

Her designs are available at The Modern Gift Shop and House of Aria at 1140 Bethel St., in downtown Honolulu.


Non-flash video

MAIA dresses and beach coverups.

The Modern Honolulu's Sunset Pool became a runway for the models.

Ellie Matsushita in sari she picked up on a recent trip to India.

From left, Rupal's soon to be mother-in-law, Alka Chauhan, with Dipah Elliott Mendez and her daughter Mariah Mendez.

Mariah had her hands painted in henna.

Preetha Balamohan, left, and Vinay Aakalu were among the guests.

Girl's Night Out at Furla

Nadine Kam photos
Inside the redesigned Furla boutique at Royal Hawaiian Center.

Furla hosted a Girl's Night Out event Jan. 16 to celebrate its redesign, at Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

It was an opportunity to shop the Italian brand's colorful spring-summer 2014 collection, with 15 percent of the evening's sales donated to the Dream Foundation.

I was particular taken by the brand's bright Candy bags, made of a soft type of PVC, some more translucent than others, and some with more "grownup" leather and heavy metal details.

Furla, headquartered in Bologna, was created by the Furlanetto family more than 80 years ago and is one of the few Italian firms today that still maintains family ownership.

 Furla's cheery Candy satchels in juicy, citrus colors. The Candy Bag is made of a soft type of PVC, both functional and fashionable. Here's a link to a video showing all the color permutations: http://www.furla.com/us/metamorphosys/

Furla's Candy mini bag is the perfect size for this pint-sized fashionista.

Furla bangles.

Furla Marketing and Communication Manager Susan Rutenberg, center, was in town from New York, with new store manager Gillis Asao, left, to celebrate the event with other staffers and fans of the brand.

Julie Aragaki shows one of Furla's fox fur purses from fall. She's with Mary Chang.

More colorful Divide-It totes.

Buzz: Dover Street Market New York

Next time I go to New York (though I don't know when that will be because according to Chinese astrology I have been warned against traveling north, northeast, northwest this year) I'll be checking out the new Dover Street Market, where every brand has its own unique tableau: newyork.doverstreetmarket.com

When I was in Bangkok, malls were also set up this way, with clear differentiation of brands. It really adds to the shopping experience, though I got lost many times because the boutiques are not set up in typical American mall grid style. You just wandered from one "set" to the next.

It's at 60 Lexington Ave.

Wam! Boom! UGG!

Love the boot but my friends say they won't hang out with me if I wear the mask out!

If you have kids (or small feet!) you might want to check out this cute idea from UGG Australia.

At the Hyatt Regency Waikiki store, they have these Superhero, or Classic Short Comic boots, in two color ways—Ink Blot and Princess Pink— that read "Wam!" "Boom!" and "UGG!" The boots come with a matching mask for those "Kick-Ass" moments!

It's about $120, and unfortunately for the many grownups who want a pair, only go up to a children's size 4.

A (lazy) bargain hunter's dream site

Biggestpricedrop.com tracks whereabouts of daily shopping deals, like this Kenneth Cole top, marked down to about $25 at Nordstrom, and the Dolce & Gabbana cami below.

Every day brings news of yet another social media or shopping site into my email in-box. Most amount to clutter. Trust me, I've tried, but it's hard to keep up if you're juggling priorities among dozens of sites.

One of the more promising shopping sites I've come across is Biggestpricedrop.com which tracks 54 online retailers—from Saks Fifth Avenue to Top Shop, Uniqlo and Anthropologie—to show items that are at their cheapest.

Last time I checked I saw Pucci sunglasses at $75 on Bluefly, marked down 82 percent from $335; a Kenneth Cole New York V-neck sweater marked down to just below $25 from $53 at Nordstrom; and Dolce & Gabbana lace-trimmed printed silk-satin camisole for $278, marked down 68 percent from $517 at The Outnet.

Browsing is much more comfortable than putting in legwork at the outlet stores and discount racks.

Fashion Week goes live beginning Feb. 6

With the new year comes thoughts of awards season and what the international fashion weeks will bring.

It used to be you had to have airfare and connections to swing invites to Fashion Week events around the globe. Now, anyone with a computer or mobile device can watch the shows ... and have a better view and comfier seat than any of the editors, writers, retail buyers, celebs and bloggers actually in the audience.

New York Fashion Week LIVE begins Feb. 6, with live streams from both Mercedes-Benz and MADE (from Milk Studios).

New "Chat," "Watch Live" and Instagram sections will help to create a more interactive experience during the live streams. And a "Switch City" function allows viewers to watch London, Milan and Paris, following New York.

New York Fashion Week LIVE includes streams from both Mercedes-Benz and MADE, as well as independent streams such as Caroline Herrera / AMEX and Michael Kors / All Access, All Angles.

Watch the streams at www.NewYorkFashionWeekLIVE.com (Feb. 6 to 13, 2014)

Also:
London Fashion Week Live (http://londonfashionweeklive.com): Feb. 15 to 18
Milan Fashion Week Live (http://milanfashionweeklive.com, featuring links to CameraModa): Feb. 18 to 23
Paris Fashion Week Live (http://parisfashionweeklive.com, featuring links to designer live streams): Feb. 25 to March 5