Fashion Tribe: May 2014

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Beauty spot: Elizabeth Mott's Alice Kim is big on eye enhancement

Alice Kim is the founder and president of Elizabeth Mott, a Hawaii-based beauty company with international aspirations.

There’s a new beauty queen in town.

Alice Kim has managed to parlay dissatisfaction with her puny lashes into the beginnings of an international beauty empire, as founder and president of Elizabeth Mott.

Kim said she went through tube after tube of different mascaras to find one that offered curling and lengthening without smudging or clumping.

Unable to find “the one,” she made do by borrowing a trick from makeup artists and launching the Lash Card in 2009. The sanitary shields are placed between lashes and eyelid while applying mascara, preventing smudging while also separating lashes for longer, fuller and more even results.

Lashes with two coats of It's So Big mascara.

Eyes enhanced with eye shadow and more than 10 coats of It's So Big mascara.

On the strength of the Lash Card, Kim grew confident that her search for the perfect products would resonate with other women, starting with mascara. Thanks to smart partnership with the subscription cosmetic service ipsy, founded by YouTube makeup sensation Michelle Phan, Elizabeth Mott’s It’s So Big mascara ($19.99) became an overnight hit when it debuted last September. It quickly rose to become the No. 2 best-selling mascara on Amazon.com, where it had to compete with such behemoths as L'Oreal and Maybelline.

Newer introductions include three Smooth Shadow gel liner pencils ($14.99) in “Raven,” “Pearl” and “Penny,” which has the sheen of a newly minted copper coin. There are also “pop! goes the shadow” eye shadows ($12.99 each) in “Stars at Night,” a shimmery black; “Champagne,” a highlighter; and “Antique Brass,” a shade to build depth.

Elizabeth Mott’s eye-enhancing products.

I love how the products are as easy to use as promised and work so well together to create a naturally beautiful look. The creamy, rich formulas also have the feel of a luxury brand, though at department store prices.

Kim explained, “I’ve been in stores where you have endless choices so you end up not knowing what you want. With Elizabeth Mott, I tried to come up with desert island favorites. This is what you want to have with you in any situation.”

Admittedly eye-centric because of her own needs, Kim said the next product from Elizabeth Mott, due in a few months, will “have something to do with lips,” with more to come in May 2015.

On Oahu, Elizabeth Mott products can be found at Belle Vie in Waikiki, In My Closet at Kahala Mall and Pearlridge, Etch Salon, the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Khakara Spa, The Spa at Trump Waikiki, Abhasa Spa at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Global Village in Kailua, Beyond Bare at Ala Moana Center and Gara’s Beauty Image in Aiea. The full list of national retailers can be found at www.elizabethmott.com.

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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instragram and Rebel Mouse.

Friday, May 9, 2014

HCC student designers present 'C'est Si Bon'

Nadine Kam photos
Designer Randy Oribello, left, with the models for his Diable Rouge collection.

Another year brings another 14 designers from Honolulu Community College's Fashion Technology program to the public eye, and as a longtime observer of the fashion scene here, I have to say the students keep getting better and stronger.

Before, geographic isolation and a paucity of retail variety put would-be designers here at a disadvantage. As recent as six or seven years ago, students were churning out aloha shirts, business and cocktail attire, to address the rote needs of "the marketplace."

Today, the schools have loosened up in reaction to a fractured marketplace in which a designer who can spark consumers' imaginations can find his/her own niche.

And the HCC annual senior showcase May 3, this year themed "C'est Si Bon," reflected these diverse niches, from the classic bridal and evening wear enthusiasts, to tea lovers, a passion for theatrical and film costuming, to those who have discovered the untapped potential of the menswear market. And Cynthia Verano spoke to a segment of the market many designers ignore: plus-size women who prefer style to sack dresses.

Chanteuse Ginai opened the French-themed show, with Eiffel Tower backdrop.

There was also some celebrity in their midst, with classmate Randy Abian Leano, a former "Project Runway Philippines" contestant, opening the show with "Ultra Vires (Beyond Powers)." The theatrical interpretation of the elements: Water, fire, earth, air and ether, showcased the designer's passion for music and stagecraft.

Also entertaining was Liberty Mae Dela Cruz's "Dusk," an anime, manga and cosplay inspired collection of menswear that had me sitting as far back in my seat as possible, as each model brought out weapons larger than the ones before. Seated just a foot from the end of the runway, the last thing I needed or wanted was an adze in my head, y'know?

The shows are a good place to catch up with former HCC Fashion Technology graduates, like Rose Wolf, left, who is now working on dance and performance wear. She’s with Cynthia McArthur.

McArthur wears a bracelet created by Live Adorned designer Chun Hui Chen, left.

Designers Randy Abian Leano, left, and Jacqueline Miszuk take their bows.

Cynthia Verano and Courtney Hamada take their walk down the runway during the show’s finale.

Kayoko Yamaoka, left, and Randy Oribello walk down the runway during the show’s finale.

UHM students present 'Reverie: Daydreams Set Adrift'

Nadine Kam photos
Models in Tori Speere's "Wind Swept" designs.

Seven University of Hawaii senior designers presented their own collections, plus a finale of "Reinvented Culture" and "Rational Science"-themed shows as part of the school's annual APDM fashion show, this year themed "Reverie: Daydreams Set Adrift."

The event took place at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on April 27, 2014, starting with a silent auction of items contributed by such companies as Hilo Hattie, Valerie Joseph, Jams World, 'Iolani, Maui Jim, Maui Divers, San Lorenzo and more, as an example of established brands lending a hand to the next generation of designers.

Camille Lanier's "Dead Film Star" menswear collection.

Romance and ruffles were the heart of Sarah Yamashige's "Redamancy" collection.

Here is a look at the finale of "Reinvented Culture" and "Rational Science"-themed shows. The former imagines the intersection of folklore and sustainability, while the latter combines geometry and the technology of LED lights as one vision of our fashion future."

The individual collections follow in the order they were presented.

24 Karats Surf launches in-store café

24 Karats Surf photo
24 Karats Surf has reopened its Waikiki flagship boutique with a new in-store café.

The beach style boutique 24 Karats Surf hosted a grand reopening celebration April 25 to mark the debut of its new in-store cafe.

The beach shack-styled cafe at the front of the beach cottage-inspired boutique adds to its leisure vibe, with a simple menu of iced or hot Waialua Coffee coffee available to shoppers, who can sip relax while browsing the store’s collection of T-shirts, shorts, hoodies and other casual apparel.

Customers can also purchase pancake mix and packaged coffee at the café counter, and more collaborative food products will be available later this year.

The Japan-based 24 Karats Surf opened in 2010, specializing in casual apparel inspired by 1970s American culture, which has won the brand a celebrity following in Japan.
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24 Karats Surf is at 280 Beach Walk Ave., open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call 924-0024.

Nadine Kam photos
It’s not a store opening anymore unless guests are carrying the latest accessory. From left, Brittany Kevan with Gigabyte, Kristen Nemoto and Kaitlyn Murphy with Lulu.