Plastic bag ban an excuse to show isle style

Designer courtesy photos
Ecolicious large Aloha tote, $26 at Whole Foods Market, Global Village Kailua, Hawaii State Art Museum gift shop, and at First Break Waikiki in the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, or online at ecolicioushawaii.com.

BY NADINE KAM

Don’t think of the bag ban as taking away your plastic. Positive thinkers would suggest it’s an excuse to introduce more style to your shopping excursions.

Hawaii will be making history July 1 as the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags at the retail and food service checkout counter, beating California, whose summer start date has been put on hold.

What does that mean for you? Not that much.

While many businesses encourage consumers to bring in their own reusable bags, they also want to ease shoppers into living with the new restrictions by swapping their plastic bags for resuse bags available for purchase on site, or paper, compostable or recyclable bags.

Finding a plastic-like bag should be no problem, so you can put your bag hoarding to rest.
But, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the spirit of the law, which is to be mindful of reducing waste. Environmentalists warn of the danger of getting comfortable with compostable bags that also don’t break down easily and add to refuse piles and ocean pollution. So it’s important to start getting into the habit of conserving resources, which becomes easier when you have more stylish options.

Here are a few local designer options:

Reyn’s small Spooner Kloth Crimson Floral Bag, $16. Ten percent of proceeds from the company’s Eco Bags will be donated to support the Hawaii Wildlife Fund.

Laura Noda’s Reusables For Life bags sell for $9.99 to $24. She will have a pop-up store at the Menehune Mac Chocolate Factory, 707, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 11.

Ecolicious “Light and Shadow” book bag is $22. Founders Dexter Doi and and Carol D’Angelo donate a portion of sales to Sustainable Coastlines, which encourages individuals and communities to care for the coastlines through beach cleanup events.

 A Mu’umu’u Heaven tote, available at Hana Hou Vintage, 35 Kainehe St. in Kailua, along with the Deb Mascia’s vintage shop’s own totes, like the one below.

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

Bloomingdale's Ala Moana sets Nov. 12 opening date

Bloomingdale's graphic
A rendering of the Bloomingdale’s store set to open in the Ala Moana Center Ewa Wing in November.

BY NADINE KAM

Bloomingdale’s has an opening date for its Hawaii store, set to open at Ala Moana Center Nov. 12, 2015.

The three-level, 165,000 square-foot store will offer an extensive roster of brands, many exclusive to Bloomingdale’s Ala Moana, and a curated assortment of luxury goods for women, men, children and home.

And those who need a moment to recharge will be able to find refreshment and sustenance at the 40 Carrots restaurant.

Among local to luxury brands carried will be Armani Collezioni, Boutique Moschino, Cami & Jax, Chloe, Ferragamo, Frette bedding, Gucci, Max Mara, Rebecca Taylor, Sandro, Shinola, Tidal, Bloomingdale’s exclusive ready-to-wear line AQUA, and many more. A treat station will offer local goodies from Honolulu Cookie Co., Sea Salts of Hawaii, Big Island Bees, Honolulu Coffee Co., and more.

The company will be supporting to-be-announced local charities in celebration of the Ala Moana Center opening and beyond.

To celebrate the opening of Bloomingdale’s Ala Moana, more than 300 fashion-packed events will be taking place during the opening months. Follow @bloomingdales on social media for updates.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Le Dîner en Blanc drew 1,500 to Ko Olina

Nadine Kam photos
Jason Kim accessorized 50 of his friends with party glasses in Honolulu’s latest edition of Le Dîner en Blanc, which took place June 20 at the Ko Olina waterfront.

BY NADINE KAM

Now, you might wonder why anyone would want to go to a party in which they would have to lug in their own tables, chairs, decor AND food, but long before the original Le Dîner en Blanc was launched in Paris by Francois Pasquier in 1988, as a small and simple reunion of friends, here in Hawaii, we were sort of doing the same with the back-yard or garage potluck.

One big difference: As stylish as Parisians are, Francois and his pals dressed in white, albeit more as a way of spotting each other in a crowd than a fashion statement.

Today there are more than 60 events that take place around the world, and the largest is the original Paris event that brings together more than 15,000 people annually. Second runner up is Montreal, Canada, with 5,500 guests.

And, as crazy as we are, I would think the 2-year-old Honolulu event could eclipse that number in another couple of years. The event’s aim is to grow every year and grow it did. Last year’s inaugural Le Dîner en Blanc Honolulu drew 750 to the secret location: Iolani Palace. This year, the number doubled to 1,500 people that flooded the green coastline at Ko Olina, bused in from pickup sites at Waterfront Plaza (Restaurant Row), Kahala and Kailua. Three thousand more were on the wait list.

A wave of napkins signaled the start of dinner.

Once we got there, tables were lined up and dressed, and when everyone was done, a waving of napkins signaled the start of the meal.

Last year, I covered this event via my Take A Bite blog, but I consider it to me more about fashion and visuals than food. People bring in what they can in light of all the other prep they have to do.

I was fortunate to be at Thomas and Michele Conan Sorensen’s table, catered by Stage. The happy couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary in style, with 50 of their friends. The Stage menu was wonderful and quite healthy, with plenty of summery grilled vegetables and a salad of greens, mozzarella, avocado, quinoa and tomatoes.

Even so, those tomatoes can be like landmines for those in white, as one guest, Telepharoah “Teley” Brandon learned, when a tomato exploded onto his white jacket. He was already shirtless because he had deigned to wear an orange shirt under his jacket, but thought better of it when he saw everyone else dressed in pristine white.

Stage salad with culprit tomatoes.

Brian Farr photo
I’m with Pam Davis, center, and Jennifer Cleve Sojot, in Ferragamo eyewear, the perfect color for the occasion.

I have to say, shopping for white was difficult. It’s not my color. I don’t look good in it. There are cute angelic summery dresses out there, but because they “glow” to the eyeball, it bulks you up.

I already had a casual Aeropostale skirt I wanted to wear and wanted to find a casual top but couldn’t find one, so found a dressier one at White House/Black Market. In anticipation of finding a casual top, I had already bought a playful children’s necklace at J. Crew. I wore it anyway, and accessorized with Ferragamo’s Buckle sunglasses.

Here’s a look at what I saw that evening:


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Inspired by the birthplace of Le Dîner en Blanc.

A steampunk fascinator by Friston Hookano.

Paiko shares art of floral crowns

Nadine Kam photos
Courtney Monahan models her simple crown of foliage.

BY NADINE KAM

Hawaii women are no strangers to the idea of wearing flowers in our hair, whether a single bloom or a haku lei halo.

But over the past few years, it seems the whole world has gone mad for a simplified version of the haku lei, the floral crown, the summer accessory of every festival girl, flower child, neo hippie and June bride.

I have to admit that I’m not exactly a poster girl for natural wonders. When I see a lei coming at me, I cringe a little, thinking about how hot it’s going to be around my neck and what sort of stain or sticky sap it might leave on my clothes.

But I do love a beautiful flower arrangement and enjoyed combining varied colors and textures of flowers and foliage at one of Paiko’s popular Floral Crown Workshops.

Paiko founder Tamara Rigney, a landscape architect and artist, said she created the space “as an oasis in the middle of town.

“I love nature and the way plants make spaces come alive.”


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Taking a pick of flowers and greenery.

After giving us a quick demo, Rigney set us loose to choose from an array of greenery. There was no hesitating, as the women simply gravitated to favorite flowers or colors. It was uncanny how the finished creations echoed what they were wearing!

I love deep purples and green, so started with those colors, throwing in the occasional dash of red and miniature white anthuriums to add interest to the dark color palette.

The methodical wrapping of stems with florists’ tape is a great form of stress relief, and the workshops are a popular destination for girls night out parties, and activity dates, an opportunity to find out what your potential mate is really like. I wouldn’t want to be with an anal-retentive, overly meticulous type.

Starting without a plan, Crystal Pancipanci gravitated toward colors she was already wearing.


Paiko partner Courtney Monahan said women tend to go with the flow in creating their crowns, knowing you can’t go too far wrong when you start with beautiful flowers, while men tend to take longer and treat each placement like a life or death decision.

In the end, I didn’t know whether I would feel comfortable wearing the floral crown, but didn't have time for second-guessing. I put it on and had to dash off to dinner, where everyone thought I was celebrating some occasion.

Rigney and Monahan said the crowns would last about three days, so I tried to make it worthwhile, wearing it as often as I could, and got so many compliments and heard a sense of wonder when they found out I’d made it. And you can too. Visit paikohawaii.com for a list of the $49 floral crown workshops, and other classes.
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Paiko is at 675 Auahi St. Call (808) 988-2165.

I started with my favorite colors and ended up with the piece I’m wearing in the night-time selfie below.

Before sessions start, it’s a joy to walk around Paiko and see the many options for bringing nature home.

 

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

Hawaiian Air Fashion Friday takes off

Nadine Kam photos
Guests were able to pose with props for a portrait at the first Hawaiian Airlines Fashion Friday pop-up event, featuring more than a dozen local designers and retailers.

BY NADINE KAM

Hawaiian Airlines hosted its inaugural Fashion Friday event on Friday, giving its Hawaiian Airlines World Elite MasterCard holders the opportunity to shop new collections by local designers, with a discount if using the credit card for purchases.

Fashion has played a big part in the airlines branding since it hired its first “air hostesses” in 1943, when uniforms served as a sign of professionalism and reflected the glamour of the profession at a time when travel was the domain of the elite. Designs that reflected the street style of the times also were intended to pro­ject an image of moving forward.

Parents could pick up a fabric aviator cap and goggles for their kids at a discounted price of $12.

Located at the airline’s Koapaka Street headquarters near the airport, the event featured more than a dozen artists, designers and retailers, plus pupu from Pili Group.

Designers and retailers participating in the event were Katrina Cordova, Mahiku Activewear, Kira Hawai’i, Language of the Birds, B D’Angelo, Sticks & Stones, Manuheali’i, Noho Design, Fighting Eel, Lucky We Live Hawai’i, Choco Le’a, Happy Town Hawai’i, Honey Girl and Paiko Hawaii.

Hawaiian also hosted a pop-up shop of its own logo wear and merchandise, including retro-style bags, scarves, T-shirts and more.

Cassandra Rull helped shoppers with Lucky We Live Hawaii merchandise.

Fighting Eel’s Lan Chung, left, and Linh Owen took a break on the open-air patio deck. Lan’s pretty flower crown is by Paiko, another of the event vendors.

Paiko’s ‘Tamara Rigney, right, and Courtney Monahan, had a display of greenery on the patio, here and below.

B. D’Angelo designer Marissa Beatrice D’Angelo, right, had help selling her jewelry from sister Amber.

B. D’Angelo earrings.

Choco Le’a’s Erin Uehara showed some of her chocolate treats, including new chocolate-covered jabong. She was also offering a special truffle box for the occasion, comprising Tahitian vanilla, caramel with Australian hibiscus salt and Thai coffee flavors, nine pieces for $19.99.

Nerds everywhere could rejoice with a supply of retro-style airline travel bags and insulated bags offered inside the Hawaiian Air pop-up shop.

Friends tried on Lucky We Live Hawaii trucker hats.

Pupu was offered by The Pili Group.

Housewares from Noho Design.

Those interested in HA items can visit the Hawaiian Airlines Logo Store at 3375 Koapaka St., Suite C321. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, and 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Students put biz plans to test in 'Shark Tank'-like contest

Nadine Kam photos
Shayna Nichols of Pololia Glasswork received the top award of $1,500 for her jewelry business ideas in the UH Retail Business Plan contest. She posed with a promo check from UH professor Youngjin Bahng, left, who organized the contest, and Erin Kinney of Our Kaka’ako, which helped sponsor the competition.

By Nadine Kam

Young entrepreneurs went through a “Shark Tank” experience during the 2015 UH Retail Business Plan Contest finale that took place at the University of Hawaii Campus Center.

The May 12 competition, hosted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, had 18 business hopefuls offer up business plans for clothing lines, boutiques, food, jewelry design, and other fashion/retail-oriented business, and four individuals were selected to face a panel of judges for the opportunity to win cash prizes—sponsored by Our Kaka’ako and PACE (Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship)—toward making their goals come true. The contest is also supported by Retail Merchant of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Small Business Development Center.

Winner Shayna Nichols is a glass artist who said she enrolled in the retail class to gain experience in marketing her wares. She originally tried selling her glass pendants alone, but learned people didn’t know what to do with them. Sales picked up when she strung them on necklaces.

UH professor Youngjin Bahng organized the contest to help students in her FDM 437 Small Business Start-Up course use knowledge gleaned to develop a retail business plan.

Students stood before judges to offer up details of their business plans, then answer questions on fine details of financing, production, staffing and marketing strategies, giving them a taste of what it will be like when they one day seek help from bankers and investors.

Victoria Prince faced judges to answer followup questions after her presentation on her White Elephant budget clothing retail shop concept.

The judges were:
>> Lori Hiramatsu, senior consultant of Hawai’i Small Business Development Center
>> Sheri Sakamoto, President of Retail Merchant of Hawai’i
>> Susan Yamada, Executive Director of PACE
>> Erin Kinney, Marketing Manager of Our Kaka`ako

After the presentations, there was a break for refreshments and the announcement of winners:

The first prize of $1,500) went to Pololia Glasswork, jewelry designs by Shayna Nichols, Arts & Science. Second prize ($700) went to White Elephant, a budget retail clothing concept by Victoria Prince, FDM, and third prize ($500) went to Common Goods, a street-chic clothing line by Christopher Ching, FDM.

The event also raises awareness of the importance of young entrepreneurs’ contributions to the local retail industry, which is the largest single generator of state general excise tax revenue, and employs nearly 20 percent of the workforce.

Nichols, center, with fellow winners Victoria Prince and Chris Ching.

It was great to catch up with designer Chris Ching, who graduated from Honolulu Community College’s Fashion Technology program in 2010. He’d been working in New York prior to coming home to further his education. The prize money will help him put his Common Goods threads, as seen on model Von Kaanaana, into production. Prices will be about $190 for the shirt, $180 for the jacket and $150 for the pant.
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Nadine Kam is Style Editor and staff restaurant critic at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; her coverage is in print on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact her via email at nkam@staradvertiser.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Rebel Mouse.

Politics and fashion share MAMo 2015 runway

Nicholas Tomasello photo courtesy MAMo
Keiki models for Maile Andrade waved the Hawaiian flag during her segment of the Maoli Arts Month MAMo Wearable Arts Show, a fashion showcase presented by artists and designers of Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage.

BY NADINE KAM


In Hawaii, fashion and politics rarely mix but during the Maoli Arts Month’s annual MAMo Wearable Art Show, they came together in a dramatic way.

Robert Cazimero and his Halau Na Kamalei led the evening, on May 20, with a performance calling attention to the Mauna Kea telescope controversy, with dancers forming the shape of the mountain by touching their thumbs and fingertips together. It became a symbol for the first half of the show, with many of the models embracing the gesture during their finale walks in a symbol of solidarity.

Nadine Kam video still
Another of Maile Andrade’s model’s formed the shape of a mountain with her fingertips, symbolic of the controversy over the construction of another telescope on Mauna Kea.

Though I am not Hawaiian I couldn’t help be moved by the gesture. The Maunakea issue is something I’ve thought about while driving around and looking at the landscape. It is evident that the ancient Hawaiians were brilliant engineers.

Today, we still see ancient fishponds that, with proper tending, continue to function as intended. And Hawaiians created the ahupua’a system of land division that took into account the interrelationship of elements in the natural landscape that would optimize self-sustainability.

The wisdom of such a division is obvious when I watch the water runoff from rain, which doesn’t follow manmade roads, but the natural geography of the land in defiance of Western engineers. In spite of their “education,” the western waywardness is like that of a spoiled child insisting, “This is what I want to do, and I’m going to do it,” with little consideration for long-term consequences.

The ahupua’a system was able to sustain, what I’ve read, was a pre-contact population of 1 million people, about the same as we have in the islands today.

Nicholas Tomasello photos courtesy MAMo
Beyond politics, there was many a theatrical fashion moment. The work of Maori weaver and fashion designer Shona Tawhiao, of Te Ao Tu, was a standout. Shown here and below.

A feathered cape presented during the Te Ao Tu showcase of Maori designers.

I wonder how we got to this point of importing our food supply and question the current irresponsibility of developing prime agricultural land when obviously, food supply will continue to become a more pressing concern as time passes.

Today we are looking at California running out of the water, 80 percent of which goes toward the agricultural industry that feeds much of the nation.

Developers smugly take a “not in my lifetime” approach to their work, but unfortunately, the reality of the California situation is that we’re looking at a matter of a decade.

I believe that the ancient Hawaiians were not against the kind of engineering and advancement that considered the welfare of all. There is a pono solution to Mauna Kea if both sides are willing to come together to speak about the facts and their differences instead of fighting.

Beyond politics, the event offered a lively showcase of what is being done not only by Hawaii’s artists, designers and cultural practitioners, but a handful of Maori artists as well.

I was particularly enamored by those created by Maori couture designer Shona Tawhiao, who takes native basket weaving and materials to avant garde heights. Her designs were dark, edgy and breathtaking. Elements reminded me of Alexander McQueen and the head gear created for him by Philip Treacy.

The work of local fiber artist Marques Marzan.

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Many of Marzan’s models wore metal armature and accessories on their heads and arms.