Eye on Ala Moana Center's Ewa Wing progress

Nadine Kam photo
It’s beginning to look a lot more like a store. A view of the continuing advance of the Ewa wing at Ala Moana Center from the parking lot near the elevator entrances to Morton’s and Longhi’s.

BY NADINE KAM

Given the snail’s crawl of freeway and rail construction on Oahu, it’s surprising to see the quick pace of development at Ala Moana Center. When it was announced earlier that the Ewa Wing expansion project would open on Nov. 12, I couldn’t believe it. We were still looking at mounds of dirt. But from a driver’s vantage in the parking lot outside the Morton’s and Longhi’s elevators, one of the entrances looks pretty near complete. I guess that’s the difference between government (using our money) and commercial (time is money) operations.

The project will transform the former Sears space into an expanded three-level retail space, featuring 650,000 square feet of new retail, including a 167,000 square-foot Bloomingdale’s.

In addition to Bloomingdale’s, 25 retailers have announced they will be opening in the Ewa Wing Expansion in November including the state’s first Zara, Magnolia Bakery, and Ted Baker London.

In March 2016, Nordstrom will relocate to the Ewa Wing to a new 185,000 square-foot retail space followed by the opening of Foodland Farms in July 2016.

Here is the list of confirmed Ewa Expansion merchants to-date:
Aēsop
Agent Provocateur
AQUA BLU
The Art of Shaving®
Bloomingdale’s
BOSS Hugo Boss
Café Lani Hawaiʻi
Calypso St. Barth
David Yurman
Desigual
Foodland Farms (July 2016)
Gloria Jean’s Coffee
Island Slipper
ivivva
Kay Jewelers
Laline
Lorna Jane Active Living
Magnolia Bakery
mālie organics
Ninja Sushi
Nitrogenie™
Pierre Marcolini
Planet Blue
Ted Baker London
Tempura Ichidai
The North Face
Zara

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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.

Part 2: Summer make-and-take at Lucoral Museum

Dennis Oda photos
There are many gemstone, bead, pearl and shell options offered during daily walk-in jewelry-making sessions at Lucoral Museum.

BY NADINE KAM

The great outdoors can be overrated when it comes to dealing with insects, mud and the occasional helicopter rescue.

But, there is a way to explore in the heart of Waikiki, in the safety of the indoors and the sanctity of air conditioning.

At Lucoral Museum in Waikiki, owner Flora Lu has built an indoor cave reminiscent of lava tubes to house displays of rocks, minerals and ocean treasures as a reminder to care for the planet that, in turn, provides for us.

Visitors can take a self-guided stroll through the museum in a half hour, but some will spend an entire afternoon browsing Lu’s jewelry creations or sitting in her workroom during walk-in, make-and-take jewelry sessions, stringing semi-precious gemstones, pearls and shells into bracelets, at $10 per bracelet.

If it’s a necklace you want, the base cost is $10 plus $1 per inch for every inch over 8 inches, so a 16-inch necklace would be $18. An 18-inch necklace would be $20.

Private parties can also be arranged for girls night out getogethers and other special occasions.

Flora Lu welcomed members of the Langley Ukulele Ensemble from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, when they were in town for the Hawaii Ukulele Festival July 19.

For Lu, a wholesale jeweler, building the museum was a way of engaging with the public, and reminding children to appreciate nature’s gifts. It’s her way of giving back out of gratitude for the blessings in her own life, starting when she was a child growing up on Penghu Island, or Pescadores as named by the Spanish, a fisherman’s island off the coast of Taiwan.

In 1963, Typhoon Gloria hit, destroying all the fishing boats, and with them, the island’s industry and her family’s 10-generation livelihood.

She is the seventh of 11 children, and said, “Everyone have different ideas of what my parents could do. One said open a barber shop. Our neighbor was a shell manufacturer who saw that my parents have so many kids so taught us how to polish and cut shells and drill holes. That’s how I got started, at 10 years old.”

Before sitting down to string bracelets, visitors to Lucoral Museum are welcome to explore its manmade cave housing minerals, fossils, stones, coral and other natural formations. Flora Lu plays tour guide to Johnny Chang’s Johnny Ukulele group from Taiwan.

Accustomed to the abundance of the ocean, she said prior to the typhoon, fishermen regarded the shells as worthless.

“People would eat the shellfish meat, and the leftover shell we would dump into the ocean,” she said. “After the typhoon, it turned into treasure. Abalone shell became like gold.”

In five years time, the Pescadores fishing industry rebounded, and with her family’s future secure, Lu moved to Taipei with two of her sisters, where she continued to develop her jewelry business. She moved to Hawaii in 1982, and opened Lucoral Museum in 1989 to share her passion and attendant messages of education, self-motivation, conservation and respect for nature’s many gifts.

Her displays include a 145 million-year-old dinosaur egg, and 30 million-year-old fossilized fish, but much of what is displayed are reminders of how much Hawaii has lost over two centuries, such as calcite and stalacite caves and quarries lost to development, Kaneohe Bay clams, and the pearl oysters that gave Pearl Harbor its name.

Lu was named Mother of the Year 2011-‘12 by the United Chinese Society, but her mothering extends beyond her three children to all the youngsters who pass through her museum, many through school excursions.

“Teaching and education are very important. I often wonder what would have happened to me if my neighbor didn’t help us.

“Now, I see the homeless and so many kids living on the street and wonder if I can help them. Maybe if I collect shells from restaurants’ leftovers I could teach them to polish and buy it from them. Sharing my technique is something I could do because other people taught me ‘to fish’ so I could survive.”
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Lucoral Museum is at 2414 Kuhio Ave. Open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Admission is free. To book private jewelry parties, call Liz at 922-1999.

Members of the Langley Ukulele Ensemble wear and show their finished bracelets. From left are Joseph Chang, Kashmir Penko, Beulah Lee and Eva Bellevontaine. The wrist in the foreground belongs to Tracy Mendonca.

Nadine Kam photos
Fossilized fish is one of the Lucoral Museum displays.

Fluorite on display.

Coral pieces for jewelry making.

Amethysts, and below, shells, for jewelry making.

During a private party, I created this scary looking coral piece, and a necklace of shells and amethyst beads.

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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.

Part 1: Summer make-and-take at Sedona

Nadine Kam photos
Jewelry-making instructor Trisha Cortez shows the array of beads and supplies available at Sedona, where she teaches classes in wire-wrapping and macrame bracelets.

BY NADINE KAM

What did I do on my summer vacation? Thanks to Sedona, I learned to make macrame shamballa bracelets in a single afternoon with instructor Trisha Cortez.

The Ward Village shop recently began offering a couple of beginners’ jewelry-making classes in wire wrapping and macrame knotting.

The reason I wanted to try my hand at knotting is because I’ve purchased such bracelets around town and always worried about the day the cords give out and I’m left with beads, stones and gems I would no longer be able to wear. I don’t know who to turn to for repair so figured it would be good to learn.

I was drawn to the shamballa bracelets that have become popular over the past few years. Shamballa is a mythical kingdom that Tibetan Buddhist believe in, and the bracelets are a symbol of enlightenment, peace and spirituality. Each stone and bracelet has a different meaning for individuals. I chose stones representing calm, energy, positivity, clarity, love and protection.

The process of making shamballa bracelets starts with bead selection. I chose to work with amethyst, rose quartz, adventurine and malachite. Some students were smart to show up a half hour before class started to select their beads. Students have the option of purchasing or bringing in their own beads.

The process seemed intimidating because I had no clue how the knots worked, except from a wearers’ point of view. Even after she introduced the concept, I and fellow classmates were like, “We’re supposed to finish that much in two hours?”

Stringing the beads.

I had my first bracelet finished and a turquoise one in process by class end.

Class sizes are limited for individual attention, and boy did we need it. Luckily, I asked in advance if Cortez is patient, and yes she is a saint to put up with me. But once we got into the flow and rhythm, the process was fairly easy and zenlike. You just need to know your left from your right, and over and under.

I became somewhat addicted and wanted to make a couple more bracelets right away. It involved no more than purchasing the cording, beads and a macrame board for home use. For finishing the ends of the nylon cord, Trisha used a lighter, but I am afraid to be that close to fire so I used the flame from my gas range and an unfolded paper clip.

I went back to the store a few days later because I was in need of a carnelian bracelet.

The next classes will be as follows:

The next wire wrapping classes are at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 9, 23 and Sept. 13; cost $35 per session, includes materials and a stone to wrap. You may also bring in your own stone or purchase a different stone on site.

Macrame knotting classes will be held at 2:30 p.m. the same days; cost is $26 per session, includes cord for a bracelet. Students may also purchase beads on site to weave into their custom design.
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Sedona is in the Ward Village Shops, 1200 Ala Moana Boulevard. Call Cortez at (808) 591-8010 on Fridays and Saturdays for class openings and availability.

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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.

Showtime for Hui Makaala

Nadine Kam photo
From left, Cut Collective’s Rumi Murakami, Summer Shiigi and Allison Izu tended to sales following their runway presentation at the 46th annual Hui Makaala annual scholarship fashion show.

BY NADINE KAM

Among the models sharing the runway with the pros at the 46th annual Hui Makaalala scholarship fund fashion show were several friends and past scholarship recipients of the Okinawan cultural, social and educational organization, plus politicos Ann Kobayashi, Keith Kaneshiro, Donna Mercado Kim and Hawaii First Lady and the event’s honorary chair Dawn Amano-Ige, along with KITV’s Moanike’ala Nabarro and Kenny Choi, who had people saying at my table that he is much better looking in person than on television.

I have to agree. It must be that whole suit and gravitas-added eyeglasses thing on TV that shows the more serious side of the person we saw on stage.

At any rate, with the triumvirate of the The Cut Collective (Allison Izu, Rumi Murakami and Summer Shiigi), Manuheali’i and KZ Hawaii/Kini Zamora, it was one of Hui Makaala’s strongest showcases in recent years.


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The show opened with the Cut Collective, featuring casual and daily wear separates by the three individual designers. The great thing about showing the pieces on the guest models is that audience members could relate to the fit of the garments on people with “normal” and not giantess or extra slim dimensions, which is what these designers keep in mind during the creative process. The pieces are very relatable and wearable, and included a trio of separates from Izu’s recent summer travel capsule collection geared toward road warriors who travel light and want to get the most mileage out of the fewest pieces possible.


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The navy, black and gray of the street-ready styles soon gave way to the color of Danene Lunn’s Manuheali’i creations. The audience responded with plenty of applause for fruity, citrusy colors in breezy resort styles ranging from dresses to jumpsuits.

Because the designers used the same models, there was no finale walk to close the shows, and there was a moment of confusion when Neka Stephens walked the runway twice, in the finale of the Manuheali’i show, and start of Kini Zamora’s KZ Hawai’i showcase. It's OK, we like seeing Neka on stage!


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It turns out the bright orange and hot pink nautilus-print jumpsuit did indeed belong to Kini, whose show spanned the range of beach, day, evening and bridal looks.

And no one can say Hawaii audiences don’t appreciate artistry. There was a noticeable buzz in the air when he sent down a black dress with sleeves and hemline that flowed like a cape, demonstrating technique that show why he finished so high on “Project Runway.”

This year, nine students are the beneficiaries of Hui Makaala scholarships. They are: Alexander Abe (Waldorf High to University of Hawaii at Manoa, public relations/communications), Riley Cabarloc (Hilo High to Hawaii Community College, nursing), Justin Higa (Aiea High to UHM, natural resource management), Kylie Leong (Kamehameha Schools to UH-West Oahu, business management), Kelli Miyahira (Punahou to NYU, music therapy), Ty Shimabukuro (Punahou to UHM, marine biology), Sydney Tsukenjo (Sacred Hearts Academy to Central Seattle College, political science and philosophy), Tylar Umemo (Mid-Pacific Institute to Anne Arundel Community College, culinary arts) and Kim Yamamoto (Hawaii Baptist Academy to UNLV, civil engineering).

Lastly, a suggestion for future fashion show producers. When you have models veering left and right on a runway, have them stop in the center first. It’s better for photos and video.

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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.

Bamboo Sky's 'Gypsy Diaries"

Nadine Kam photos
Bamboo Sky staged a summer fashion show at Honolulu Night Market on July 18.

BY NADINE KAM

Honolulu Night Market celebrated the Dog Days of Summer July 18 with another round of pop-up boutique sales, food truck grinds and “Gypsy Diaries” fashion show by Bamboo Sky.

The look was reminiscent of 1970s boho style: breezy, colorful and casual with displays of sheer print coverups, floral prints, mini dresses and rompers, beautiful lace-embellished pieces and retro floppy hats. Looks that feel comfortable to live in.

What really struck me from my view behind the video lens was the models makeup. My first thought when looking at Miss Hawaii USA Emma Wo was, “Wow, she has more freckles than I thought.”

Then I noticed all the models had the same pattern of freckles and bronzer that gave them that beautiful sun-kissed glow that compels millions of visitors to book trips here, a reminder not to take our surroundings for granted, in spite of recent record-high heat.

Drawing applause at the end of the show was Willow Breeden, the daughter of Bamboo Sky owners Tiffany and Shane Breeden. Just like the runway savvy daughters of the Fighting Eel team, Willow looks like she’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

Bamboo Sky owner Tiffany Breeden, center, with daughter Willow and model Elizabeth Burtness. Willow was one of the stars of the catwalk.

During the event celebrating the Dog Days of Summer, pets were invited, and Hoku needed no formal invitation to pose on the catwalk prior to the show’s start.
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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.

GLAM! cams capture models POV from runway

Nadine Kam photos
Models wait to go on stage behind-the-scenes of the Goodwill Goes GLAM fundraiser fashion show, featuring garments pulled from Goodwill stores all across Oahu. Featured looks were auctioned after the show.

BY NADINE KAM

It was a crazy experiment, but onlookers at Goodwill Industries of Hawaii’s annual Goodwill Goes GLAM! fundraiser fashion show were likely none the wiser as six models came down the runway oufitted, not only in garments from Goodwill stores, but mini HD point-of-view cameras thanks to FlyWire Cameras.

I’ve always wanted to send cameras down the runway, but there are a lot of logistics involved, like will the model remember to turn the camera on? Will it even work? Who collects the cameras and footage after the show?

Luckily, Flywire’s Jacob Isaac-Lowry and Sarah Alessi were on hand to greenlight the models, adding one more “accessory” to go along with Therese Wahl’s styling.

The video cameras were small enough to send down the runway attached to purses, belts, dresses and lapels without attracting attention.

Finally!

As a writer/videographer/blogger, I’m very interested in technology as applicable to daily work/lifestyle, and I’ve experimented with other POV cameras and Google Glass, but Glass was too fussy, and I feel like GoPro size technology is just too big and awkward for street use. Yes it’s fine for extreme outdoor athletes who don’t mind looking like geeks with helmet cams, but I would feel pretty self-conscious about that.

Stylist Therese Wahl had her hands full making sure 40 models were ready to go.

The resulting video captures the show from my hand-held camera in the audience, as well as the models’ point of view as they walk down the runway, which looks much longer from their perspective.

It was all for the show produced by Kini Zamora, themed “A Day in the Life of a Royal.”
The event that took place July 16 was the kick-off for a three days of Goodwill shopping, featuring more than 40,000 pieces pulled from Goodwill stores, to raise funds for Goodwill’s nonprofit job training and job readiness programs.

Zamora’s storyline focused on a day in the life of a princess and her prince, with eight segments that broke down into themes such as “World Traveler,” “Party Like its 1999,” “Boho Garden Party,” “Belle of the Ball” and “Wedding Bliss.”

Makeup was done by Motives Hawaii, and hair by Paul Brown Salons.

The show was emceed by Hawaii News Now’s Grace Lee and Steve Uyehara. In keeping with the evening’s theme, Uyehara got a surprise and the rest of us a laugh, when Lee presented him with a sparkling tiara to wear. It was a fun evening!


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Goodwill Industries of Hawaii President/CEO Laura Smith with Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Also attending was Gov. David Ige, whose wife Dawn Ige served as honorary chair of the event.

 

In addition to Goodwill shopping on the opening night of the event, fashion show producer Kini Zamora offered a pop-up shop featuring his KZ Hawaii designs.

 

Models in various stages of dress.

Finishing touches.
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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.

HIDESIGNCOMMUNE debuts with fashion show in Kakaako

Nadine Kam photos
CURATE DECOR + DESIGN suspended racks from the ceiling of Kakaako Agora for the inaugural HIDESIGNCOMMUNE. Considering all the hard work that went into the space design, it was a shame it had to be taken down overnight to ready the space for another event. It seems they could have kept the market open over the weekend. Maybe next year.

BY NADINE KAM

Nineteen new and established Hawaii designers banded together to launch the inaugural annual design and retail event, HIDESIGNCOMMUNE, a fashion show and marketplace promoting local design talent. The free event took place June 27 at Kakaako Agora.

“We hope this event will build connections among designers, foster growth for small businesses, and increase public engagement in local design and fashion,” said event director Reise Kochi, bringing up a weak spot I’ve noticed whenever and wherever fashion events take place.

That is, the shortage of public engagement with fashion and design. I started thinking about this last fall during Hawai’i Fashion Month and Honolulu Fashion Week, when, as important as the showcases were, most of the audience comprised friends and family of the designers. Where were the “regular” people, those with no connections to the fashion, design, beauty or media industries?

One of my thoughts was that the fashion set can be off-putting to people who don’t want to feel alienated in a room of so-called “beautiful people.”

Reise Kochi talked about the Kakaako Agora setup with M33Ms Emiko Miyazawa, back from intensive jewelry studies in New York. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Then there is the notion that this may be the result of budget cuts leading to lack of arts education and appreciation in the schools, and people growing up with the idea that things like art, design and fashion are unnecessary luxuries only meant for the wealthy.

When I think back on my childhood and how I got to this place of appreciating beauty, the arts and the hands that create, I realize how fortunate I was. Unbelievable as it seems today, attending humble Waipahu Elementary was much like attending a private school. We had a tremendous arts program, so I grew up drawing, painting, throwing pottery and handbuilding clay, producing puppet shows, performing in band, exploring bookbinding, and many, many other such areas of study. More important than learning an artistic skill set is that such classes also encourage a sense of play and imagination.


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I took it for granted that every school had these programs, but in talking to many other people who are products of our public schools, they had no such programs, and I think it shows in the lack of imagination to solve this state’s many problems.

Solutions, instead, must come from all of us at a grassroots level, and in the case of supporting local talent it’s easy. Wear local. This is another weak spot I noticed during Fashion Month, when I make an effort to wear creations by local designers only to observe that few others do. Maybe local fashion needs a movement similar to that of the food industry, which has been very successful in promoting the “eat local” idea.

While the idea of island apparel might have been perceived as kitschy and unfashionable before, what we saw during HIDESIGNCOMMUNE were styles that transcend the islands, and can be worn anywhere in the world, created by people with a contemporary, global outlook.

Participating designers were Common Goods, Rumi Murakami, Allison Izu, Reise Kochi, Gillia, Salt Liko, Moon Collective, Evening Invitation, Issa de’ Mar, M33Ms, Chad Aoyagi, Ten Tomorrow, Ryan Ota, Mojobeebee, Spark, Andy South, Virginia Paresa, S.tory Standards, B. D’Angelo and Tutuvi.

As the world grows warmer, there’s no reason Hawaii can’t be at the forefront of warm-weather clothing trends. We’ve had decades to practice.
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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.