Trio of designers take stage at 47th Hui Makaala fashion show

Nadine Kam photos
Kaypee Soh presented the finale collection during the Hui Makaala 47th annual fashion show.

The Okinawan scholarship organization, Hui Makaala, presented its 47th fashion show July 24 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, featuring Dolkii, Boutique Sharon, and Kaypee Soh.

First to present was Dolkii, created by sisters Shaiyanne Dar and Yasmin Dar Fasi. What started as Shaiyanne's blog in 2013, turned into an online boutique last year, and this season, the sisters created their first original designs, a dress and harem pant-inspired romper that reflect the casual, chic, boho essence of Dolkii.

Next up were designs from Joe Jeong's Boutique Sharon, reflecting the colorful mixed cultural heritage of Hawaii through fashion by Harari, local designer Anne Namba, Hawaiian artists and Italian clothiers.

Miss Hawaii 2016 Allison Chu walked the runway for all three segments. Here, she's pictured in an ensemble from Boutique Sharon. She also proved to be a quick-change artist, singing in between segments and rushing backstage to get into garments to open the shows.


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Kaypee Soh presented the finale show inspired by Hawaii's rainbows and flora. Soh, who grew up in Malaysia, attended school in London, and started his career as a graphic designer. After moving to Hawaii in 2004, he found a niche in interiors, but his love of textiles and prints led to a natural evolution from wardrobing the home to outfitting the body. This spring-summer collection marks his first full collection, yet anyone seeing his work for the first time would think he's been working in fashion for years.

A day ahead of the show, I worried that pending tropical storm Darby might cause its cancellation. The day was humid, but the downpour in Honolulu waited until the evening. A good thing because this is the organization's major fund-raiser for scholarships, that in 2016 will go to:

* Stephanie Adaniya: Iolani School to Brown University; Biology
* Reese Asato: Iolani School to University of Purdue; Mechanical Engineering
* Dane Itomura: Punahou School to UC San Diego; Biology
* Kassie Odo: Pearl City High to Oregon State; Bio-engineering
* Shayna Pak: McKinley High to University of Hawaii at Manoa; Music
* Copeland Talkington: Kamaile Academy to UHM; Computer Science
* Marisa Tsuhako: Waiakea High to UHM; Master of Education
* Summer Tsukenjo: Sacred Hearts Academy to Kapiolani Community College; Education
* Jolyn Yoneshige: Castle High to Hawaii Pacific University; Education

Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients and all who worked hard to make sure the show when on in spite of the uncertain weather.

Allison Chu in one of Dolkii's original romper designs.

A stylized "rainbow" by Kaypee Soh.

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