First pics: Target + Neiman Marcus holiday collection

Neiman Marcus / Target photos
Fashion-oriented cookie cutters from Band of Outsiders, $29.99 from the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection due to arrive Dec. 1.

You would be hard-pressed to find many holiday options going for less than $100 at Neiman Marcus, but with the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection set to arrive in both stores, and at Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com on Dec. 1, you'll find a diverse mix of gift items and dressing options, at affordable prices.

Photos released yesterday showed a range of items starting at $7.99, and going up to $499.99 for an Alice + Olivia floral-pattern bicycle, with a bulk of the items priced at $60 or less. Note that Target Hawaii is known for charging more than suggested price for its collaboration collections, so if Neiman sticks to listed prices, their prices will be lower than Target's!

Target and Neiman Marcus partnered with 24 of America's top designers—all members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America—for the limited-edition holiday collection spanning fashion and accessories for women, men and kids, home goods, stationery, sporting goods and pet accessories.

I call dibs on the Tory Burch lunchbox. Start making your list!

Here are the designers being featured: Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne, Tory Burch and Tracy Reese.

Alice+Olivia bicycle, $499.99.

Tory Burch lunch box ($19.99) and beverage container ($24.99).

Oscar de la Renta pet collar and leash, $39.99.

Yoga mat by Diane von Furstenberg, $49.99.

Sunglasses by Brian Atwood, $39.99.

Rag & Bone flask ($29.99) and set of four shot glasses ($19.99).

Carolina Herrera set of three travel pouches, $39.99.

Skaist-Taylor kid's hat, $39.99.

Tory Burch drops into RHC

Nadine Kam photos
Tory Burch obliged dozens of fans, posing for photos during a private shopping event Jan. 18 at her Royal Hawaiian Center boutique to benefit the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

The crowd was overflowing upstairs and downstairs at the Tory Burch boutique at Royal Hawaiian Center Jan. 18, with everyone eager for a peek and photo op with Tory herself.

There was definitely less breathing room on the second floor, where Tory—company founder, designer and CEO—held court for two hours during a private sales event to benefit the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Twenty percent of sales proceeds will go to the museum, and there was another table of Shop for a Cause merchandise to benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which supports disadvantaged women and female entrepreneurs with micro loans and business opportunities.

While here, Tory also met with young female entrepreneurs Tuesday night to share her story and offer encouragement and support.

Although the Tory Burch brand has been a fashion phenomenon, with 68 stand-alone boutiques and carried in more than a thousand specialty department stores and boutiques, many aren't aware she achieved this in eight short years! She attributes part of her success to coming up with the right idea at the right time, with accessible luxury that ties in to lifestyle for anyone who's constantly on the move and prizes comfort while looking professional and presentable at all times.

At the store, Tory gamely posed for what easily amounted to a thousand photos with fashion fans, and I took more than a dozen myself as she smiled her way through the afternoon. I swear she cannot take a bad picture and there must be some rule that says designers must be photogenic, not to mention telegenic these days.

My interview with the designer appears in today's paper.

Tory signs a magazine for Ashli Sower.

Valerie Joseph's Valerie Ragaza-Miao and Janette McKeone show their Tory Burch purses.

All profits from sales of select items from the Tory Burch collections benefit the Tory Burch Foundation, which helps to provide economic opportunities and micro loans to disadvantaged American female entrepreneurs and their families. Items range from an iPad case, small ($55) and medium ($75) cosmetic cases, Tory Burch Foundation candles ($45 for trio) and TBF studded leather logo cuffs ($95 each) in multiple colors, ranging from white to metallic. You can also shop online at ToryBurch.com, by clicking on "Shop for a cause."

Tory with Tory Burch manager of public relations, Kerry-Lynne Carrera.

The photogenic designer with Hemin Yoon and Ivan Lui. I don't think she can take a bad picture.

Tory with Danielle Cason, left, and Serena Karnagy.

Ground level at the Tory Burch store, where a lounging area provides a backdrop for some of her prints.

A display of Tory Burch Patent Prescott 3 ballet flats ($250 pair) in woven patent leather.

A display of Tory Burch's Spring 2012 designs.

Junior League warms up for 'Sacs' at Tory Burch

Nadine Kam photo
From left, Jennifer Dotson, Betsey Hannah and Carrie Loveless are in shopping mode at the Sacs in the City pre-event.

About 150 members of the Junior League of Honolulu flocked to the Tory Burch store at Ala Moana Center Feb. 11 for the "Sacs in the City" pre-event. Attendees were able to shop for clothing and accessories in advance of the March 5 event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa, and they took their task seriously. There wasn't much room to maneuver through the roomful of women, grabbing and reaching.

The only man in the shop was JLH member Kimberly Miyazawa Frank's husband, a brave man indeed.

The Sacs event will run from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the 5th, and feature lunch, a silent auction and runway fashion show featuring Tory Burch's Spring 2011 collection.

The theme of the 7th annual Sacs in the City is "Rodeo Drive in Paradise," and the highlight will be the silent auction of handbags from such luxury brands as Fendi, Gucci and Anteprima. Other items up for bid include goods, services and vacation packages from Four Seasons Resort Lanai, Paul Brown Salons, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hawaii Theatre, and more.

Tickets to Sacs are $85 per person, available by visiting the JLH website at www.JuniorLeagueofHonolulu.org. You can also visit the league's Facebook fan page at The Junior League of Honolulu’s Sacs in the City.

The event will benefit the league’s community projects for women, teens and families, such as My Story, helping adolescent girls with body-image and self-esteem issues; Wahine Forum leadership conference for women; and Kids in the Kitchen, which promotes healthful eating habits in children.

Marcie Uehara Herring, current president of the Junior League of Honolulu, right, shows the Tory Burch clutch she purchased during the Sacs in the City pre-event. She's with JLH past treasurer Charise Shigeta.

Jennifer Dotson, left, with Ashley Wang.

From left, Veronica Rocha, Irene Kwan, Lizette Chang-Zahn and Sherri Vallejo.

Sherri Vallejo tried on Tory Burch's dramatic multi-jeweled Lucite leaf necklace. It's $295.

Design Ink's Stephanie Chang will be contributing a social media workshop to the Sacs in the City silent auction. I liked her post-holiday use of sequins, in a skirt from J. Crew.

Carrie Loveless was trying to choose between a woven bronze-color Reva ballet flat ($235), or silver metallic ($195) version. I don't know which she chose, or if she simply decided to go home with both.