Antique purses on view at SFO

Nadine Kam photos
These mesh purses are among the vintage and antique handbags on display in the "Essential Style: Vintage and Antique Purses" exhibition at San Francisco International Airport, courtesy of the SFO Museum.

Essential Style: Vintage and Antique Purses
On view at San Francisco International Airport through July 22, 2016

Waiting at airports can be a boring, mind-numbing experience, but at San Francisco International Airport, in-house SFO Museum exhibitions turn it into a culturally enriching one.

SFO Museum became the first cultural institution of its kind located in an international airport, in 1980. Displays are compact, varied and fun. Last time I passed through, there was an exhibition of Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett's monster-themed guitars. There are 20 exhibitions throughout the airport at this time, but I happened to be passing through the international terminal en route to Dubai, and chanced on the "Essential Style: Vintage and Antique Purses" exhibition. I love purses so of course I was thrilled. Many of the pieces are credited to the Antique Purse Collectors Society.

According to exhibition materials, purses date to the medieval period, but I'm pretty sure they have been around as long as men and women had to carry talismans and other personal items. They didn't remain utilitarian objects long as humans have always wanted to put their personal stamp on items. Purses quickly evolved into a sophisticated decorative art and fashion accessory, and bags have always showed the creativity and skills of their makers, from metal and leatherwork to weaving, embroidery, and knitting. That's why I like them so much. They are a form of portable, everyday art.

Metal mesh purses were popular in the 1920s, and the Mandalian Manufacturing Co., created beautiful painted designs. In the early days of eBay, I searched for these and feel lucky to own purses identical to the two on the right. I just don't get to use them because they don't hold much. Even a driver's license is too long and wide to fit through the bottom.

Historically, men and women wore purses attached to their belts or fabric bands that hung from the waist. After pockets were introduced to male clothing at the end of the 16th century, men's use of bags declined. But women's styles became increasingly sophisticated. A number of workshops in 18th century France began producing exquisite beaded purses employing up to 1,000 beads per square inch.

Purses continue to fascinate and tempt us. I just read that a trio of Hermès Birkins topped $100,000 each in an April 18 and 19  $2.5+ million Heritage Spring Luxury auction in New York. A rare limited edition Matte So Black Nilo Crocodile Birkin topped the trio with a final price of $125,000, while an Extraordinary Collection Matte Black Porosus Crocodile Birkin Bag with 18k White Gold Hardware went for $118,750, and a Matte White Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin Bag finished at $100,000.

The exhibition opened on Jan. 22 and is on view in the International Terminal, Departures Level 3 through July 22, 2016. View more at: http://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/essential-style-vintage-and-antique-purses#sthash.AzKCyebj.dpuf

I was also a collector of Lucite purses of the 1940s until I learned the hard way that some of caramel-colored acetate ones are now leaching chemicals. I worked so hard to attain a beehive bag and another made of this material, only to see them collapse, which is why the collectors were getting rid of them.

To showcase their needlework skills, 19th century women often crafted their own beaded and embroidered bags. This is one homemade example.

 A few fun and highly impractical doggie-themed purses.

Long before raves, women had the dilemma of how to carry lipsticks and cigarettes. These dance purses from 1920s and '30s France comprise celluloid and silk cord. The lightweight purses were made to dangle from the wrist.

 Because of the time and effort to string beads that when knitted, would create intricate designs, knitted, beaded scenic bags commanded a high price in the early 20th century.

More beaded designs.

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

Furla introduces Fall-Winter 2016 bags at RHC

Photos courtesy Furla
Furla's Valentina Camouflage handbag is among the brand's recently launched Fall/Winter 2016 designs.

Furla hosted an exclusive preview of its Fall-Winter 2016 handbag collection April 21 at its Royal Hawaiian Center store. In town for the special event was the company's CEO Scott Link, to share some of the new design directions.

The new Furla bags are influenced by music, from the rebellion of from rock to fun of pop, reflected through laser cuts, kaleidoscopic patterns, golden studs, and fringe, starting with leathers smooth, supple and soft to the touch.

Bags such as the Furla Valentina and Furla Club also make a statement about our times, where constant exposure to stimuli and other cultures are prompting artists to create new aesthetic harmonies.

Furla's Club Bag.

Furla's Metropolitan Bolero.

'Wish to win' pieces from Kipling's spring 2014 collection

Kipling USA is giving fans the opportunity to "Wish to Win" some of its latest spring styles at www.Kipling-USA.com. Follow the instructions, create a wish list, pick four of your favorite styles, and keep wishing:

These were my picks:

Proenza Schouler duo drop into Catherine's Closet

Nadine Kam photos
Capes will be big come fall, and Catherine Fong of Catherine's Closet wears a vintage piece while showing a 1970s suede version.

Catherine Fong of Catherine's Closet hosted a 1970s celebration April 1 at her new location at 125 Merchant St.

The 1970s theme was inspired by Barneys Japan's premiere of the Catherine's Closet Collection, a popup shop within the Tokyo store, which will open April 23 and continue for approximately three weeks.

After a feature on the vintage boutique appeared on Japanese television, Barney's Tokyo executives flew a buyer out to Catherine's to seek out pieces worthy of the high-end retailer. The buyer was particularly smitten by 1970s pieces and bought several dozen maxi dresses, feather hats and 30 Panama hats for resale in the popup boutique, as well as a red cape for her own use.

The boutique also had another brush with fame when a friend of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez—together known as the designers behind Proenza Schouler—contacted me via Facebook regarding the best places for vintage shopping in Hawaii. There's not many with the quality vintage enthusiasts expect, but I was able to share a short list that included Catherine's Closet.

The designers were apparently thrilled and went home with 1960s and 1970s pieces, including a maxi dress, a purse and three short dresses. They were especially happy to find something Catherine could only describe as a "hair dress." She didn't get the term they used. But, could it be safe to guess we may find a bit of vintage Hawaii inspiration on their next runway?

Catherine's Closet will celebrate it's birthday on April 29, and 10 percent of sales at the boutique throughout this month will go toward Japan relief efforts.

The boutique is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Call 521-0772.

Kimberly Mitsuoka wears a 1970s jumpsuit next to a Catherine's Closet display of more '70s apparel.

Greta Gallardo spotted this vintage dress, tried it on and bought it on the spot. She has a great figure for vintage clothes, made at times when people were skinny and a 22-inch waist for women wasn't considered drug- or anorexia-related.

Another dress Greta tried on.

Catherine's Closet is known for its selection of vintage hats. She has a lot of white styles in stock, as well as feathered pieces, noting that Prince William's and Kate Middleton's royal wedding is coming up, and contemporary as she is, Kate tends to favor smaller feather pieces in lieu of hats. Below, Catherine wears a feathered clip by local "seamster" Sandra Ipo Bunnell.

Kellie Phyu already has a couple of vintage gold Whiting & Davis mesh purses, but was trying to decide which of these two to pick up next.

Crazy for 'Sacs'

K

Nadine Kam photos
From left are Junior League of Honolulu's Jennifer Dotson, Marcie Uehara Herring and Lisa Haeringer. They are, respectively, president-elect elect, president, and president-elect of the organization that annually stages the "Sacs in the City" event, this year themed "Rodeo Drive in Paradise."

The Junior League of Honolulu hosted its annual "Sacs in the City" fundraising fashion show/luncheon on March 5, which never fails to bring out claws in woman who are otherwise seem so calm and collect.

The battle is for designer handbags and other silent auction items, which often has tiny women trying to body block would-be snipers from swooping in at the auction's end.

I always try to go late, so I don't have time for temptation, but that never really works. You just sort of stroll casually by until something calls to you. The one that did this time was a cute little "vintage" Shanghai Tang silk-embroidered purse, below. I try not to do little and cute anymore because there's never a time that I go out without lugging a video camera, regular camera, cell phone, etc., etc. But hey, it was for a good cause, so I bid on it, then other people I knew put more bids on it, and one of the original bidders came back for two more rounds of bidding, and I'm just not into the fight.

One of the people who bid on the purse and won it was Susan Todani, Director, Special Projects for Kamehameha Schools Endowment Group. She kept asking me, "Are you sure I can't get it in the store anymore?" after bidding went over its listed retail value. I said "Yeah," but that's not to say they're not going to come up with something similar soon. They always have new designs with their signature brocade and jewel touches. She's lucky I didn't scratch out her eyeballs. (Just kidding Susan!)

Harry Winston's salon director James Schaefer always manages to surround himself with beauty. From left are Ashley Wang, KHON's Kathy Muneno and Trini Kaopuiki, and Dan Yuan. Kathy and Trini, along with their KHON colleague Tammy Mori, also modeled in the Tory Burch fashion show that was part of the event, while stationmate Olena Heu served as emcee.

The day's other highlight was a Tory Burch fashion show, and a Tory Burch popup shop of purses, footwear and accessories was set up in a corner of the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Tapa Ballroom to accommodate women who saw something they liked on stage. I believe a lot of women went home with Tory Burch flip flops, a dressier upgrade from our rubber slippers. Tory Burch also offers tumbled leather and patent slipper-style sandals, at about $115 and $225, respectively.

At the end of the afternoon, I was waiting to find out whether I'd won on my other bid, on a green Anteprima Stella wirebag. One of the JLH volunteers came to our table, but the paperwork was for Noreen Kam, who was just leaving. So that was a surprise to her. We figured out that the person who checked us in at the door, probably overlooked that there were two N. Kams at the same table and had given me Noreen's bidding number. But it all worked out since we know each other and have run into this problem before with errant emails. People also confuse me with Nathan Kam and I have received some email directed to him over the years.

Kathy Muneno on the runway. Click here to view the fashion show.

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.

Chanel shoes and peek into a dream closet

Nadine Kam photos
Designs from Chanel's fall footwear collection were showcased in celebration of the brand's biggest Hawaii fan. A peek into her closet proves the point.

It was all about Chanel footwear yesterday, Nov. 17, when Tiana Torii opened her home to Chanel and about a dozen fellow afficionados for a private showcase of fall designs not carried by the boutiques here.

Joseph Cruz, national sales director for shoes, retail division, was in town from New York to help fit and match guests with shoes that best suit their personalities.

I gravitated to the pearl boot below, and Princess Dialta Alliata de Montereale humorously advised, "Never ask the price. In cases like this, you just close your eyes and give them your credit card."

I don't know if it's more a function of being a journo or economically challenged, but I always have to know every detail, and the main detail is that the boot is $1,525. Sigh. It was hard to take them off. Can you imagine these with the right outfit?!

Chanel's Joseph Cruz with a Shanghai-inspired boot with lantern embossing and a silver lantern on the heel.

Tiana, second from left, with her friends Kim Yoshino, Kristi Komeya and Tessie Schmisseur.

Oh, but heart be still! The real piece de resistance was a trek through Tiana's dream closet, with Chanel's pretty tweed suits, shoes and handbags lined up in a row. It was amazing to behold, but the impact of it all really didn't hit me until later, when I woke up in the middle of the night, started thinking about it and couldn't go back to sleep.

My first thought was of a black tank top introduced a couple years back, embellished with five pieces of applique, that I know she owns and wished I could see again.

Then I thought of how there are so many words associated with the brand, like "iconic, classic, timeless," that I can spew them out without much thought. They are a shorthand for getting an idea across. But as I looked at the pieces in Tiana's closet, I realized how any of those pieces, no matter which season or which year, could be worn with any of the other pieces, and look just as current now as a decade ago, and always be recognized as Chanel. It's the reason she said she has trouble parting with any of her Chanel pieces. They can be worn forever. She also has an eye for the most iconic pieces of any collection, making them instantly collectible.

That shows how strong the brand, its vision and aesthetics are, and it's quite a feat. I can't think of many other brands that can sustain that instant recognition over decades. Certainly in terms of accessories, there is Hermes, Dior and Louis Vuitton, but in clothing?

My introduction to couture was through Chanel, one of the first luxury brands to have arrived in Hawaii in the 1980s. I wish I had the kind of personal technology available today to capture the fantastic runway shows produced at that time, along with the initial French Festival shows that brought the haute couture to Hawaii. They are now relegated strictly to memory, but the Chanel, Dior and Sonia Rykiel shows were fantastic.

Far from being stuffy, the same ethos that led Chanel to buy and preserve the work of such Maisons d'Art as Lemarié (feathers), Lesage (embroidery) Desrues (metalwork), Goossens (goldsmith) and Guillet (flowers), made them eager to share the handwork of its haute couture garments, and demonstrate to those who cannot fathom the expense of such garments, what separates their work from what we usually wear. They represent the highest achievement in fashion, as well as a connection to the past.

Catherine Lin tries on one of Tiana's favorites from the fall collection, a bootie dressed with a row of camellias.

Tiana's love for Chanel is also reflected in this Bearbrick figure dressed in Chanel's iconic suit, pearls, shades and camellia.

A glimpse of the dream closet, with some of Tiana's Chanel purses.

Then there's her shoe collection.