HFM: OUTFIT welcomes blogger Wendy Nguyen

Nadine Kam photo
Fashion blogger Wendy Nguyen of Wendy's Lookbook talks about her work at Hawai'i Fashion Month's OUTFIT trade show.

Whether talking about food or fashion, a lot of people tell me that mine is the job they want, and while I never wanted to trade places with anyone else before, I'd be willing to slip into Wendy Nguyen's Christian Louboutin's any day.

The fashion blogger behind Wendy's Lookbook has it made, jetting to fashion weeks around the globe and collaborating with brands, while wearing the best clothes and working with her "mystery man" boyfriend and film director James (who-shall-not-be-photographed), to produce the short films and beautiful photos that fuel her blog.

Nguyen was among the speakers during Hawai'i Fashion Month's OUTFIT trade show yesterday, which continues through 5 p.m. today in the industrial space below TJ Maxx. The speaker lineup also includes Benni Leigh of Maker Studios, a next generation, talent-first media company; Emmy award-winning costume designer Giovanna Ottobre-­Melton ("Mob City," "Numb3rs," "The Mist," "My Name is Earl"); Michelle Moder,costume supervisor for "Hawaii Five-­O," who also worked on "The Descendants"; and film costumer and "Hawaii Five-0 costume supervisor Anthony Scarano.

For her part, Nguyen shared her insight with retailers and designers hoping to engage with bloggers in promoting their brands, as well as aspiring bloggers.

Wendy's Lookbook photo
Fashion blogger Wendy Nguyen in the Ramy Brook silk crepe dress and Jimmy Choo heels she wore at the launch of Hawai'i Fashion Month.

Her main point is to avoid the one-size-fits-all syndrome and work only with brands with a point-of-view and aesthetic similar to your own. Basically, if a situation doesn't feel right for you, don't do it.

The diminutive blogger said every designer has a girl or muse, and tells their story through that girl. She said it's important to visualize that girl and ask, over 24 hours, what is she doing at each moment.

With her own work, she envisions "the city girl" and even if she is promoting an article she received from a vendor, she said, "It's my curation, so it's authentic."

HFM: OUTFIT debuts

Nadine Kam photos
Sherry Holt, who launched Sunshine Hawaii in 1976, hasn't lost her passion for fashion and debuted a Spring 2014 collection at OUTFIT, the Hawai'i Fashion Month tradeshow that opened Oct. 2. She shows one of her vintage creations, while wearing one of her new pieces, designed with sleeves to cover bare arms with breathable mesh for Hawaii weather. 

Hawai'i Fashion Month continued its strong opening with the debut of OUTFIT, a buying, shopping, and networking experience bringing multiple facets of the local fashion industry together to promote Hawaii’s design talent.

Among highlights were a series of guest speakers (see next post featuring Wendy Nguyen of Wendy's Lookbook), and silk-dyeing workshop by visiting Japan textile artist Akihiko Izukura.

OUTFIT was housed Oct. 2 and 3 in a soon-to-be-developed industrial space at Ward Village, under TJ Maxx, and sponsored by the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism toward making fashion in Hawaii a billion-dollar industry.

Among those showcased:

Marylea Conrad of ki-ele jewelry.

Graphic artist Lauren Roth, of Yellow Bird Bohemia, who shed her handpainted trucker hats and tote bags.

Models for Pull-In Underwear.