Two reasons to celebrate A/X Armani Exchange

Nadine Kam photos
From left, A/X Armani Exchange's New York-based senior director of events & lifestyle marketing Michelle MacKnight, area brand manager Andrea Sarmiento, associate manager Sherri Bergno and store manager Shirley Parel greeted guests following a Hawaiian blessing at the Ala Moana Center store on Oct. 11.

A|X Armani Exchange is celebrating two grand reopenings this week. The first took place Oct. 11, when the Ala Moana Center store marked the occasion with a traditional Hawaiian blessing after remodeling to update floor and fixtures for a sleeker stone and stainless steel look.

Then on Oct. 13, the public is invited to the new A|X Armani Exchange Waikiki store, which will host a grand opening celebration to mark its move to the Waikiki Shopping Plaza at 2250 Kalakaua Ave. The event takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. with DJ, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a photo booth and an opportunity to win a $1,000 shopping spree.

In addition, every guest that makes a purchase that evening will receive a limited edition A|X Waikiki T-shirt. Following the event, those who make purchases of more than $100 will receive a limited edition T-shirt while supplies last.

The layout's the same at A/X Armani Exchange at Ala Moana Center, but the fixtures have been updated with sleek stainless steel and glass, and below, a gleaming new floor.

Reiko Rogers, right, and Mimi Nakano try on sweaters.

A couple of A/X Armani Exchange's fall/winter looks in Hawaii weights.

You'll also find a lot of fur accessories, ranging from purses to scarves to lined trapper hats.

Clean and classic for the guys.

Rachel Zoe collection at NM, Missoni coming to Target

Neiman Marcus photo
Rachel Zoe blouson metallic maxi, $550.

Love the start of the new seasons when all is new. Labor Day weekend is the time to see the new collections, as well as check out the last of the summer sales. Armed with the fall trend list, you have a better idea of what will carry you through the coming months.

Among what's new at Neiman Marcus is the Rachel Zoe collection which will appeal to those with a taste for the L.A. celebrity stylist's '70s boho glam.

Rachel Zoe faux fur turn-lock coat ($550) and motorcycle leggings ($275).

>>>>><<<<<

Then, on the heels of Karl Lagerfeld's capsule collection for Macy's introduced Aug. 31, set to arrive Sept. 13 at Target is the retailer's Missoni collaboration line. It's a simpler version of the original, but I'm looking forward to seeing what the quality of the knitwear is like. Would be great if the quality is good and could augment the M Missoni pieces I already have. Here are four looks from the collection:

Target photos
Missoni for Target, at left: Sweater dress ($54.99), hat ($24.99), long gloves ($19.99), clutch ($22.99), space-dye tights ($16) and ballet flats ($29.99). At right: Sweater dress ($54.99), Space-dye tights ($16), rain boots ($39.99), sweater ($44.99), headband ($7.99).

Missoni for Target, at left: Sleeveless sweater vest ($29.99), hat ($24.99), floral blouse ($39.99), pleated knit skirt ($39.99), slouchy bag ($34.99), silk scarf (tied on bag, $19.99), tights ($16) and ballet flats ($29.99). At right: Chiffon sweater ($44.99, available at Target.com only), knit shorts ($39.99), shiny tights ($16), pumps ($39.99).

Compare to the original Missoni, in pre-fall and runway looks:

Missoni photos
Missoni pre-fall 2011.

Textural detail from the pre-fall 2011 Missoni collection.

From the Missoni fall-winter 2011 ready-to-wear runway.

Prada fall men's collection arrives

Nadine Kam photos
Robert Gibson was among the Prada fans who showed up at the Ala Moana Center boutique Aug. 21 to view the fall men's collection, including the shimmery Lurex polo he's wearing. The statement fabric also appears in a long-sleeve style, ties, socks and womenswear.

Prada's Ala Moana Center boutique hosted a trunk show of its Fall-Winter 2011 men's collection on Aug. 21, giving fans an opportunity to show off pieces they had pre-ordered.

Lurex polos are already proving popular here, where the short sleeves can ease from late summer through the end of the year. Also on the racks were sweaters, suiting, denim and luxurious suede jackets with intarsia designs.

Of course I also gravitated to the women's area, where '70s-inspired drop-waist and Mondrian-style color-blocked dresses were being shown along with real and eco-fur capes, as well as eco-fur bags in to-die-for splashes of color.

From left, shoppers John Schamber, Wayne Yoshigai, Kimiko Hill and Richard Kuwada, already in pieces from the new Prada collections.

Prada photos
The Prada Lurex shirts as styled on the ready-to-wear runway.

Stuart Ing shows a Lurex tie with its small touch of shine for more conservative dressers.

There was a raffle for a Prada book, and Prada Area Manager Candace Konjevic presents the tome to winner Kimiko Hill.

Pages from the book trace Prada's nearly 100-year history, up to the present, including these sketches reflecting Miuccia Prada's fairytale inspiration for Spring 2008. The book, $125, is available at the boutique.

A couple of the Prada dresses for fall.

Prada photo
The strapped clutch is a woman's new shield. The large buttons on the dress are a key design element for fall at Prada, and the trompe l'oeil boot mimics the look of a grownup Mary Jane worn with knee-high socks.

Bliss Lau launches new collection in New York

 

Click here to see Aaron Ekroth's video for Bliss Lau.

Hawaii-raised accessories and jewelry designer Bliss Lau sends word that she just presented her first formal collection, "Embraced," for Fall-Winter 2011 on Feb. 6, a few days ahead of the official New York Fashion Week.

She shared a video of the show, made by Aaron Ekroth, also a local boy who moved to New York. Another of his videos of the photographing of her Spring-Summer 2011 collection lookbook can be viewed at his website, signalflair.com. Click on "Documentary Style Videos."

It looked like a great event, with food, beautiful people in black and ballet dancers as models.

Bliss says many others from Hawaii helped her work the event, including Susan Stanton, and the designer is doing her best "to keep the 'ohana strong up here in the cold of winter!"

Seeing Bliss's collection again reminded me that I always meant to pick up one of her body armor/jewelry pieces from Tiffany Tanaka, if she has any left!

You can read more about the show at Style.com.

Ivy h.'s Fall-Winter 2011 collection debuts

Photos courtesy Ivy h.
Visions of white- and yellow-hot magma, the black surface of lapahoehoe and blue of the Pacific as lava and ocean meet inspired Ivy Higa's latest collection for Fall-Winter 2011.

It was great to be able to catch up with Ivy Higa by phone in advance of her Ivy h. New York Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2011 presentation in Midtown Tuesday night.

The previous times we talked, our conversation had to be chaperoned by Lifetime in case she spilled any of the results of "Project Runway."

Since then, she's been busy working on her Big Island volcano- and lava-inspired collection, and she says it's "do or die time," as far as funds are concerned. She was in the same position last spring, and ultimately decided on auditioning for the show in hope of being able to sustain her business another year.

The question always is, how long does one chase a dream if one has to eke out a living? There are a lot of lucky people who have unlimited support and can afford to separate art and commerce, but unfortunately, many others who choose to create must weigh both aspects of their work.

I think hers is a dream worth pursuing, so I feel sad about the thought of her ever giving up for lack of money. I don't think she'll ever stop designing, but, even though she's currently working with fashion superstar Zac Posen, there's a big difference between working on someone else's collection, and calling a collection your own. And having had her taste of creating a brand, I'm sure it must feel like nurturing a baby. You want to see it thrive and be successful for a very long time.

Christian Siriano to give away a dress

FIJI Water has been an annual presence at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, helping to editors and buyers hydrated as they rush from show to show. There's that, and sample energy and beauty drinks distributed on the streets, which I was grateful for because typically, there's just no time to eat. And I'm sure there are quite a few in the crowd who rather not eat because skinny is the thing in that moment.

This year, FIJI Water will be presenting the debut of Christian Siriano's new line live online at www.fijiwater.com/christiansiriano. In addition to seeing his latest designs, Siriano wanted to add to the drama and make someone's dream come true by giving away a dress from the collection following the show. Check out the site at 7 p.m. EST (2 p.m. Hawaii time) Feb. 10 to find out how you might win!