Nadine Kam photos DVF Honolulu boutique manager Marilee Mattson welcomed Dr. Nancie Caraway and Gov. Neil Abercrombie to the store on March 8 for a presentation marking International Women's Day.
Hawaii's First Lady, Dr. Nancie Caraway hosted a cocktail event at the DVF boutique at Ala Moana Center March 8 to benefit The Women's Fund, a nonprofit that supports grassroots programs that empower women and girls in Hawaii.
The group believes that communities prosper when women thrive, and address factors that stand the way of women’s success, such as violence, adolescent pregnancies, low self-esteem, physical and mental health problems, substance abuse, prostitution, incarceration, immigrant status, inadequate childcare, sports inequities, reproductive rights, poverty, disabilities and more.
Ten percent of proceeds from sales that evening will support the group, while another 10 percent of sales from that day through this evening will support the Vital Voices organization.
DVF has long been a supporter of women's rights and empowerment, and her annual "Proud to Be Woman" campaign includes an array of "Proud to be Woman" logo items, from totes to a music play button, sales of which go to to women's programs.
Of course Caraway had her husband in tow, who read a proclamation in support of these efforts, timing his finale to the end of the video of DVF's New York Fashion Week show, saying, "Diane will be showing up soon." It took a while, but when she appeared on screen, all applauded, so it felt as if she were really in the house again!
Diane von Furstenberg's annual "Proud to be Woman" campaign reflects her long-term commitment to women’s empowerment, with fundraising events that benefit women's shelters and other women's organizations. This year's beneficiaries are Vital Voices and The Women's Fund.
Designer Sophia with Hifi's Melissa May White.
Soon-to-be-wed Sherri Vallejo, left, Lizette Chang-Zahn and I all decided to try on DVF's Fleurette chiffon dress with batwing sleeves, available every season in new colors. Yellow's coming, but Sherri and I decided to get the red, while Lizette holds out for a dramatic maxi.
Here I am again, back in the much more muted clothes I showed up in, with Chanel Wong, in gold sequin walking short she found at DVF's Las Vegas boutique. I love sequins but made the mistake of buying a couple items online, where you can't really determine the size, spacing, density and light-reflecting properties of the sequins. Too many variables to leave up to chance. Never again.
There were some men there, besides the governor. Finding space in a corner, away from the shopping frenzy, from left, are Joe Bock, James Owen, John Vavricka and Marilee's husband Alan Mattson.
Helen Nielson, board president of the Hawaii Islands Land Trust, right, with City Council member Tulsi Gabbard, who was there to introduce Abigail Nickell, executive Director at Women's Fund of Hawaii, beneficiary of 10 percent of the evening's sales proceeds.
Nadine Kam photos New Mrs. America Lara Leimana Fonoimoana with her crown and sash, with Gov. Neil Abercrombie making an award presentation, and Luana Alapa, director of the Mrs. Hawaii America State Pageant, who's a former Miss Hawaii (1987).
Mrs. Hawaii 2011 Lara Leimana Fonoimoana was crowned the new Mrs. America 2011 Jan. 6 at the State Capitol, in a gallery with an intimate circle of friends, family and a few media. Gov. Neil Abercrombie did the crowning, the result of a little musical chairs in the pageant world.
Lara was first runner-up in the pageant held last April, but assumed the crown and title from former Mrs. America April Lufriu, who was named Mrs. World last month.
Hawaii has participated in the Mrs. America pageant for 20 years, and the first Mrs. America from this state was Leslie Lam, in 2000.
The Governor was a little tentative in placing the crown on Lara's head.
In the double-crowning ceremony Friday, the title of Mrs. Hawaii was passed onto the Mrs. Hawaii pageant's first runner-up, Shana Peete. Ironically, Shana, an attorney who's also appeared on this blog several times as a model, no longer lives in Hawaii, having moved to Pleasanton, Calif., due to her husband's career.
Well, our loss is Pleasanton's gain. She said she brings the aloha spirit with her to her new community, and work on her platform, based around childhood issues, will continue. She already managed to start an after-school tennis program as a matter of skill-building and addressing childhood health and well-being.
Congratulations to our two winners!
For more information about the pageant, visit LuanaAlapa.com
Shana's turn to receive her crown.
The newly crowned Mrs. Hawaii Shana Peete and Mrs. America Lara Fonoimoana with the governor and Luana Alapa.
Lara with her family, including husband Vance and baby Titus between them.
Nadine Kam photos In addition to receiving $2,000 as winner of Island Edge's inaugural Design Star competition, Sina Thomsen received another $500 to donate to an organization of her choice, and she chose her alma mater, Honolulu Community College. She presented the check to her former instructor Joy Nagaue, and Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie pledged to match that donation.
Governor-elect Neil Abercrombie made a commitment to the fashion industry Nov. 12 at Island Edge, at the finale of the boutique's search for Hawaii's next design star.
"I can assure you that this administration, an Abercrombie administration, is going to be behind island fashion 100 percent," he said shortly before announcing Sina Thomsen as the winner of the competition.
You can hear his remarks in the video, but it was nice to hear Abercrombie pledge his support for the industry, a seeming no-brainer but seriously overlooked by past administrations. Fashion is a multi-million dollar industry but over the past few decades we have lost a lot of talent to Los Angeles and New York for lack of infrastructure to support such businesses. People who have been in the industry a long time often remind me that fashion was once the isles' largest industry. The downside to manufacturing here is that all the raw materials must be imported, adding to the cost of doing business in Hawaii, but if there is enough business, everyone benefits, and Abercrombie recognizes that.
He added, "I fully intend to support, not just Island Edge, but anybody and everybody who's promoting island fashion, and the more that we can do and the more that I can do, I pledge to you, being able to see to it not only that we do our designing here, but that we do as much as possible as we can in support of manufacturing and sale, and seeing to it that by virtue that by the state supporting island designers, manufacturers and clothiers that we do our exports as well.
"We're going to take island fashion to new heights in terms of our exports we're not just going to be sending dollars out of the state, we're going to be bringing dollars into the state because fashion is going to be a centerpiece of our administration."
The finalists posed in front of their designs early in the evening. From left, Reise Kochi, Sina Thomsen and Randy Oribello.
Island Edge's competition started months ago, with submission of one design, photographs and sketches for collections. After narrowing the field to three designers, including HCC graduates Reise Kochi and Randy Oribello, the designs were displayed at Island Edge, and shoppers were allowed to cast their votes for their favorite design, leading to Thomsen's victory.
As the winner, Thomesen will have her hand-stamped halter dress manufactured under a label she gets to name, to be sold at Island Edge, along with prize money of $2,000 and a donation of $500 to the Honolulu Community College’s Fashion Technology Department.
Honorable mention menswear winner Randy Oribello, and honorable mention womenswear winner Reise Kochi each received $1,500.
Most importantly, it is nice to see a big business hold out a hand to young designers who have not received much support in the past. Island Edge is a retail concept by Pomare, Ltd., which does business as Hilo Hattie. The store is doing a great job in bringing young indie designers into the mainstream and hasn't been afraid of bringing in the unusual and quirky more often associated with street fairs and underground boutiques. That's refreshing because to any shopaholic, a lot of retail looks the same, and because images spread through multiple media channels are so repetitive, I think people want to see something different.
Among the unusual items carried at Island Edge, Cynthia Chee's purses fashioned from vinyl records and album covers.
Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie with Andy South, one of the judges for the design competition, new First Lady Nancy Caraway, and Amos Kotomori, who was presenting a trunk show of his Bijoux Tamayo (Bling Tamayo) jewelry line, named after his mother. One of his pieces is shown below.
Amos Kotomori's jewelry line comprises beads, stones and findings from his travels around the world over many years.
Nadine Kam photos The governor appears to be ready for his closeup in a shirt from Rix Island Wear. It makes sense that Hawaii's first man got the first shirt from Rick Ralston's newest venture.
Rix Island Wear quietly opened its doors at Ward Warehouse Nov. 5 with a morning blessing, with no less than newly elected Gov. Neil Abercrombie in attendance. Few boutiques can wrangle such an appearance but the "Rix" in this case happens to be Crazy Shirts founder Rick Ralston, a guy who's just as well known as the governor.
In fact, the two have been friends since Ralston got his start, airbrushing T-shirts and sweatshirts at Waikiki Beach in the 1960s. Abercrombie said that's where they met, and he ended up picking up a lot of Ralston's shirts because he liked the artwork and, "they were cheap, like $5."
How much would those original works of wearable art be worth now?
Coincidentally, just before opening, the company got a call from Herbert Awaya, of Manoa, who has owned one of Ralston's sweatshirts since 1962, with the image of a surfer. It was signed "Ricky 1962," and Awaya had the opportunity to present it to Ralston on Nov. 2. It'll be framed and put on display in the store, along with some other memorabilia.
Ralston retired in 2000, but now, at 69, apparently couldn't stay away from fashion. The new store marks a change of direction to a contemporary men's aloha shirt line.
The boutique is in the middle of the shopping center, mauka side, where Alliway used to be.
Rick Ralston with Rix Island Wear's director of operations Richelle Kim.
The longtime friends discuss prints and sizes that might work for the governor elect, who gets sworn in Dec. 6.
Inaugural designs from Rix Island Wear.
A few pieces of memorabilia are on display.
Rix designer Marcie Norton with one of her nieces.
