April Flowers

April 2, 2009 - Thursday


This is a little late but I am never punctual when it comes to uploading pictures! A few weeks earlier, a bunch of my girlfriends and I went to a fashion event/birthday celebration called, "April Showers" at the Waikiki Parc Hotel. The event was hosted by the birthday honoree, Blaine Ashley Hite, a local stylist who just launched a new online shopping website, Shop Blaine Ashley. Blaine tries to incorporate up-and-coming as well as local designers on her website such as Myne, Indah, Crispin & Bastillo, Thayer and Beautiful People. Most of the pieces in her collection are monochromatic, silk pieces... Lots of neons - hot pinks, greens, blues... Perfect to sport for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Blaine showcased some of the items on her website by having a pool side fashion show. I was especially excited about the show because Jamie was a model! She looked amazing... Check out those long legs. Several photographers were in my way (How rude!) but I think it makes the pictures just a little more artsy... Overall, the event was lots of fun! It was a great change of venue and almost seemed like we were at a private pool party in LA.




stunning. my favorite pic.

Spotted: Tea Carrere and she was really sweet! She was laughing at all of us because we were cheering so loud for Jamie...

Post-fashion event I went to Nobu and sampled three sinfully delicious desserts! Yum, you know me and my sweet tooth! Soooo good! The pastry chef creates new, innovative desserts every season. All the desserts are made in-house down to the homemade ice cream!


Cafe Espresso: Espresso foam, coffee ice cream, cocoa crumble, passion fruit jelly and curry milk panna cotta (back), Shaved Ice: Lilikoi ice, fruit syrup, condensed milk, mixed fresh fruit and dulce de luche ice cream (left) and Chocolate Yogurt: Frozen chocolate powder, caramelized pineapple, yogurt ice cream and phyllo crunch (right)

Damn Louboutins! So frickin cute.

Besotted!...Again. I'd fast for two days, run 5 miles daily, eat a million olives and peas (which I detest), give up alcohol for the next three months...Hmm... the list could go on and on for what I would do to have these sweet things perched up in my closet. I told my friend, Janice to find everyone and their mom's to donate $20-30 and give these to me for my birthday. Retail price - $995 so that's only around 30 people/a lot of people I know...Doable, I think ;)

Photo credit: Neiman Marcus

Cloth Hawaii

I was sort of bad this weekend... And did some shopping! Oopsies. I have two great excuses to justify my behavior:
1) I haven't shopped in a long, long time... It's been about two months which is stellar for me considering I do have a bit of a problem. With any nasty habit, once you try to quit it's suggested that you ease into it... You can't just go cold turkey! Heck if I waited three months to shop, it's very likely that I may crumble, go crazy and charge $2,000+ on those new Balmains! ;) Haha, kidding... KINDA.

2) More importantly, I filed my tax return last week all by myself without the help of H & R Block (Thank you TurboTax). Finance and/or taxes is not a strength of mine so I should be rewarded for my efforts!

It all started on Friday, when I took a highly anticipated trip to Cloth Hawaii. I've read about it in Lei Chic and a friend had told me about a new store opening a couple months back. Thank goodness I finally got around to stopping in because what a cute boutique this is!

Cloth Hawaii is vintage store. All of the pieces are personally selected by owner, Micah Iaukea, who is just as sweet as the decor of the store itself... I loved the antique white washed furniture, aprons hanging from a wooden stand, beautiful vintage earrings tacked against the wall and large glass windows! So fresh and inviting! Not to mention the Motown oldies playing in the background. I grazed through the color-coded racks (another plus) and noticed how diverse the pieces were... A velvet sweetheart strapless dress, multi-colored crochet top, flower child dresses and vintage tees for men. I settled on a black, raw-silk high waisted skirt and a navy blazer with white trim and gold buttons. Everything is one-of-a-kind and reasonably priced for vintage items. New merchandise is brought out every Friday and I'll definitely be back soon! Don't forget to mention Lei Chic for an additional 25% through April 10!

Cloth Hawaii
909 Kapiolani Blvd. (at Ward)

Next up: Spotlight on Indah @ the Pearl Hawaii Sample Sale

Custo Barcelona Dress

My friend Lissa invited me and eight others to the Contempo Gala on April 18th. The annual gala is the biggest fundraiser for The Contemporary Museum. Lissa's mother is on the Board of Directors so we went last year and it was a rollicking good time! The event is usually held at Neiman Marcus but this year it will be in the SuperFerry terminal. I was highly anticipating the sunset cruise but sadly we will not set foot on the boat because the Hawaii Court has forced the SuperFerry to cease operations. BOO... Regardless, it will still be tons of fun! I can't wait to dress up and see everyone dressed to the nines.

This brings me to my mini debacle. I posted a picture of the ABS dress I bought in Los Angeles a couple months ago. I was thinking about wearing that to the gala but now I'm torn because I forgot about this Custo Barcelona dress I have yet to wear! The two dresses are completely different looks. The Custo dress is a little more casual but artsy with it's abstract pattern (it is an art gala after all). It's also form fitting against my body so that makes it pretty sexy. The ABS dress is more formal and girly with the off-kilter bow. It's a classier look. So it comes down to Classy v. Sexy. What to do?! T minus 11 days to decide!

Photo credit: fifiluxe

3.1 Phillip Lim & Balmain Crystal Heels

Besotted!

I tried this exact Phillip Lim dress on last winter but it was in a dark perrywinkle blue color. If you've been following my blog, then you know that I LOVE coral, so when I saw this dress I died a little. And of course, the fact that Cameron Diaz wore this exact dress to the Spike Awards last May doesn't hurt. ;)



Thank you to my friend Leslie who introduced me to these Balmain Studded Sandals... The beguiling, $2,000+ strappy, crystal heels have been seen on celebs like Jennifer Connelly, Rihanna, Molly Sims and Audrina Patridge.

Photo credit: Red Carpet Fashion Awards, theinsider

Me v. Thayer

So I was doing some online "window shopping" this morning at work and this gold Thayer dress looks a LOT like the dress I made for Halloween (I was a gold digger). Could there be a future for me in design, maybe? :)

P.S. ShopBop is having an AMAZING sale right now.

Photo Credit: ShopBop

Wrap Bracelets

Lately I've been sporting a more bohemian look... Across the forehead headbands, suede boots and flats with fringe, feather accessories and wrap bracelets!

The top wrap bracelet is by Chan Luu. Although she also designs scarves and other types of jewelry, her wrap bracelets have gained popularity as her signature piece and have adorned the wrists of many celebrities including Kate Hudson, Halle Berry, Rihanna and Jennifer Aniston. Luu's bracelets have also appeared in magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Glamour. I received this as a gift and it has become one of my favorite staple pieces. After a few beach outings and swims, it has that perfect worn, vintage look that I love!

The bottom bracelet happens to be my own! Initially, I wanted to start my own blog to serve as a documentation of designers and styles that caught my eye. But now, I think it is also an excellent opportunity to showcase my hobby - designing and creating jewelry, headbands and clothes. More posts of my original work to come! :)

Towering Heels for the First Day of Spring!

Stella McCartney

Loeffler Randall
Pour La Victoire

Cynthia Vincent
Chloe
Photo Credit: Intermix

***FIRST DAY OF SPRING!***

I LOVE HIGH HEELS. The problem is I specifically am interested in the budget-breaking designer kicks. I blame my brother who bought me my first pair of Manolo Blahniks a few years ago. To me, the higher the heel, the better. Figuring out a way to walk without falling on my face is just a slight consideration before buying. And these spring platforms are high... Every shoe pictured are at least 3 inches or higher. Gladiator-inspired designs seem to still be hot and the strappier the better! I love the subtleties and embellishments of each design... Studs, zippers, braids, mesh, metal hardware, bows... Love it all.

DSquared2 for Britney Spears

IT'S BRITNEY, BITCH!

Britney's Circus concert kicked off in the Big Easy last night! I'm not one for concerts because I hate all the pushing and shoving against my 5'2 stature, but this is one show I'm dying to go to! Britney and The Pussycat Dolls, please come to Hawaii!

Aside from what is guaranteed to be an amazing performance, Dan and Dean Caten, the Canadian twin brothers behind Dsquared2 have designed numerous ensembles for Britney and her dancers! I'm excited about this because when I was 17, I fell in love (and into debt) with Dsquared2. I was a big girl with my very own credit card so I purchased a black, gold studded dress from Aloha Rag. The delicate bow in the back was the hooker!

The Caten's circus-themed costumes for the tour are WILDLY hot. According to Dan Caten, Britney, "starts off with the cheetah-head, removes it to become the ring-master and lion-tamer, and then strips off the jacket to reveal a Swarovski-crystal corset, fishnets and thigh-high boots." Hot damn!
Photo credit: People

Heidi Merrick

Ever since I can remember, I have been a sucker for the color coral. My prom dress was coral, my 21st birthday dress was coral, my favorite blushes and lipsticks are... CORAL. So it should come by no surprise that I absolutely LOVE these pieces in Heidi Merrick's Spring 2009 line! The flowing chiffon and delicate ruffles creates a look that is ultra feminine and at the same time oh so boho chic! For more information on Heidi Merrick visit her blog here.
Photo credit: Heidi Merrick