aloha friday scoop

november's first friday highlights for those strolling through the chinatown arts district:

• chinatown boardroom welcomes florida artist ted lincoln and his encoded escapes. (1160 nu'uanu avenue)

• pop by etown for a $20 organik trunk show. (1164 smith street)

• super citizen hosts beachcomber designs' holiday trunk show. plus, save an extra 10% off the sale rack. (5p to 8p; 22 south pauahi street)

• roberta oaks unveils her first ever holiday collection along with jewelry by rhoda j. (19 north pauahi street)

scoop up the third annual diva days shopping pass and save 20% off your weekend purchases at the wedding café, eden in love, hokulani bake shop, shop toast & more.

p.s. 100% of ticket proceeds will benefit dress for success honolulu.

• when: fri, nov 5th to sun, nov 7th
• tix: $10 (available at participating shops)

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introducing vakker blomst

considering my styling skills are woeful at best, the throwback hair pieces created by vakker blomst are wooing me with the possibility of adorning my strands with an old world, romantic reminder of the age of innocence. curious about the origins of hair fascinators, a quick google revealed that they began as an alternative to the fancy and pricey offerings of milliners with variations of feathered ornamentation decorating the hair of ladies through the centuries from royal courtesans to flirty flappers before falling out of favor with the arrival of the beat generation.

lucky for the modern island coquette, april, the maui stylist who launched vakker blomst on a whim, began making tropical confections for herself and friends after finding herself underwhelmed by the selection of available accoutrements. before long strangers were approaching her in hopes of purchasing the plumage straight off her head. with ladylike fashion making a comeback of late, the addition of a few strategically placed feathers, seashells, and petals seem like the most delightful way to dress up an artfully askew, thoughtfully mussed side 'do.

or perhaps it's the influence of the one new show deemed worthy enough to be added to my watch list this fall.

each design is handmade from pieces to pin in your hair to extravagant feathered headbands to slip on when you find yourself in a style pinch. pieces are priced from $20-$50 for ready-to-wear looks while custom styles embellished with fancy jewels can go up to $350.

the latest offerings can be found in the online shop while maui readers can find vakker blomst stocked at karina in lahaina and sophia grace at the grand wailea (and opening soon in paia).

p.s. click over to vb's facebook to see fascinators styled on devoted fans.

{via sophia grace maui}

project runway recap: the finale, part 2

andy south spring/summer 2011

now that everyone has had a few days to process the unexpected upset of the project runway finale and heaps of candy to medicate any regrets, let's review local designer andy south's spring/summer 2011 collection and send happy congratulations his way on being hawaii's very first PR-finalist to show at new york fashion week!

on the small chance that the show is still lingering on your dvr, i'll resist sharing the big reveal until after the jump where you can peek the finale runway looks, show links, and the dreaded spoiler.

hooray andy!

after presenting a gorgeous mix of provocative styles episode after episode, andy opted for a refined, ladylike look much to the consternation of the judges. and, while only a few pieces matched my personal aesthetic, the collection as a whole looked quite polished and wearable for a certain style set.

despite the judges concerns over the surprising lack of warrior chic in his collection (which resulted in an immediate dismissal to the ranks of the previously auf'd), can we all agree that the fashion gods will continue to smile down upon andy? i predict his much adored, edgy frocks will be happily rocked by the beautiful people around town while his elegant separates are style perfection for asian sophisticates from hawaii to hong kong.

with the interweb's collective shudder at gretchen's win, it seems quite telling that the tally from the seenon sale (now over if you missed the mention in friday's scoop) broke down to mondo's offerings selling out, andy scoring sold out banners on half his looks, and the winning collection selling the fewest styles.

{insert innocent whistle here}

before we bid aloha to S8, enjoy the final behind-the-scenes peeks from the show.

andy: make it work! | judgement day | video diary | designers dish | S8 highlight reel

and, for my fellow team mondo fans - were you also baffled by nina & michael's rationalization in favor of gretchen's all knowing crystal ball o' fashion?

p.s. mahalo nui to all the readers who stopped by to chat during the season! it was great fun for me, and hopefully i will learn the magic trick of wooing more of you (and you and you!) to shake off your anonymous reading habit and click over to comment and meet new friends.

{photo credit: barbara nitke, lifetime television}