Dec 30, 2009 | Fashion
After seeing not one but TWO of my blogger friends posting that they were in Honolulu for the holidays, I felt compelled to create a shopping map of one of the towns I know best in the world. (I didn’t live there for 4 years for just the pineapples ya know! [the affordable ones are the ones flown in from the Philippines BTW])
The thing that always got my goat about shopping maps of Honolulu/Waikiki was that the ones distributed there are all sponsored by various corporations – so they leave off a whole slew of great places and instead list a bunch of stores that are way beyond the average person’s price point or not selling fashion, or completely untargeted, or an attempt to corral the Japanese tourists. The stores aren’t good, trendy, cute, affordable – or even unique…what you got on those maps are the stores that cater to the tourists with Aloha shirts, Hawaiian jewelry crafted in precious metals, kukui nut and shell necklaces, leis, coconut bras, crappy touristy gifts, t-shirts with “Hawaii” or “I got Lei’d” on them that shrink after 2 washings (thank you ABC stores), muumuus, personalized mugs, dog shirts…and on the other end of the spectrum, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, etc. (Actually I find the Japanese tourist shopping maps a little more extensive/exhaustive in shop listings than the English-language ones, just my 2cents there.)
You can also get an individual map of each shopping center on the island – but you have no idea which stores are worth a visit and which you should pass up. Those maps are so misleading! You have a map that says “Shopping in Waikiki” and you end up walking to a store thinking that it’s worth visiting…then find the same pile of junk you found at the store you were just in. A waste of time, in my opinion!
Having lived there for enough time to accumulate all the above touristy crap I can tell you I definitely don’t want more of it! And if you go there, one trip down to the ABC store on the corner or to Hilo Hattie’s will definitely suffice for the tourist in ya. (Better yet – buy at Hilo Hattie’s online or the ABC Store online – and ship it to you at home.) You’re only there for a short time – do you really need to look at more aloha-print shirts??
And the high-priced designer stores? Sure, I’ve been dragged into them by my mother-in-law when she buys three pairs of the same shoes in all the different colorways at Salvatore Ferragamo been lucky enough to visit a few…but why bother? I can’t afford anything in those stores – and the designer stuff is so much cheaper on the internet – whether on Ebay or Gilt or even at a Saks online 70% off sale. (In Hawaii, the designer stuff is about 15 – 35% more than it is in other parts of the U.S.!!) So not worth wasting a Hawaiian minute stopping in, even to look! (And trust me, there’s nothing exclusive to those stores in Waikiki that you can’t find elsewhere…except maybe J. Crew on-the-island…yes that’s the real name of the J. Crew store at Ala Moana Shopping Center…must find out more regarding this anomaly.)
Anyway, unless you’re Japanese loaded, are you really going to visit Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and St. John’s in paradise???
Do you really want to spend an entire day just at one mall?
Well, in case you do or are loaded or want one of those corporate-sponsored maps that lists everything indiscriminately and leaves off all the neat trendy boutiques who didn’t want to fork over the cash for inclusion in said maps, you can check this out here or this here (but you have to click on the individual maps of each shopping center to view them.) Why can’t there just be one single map with everything cool on it???? Okay, there is – a printed map – available in Waikiki. Not on the internet – why, I have no idea. (someone please correct me if I’m wrong???!)
Well, I made one. Here ya go.
(I have failed to list the souvenir-y, gift-y places like The International Marketplace, ABC Stores, Hilo Hattie, Hula Supply Center, King’s Village, Island Treasures Antique Mall, Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, or the Aloha Flea Market (a larger pile of dirtier crap I have not found elsewhere in the world) – because the clothing/accessories at those places is nothing to go out of your way for. If you have a few extra minutes, stop by to say you at least went…but otherwise, those are not places that warrant extra shopping visits, IMHO.)
Ah yes – and for you crafty DIY people – you may want to check out Fabric Mart, Bead It! (Kailua), Kaimuki Dry Goods, Ben Franklin’s, Craft Supply of Honolulu, The Bead Gallery at Ward Centre, or Isle Knits…though all the shops listed about have prices way beyond what you would pay on the mainland for pretty much the same items. (Though if you’re hankering for aloha-print cotton fabrics, Fabric Mart is your best bet – and likely cheaper than on the mainland.)
WAIKIKI SHOPPING MAP
(Clothing/Accessories/Shoes/Bags/Jewelry ONLY!)
…and a couple nail art items; I couldn’t resist.
(click for full-size; this thing’s gigantic)
Hope this helps you guys on a trip there!!
Any stores I’ve neglected on the map that you think are a must-see? (I haven’t been back in a year, so I may be a little out of date – I did google “waikiki shopping” to get the most up-to-date, ridiculously untargeted, mapless information I could find:-)
Have fun and aloha!
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 30, 2009 | Fashion, Media
I just came across the website The Selby through Fatlace. I was completely unaware of its existence up until now – but am so glad to have stumbled upon it! Photographer Tod Selby has compiled an online photo-journal of people and their homes around the world (Tokyo, Brookly, London, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Milan, Paris…) Seeing people, photographed in their homes, and the variety of living spaces they inhabit – so cool. (Am I also a little creepy for being curious about how other people live??)
Fabulous photography – arresting characters – a voyeuristic peek into the lives of others – what more is there to say?
Except this…I was doubly surprised at a collection of photos of model Elli-Rose (click to link to her personal blog – in Japanese) – a model anyone who reads Vivi Magazine will recognize instantly. There she is, in the home she and boyfriend Gui inhabit in Tokyo – lolling around, playing with their kitten, opening up their closets, being frank with the sex-talk…v. interesting to see her like this. I had no idea – nor that she was only 20! (Or maybe I did and I forgot.) It’s always interesting to see a more intimate portrait of people who you know so well by sight but in reality…don’t know very well at all.
more of Elli-Rose’s apartment here
I love the photographer’s selection of items he photographs around their apartment – the tiny minutiae and objets so seemingly insignificant – it really gives you a feel for the owners’ personalities. I was ROFL over the “Super Premium Catty Milk” above! Those silly Japanese and their penchant for English words on their products!!
Definitely check out The Selby is you have a free moment (or a free hour) for more intimate looks into other people’s spaces – and to satisfy the inner voyeur we all know is there.;-)
-Carly J. Cais
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Dec 29, 2009 | Fashion
I got some lovely items for my birthday and Christmas – will be sharing soon! But first, a last wishlist for 2009…(since there’s always room for more;-)
Roses Umbrella, $19.95 (sale), Signals.com / Studs n Belt Engineer Boots, $65, YesStyle.com /
Wild Diva ESTER Oxford Booties, FlyJane.net / Jessica Simpson Michaela in Olive Gray, $60, Piperlime.com / Stripe Acrylic Blend Mohair Long Scarf, $39, AmericanApparel.net / Gray Fedora, $48, YesStyle.com / Blaque Label White Lace Dress, $135, Chickdowntown.com / Ruched Cut-Out Infinity Scarf, $15.60, GoJane.com / Sequin Embellished Vest, $29.80, Forever21.com / Chain Trim Jacket, $59.99 (sale), WhiteHouseBlackMarket.com
(interactive polyvore is here for those of you who like the rollover effect….Blogger just compresses my polyvores too much when I embed them as is)
There’s alot of items I found on Polyvore from YesStyle.com. Must investigate further.
What’s on your wishlists? I’m wanting a sequined vest to ring in the New Year like there’s no tomorrow.:-)
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 28, 2009 | Fashion
Richly.Hawtin, a label born from a collaboration between Producer and DJ Richie Hawtin and fashion designer Isolde Richly, was conceived in Tokyo in 2008 and presented in Berlin-Mitte to the public in May of 2009. The designers created a limited-edition run of 100 t-shirts designed and manufactured in Japan, for the event. (see below)
The shirts are still available for purchase here. The t-shirts are priced at 120 Euros each ($172!!)
In creating their line, the duo “sought to use fashion as a physical medium to embody and explore the fleeting, intangible elegance of minimalist music and Japan’s beauty.”
Hawtin, head of Minus Recordings, infuses the pieces in the line with an urban sensibility derived from his music, and the line strives to bring a minimalist Asian aesthetic to its design-sense. “Richly’s and Hawtin’s affinity for the quiet stillness found in Japan’s snow-covered landscapes, calm seas and trees is seen in the gradients of grey that mark the elegantly stripped down clothing.”
I love that despite the line being awash in grays, the pieces are anything but drab. Masculine and feminine are interchangeable; it skates the line between structured sportswear and asymmetrical modernism. And that drip-stained bag is calling my name!
The Spring/Summer line will be available Feburary 2010 in select Japanese retailers – I’ll keep you guys posted .
Read more about the line on their website, or in an article about them from Gradient Magazine.
What do you guys think of them? (I’m guessing the pieces from the official line are going to be priced similarly to the $170 T-shirt. I love their aesthetic…just not too sure I can afford it! I’m not sure they’re the next Rick Owens just yet:-) But I still want that bag!
-Carly J. Cais
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Dec 27, 2009 | Fashion
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I also feature giveaways from time to time, often sponsored by a company who has a product or service they would like me to share with my readers I do not partner with just any company that contacts me; rather, I carefully select the companies and products I chose to feature. For a giveaway post I am not compensated in any way. The company sends the giveaway item directly to the winner and it never passes through my hands. I ensure that the winner receives the prize and act as a liaison between the winner and the company. I also put items up for giveaway that I personally have. Once a winner is chosen I personally ship (and pay for the shipping of) the item. I receive nothing for these personal giveaways.
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Dec 22, 2009 | Fashion, Media
If it’s bright enough, tight enough or eye-poppingly printed enough, odds are it’ll work on any figure. Crystal Renn, model and author of Hungry, and Jacquelyn Jablonski, spring’s new star, show off the season’s most sizzling looks
Photography by Terry Richardson; Styling by Mel Ottenberg
In case you are interested, the models’ measurements are as follows:
Jacquelyn: 5’9″….32-24-34
Crystal Renn: 5’9″…36-31-41
On first glance, I thought they did this shoot with only Crystal – then photoshopped her skinny to create the left photo – I honestly didn’t think they were 2 different people at first!
It’s interesting to note that they are both the same height – but to me, Crystal looks shorter. I guess the skinnier you are, the taller you look. But it’s just an optical illusions! (Is it just me? Maybe it’s just me.) Plus, Crystal’s bust size is only 4″ larger than Jacquleyn’s….but her waist AND hips are 7″ larger. Strangely, she doesn’t look it – in fact, she just looks proportionately larger overall, not just larger in the waist/hip area.
I think they both look pretty smokin’ and high-fashion…and for me, it also took a moment to realize that the two girls are two different sizes since everything else is so similar in the shoot.
One of the reasons why Crystal Renn is so successful as a “plus-size” model is that she is proportionately plus-size…i.e., her weight is distributed throughout her body evenly and isn’t bunched up in one place (unlike the majority of us when we gain weight…most gain it in a couple places, not evenly throughout) and this, I think, visually makes her appealing. (I think that the human attraction to symmetry and proportion trumps the human attraction to skinniness every time.) She looks toned and fabulous & I’m not saying she is fat or anything – she just looks a little larger overall than the model on the left.
I can’t wait for her book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves
to come out in paperback so I can snag myself a copy!
So what do we all think? (I think it licks the Glamour Magazine November 2009 Issue plus-sized model spread into a cocked hat, personally.) High-fashion vs. nakedness?? More please!
-Carly J. Cais
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After seeing not one but TWO of my blogger friends posting that they were in Honolulu for the holidays, I felt compelled to create a shopping map of one of the towns I know best in the world. (I didn’t live there for 4 years for just the pineapples ya know! [the affordable ones are the ones flown in from the Philippines BTW])
Hope this helps you guys on a trip there!!
