OMG…OMG…OMG!! I am so behind in my blogs! I know a lot of my guy readers get bored with the fashion stuff, but I have to recap last First Fashion Friday because it was so much fun! I need to thank Jason Soeda, who took a bazillion photos for us that night. I could only choose a few, which I will share with you now.
Our theme this month was “Transitions,” in which we showed examples of how to wear one outfit several ways, or update an existing (conservative) outfit to make it trendy, or the traditional day-to-night transformations. Here are some of the items:
Let’s say you’re lounging at the beach or pool and that cute guy you’ve been eyeing finally calls for a date…in 30 minutes! How are you going to look fabulous with barely enough time to shower? Here’s a solution from Precious and Nicky Shoes.
This outfit was a total surprise to me. Honolua has this very conservative dress, which I would never have picked but looked absolutely cute on our model. The left is a day look, maybe for work or church; she just threw on a belt and some party shoes from Nicky Shoes and she can go out with friends afterward!
This is a trendy “Pussycat Dolls” take on the same outfit. If you’re hitting the clubs tonight, this dress and boots from Millennium gives off a sassy-sweet vibe. The hat, which is big for fall, pulls the outfit together. The look on the right is just a more casual take on layering, which has been a trend all year. This look is great for movies or going to a party with the girls.
This dress from precious could go from day to night easily without all the extras. However, if you throw on a sassy Nanette Lepore kimono jacket, it helps to make you look more sophisticated.
The models show off the latest from Millennium. I swear, just because it’s goth doesn’t mean it’s all dark! These are wearable and trendy!
We even have men at our events. Daniel was one of the guys who got up and entered our catwalk contest. He was good! We also had a husband in the audience who was asking questions of our panelists on behalf of his wife. I wish I had gotten a photo, because his wife looked like she wanted him to just sit and be quiet!
Once again, bloggers helping bloggers! Cathy Lee of RSVP Style, who also has a blog on this site, came to support. Want to know more about her and HER style? Come to First Fashion Friday on October 3!
Big thanks to Jennifer for a job well done! BTW, that’s HER transition dress from Precious! Here she is with the fantastic crew from KQMQ….Annie Toledo, you so on it!
Again, apologies for having to play catch up–especially to Jason, who kept saying he could hardly wait for the First Fashion Friday blog. It’s so late, and short! If you want to know more about our events as they happen, just follow me on Twitter.
It was another long day for the crew at Aloha Tower Marketplace. Jennifer and I went to KHNL News 8 to do a segment with Kristine Uyeno….and had to be there by 5 a.m! Good thing we got there a little early; Kristine needed some wardrobe tape and Crystal Pancipanci, ever the good stylist, had some with her. (Flack tip to newbies: Make sure you know exactly where KHNL’s news studio is and how to get there in the dark.)
Chris Hughes from KQMQ (a.k.a. 93.1 The Zone) showed up and was telling me all about his work out at the Hawaii Athletic Club earlier that day. He could barely raise his arms above shoulder height!
Then Christa, our sales guru from KQMQ, came by and asked Chris how his day was. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to post this photo from Angela Elbern.
Many of you were yelling at me offline about getting some photos up. I gotta be honest, I was working backstage so I didn’t really get a chance to take many good photos! A lot of you were following me on Twitter, though, so you know what went on, blow by blow as it happened. Here are some highlights, courtesy of Christa Wittmier:
Overall, it was a nice event and we had a lot of really nice people! I even saw my classmates, Melba Balicanta and Junedale Nakachi (sorry ladies, I don’t know your married names) who happened to come by to check it out and shop. Big thanks to Cindy Chang of CMC Medi-Spa for bringing the aromatherapy samples–I needed that!
See you all at the next First Fashion Friday!
p.s. Big Mahalo to Jennifer Lieu (at right) who put the event together! Welcome to the wacky world of divas!
p.p.s. Are any of you on Twitter? Follow me! I’m @Melissa808
We’ve been working like mad on this annual event series at the Marketplace called First Fashion Friday. And today….is the day!
We’re going to get fall fashion tips from Alyson Helwagen of Leichic.com and stylist Crystal Pancipanci. When they asked us what to say, I told them, “Basically, the people that come really just want to know how to dress.” Heck, I sure need someone to dress me!
I don’t know what they will actually talk about tonight, but I can tell you one thing we learned through this process as we ran around the mall trying to coordinate the event: The big thing this season is GOLD. Makes sense, right? It IS an Olympic year; why not celebrate it through your wardrobe as you wish your favorite athletes well?
Some people will opt to use really bold pieces in their outfits, like the chunky Juicy Couture bangle from Precious shown here. One of the more popular ways to wear gold, though, has been in the clothes themselves, like the delicate design & embellishments on this dress from Island Style Attitudes. (Believe it or not, this is a dress from Paris Hilton.)
I suspect most Hawaii people will express the gold fever through accessories, though, kind of a discreet, “I’ve-got-a-secret” fashion statement that they can get away with at work. A little gold clutch from Precious adds an element of surprise when you’re away from your desk, you know? Even the gold disco belt from Nicky Shoes is something that can be worn with more muted outfits.
I’m also seeing more of my co-workers with classic work clothes, but wearing gold shoes & slippers, like the one here from Nicky. I will admit that when I first saw it on the shelves, I thought it was way too dressy for daytime, but when I saw it on the ladies in accounting, it was really a very subtle statement.
My favorite, though, is this Nixon watch from Pipe Dreams. It’s a perfect piece for day or evening, and can be either a bold or subtle statement (depending on who is wearing it). We tried it on various people–short, tall, large and petite–and it seemed to match all styles and tastes.
One last thing to take it over the top: Express your gold digger attitude with nail designs. (Yes, yes, you’re doing a double take now and thinking that my pun was intended. It was.) The Honolulu Nail Bar can add creative designs to your manicure or pedicure to get you in an Olympic mood. I’m guessing these are designs worthy of the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, if she were still running around that track.
Just a side note, since we are talking about gold: did you know that the Wedding Ring Shop is having a promotion where they’ll buy back your old/scrap gold, silver, and platinum? One of my friends told me about it because she didn’t know what to do with all the jewelry she had amassed from ex-BFs. She was surprised that she got a lot of money for her stuff….and now has enough to go to Las Vegas, including hotel. I’m headed there after this!
OK, I’m pushing Kristi’s tour photos back one more time to tell you about our live broadcast with Jai Cunningham of KHON this morning. We’re promoting First Fashion Friday at Aloha Tower Marketplace happening this week, and there are a lot of elements to show on camera.
Manolo is on vacation, so Jai has been filling in for him on the live spots. This was my first time working with Jai, and it was really interesting. Did you know that he’s originally from Alabama and went to an all-boys’ boarding school with a strict dress code? That’s partly why he is so spiffily dressed on camera all the time….not just for the visual, but because that’s what he is used to. OK, that’s not ALL we learned about Jai, but that was pretty good trivia. If you haven’t worked with him yet, he’s very easygoing and easy to work with!
Our first shot at 6:30 was promoting the fitness aspect of First Fashion Friday. As mentioned previously, we are offering a free fitness makeover: just listen to KQMQ this week for details or send an email with a photo to info@alohatower.com and tell us why you deserve to win. Chris Hughes, one of the DJs at the station, came to talk about his fitness goals and pump the makeover contest.
As you can see, Chris is interested in bulking up and gaining more muscle definition, especially developing his upper body strength. Jai turned to me and said, “And Melissa, you…..er, are probably like most of us….” And I said, “Yes! I need to lose weight.” My boss Scott texted me immediately to say, “So what’s Jai trying to tell you?” ha ha!
The rest of the segments focused on celebrity stylist Crystal Pancipanci, who will be one of our fashion panelists on Friday, giving us a preview of fall trends. She’s worked with the Baraquio sisters, Rachel Ray, and Valerie Bertinelli, as well as many local celebs. Last year she gave KQMQ jocks Chanel Mokepuha and Devon Nekoba a makeover (after which I stole all of Chanel’s clothes for myself). Today she worked with Miss Aloha Tower Kaili Hussey and Miss Teen Aloha Tower Steisha Sheather, and not only talked about trends for fall but how to effectively put trendy outfits together. Heck, I learned three things just standing there listening her think out loud and she didn’t even realize it!
I’d tell you more about what I learned from Crystal with regard to dressing myself, but you need to hear it on your own! Just come to our free event on Friday, August 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. Crystal, along with Alyson Helwagen of LeiChic.com, will talk about tips and trends for fall.
Ah, but this is a “flack like me” entry, isn’t it? Here are some tips from today’s live broadcast:
1. If you’re doing a broadcast anywhere in the harbor, you need to get the necessary permission to access the area(s) ahead of time.
2. It helps to draw a map so you can communicate to the cameraman (George Cabral!) exactly where the Live Van should park.
3. Be prepared to be on camera, in case people don’t show up. Today I brought a change of clothes in case people didn’t show up for the Fitness Segment, and was ready to improvise for fitness moves.
4. As always, bring extra props. I lugged two sets of dumbells up to the second floor while wearing heels! But they were necessary props so we could demonstrate some simple moves on camera. I picked the nicest looking dumbells so they’d pick up the light. I think we also had a couple of extra outfits as backup, in case we ended up with an extra segment to talk…and we did.
See you on Friday!
p.s. big mahalo to Jennifer Lieu, who was running around with the camera and getting all the clothes set up just right. And for getting George some coffee. And for shushing housekeeping as only a Pushy Chinese Broad can do!
All right, it’s time to tell you how to win that fitness makeover. You know how I have been talking about First Fashion Friday coming up on August 1? Well, to kick off the events, the Hawaii Athletic Club in Aloha Tower Marketplace is offering a free fitness makeover to a lucky participant.
Interested makeover candidates should email info@alohatower.com with a photo and a short narrative on why they should win the fitness makeover by July 30. Finalists will be selected before August 1; the winner will undergo a fitness program until the finale on October 3.
You can also listen to KQMQ to call in to win, but I think this is harder to achieve! In any case, you’ll be doing a fitness makeover like their DJs: Today, Miss Chanel joined the challenge along with me and Chris Hughes. As you can see, they have different fitness goals, and we figure you do, too.
I cannot stress enough that whoever wins this, has to stick with the program or it won’t work!
Even if you don’t try to enter to win the makeover, come to our free events anyway! The first one is on August 1 at 6 p.m. Learn fashion and beauty tips from a panel comprised of Alyson Helwagen of LeiChic.com and celebrity stylist Crystal Pancipanci; and a fashion show presented by Shane Takeshita of iCandi Hawaii.
Be watching www.alohatower.com/fff.html to see what direction our online magazine takes you this year! All right, time to go shop.
See you all at the next First Fashion Friday!
We’re going to get fall fashion tips from Alyson Helwagen of 
I suspect most Hawaii people will express the gold fever through accessories, though, kind of a discreet, “I’ve-got-a-secret” fashion statement that they can get away with at work. A little gold clutch from Precious adds an element of surprise when you’re away from your desk, you know? Even the gold disco belt from Nicky Shoes is something that can be worn with more muted outfits.
You can also listen to KQMQ to call in to win, but I think this is harder to achieve! In any case, you’ll be doing a fitness makeover like their DJs: Today, Miss Chanel joined the challenge along with me and Chris Hughes. As you can see, they have different fitness goals, and we figure you do, too.
