Noa Noa

divine, airy, dreamy ...

I am totally enchanted by the NoaNoa website design, its summer looks, the aesthetics it represents and everything (well, I haven't seen its price tags yet). The flash-only website doesn't allow me to download any picture. By visiting NoaNoa website by yourself, you will know what I mean. Check out their look book and high summer line presentation.

NoaNoa is a brand for women and girls with NoaNoa miniature for little girls. Similar to Cinnamon Girl, Noanoa design for mother and daughter, but it does not promote the "uniform" concept. If Cinnamon Girl of Honolulu is overly feminine and floral, NoaNoa has the right mix of femininity and masculinity, catalyzing into a well-balanced creation. For example, it balances solid color with prints; pants are as thoughtfully designed as dresses.

The company is headquartered in New Zealand, though it started from Denmark and sells mostly in Europe and Canada. I wish one day it will come to the USA. For some reasons (trade barrier or market strategy, I could only guess), some good European brands stop at Canada and never step onto the vast consumer kingdom of the USA. For example, another Danish brand Vero Moda is all the rage in China and it is not in the USA.

I love the way NoaNoa dresses a woman. Its models wearing flat shoes says a lot about the brand. It's women-centric, not distorting any part of the natural human body to please men. Or we could say, NoaNoa has a different beauty ideal than the mainstream American overly sexual and highly commercialized women image.

NoaNoa women celebrate their womenhood in comfortable clothes. Unlike the current above-the-knee hemline trend, NoaNoa has varied hem lengths. The neckline and shoulder area are elegantly exposed (and covered). I especially love the harem trousers. Must be super comfortable and easy to move in that you don't need to pay attention not to showing any body parts undesirable for the public to view. The silhouette is not all that dangerously curvy, returning modesty to women.

When the runway designs as well as mainstream merchandise sculpt women into beauty queens, NoaNoa is a fresh breeze that releases women from high expectations of looking "perfect" and revives women in its naturally beautiful form. Maybe I am getting older and feeling distanced from the contemporary American women's clothing. This New Zealand brand appeals to my sense of beauty and balance.

Dolce Honolulu

"Fun, colorful and comfortable", Christie, the owner of the store, described her first boutique in these three words. With her Ralph Lauren trained fashion sense, Christie created the cozy cute store that shines in the Ward Center with its vibrant colors, quality fabrics and trendy styles.

Dolce, the sweetie

Dolce Honolulu (a blog-style website by Christie to share her fashion tips and observations) is a new-born baby, opened to the world on November, 2008. Meaning "sweet" in Italian, the name innocently alludes to the sexy and sometimes dramatic high fashion brand from Italy, Dolce and Gabbana. By dramatic, I mean outwordly elaborated, aloof from everyday life.

Christie decorates the store in a bright and fun way. Looks at the yellow pencils and colorful rubber bands, a creative way to make the store look modern, relaxed, detailed and loved.

Trendy in blood

DH, on the other hand, has nothing dramatic (well, maybe a little bit in its small jazzy ways), but it does share the trendy pulse that palpates from fashion capticals all the way to mid Pacific. The majority of DH merchandise are cherry-picked from New York and Los Angeles. One can have a well coordinated outfit from DH that looks stylish and comfortable at the same time, as if these two elements can easily rhyme.

The store has a wonderful collection of graphic tees. The ones that caught my eyes are the exquisite animal drawings printed big and bold by Lauren Moshi. Unlike the ubiquitous logo tees (ew, I am so sick of them), these highly individualized artsy tees can gracefuly bump the taste bar to the next level for a wearer.Look at the owl tee with a cozy.

Christie's pick

1. burnout tee: breezy, textured with ruched sleeve details
2. j brand jeans: light-weight denim in navy or black, slim fit (feels really thin. salute to technology.)
3. toy watch: fun to accessorize a casual street look

Product origin: made in USA

Many are made in the USA, even with basics like T-shirt. Well, they are more fashion tees with light-weave cotton, artistic graphics, special styling like a zipper pocket. The price tag for a USA-made tee goes from $70 to $90+. There are also silk dresses or tunics made in India and Sri Lanka. DH is not just about cosmopolitan. It is global as well.

Fabrication: cotton & silk

Mostly cotton, good quality cotton. I touched them, jeans or tees. Feels crisp and cool.

Chiffon silk scarves and satin silk dresses add more luxurious touch to it. Christie emphasized that even its silk dresses can machine wash and hanger dry. Very consumer friendly.

I love boutiques like Dolce Honolulu, where you can meet and talk with the boutique owner, who selects, presents and sells the merchandise in person. There is a "personal" and "individual" halo around such independent-standing fashion stores, where everything keeps its essence in the best form, unlike the national/international chain with everything so diluted.

Fashionista's Market

Two hours well spent in a room full of discounted fashion merchandise and good-looking people, with loud music and summer drinks. It's my first time in fashionista's market. What made me happy is not seeing the excitement or finding good deals, but talking with local designers who translate their inspirations from the land and ocean to their artworks, whether it is a pair of earrings or a tank top. Here a common love of Hawaii is transmitted by their creations. The stuffs on display are more than just stuff or the commercial concept of merchandise but embodiments of their taste and beliefs in life.


Roberta Oaks

Dressed in her own design (halter-neck in bright blue with graphics in red popping out so that my eyes blinked at the picture feeling electrified), Roberta talked about her love of color and the sophistication of harmonizing colors in one garment. Being an art and photography graduate from the mainland, she traveled to ocean islands before settling here in Hawaii to work on her art. It didn't take her too long to burst into the fashion industry by creating her own line, sewing herself at first and now selling to 150 stores worldwide. You can visit her website to view her latest designs.


Omnia Jewelry

Upon entering the room, I was instantly attracted to Andromeda's table with an exquisite and uncluttered display of her jewelries. The presentation (the branches, boats, plates as well as her artsy husband designed business card) distinguished her as a great designer. All the metal and beading works are handmade. I yearned for a pair of silver earrings in the shape of breaking wave or snail head. It is a pity that it didn't fit to my pierce. She even offered to thin it out to fit my ears. I love the idea of "tailored" jewelry.


Ginger 13

Cindy Yokoyama uses the most vibrant colors in her bracelets, earrings and necklaces. Her design is fun and funky. She may use two different earrings for an asymmetric look. Skulls are a recurring theme. I especially like the Longevity earring, in which she pairs gilded skull with emerald carved word. In Chinese, it means longevity or a wish for a long life. The two opposing symbols create a twisted humor. For a peek of her latest designs, visit her website.



Wings Hawaii

They are from Maui. Young, energetic and creative, a team of good friends who materialize their love of nature in their clothing and accessories. A big metal pendant, named after a Hawaiian owl, is said to guard off evil spirit. Another visually provoking pendant is a depiction of seahorse wing. After first, I thought it's a tweaked version of butterfly wing. A repeating image is a mermaid, fragile and floating with long tasseled hair, rising from a shell like a dream. The only thing I bought that day is their mermaid tank top in turquoise. A very cut top for a hot summer day.

There were also Cloth Hawaii, Wedding Cafe, and Dysfunction magazine among other vendors in the market. Though there was not a big crowd in the room as compared to the next Exhibition room for "The Big Sale of America", discount for families, fashionistas who did come for a fashion hunt were thrilled in front of the body-elongating mirrors in the large curtainless doorless fitting room. I know we shared that moment of feeling beautiful and affordable at the same time.