So the first thing that I get asked is, “How was New York?” my first answer, it’s a whole other world and I loved it!
Getting to O’ahu early & finding our first class seats on United was a blast for this small time girl and her friend of 20+ years and then arriving in snow blessed Newark with feet running was both exciting and amazing at the same time. It was off to the Met, buses, subways and VIA. Of course they day started off track and lost on subways, but it wasn’t a deterrent in any way. Rain, snow, never stopped anyone on their tracks and with so much to see and experience, those were minor details.
Fashion Week was in full effect. The biggest debate was how I was going to where some of our evening wear along with heels in the freezing weather? Well, my freezing Hawaiian ‘elemu (butt) won and so as you can see in the picture I decided to wear white ripped jeans lined with a warm black long john, topped with our KuHanu chiffon cami, covered with a black blazer and Kuho’one’enu’u chiffon scarf, adorned with our PoMahina Kupe’e tear drop choker and to pull it all together and keep my feet warm was our Kuho’one’enu’u winter boots.
There was no doubt that warmth won, but why not win in a way that doesn’t take me away from my roots and where I came from. Still embraced by my kupuna and believe it or not, I got pictures snapped by photographers along side the runway.
The first day entailed largely scaled runways, hyped music and large screens. The excitement was real. We were fortunate to not have to stand in long freezing lines and made our way to the front of the lines to get it. That was a blessing beyond words. Our first event was Style Fashion Week at Cipriani on 42nd. The venue was elaborate and huge, we saw celebrities, enjoyed samples and art and breathed in the beautiful architecture and setting.
Day two brought us another flavor, learning more about fashion through a cultural sense and with children’s wear. We attended Arts Hearts Fashion at Angel Orensanz Foundation, an old church with brilliant and nostalgic features. I had an experience with more of a culturally in tuned blend of fashion. It was inspiring by all means.
I decided I’d keep to the warm theme and wore blue ripped jeans with black PoMahina Leggings under it, our Kuho’one’enu’u butterfly chiffon top paired with a white blazer and our Kuho’one’enu’u chiffon scarf as a tie along with a wool black hat and Kuho’one’en’u winter boots.
Day three took us to Oxford Fashion Studios which was a quaint venue of stark white and clean lines and light. I appreciated that everything wasn’t over stimulating and also received VIP tickets for front row. We shared in bubbly champagne and several beautiful collections. I was curious about one line that had a basic black dress on all their models. It gave me something to really delve into thinking about as it was a bit mind boggling but seemed to work.
My attire was simple, once again, I could not get myself to wear one of the many dresses I packed due to the cold weather. So it was ripped jeans, you can tell I come from a warm place, with winter boots, our Kuokala long sleeve top and a lauhala head piece. Covered elegantly with a white fox fur coat and Kuho’one’enu’u chiffon scarf. Very simple indeed.
So much was learned and embraced while in New York. I look forward and feel confident in attending and being a part of New York Fashion Week in Sept 2018.