heather brown: high tide peeks

one of my regrets from my last trip home was flying off the island before heather brown's new art show debuted at chinatown boardroom. lucky for us, gallery owner (& new mama!) jackie was kind enough to gather up glimpses of many of the original artworks currently hanging on the gallery walls. longtime readers may guess that i am just crushing over heather's collection of little birdies in all their pint-sized glory . . . aren't they even cuter repeated row after row after row?

the show is filled with an array of small and big waves with nary a surfer in sight. other pieces include paintings on reclaimed wood salvaged from a north shore bungalow, and artwork introducing a more realistic style of wave.

no. 472 * 441 * 473

no. 429 * 438 * 440

if you are off-island and spotted a new favorite for your personal gallery, you are welcome to email or phone the gallery for purchasing details. (fyi: the 6x6 mini paintings start at $400.) paintings are numbered but jackie also shared that you can name your painting and heather will sign the back to make the title official!

and, if you are looking for more gently priced options, screenprinted totes ($30) and prints on sugar cane paper ($40) round out the show offerings.

• show dates: now to sat, sep 25th
• where: 1160 nu'uanu avenue, chinatown
  
• gallery hours: tue to sat, 11a to 4p

{mahalo jackie! and congratulations on the addition of the very adorable little miss parker to your 'ohana!}

boutique week: super citizen

happy tuesday! my regrets for missing photo.phile yesterday (a bit of a scheduling mix-up - whoops!), but i hope to have more photography goodness for you next monday.

as promised, boutique week hops over to my home island for this week's oahu edition! first up, super citizen (fyi: website is still under construction) which adds yet another good reason to hele down to chinatown's art district. the shop is stocked with everything you need to be a good sustainable soul, and its eco-friendly mission began from the ground up with the shop interior outfitted with craigslist finds and display tables and counters built locally from reclaimed wood.

after working her way up the retail ladder (including stops at american apparel hq and buying duties at tori richard), super citizen proprietor sandra fowler found herself drawn to earth-friendly goods and decided to focus on a merchandise mix which would help kama'aina take little steps to tread lighter on our island. step inside super citizen and you can scoop up sustainable style by local designers, organic keiki togs and toys, and recycled and reusable home goods to help reduce your carbon footprint.

local labels stocked at super citizen include ecolicious totes, malie organics, o'mao mao, vers hawaii tees & jewelry by beachcomber designs, ezer kenzo, oceana and paula nurse.

also in-store: american apparel, green babies keiki wear, klean kanteen, reuse denim, skoy cleaning cloths and to-go ware.

new arrivals: upcycled kimono pillows and purses made in hawaii!

• where: 22 south pauahi street, chinatown (by marks garage)
• shop hours: mon & sat, 11a to 4p | tue, 11a to 5p | wed to fri, 11a to 6:30p

p.s. until the website launches, click over to super citizen's facebook for shop updates.

roberta oaks spring/summer 2010

millie

my cousin's wedding invite just arrived in the mail which means it's time to start the official hunt for the perfect party dress for her summer i do's. preferably not too short, not too long, not too fussy for a morning ceremony yet not too casual for an evening reception, and - here's the kicker - sustainably made with a reasonable price tag.

sigh.

until then, i am content to browse the interweb and wistfully gaze at all the lovely frocks that do not quite fit my stringent list of requirements. one recent discovery are the new styles featured in oahu designer roberta oaks's spring/summer 2010 collection. the fabulously flirty millie is hard to resist with tiers of gorgeous ruffles rocking mini polka dots while the katherine maxi brings back bold florals in a modern mu'umu'u channeling little house on the prairie with a few artfully placed contrasting inserts.

katherine

birdie

also in the mix: updated colorways of customer favorites like the quaint and skipper along with a new jewelry line constructed of vintage car insignias upcycled into "grease monkey glam".

all of the featured looks are currently stocked in the online shop or click over to the website to locate your neighborhood stockist. and, oahu readers are invited to stop in and say hello when the doors are open at roberta's chinatown studio:

• where: 19 north pauahi street, chinatown
• shop hours: thu & fri, 11a to 6p

have you discovered a new favorite dress for summertime?

new peeks: fighting eel spring/summer 2010

zulu + ellie

goodness, somehow almost the first half of the year has slipped by without a fighting eel update so, while my oven is busy slow-roasting tomatoes, i gathered up a few of my favorite styles from the honolulu label's spring and summer collections.

the word from fe hq is that the summer palette was inspired by the gorgeous succulent garden tended to by co-designer rona bennett. summertime's shades are warm and sophisticated and taken from the kiss of color that adds a little depth to the pokey plant's bright green leaves. and, does anyone else agree that kcc's famous cactus garden appears to be the backdrop for summer's lookbook?

lately, patterns have been finding their way into my closet and fe's geometric bailey bone repeat for spring is making me quite happy. the pattern is sprinkled throughout the second spring lineup in an abundance of pretty silhouettes making it it tough to pick just one so click, peek, and pipe in with your favorite, s'il vous plaît!

jolie * dafne * jett

yoko + izzy

spring styles can be scooped up in the online shop and at your favorite neighborhood stockist while summer 2010 is expected to arrive in-store by early june.

and, of course, you know by now (but always worth repeating for new friends) to stop by fe's showroom for fabulous deals on past season looks:

• where: 47 north hotel street, chinatown
• shop hours: mon to sat, 10a to 5p

roberta oaks fall/holiday 2009

joe + sal

oahu designer roberta oaks' fall 09 collection completely skipped past my radar and, lo and behold, holiday 09 looks have already arrived online. this time around traditional plaid gets a playful, punk rock update in cotton flannel (love the happy turquoise!) which promises to keep you toasty when winter storms roll in while adding a little indie spirit to all your merrymaking.

roberta continues to stay true to her eco roots with organic cotton and bamboo/soy jerseys her go to textiles for day dresses made for everyday fun and flirty gowns destined for holiday romancing. and, a bohemian mix of animal prints and tie dye have found their way into the swim collection designed to make a bold splash at the beach.

marcela + kate

mod + lola

grey cat + tie dye

select fall 09 styles are currently on sale in the online shop where you can scoop up all of the looks featured above, or click over to the stockist list to locate neighborhood boutiques who also swoon for the honolulu-based label.

in other news, roberta will be welcoming friends and fans to her new studio space in chinatown on first friday with a grand opening bash!

• when: fri, dec 4th - 5:30p to 10p
• where: 19 north pauahi street, chinatown

p.s. a handful of looks have been marked down 40% (including the currently sold out revere dress in espresso) on 80's purple.