boutique week: kai

boutique week is wrapping up and i hope you have discovered a few new brick and mortar gems so far! today, we have been invited to enjoy a sneak preview of kai which officially opens its doors in lovely kailua town this weekend. the vibe is all about effortless yet chic island style with an edited offering of jersey separates, flirty resortwear, and handcrafted jewelry from local designers to complete the look. 

the shelves are also stocked with eco-friendly beauty goods to perfect your tropical glow and gorgeous whimsy from the roost design collective to outfit your home.

if you shudder at the thought of shopping for a new outfit or are short on time, the additional services offered in-store will be much appreciated. shop proprietors bev binney and shannon schubert are happy to pull looks just for you and offer styling advice so your shopping bag is only filled with purchases you absolutely adore.

in addition to local finds from alora ambiance, hinu jewelry, [ki-ele] and letarte, kai offers designs from bhati beads, coolchange resortwear, poupette jewelry, rachel pally, and t los angeles plus beauty treats from coola sunscreen, glo minerals & pure fiji.

say hello to the kai 'ohana during saturday's grand opening and enjoy 10% off storewide along with pupus, wine and dj spins while you shop.

• where: 776 kailua road, kailua (above kimo's surf hut)
• grand opening: sat, aug 14th - 6p to 9p
• shop hours: mon to sat, 11a to 5p

 p.s. more peeks can be found over on kai's facebook.

{update | may 2011: kai has shuttered its kailua road location with plans to re-open nearby later this summer.}

{update | sep 2011: the new location has opened its doors and kai can now be found at 319 hahani plaza}

boutique week: drift

drift inside . . .

photos from drift have just arrived and i am delighted to post some of the first peeks inside the kaimuki boutique which just happens to be the new neighbor of our friends at shop toast! drift debuted last weekend after many years of retail daydreaming by bff's and newly minted shop proprietors ale klein and laura ivy who, with help from family and friends, modernized the interior with rehabbed castoffs and lucky discoveries to create a bright and airy space to showcase island designers and artists.

one of drift's shop exclusives are urgentina's super cute canvas totes appliquéd with sweet pledges of allegiance to town or country (neighborhood declarations can also be made for kaimuki and kailua). priced at $40, i predict these to be quite popular and cheerfully demand more neighborhood options, please! or, perhaps a two sided tote for those of us who heart both sides of the island.

in addition to their shop duties, ale and laura design an in-house jewelry line ($35 and under) along with a slipper collection embellished with seashells. and, with many of us watching our budgets these days, you will be happy to know that most of the merch is priced under $100.

local labels stocked at drift include d'angelo designs, khush, indigenous soap, sierra dew, tiare teiti, urgentina bikinis, vers hawaii; jewelry by lance gentry (who handpicks sunrise shells from haleiwa's shores) and stoney seas; plus artwork by vers creators matt ortiz and roxanne chasle and photography by taueva fa'otuista.

next time you find yourself in the area, do pop in to say hello and welcome the drift 'ohana to the neighborhood!

• where: 3434 waialae avenue, suite 4, kaimuki
• shop hours: mon to sun, 1p to 7p

p.s. a few finishing touches remain on the official website so click over to drift's facebook for shop updates.

new peeks: maui thing summer 2010

m's islands

while i await a few remaining details for today's featured oahu shop, let's take a little detour to the valley isle which is the home base of maui thing. i finally had a chance to pop into the flagship store while strolling through charming downtown wailuku during my springtime holiday, and found myself instantly cheered by the bright interior and racks of wearables rocking an assortment of prints designed by local artists.

the label just celebrated its anniversary so i gathered up a few favorites from the summer collection filled with the small yet timeless thrills of island life, from a simple shave ice design to a graphic cascade of gentle waves, in honor of maui thing reaching the two year mark.

free 2 b * wailuku town

bottle crop * henna

shave ice * hawaiian alphabet

happy happy congratulations to the mt 'ohana!

discover your own favorites in the online shop or at maui thing's wailuku boutique:

• where: 7 north market street, wailuku
• shop hours: mon to fri, 10a to 6p & sat, 10a to 4p

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.

project runway recap: larger than life

round 2: andy south & ivy higa

this week's project runway challenge tempted our designers, andy south & ivy higa, with the chance to have the winning look featured on a billboard in times square (fyi: click the link to stream the episode).

designer sketchpad

andy: make it work! | video diary

ivy: make it work! | video diary

and, of course, watch the always entertaining designers dish for the backstage take on the competition.

did you love the marie claire-inspired looks designed by andy and ivy?

{photo credit: barbara nitke, lifetime television}