sig zane is the man

backstage bags

. . . and that's a good thing because his company's mantra is to honor the land & native culture of the islands. the flowers and plants that are so integrated into the hawaiian way of life are beautifully represented on textiles that are the foundation of the crush worthy designs at sig zane. one look at all the gorgeous goods and i guarantee you will fall in love with more than a few things.

in addition to aloha wear, the accessories collection is ready for the wish list and ranges from leather goods to umbrellas printed with the signature bold graphics that have kept sz fans coming back for more than 20 years. guys will also want to check out the super limited edition hoodie, a cozy alternative on aloha fridays, before it sells out.

maile umbrella

remember that when you spot something in your favorite color, your best bet is to snap it up since designs are only printed on 50 yards of fabric. the colorway is then retired so a fresh perspective on the design via fresh ink can be introduced.

lucky you live on the big island or maui since sig zane shops can only be found in hilo & wailuku. the rest of us will have to be content to shop online until the next island hop.

reversible island style

audrey handbag (circa 1960's)

one peek inside the closet and you will discover that, more often than not, a girl can never have too many bags. denise tjarks, a handbag designer based on kauai, originally kicked off her business by whipping up bags made out of vintage muumuu fabric, but with demand outpacing supply she was inspired to expand the line to include a mix of modern textiles.

an added bonus is that all the styles are reversible which make the bags infinitely more versatile. if bags aren't your thing, denise recently introduced reversible fabric belts which are too cute for words and would definitely add some flair to your favorite pair of jeans.

and, lucky you, even if you are not ready to get a head start on your holiday shopping, you can still take advantage of the free shipping offer which is available on all orders until the end of the year!

holiday style with fighting eel

time to take a peek at the holiday 2006 collection from fighting eel . . .

and there's more news from fe since their chinatown showroom is now officially open to the public on fridays from 10a-6p. now you can snap up hard to find pieces and score 30% off styles from past seasons and maybe, just maybe, meet the designers in person!

ma honolulu

one of my favorite stops on this last visit was to ma honolulu which carries a nice mix of clothing and accessories from emerging designers from hawaii and around the world. there is a lot of cool stuff stocked (like modern amusement with its ubiquitous birdie logo) that you don't typically find in the islands, and, after leisurely wandering around the shop, i succumbed to temptation and snapped up the super cute and very versatile chemise tank by wings hawaii.

hopefully, you are lucky enough to visit while the owner tomoko is at the store since she is one of the nicest shopkeepers around. in fact, i spent almost as much time chatting with tomoko and enjoying her gracious offers of refreshments as i did checking out the goods.

ma is located on kapahulu (adjacent to hee hing) so stop by if you are in the neighborhood and in need of some retail therapy.

{update | jan 2010: ma honolulu is no more}

hawaiian time

100 fathom

despite all the rushing around whenever i visit home, it always seems like time passes by more slowly in the islands. if you don't have the luxury of letting hawaiian time rule your schedule, click over to bathys hawaii to check out a recent find which has been hitting the wish list of watch aficionados everywhere who require a tough but stylish time piece to accompany them on their adventures.

bathys' watches are designed on kauai and engineered in switzerland to keep on ticking whether you are on an ocean dive or hiking up the mountaintops of mauna kea. the back even has a a nice map of the hawaiian islands that is sure to come in handy for ocean warriors.

if you have been searching for a really serious watch, bathys just released an automatic style which is available for pre-order for the holidays at a special ohana rate for today only. the product line is made in small batches and has been known to sell out quickly so your best bet to score one is to order online.