the dish on j.j. dolan's

food always seems to dominate my trips home. while wine is typically nowhere to be found, my fella and i are dined almost 24/7 between meetups with family, friends and reliving our childhoods via a long list of island bites that can only be found in hawaii.

when we hit the very first friday of the new year, we happened to stroll by a newly opened pizza joint overflowing with a cheery crowd. intrigued, my fella and i returned a few days later on the premise of finding a good slice in the islands and happily discovered it at j.j. dolan's.

we opted to split our pie in two (shown above) - the giacomo on one side (this pizza classic topped with sausage, pepperoni, salami & olives was our favorite) and spinach & garlic on the opposite side. the crust is a revelation and i find myself dreaming of its savory crispness all the way across the pacific.

pizzas come in one size only (more than enough for two) with nine different offerings currently on the menu or you can opt to build your own pie for a custom taste. you can also order up a handful of brews on tap from the bar.

• where: 1147 bethel street (across from marks garage)
• hours: mon to fri, 11a to 1a & sat, 5p to 1a

click over to the star-bulletin and honolulu weekly for more takes on this new chinatown favorite.

fighting eel spring 2009

ryder

while the world dishes on the first lady's inaugural fashion picks, fighting eel recently posted peeks of their upcoming spring 09 collection.

honolulu designers lan chung & rona bennett were the first to put modern hawaii style on the fashion map with their label's oh-so-simple yet still head turning silhouettes thoughtfully constructed for island living. this time around the fe team found inspiration in the a-line styles made famous during the pop art era (fitting considering the collection was shot on the gorgeous grounds of the contemporary museum) to the flowing gowns of spring goddesses.

hemlines for spring 09 go from abbreviated to ankle skimming while colorways range from bright splashes of citrus to warm neutrals for everyday. breezy silhouettes continue to dominate while color blocked bodices are new for the season. fe's collection of separates continues to expand with new mix and match pieces including a figure flattering pencil skirt and the return of the bodysuit.

karma

ocean

twist

carly

a spring fashion show is in the works and will be open to the public complete with trunk show (the line won't arrive in the fe showroom until april) and an exclusive peek of the summer 09 collection!

• when: sun, feb 8th - 3p
• where: the butik, 1067 kapiolani blvd, suite a-3

click over to the stockist list to find out where to scoop up fe's spring 09 styles locally or stop by the fe showroom when in chinatown.

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

p.s. the spring & fall 08 collections are currently on sale in fe's online shop.

midori jewelry inauguration deal

nile

midori jewelry designer traci morinaga kicked off an inauguration sale yesterday to celebrate the presidency of fellow punahou alum barack obama.

select designs are marked down 44% and are available in limited quanties so hele over to the online shop to scoop up a stunning handmade adornment to call your own.

• expires: fri, jan 24th

inauguration day roundup

it's inauguration day! let's savor this moment in history with a presidential roundup of obama goodness with nary a commemorative plate to be found! i only hope everyone gives the man some time to tackle all the issues facing our country and that me, you and everyone else does his/her part to help fix it so that we all live in a better world four years from now.

1 - the obamas get the superhero treatment with this fabulous celebrate change greeting card.

2 - crazy shirts jumps aboard the obama love fest with new tee designs.

3 - kona joe coffee introduces their barack o blend made with beans grown in hawaii, kenya, and indonesia.

4 - secret service won't give you clearance to drop in to the oval office and talk story with uncle barry? invite the president into your home with a custom wall decal.

5 - oahu artist mark chai (who designed these lovely plywood lamps) is making 10 limited edition "light of hope" table lamps from recycled plastic and koa (a portion of sales will go to feed hawaii's homeless). [update: mark just wrote in with news that one of the lamps is currently being auctioned off on ebay]

and, as expected, the official hawaii tourism website has a page devoted to president obama's hawaii.

p.s. to celebrate this happy, happy day, i scooped up 44 of shepard fairey's yes we did stickers just for h|h readers. email your name & mailing address to aloha [at] hapahale [dot] com by fri, jan 23rd and you just may find a presidential surprise waiting in your mailbox.

p.p.s. watch president obama's inaugural address here.

beauty & the beach

since my remaining weeks of 2008 and opening weeks of january were a bit of a holiday/traveling whirlwind, the next few weeks will be spent playing catch up on the sidelined features that have patiently waited until my return. also making an appearance: all the fab finds from my trip home plus peeks of the latest looks from hi's favorite designers . . . and a few surprises!

katie wilson and tami snodgrass, the maui-based roomies/creators behind beauty & the beach,
launched their new swimwear collection late last year to add a retro meets romantic point of view to the growing number of ocean style offerings from the islands.

if anthropologie sold swimsuits year round, i imagine they would stock styles reminiscent of beauty & the beach which dishes up sweet bohemian looks ranging from a revival of vintage crochet designs to embracing a more modern turn complete with flirty flourishes in the dfly line.

two tone bikini + crochet one piece

plum bow + fru fru

malea crochet beanie * jules' jewels seaglass & opi'i necklace

and, while not all of us can rock the more revealing beach looks, the online storefront offers one stop shopping of an edited selection of maui goodness from the likes of ginger 13, malea, jules' jewels (shown above), pompei beach & wings hawaii. welcome news for off-island fans searching for ways to reduce shipping charges while stocking up on their favorite valley island designers.

p.s. katie and tami are on the lookout for up & coming island talent so drop them a note to learn how to get your label stocked in the b&b online shop.