See you at First Fashion Friday!

I’m kind of bummed. I had to burst my daughter Nicki’s bubble yesterday. She was prancing around the living room, doing her best supermodel walk, going, “Mommy, I can’t wait! Can I be in the fashion show with you?”

I said, “WHAT are you talking about?”

She said, “You said you’re going to be in First Fashion Friday!”

“Mommy’s not in the fashion show,” I told her, “Mommy’s going to be talking at First Fashion Friday.”

She shot me a look: oh, talking. Again.

That got me thinking—why am I talking at First Fashion Friday? Well, Melissa Chang, marketing diva at Aloha Tower Marketplace, asked me to, because their theme for tomorrow night’s event is finding your style. After all, fashion and home design and décor really are intrinsically related.

Although style in fashion changes much more rapidly than it does in home design, the latter does evolve. You’re still layering colors, textures, fabrics. There are a lot of similarities. But it’s really interesting that there are a lot of women who have confidence in their sense of fashion, but are morbidly afraid to make any updates to their home.

I can relate, because I was one of those women. What I want to do tomorrow is show people, in my allotted 15 minutes, that there are ways to not only find your style, but mix your styles to create a more evocative, interesting and personal space. I’m excited—I’ve got all my props ready, quick lessons planned out, it’s going to be a real info-packed show-and-tell!

So come watch the whole shebang tomorrow night, including some real models doing their work in the finale fashion show. There’s going to be lots of fun and giveaways. We’ll be at Aloha Tower Marketplace in the center atrium from 6 p.m. I promise you’ll learn some tips about finding your style!

Back to Nicki. She looked so disappointed that to make her feel better, I let her sashay around the living room in my high heels, hardwood floor and all, and told her, “You know what? There’s only room for one supermodel in this family, and that’s you, Nicki!”

Quiz: Budget buy or designer splurge?

It was that time again, planning for what to talk about on my next KITV home style segment. I always try to make it fun, interesting and informative—but what am I going to talk about next? As I was getting dressed to go out to dinner the other night, inspiration hit me—literally as I pulled it over my head.

I paired my designer black jacket, bought on sale at Escada (no, that’s not an oxymoron, and I can’t mention the price because my husband reads this blog!) with my bling-ed out sequin silver tank top that was $12.99 from Walmart. That was it—budget buys and designer splurges! There’s a time and place for both.

So I decided to do something fun and a little different. I wanted to put Mahealani and Dan to the test. After the last few months of my teaching segments with them on Wednesday mornings, I wanted to see if they and the viewing audience could pick out the home décor budget buys from the designer splurges. And come to find out, Dan did better than Mahealani did—but you know what? That’s no surprise, because he always seems to do better when it comes to my pop quizzes!

Now it’s your turn. Can you pick out the budget buys from the designer splurges?

This is going to be a lot harder for you, because Dan and Mahealani were able to touch and really get a sense of these objects.

I started off by saying that every room can stand to have a little touch of black. It accents the other colors and lends drama. Black accent pillows are a great way to do that. Looking at the four pillows, which two do you think are the budget buys, and which would you splurge on?

The first has a dusky gold fabric and a soft black velvet design. It can be contemporary, eclectic and all in all fabulous. The next one is retro-inspired, black and white with beautiful flowers and Swarovski crystals for luxurious embellishment. The next one is striped black and bronze, with gold bamboo as an opulent accent. Finally, a subtle yet elegant island pillow of black and ivory with beautiful monsteras adding a decorative accent.

Next are the throws. Throws are a great way to add texture and warmth to a sofa, a chair or even the foot of a bed. So which of the three do you think is the budget buy? The first is a luxurious taupe chenille throw with crocheted pattern and soft fringes. It has a beautiful shimmer and texture. Next is a light chocolate-colored faux fur throw that’s lined with a suede backing. Then we have a chestnut-colored soft bamboo throw, organic, great for the environment and for any room. It’s super soft and silky.

Finally, the silk orchid arrangements. The first one sits in a clay pot with artificial moss cascading down, and there are three sprays of blossoms. The second is in a resin striped canister with moss globes as accents and also three sprays of blossoms.

So what do you think? Can you tell which is the budget buy and which is the splurge? Post your answers here, then check my next blog for the answers and a peek at the receipts!

Shopping and eating in one blog—goodness, I’m in heaven!

Somehow, shopping for furniture and accessories always makes me work up an appetite. That’s why, over the years, I’ve managed to find great things to eat when I’m out looking for just the right piece to finish off a home. I’m going to share some of my new finds and old favorites with you.

First off, always a great standby for accessories is Ross. They’re known for their affordable finds, from picture frames and vases to tchotchke. Ross is also one of my first stops for accent pillows. If I need a few quick choices to step up a particular color in a space or play up a holiday look, I’ll head here. You do have to do some searching, and some days you might not find anything fabulous, while other days you’ll have two shopping carts full. The pillows I found today range from $5.99 to $9.99—what a steal!

Just steps from Ross on Ward Avenue, I always make it a point to stop by Bale in front of Sports Authority. I know there are many Bales around town, but this is my favorite, and here’s why: you have to try their tofu with mixed veggies. $7.95—hmm, the price went up. I remember it being cheaper, but that’s just the sign of the times. It’s tofu, broccoli, cabbage, onion, celery and carrots, stir-fried in a light gravy and served steaming hot with rice. It tastes like home cooking. I always have to have mine with a little kick of Sriracha on the side. Whenever I order this, invariably somebody in line asks, ‘What is she having? I’ll have one of those.’ This the only Bale that I know of that makes this particular dish.

Next stop: Indige Design on Waialae Avenue. They sell everything from furniture and home accessories to clothing and jewelry to hand-woven fabrics and handbags—kind of an all-in-one shopping stop. One particularly incredible lamp I saw today can be used as a table lamp or a small floor lamp. It’s from northern Thailand, $545, handmade paper over cotton gauze, and wood that was collected along the banks of the Mekong, very cool. If you’re looking for interesting accessories that have an Island flair with a unique twist, Indige is a great find.

Fortunately for me, right next door is JJ’s French Pastry. It feels like a Parisian café with touches of Southeast Asia because the owner is Laotian. His specialty is his chocolate pyramid dusted with cocoa powder, an amazing melt-in-your-mouth conception. The tiny pyramid is 99 cents—it’s a little bite of heaven. Chocoholics won’t want to miss that!

My daughter Nicki’s favorite is the chocolate fruit basket, a handmade latticed chocolate basket filled with a layer of sponge cake under a white cream that’s not too sweet or foamy, with fruit layered on top of that and finally, a sweet glaze. It’s $3.95 and it tastes just as good as it looks.
The last thing I had was a rum walnut tart, $4.50 (OK, I can never have just one thing here). The crust tastes like homemade pie crust, just the right blend of flaky and dense. It’s packed full of chopped walnuts with a glaze on top. Absolutely fantastic. That’s my favorite just because I’m a nuts fanatic. All my recommendations should go with JJ’s cappuccino.

These are just a few of my favorite combos. I’ll share more with you another time. Let me know if you get to check these out. And what about you? Where do you shop when you’re hungry?