Lululemon 'Lu'au' festivities tonight | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Lululemon 'Lu'au' festivities tonight | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Friday, March 14, 2008

Lululemon 'Lu'au' festivities tonight

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

In their excitement to open a store in Honolulu, Bare Escentuals introduced an exclusive lip plumper called "Kanani."

REBECCA BREYER | The Honolulu Advertiser

Lululemon athletica, the Canada-based fitness apparel company, is holding a grand opening party they're calling "Honolululemon Lu'au" from 6 to 8 tonight. Located in the new Nordstrom wing of Ala Moana Center, the store specializes in men's and women's athletic apparel with technical features and fabrics as well as fashion-forward style.

The event will feature music by Makana, hula and aerialist performances, catered pupu and drinks. All ages are welcome. RSVP to Keely Bruns: honolulu-community@lululemon.com.

Normal store hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The store will also offer a health-oriented Community Board and staff trained as resources for local yoga studios and fitness classes.

NEW AT ALA MOANA

Bare Escentuals, a leader in the mineral-based cosmetics and skin care field, offers customers a chance to try the application techniques popularized on TV. In their excitement to open in Honolulu, the company introduced an exclusive lip plumper called "Kanani" that features a lei-bedecked girl in a bikini and pareu on the packaging.

Wolford, the Austrian company known for its incredible luxury stockings, is not just about pantyhose — their high-quality fabrics are now being offered in highly Honolulu-friendly body suits, T-shirts, lingerie, swimwear and even body-conscious dresses. They often collaborate on collections with Europe's most prominent designers. Check out the Valentino pieces in his signature red. The top, with its laced-up back and bow detail, worn with a simple long black skirt, could easily take you to the Heart Ball.

While a few O'ahu women who have shopped the J. Crew catalogue for years are bemoaning the fact that others will now have access to their favorites, they couldn't help but be impressed with the beach house-inspired J. Crew on-the-Island store, across from Wolford in the new Nordstrom wing. It is bright and airy and has an atmosphere of a holoholo weekend. The clothing was selected to reflect our lifestyles, though on the preppy side, of course. Lots of cute sandals (love the hot-pink espadrilles), yellow polka-dot bikinis and airy Italian cashmeres in spring brights.

Le Grand Marqet is known far better in Japan than Hawai'i, but I'm guessing local women will discover the new flagship store's charms before too long. The clothes (for men and women) have that Shinjuku edge going on, but softened with natural fibers and soft draping. The accessories table in the back has some reasonably priced bright spring bangles and blingy pieces that will add pizzazz to any outfit.

SEDONA TRUNK SHOW

Honolulu jewelry designer Lynda Caris of Muse IX Designs describes the Tucson Gem Show as "beyond belief. It's miles and miles and miles of gorgeous things, more than I can ever manage. In years of going there, I have only seen (she measures the first knuckle on her pinky) this much of what it has to offer," she said. Caris travels to the Southwest once a year to collect gemstones, beads and findings to add to her one-of-a-kind necklaces and earrings.

Now Malia Johnson of Sedona in Ward Centre is bringing a trunk show of semi-precious gemstones and handmade jewelry from Tucson, Ariz., to Honolulu. Beaders and jewelry lovers will be able to shop the trunk show from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. They promise dealer-direct pricing on such treasures as nomadic knotwork jewelry by Isha from Bali, and platinum over sterling-silver jewelry by Daisy Ho from Hong Kong. Information: 591-8010.

DONNA KARAN, DKNY

New York's Donna Karan is a fave among Honolulu's busy career women; her wearable yet trend-conscious urban fashions suit their lifestyles. Recent collections have taken Karan back to her roots with meticulously draped dresses and tops and wear-everywhere body suits. A special collection for Spring 2008 will be shown during a trunk show from noon to 2 p.m. today at Neiman Marcus. At 2 p.m. tomorrow, her bridge line, DKNY, will be presented in a wardrobing session by representative Marie Lynch.

COLOR ME U MAG

The colorful Spring issue of The Advertiser's U magazine will be distributed to Starbucks and Macy's stores this weekend. Be sure to pick one up for an insider's view of Island fashion, dining, entertainment and more.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.

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