Though I’ve never lived in California, I’ve always thought of myself as more of a NorCal than SoCal person. The good wine, slow food, and liberal attitudes of the Bay Area just suits my personality much more. But something’s changing.

It might be a passing case of rock fever. But recently I’ve been thinking of Los Angeles. Maybe too many hits of the David Duchovny-loaded Californication have taken their toll on my psyche—and yes, I’m aware he’s a New Yorker at heart that often loathes the City of Angels—but L.A. is moving fast up the list as my next off-island stop.

And nothing has added fuel to the fantasy fire like the savvy mag Angeleno. It puts a luxe spin of L.A.’s distinctive brand of easy cool with a touch of edgy sophistication. The March 2010 issue features actress Toni Collette on the cover. But what really caught my attention was the all-black fashion spread “Theory of Devolution” and the architecture feature “Postcards from the Ledge”. Fantastic.

Read more

The latest issue of Angeleno is available for free browsing and download at on Modern Luxury’s website. Also don’t miss Modern Luxury’s Los Angeles page.

Credits

• “Theory of Devolution” – Photography: Nino Muñoz | Styling: Bernardo Siaotong | Art: Daniel Lyons
• “Postcards from the Ledge” – Photography: Benny Chan, Peden + Munk, and Mark Luscombe-Whyte

Along with over 8,000 people worldwide, I watched the A/W 2010 men’s collection from Calvin Klein Collection online on February 14, 2010. I took it as a Valentine to all those who appreciate minimalist design.

Lean and mean for everyday

I love the sheer lean, sharp, serious quality to this collection. GQ’s review is on target when it describes the collection as “crisp, angular, and authoritative as hell”. The futuristic element that Italo Zucchelli has introduced to the men’s line is still present. But this time, it’s more integrated into a real world sensibility without losing its éclat, or spark, as they’d say in French.

Pieces on the wishlist

While much of the construction was quite attractive, these are the favorites of Kaila Hawai’i.

Iron Cuoio Two Button Sport Jacket | Bonded Plongee Leather/Ribbed Merino Jacket

Ottoman Rib Hooded Sweater, espcially in cloud white.

Onyx Rubber Overcoat and the Bonded Sueded/Denim Engineered Pant

Details on all looks at Calvin Klein Collection – Men Fall 2010 lookbook.

(All photos – Source: GQ | Photo: Andrew Thomas)

The aesthetics of walking

One small change I noticed happily was the overall change in model’s walk from the Spring 2010 showing. Gone was the stiff gait that dominated much of the Spring collection’s appearance. Aside from Mr. David Agbodji-see more and less of him here-very few of the men seemed to have mastered the “back from the future” walk that the house was going for with that presentation. On this outing, the men opted for a more direct, boldly confident stride that had an almost militaristic quality at times. (A few did have an odd robotic quality with how they took corners. )

A touch of Grace?

(Source: GQ | Photo: Andrew Thomas)

Is it me or does Mr. Agbodji’s appearance seem to be referencing Grace Jones?  The cut of his hair and the sharp blazers are reminiscent of Ms. Jones on her 1981 album Nightclubbing.

The soundtrack

The sound of the collection is built around various around a them, well, remixes that is. The sound design integrates several different mixes of “Basic Space” by up-and-coming Brit band The XX.

• Basic Space – Jamie xx Mix
• Basic Space – Mount Kimbie/Diskjokke remixes
• Basic Space (Astronomer remix)
• Basic Space (M.A.T.H.E.S remix)

Here’s the original version in the slick video by directed by Anthony Dickinson.

As all eyes have moved onto New York Fashion Week, I’m still happy to have discovered the smaller yet sophisticated Copenhagen Fashion Week. One of the most delightful “discoveries”—this, of course, for someone living on the other side of the world—is By Malene Birger.  The house was launched five years ago by Danish designer Birger, who seems to be quite well appreciated by British Vogue. (And, may I say, when I opened up French Vogue’s February issue yesterday, guess whose ad I saw?)  But the publicity is well deserved. And By Malene Birger’s latest outing proves it. Autumn/Winter 2010 collection was relaxed and elegant with a occasional infusion of luxe. Take the fur vest that the first model strutted down an indoor field of autumn leaves… luxurious yet approachable. At other times, comfy sweatpants were paired blazers for a cofident, easy-going look.

Where to Buy

As of the moment, By Malene Birger is relatively hard to come by in the States but is carried by a few selected retailers. (Check for current stockists on Label Finder.) But ladies in Hawai‘i can still experience By Malene Birger via the selections on Net-A-Porter. The Spring/Summer 2010 Collection is definitely fit for a luncheon at The Kahala or sunset cocktails at the Halekūlani. It’ll definitely be worth the hunt.

Want to see more?

Catch the S/S 2010 show here and A/W 2010 here on Copenhagen Fashion Week TV by clicking on the By Malene Birger link on the site.

Sources

• Copenhagen Fashion Week

After all the visits to Kaila Hawai’i since the Gudrun & Gudrun post over the weekend–I never thought fashion from the remote Faroe Islands would be such a draw–take a look at the runway show for Gudrun & Gudrun’s Autumn/Winter 2010 collection from last week’s Copenhagen Fashion Week. Until I saw this, I never thought wool could actually be so crazy cool. Of course, tattoos usually help.

Source: Copenhagen Fashion Week TV; Copenhagen Fashion Week

P.S. Several songs on the soundtrack are by group Toro Y Moi, though I’m not sure if they did do the first track.

In the web chatter that surrounded Francisco Costa’s recently debuted Spring 2010 collection for Calvin Klein, several references were made to how Costa had revamped Calvin Klein’s famous t-shirt inspired collection from 1994—the same collection that launched Kate Moss as the designer’s muse.

In one of my recent jaunts on YouTube, I happened to find by chance a segment from Elsa Klensch’s Style featuring the same collection. Watching the clip was a flash back into my youth in the early nineties. This was before the Internet explosion, when we all had to actually read the newspaper or watch television to find out was going on. Klensch’s distinctive accent was overly nostalgic for me. Her voice took me immediately back to being a teenager, sitting in a living room in west O‘ahu and watching flashes of an intriguing, glamorous world, as far away from New York as one could possibly be.

Unbelievably, sixteen years have passed since Calvin Klein debuted the collection back in 1993. As I look at the clip now, the passage of the years, the South Asian-infused runway soundtrack, and Klein’s urbanized accent (he did grow up in the Bronx) makes the whole segment seem like something out of an art installation. Some pieces scream the early nineties, particularly the black and white dress and long sleeve t-shirt combos. Other pieces, on the other hand, show how Klein’s relaxed yet sophisticated minimalist vision has moved into the general population. Of course, there are Klein’s models… a young and fresh Kate Moss sharing the runway with the androgynous Jenny Shimizu.

Klein’s commentary is particularly fantastic, saying a lot without saying that much at the same. “The clothes are tonal…,” he says. “…and very face powdery colors… but with an edge, so there’s a surprise of a shot of black or the shot of white or the black with the white. So that there’s always a strength and a softness that I think is very special.” But how much detail can one add to the simplicity of a t-shirt or tank peaking beneath a dress. In the end, it’s the bare juxtaposition of colors and textures that speaks for itself.

As I move into my thirties, seeing this clip makes me realize how much I am a child of the nineties. I didn’t get experience the Summer of Love, the sexual revolution of the seventies, or the eighties’ over-the-top decadence. Instead, the culture of my youth was the sobriety that followed in the wake of AIDS combined with the hope that marked the beginning of the Clinton years. Though the nineties don’t sizzle as other decades did, the nineties had its own particular edge, a clarity and a chic that one could pull off simply with just a flash of white against black. It’s this kind of minimal allure that one would eventually lead me to New York to experience this for the last few years of the decade. Of course, all of this came to a final end with 9/11 and the Bush years, which produced a cultural shockwave that we’re finally coming out of.

As we move as a culture into a new era, and the nineties are now an almost even ten years behind us, it seems appropriate that the nineties start to makes its influence felt. After the explosion of decadence and excess of the last few years, I would be more than happy to have my aesthetic sense sharpened by an edge of black and white simplicity.

On what would’ve been a mellow Wednesday Honolulu evening, the Kaila Hawai‘i team and friends went out on the town  this past November 4 to mark the launch of Project P.E.P., a special collaboration between the house of Jimmy Choo (known for its high glam shoes and handbags) and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The night was smashing fun with drinks and nibbles from Pearl at Ala Moana and retro grooves. We were happy to see friends from local businesses, arts organizations, and non-profits, including The Place, Animo Kingdom, Hawai‘i State Ballet, the Moana Surfrider, and the University of Hawai‘i. A special nod goes to Cora Spearman of The Place Honolulu for her rocking fashions for the evening, which just serendipitously happened to match the Jimmy Choo Fall 2009 collection. (We’re thinking specifically of the Odette handbag and the Cara clutch . You just had to see her tights to understand.)

Kaila Hawai‘i sends out special mahalo a nui to Joelle Hashimoto, Rose Horikawa, Desmond Kāne Balbin, Christine Smith, and Garrett Segawa of the  Jimmy Choo Ala Moana team for a fantastic evening and supporting a great cause! Select pieces from Project P.E.P. are still available at the Ala Moana store for a limited time. (Browse collection pieces of the Jimmy Choo website.)

In the photo set above:

1. Joelle Hashimoto, Jimmy Choo; Cora Spearman, owner -  The Place, and guests
2. Friends of Jimmy Choo

In the set above:

1. Holly Kim and Erin Stickley
2. Elegant daughter and mother pair Nicole Love, Common Cause, and Kazuko Love, Japan-America Society Hawaii
3. Jragen Moki Anderson, owner – Animo Kingdom; Raquel Avila; Jessi Bruce
4. Zachary Tomashosky and guest

In the set above:

1. Kai Andersen, founder of Kaila Hawai’i; Cora Spearman, The Place
2. Céline Labrador, Matt Cavert, Lesley Ann Culver, Holly Kim
3. Friends from Hawai’i State Ballet
4. Desmond Kāne Balbin, Jimmy Choo; Sumi Omatsu, Moana Lani Spa – Moana Surfrider Hotel