Manolo Blahniks!!

So a couple weeks back I blogged about a shoe contest called Sex and the Shoe.. The finals for the contest was June 3rd at Pearl Ultralounge where the 6 girls who won over a period of 3 separate weeks (1st and 2nd place) came together to compete once more for those precious Manolo Blahnik's among other prizes.. I'm not going to lie, I was anxious for the night and wasn't sure my little Betsey's had what it took to win it all.. Of the 6 girls competing, I knew 2 others, my friend Giselle and my co-worker/friend Kate. I was third in line to go up on the stage and show my stuff and work my little toes off. I've done a million fashion shows on that stage and for some reason doing this contest made me a little nervous and I didn't even have to show my face because we hide our faces behind a pink umbrella so the judges would pay attention to our legs/shoes..


Here it was.. the moment our feet had been waiting for.. Announcing the top 3 winners.. Giselle got 2nd runner up with her black chunky jeweled Sam Edelman heels! 1st runner up went to a girl donning Paris Hilton heels that were black and a bow on each side of the shoe. First place and winner of THE MANOLO BLAHNIKS!!! Brigitte Patton!! WHAT?! I won?! Yup, that was my name they called!! OMG! I got my crown for the night (literally wore a little rhinestoned tiara), picked up my prizes which consisted of gift certificates from Fashionista's Market, Sephora, and some other goodies, AND 24 white roses.. I was told my grand prize shoes would be given to me at a separate party put on by sponsor Skyy Vodka the following week where a limo would pick me up and take me to the celebration! EXCITED!!




Time arrived for the big day.. enter my H2 limo ride to Dole Cannery which is where Skyy Vodka was having their Sex and the City/Sex and the Shoe festivities... I had no clue the limo was going to be an H2 Hummer.. What a surprise! Totally arrived in style..



Upon entering the ballroom, I was greeted with movie tickets to watch Sex and the City.. again.. good thing I don't mind fashion and the movies.. Also provided were boas and fedora hats to get in the fashionable groove.. I chose a white and gold boa for my outfit.. Enter the ballroom doors.. It seriously felt like Prom night! Snapped a few shots with friends and proceeded through..


I was completely amazed at how nice the party was set up! They had a candy bar, fruit bar, sushi, dim sum, crab cakes.. and everything tasted so good!! Did I mention it was open bar?! I kept drinking a concoction called The Sophisticate which had the X-Rated liquer with champagne and raspberries.. oh so tastey..



THEN.. it was Manolo Blahnik time.. all the other finalists received shoes that night too!! My name was called to come up on stage for presentation of the grand prize.. I was given my first new pair of Manolo's!! The Corslace.. And the name is exactly how the shoe was designed.. the heel has a corset going up the back and the top and ankle parts are covered in black lace.. So vintage!! Love it!




On stage pose of the winning shoes! My Betsey Johnson's!!


Of course what kind of night would it be if I didn't have some sort of mini photoshoot with my surroundings?? This is my party pose..


..my feet will now rest on $765 worth of pure bliss..

*event photos by Mark Ramelb and Elliot Takane.

Cirque Du Culture...

I love doing runway shows.. it's such a fun adrenaline rush to get out on stage and model fabulous clothing, especially when it's a one of a kind piece made by local designers.. Obviously the idea is to hopefully produce multiple clothing pieces, but at the time, it's the only one in existence.. I was asked to do the Cirque Du Culture show in combination with the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.. This organization hits me personally so I was excited to be a part of it. The fashion event showcased local designers in Hawaii with an eye for couture, style, and creativity with a circus theme. Obviously, there's some prep time for a fashion show.. even though the whole shebang lasts about ten minutes, it takes hours to get ready.. Hair.. Makeup.. Wigs (if necessary).. Accessories.. Shoes.. all the little details to make a grand show..

Some pre-show backstage pictures:




Check out the high ponytail I got and crazy blue eye shadow, Loke did a good job on my makeup!!


My designer was Jodi Salmonson, who lives in Kailua and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii's Fashion Design Program.


On stage pose:


I'm loving the vintage looking swimsuits made by Suzanna Kuhlemann! (How fierce is this girl?!)


I even got to share the stage with Anya Rozova, the runner-up of the tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model.. She's got an awesome walk.. (from what I could see from our backstage view).


Post show photo sesh:



After the show, part of the event package was a private viewing with all the attendees to watch Sex and the City 2 at Dole Cannery! What a perfect ending to the night..

...couture, fierce, fashion.. life..

*photos by Mark Ramelb Photography, unless noted (backstage pics from my personal camera).

Sex and the City 2.0

A group of my girlfriends were asked to do a shoot for the Star Bulletin newspaper inspired by Sex and the City. I mean, how exciting that we get to portray the four most infamous girls on the big screen right now?! Crystal Pancipanci styled the shoot with clothing by Club Monaco.. I wanted everything in the store.. When we were trying on the various clothing to mimic the individual styles of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, I kept making a mental note of the pieces I wanted to buy! Worst situation for me to be in; easy access to trying on clothes.. I always end up walking out with my purse a bit lighter.. however, my credit card company LOVES me for it.. After adding jewelry, purses, and the necessary headband for Charlotte, I think we got the shot they were looking for.. Sidebar: We may have had practice doing this for photographers before.. we love taking pictures... We're models.. just saying.. this shoot was a breeze..



I can't wait to watch the movie tonight with all my girlfriends!! In need of some style inspiration..


For the full article, check out the online version of the Star Bulletin newspaper, written by Nadine Kam!

..for friendship, clothes, and martini's..

Sex and the Shoe...

A couple years ago, Pearl Ultralounge hosted a contest titled Sex and the Shoe. Every Thursday for about a month, girls entered the contest with the cutest shoes they own to model on stage and for the judges of various backgrounds (shoe store owners, fashion industry types, boutique entrepreneurs, etc.) to select their favorite shoes and how well you really sell the idea that you have THE BEST shoes out there.. Anyways, I ended up winning my preliminary round AND the finale!! They were the cutest shoes from Laundry by Shelli Segal with a mixture of soft velvet bluish/turquoise and purple with this awesome brown brooch embellishment on the top with a peep-toe opening.. unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the premiere party with the whole shbang with a limo ride, red carpet, all the glitz and glamour because I went out of town. Did I mention you win a pair of Manolo Blanik's too?! SOOOOOO, lucky me, I get a second chance!! Sex in the City is coming out with their second movie and Pearl is having another contest! I competed for the first Thursday available just in case I couldn't make any of the other Thursdays for the month of May.. They also allow you to come back to compete if you didn't win for another try, so in the event I didn't win, I had the opportunity to come back and try again with another pair the following week.

BUT I did WIN!! First place too!! I wore these super cute Betsey Johnson's that have patiently been waiting in it's hot pink box for the perfect time to be placed on my feet. I thought it was appropriate for a shoe contest to wear these little beauties.. Good thing because it won me a pair of Deuces Hawaii pink satin shoes, Fashionista's Market swag, and other goodies AND to compete in the finale that's to take place June 3rd! Let me tell you, there's some competition out there.. WAY too many cute shoes and my little Betsey Johnsons are afraid.. They've done me good so far.. wonder if I should purchase a new pair for fun??

The winning shoe for the May 13th competition.. my sweet little Betsey's:


There's some stiff competition and some of those girls have got moves to show off their little toes like you wouldn't believe.. Thinking maybe I should purchase one of these cute Christian Louboutin's for safety?? Or MAYBE I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes.. I'm thinking it's the latter...

Presenting... The Studio:


The Tahiti:


I don't even think you can purchase these particular shoes anymore.. any idea where I can?! The Very Prive Peep-Toe:


...For those Manolo Blanik's...