Nadine Kam photos
The 1950s meets 1980s in Jenna Sato's "Dreamboat" collection.

Students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Apparel Product Design and Merchandising Program staged the 47th annual senior fashion show, “Zeitgeist: Spirit of the Times,” April 28 at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.

The show featured the work of 13 junior designers and seven graduating seniors, highlighted by the individual senior collections, with a finale of three segments: “Blistering Magnetism,” with strong abstract and modern details; “Écobilan,” meaning eco-balance and offering examples of sustainable design; and “Renewable Energy,” incorporating LED lights and glowing fabrics.

Here's a look at what was shown, along with snippets of my interviews with each of the seniors prior to the shows, allowing you to watch the videos and see how well they lived up to their intent.

Congratulations all, and see you in the real world!

Models in ultra-freminine looks from Kitti Kurokawa's "Le Blossom" collection.

Patricia Clariza showed Jazz Age-inspired looks from her "Moonshine" collection.

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‘DREAMBOAT’
Jenna Sato

A 1980s film about the 1950s captured Sato’s imagination. Watching “Back to the Future,” she learned the term “dreamboat” and was inspired by the era’s innocence, full skirts and sweetheart necklines.

She couples brocades with sheer fabrics, with a little bit of the 1980s expressed through high-halter necklines and backless silhouettes, “so it’s not typical 1950s,” she said. “It’ll have a little more edge and sexiness to it.

“There’s a lot of my personal story in it because I love vintage, and cutouts are my signature detail.”

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‘WARRIOR’
Bejan Moers

Just because Moers’ focus is fashion doesn’t mean he’s been ignoring his other classes. The anthropology and history of earlier civilizations started him thinking about ways our ancestors used natural materials to shield themselves.

His collection embraces leather and other natural materials that lend themselves more to construction than draping when suiting up the modern warrior.

“It’s taking the idea of making nature very edgy and clothing the warrior of today,” he said. “We’ve evolved, but we still need those shields — not for battling lions and tigers, but battling other things that are more emotional now.”

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‘BLUSH RESPONSE’
Jazmine Nakamura

Nakamura has long been a film buff and since high school has been drawn to costume design as a way of revealing the development of character.

Her collection was inspired by “Blade Runner,” marking her attempt to replicate the replicant Rachel’s evolution.

Nakamura tells her story with structured 1940s-style suits coupled with hard copper collars, to a softer look, ending with 1930s-style bias-cut garments in textured silks and wools.

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‘FOLD’
Breanne Lee

Tyvek, a waterproof plastic paper most often spotted on construction sites as a water intrusion barrier, is also the foundation of Lee’s origami-inspired designs.

“I wanted to keep to traditional origami. Other designers have used fabric; I wanted to stick with paper,” she said.

It is a difficult medium for fashion.

“Once you puncture it, that’s it,” she said. “A lot of creases show up with handling, and you can’t iron it, except with low heat, or it will melt.”

Even so, her gamble will pay off in stark white, geometric shapes that are bound to garner a lot of attention.

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‘LE BLOSSOM’
Kitti Kurokawa

Just before the Kauai-raised designer first set foot in a UH classroom, he visited Japan with his parents, where they came upon “hills and hills of lavender flowers” in Hokkaido.

“It was still snowing, and the wind would catch the flowers and they would move it in huge waves,” he said. “It was breathtaking.”

They got out of the car to take photographs and lie in the fields, and the beauty of that moment is reflected in his collection featuring lilac and other floral hues, also inspired by laid-back Kauai and his grandmothers’ orchid collections.

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‘DUALITY’
Mari Nakamura

The designer loves the complexity of a mash-up of different weights and textures of textiles and brings her piece-y aesthetic to a collection of outerwear that showcases her love of contrast and tailoring.

Not all her friends understand her penchant for mixing styles that might include a bit of loose grunge with uptight, buttoned-up jackets.

“They tell me, ‘I don’t even know what you like. I don’t know your style.’”

But the fashion crowd will appreciate the beauty of her paneled coats, and her friends are likely to follow suit … as the mainstream always does, two years later.

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‘MOONSHINE’
Patricia Claviza

The designer was drawn to the glitz and glamour of the Jazz Age of the 1920s and ’30s, saying she was drawn to the “burgeoning of sexuality expressed through clothing.”

Her designs are suited to the contemporary flapper, with sequins and sheer fabric bringing an element of decadence, and elegant draping that provides ease of wear.

Attuned to current social settings, she said that in her garments, “You’ll stand out, but won’t look out of place. You can dress it up or down any way you want. Anyone can pull it off.”

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Nadine Kam photos
Marissa Selders at Quince Home.

If you're stopping by Honolulu Night Market today, check out Quince Home next to the Pinch of Salt pop-up shops.

That's where owner Marissa Selders merges her retail and interior design background to offer a few of her favorite ideas and objects for the home, full of color and whimsy.

While there I also ran into Jenny Cao-Wu, who launched the website Freshionable.com, catering to an underserved market in Hawaii, career women who want to balance the need to be professionally conservative, but personally edgy, not dowdy.

Although Jenny offers clothing from across the nation, at the Night Market, her focus will be apparel by local designers Allison Izu, Umee, and 19th & Whimsy.

The events are centered around 683 Auahi St., from 6 to 11 p.m., with an "I Love Kakaako" fashion show at 8.

This ensemble from Darling is among the designs featured at Jenny Cao-Wu's online shopping site, Freshionable.com, highlighting career wear from emerging designers.

Tabletop treats at Quince.

On the bookshelf.

Colorful cupboards.

Decorative woodblocks.

Even Quince's mascot is colorful. He hangs out by the door so don't step on him.

A beautiful selection of bath bars.

Macklemore, right, and Ryan Lewis.

Microsoft is sending along a few friends to help celebrate the opening of its retail store at Ala Moana Center on June 13.

The grand opening ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m., and gates will open for a 4 p.m. concert by the Neon Trees and one of the hottest duos today, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. There's no escaping their "Thrift Shop" hit on radio.

Stay tuned for more info in the month to come.

We haven't had a store opening this big since November 2006, when the opening of Miss Sixty/Energie at Ala Moana Center brought back Hawaii-born actress Kelly Hu, and performances by recording artists Josh Radin, Schuyler Fisk, and Rachel Yamagata, and DJ Steve Aoki.

In a sort of in-your-face move, the store will open opposite longtime competitor, the Apple Store.

Nadine Kam photos
Trouser fabric samples from Salvatore Ambrosi of Ambrosi Napoli, at Leather Soul Downtown.

Leather Soul Downtown teamed up with Hong Kong haberdashery The Armoury to bring bespoke tailoring by Orazio Luciano of Naples, Italy, to Hono­lulu on April 2 for an exclusive made-to-measure event, also featuring third-generation trouser specialist Salvatore Ambrosi of Ambrosi Napoli.

The clothiers were in Honolulu  to introduce fine Neapolitan tailoring, noted for unpadded construction and lines that make them lighter to wear than their English and American counterparts, according to Leather Soul owner Tom Park.

The Armoury partners Ethan Newton and Alan See were on hand, with Newton performing fittings that took about an hour, not because it takes that long be measured, but because it generally takes clients that long to pick their fabric.Made-to-measure jackets start at $3,100, trousers at $700, and at those prices, no one wants to change their mind later.

As one client, Reid Takamoto said, he'll be watching what he's eating from now on, lest he outgrow his pants. Newton said it's never a good idea to get into the habit of adding some "give" to the waistband. Not only is the object of bespoke tailoring about the perfect fit, but if you give yourself room to expand, you will.

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One of Leather Soul's clients meets with, from left, Ethan Newton of the Armoury, trouser maker Salvatore Ambrosi, and Alan See, also of The Armoury.

The new length of pants, with wide cuffs, the better to show off footwear from Leather Soul!

Nadine Kam photos
Nordstrom shoppers were invited to "Mix and Mingle with Rebecca Minkoff" on March 26.

Rebecca Minkoff fans don't know how close they came to missing her work because the designer almost gave up on her design dream in 2005.

Minkoff was at Nordstrom Honolulu—one of only four stores she'd visit on this trip (the others are in California and Chicago)—on March 26 to introduce her Spring/Summer 2013 collection of clothing and handbag designs, and I had 10 minutes to get her to tell all.

She got her start designing clothing, but considering she's best known for her handbags, so I asked whether she was surprised to discover her affinity for designing bags and how quickly her career took off because of it.

"It shocked me, because I was about to give up when it caught on and I said, 'Omigod, there is a God,' " she said. "Really, I was trying to do everything by myself all the time, I had run out of money and didn't know what to do next. To me it was a sign to keep going."

The “Morning After Bag,” or the “M.A.B.” ignited Rebecca’s career in 2005 and inspired the “downtown romantic” designs that now define her work.

From left, Nordstrom's Maria Bernardo, Rebecca Minkoff and stylist Crystal Pancipanci.

Although she said she tries to keep her own needs in mind when designing bags, she really thinks about her clients and has created a niche by thinking about life's firsts, from a girl's first date, to first love, her first job and first experience with motherhood.

I see her Craig Camera crossbody bag ($195) in my future after spotting it on the Nordstrom floor, with cool lines and the depth of a hard leather vintage camera case. She explained the crossbody came about from her observation of bloggers and how they're constantly fumbling with cameras in their hands and notetaking. "I thought I'd give them a place to put their camera, that's also stylish."

Nordstrom.com
Rebecca Minkoff's Craig crossbody camera bag.

After four years of designing statement-making handbags and accessories with her trademark leathers, studs and edgy hardware, Rebecca returned to her roots and introduced her first ready-to-wear collection in 2009.

Nordstrom is carrying her Spring 2013 collection, inspired by the photographer Slim Aarons, known for his glamorous and iconic 1960s and '70s photographs of socialites, jet-setters and celebrities as they lounged poolside.

Minkoff’s latest collection that evokes that same carefree, beach-like spirit, and looking at the ombre floral print of Minkoff's silk jumpsuit or Couric top, it's easy to imagine a bit of Hawaii in the ease of wear and color combinations,

It turns out that Rebecca has fond childhood memories of vacationing in Kona since she was 2 years old, when her father brought the family to the islands to stay while he competed in Ironman triathlons.

Hawaii remains a special place to her family. Her brother got married in Kailua in 2005. She had considered marrying here as well, but said, "When your brother does something, you have to do something different." So she held her wedding in Italy in 2009.

Although she said she always loved fashion and received her first Vogue subscription at 8 years old, because she grew up in an athletic family, wearing her brother's hand-me-down clothing, she still considers herself a tomboy and defines her style as "sexy tomboy," which resonates with the attitude and active lifestyles of women today.

Fans wait in line to meet Rebecca Minkoff, near a display of her classic M.A.C. shoulder bags and M.A.B. leather totes.

Minkoff in her own Spring 2013 silk floral print jumpsuit, with Ki-ele jewelry designer Marylea Conrad.

Minkoff eyewear on display.

Savannah Tatreau tries on a pair of the designer's new Carmine sunglasses with blonde tortoise finish, $220.

Near the store's cosmetic department entrance, a display of Minkoff apparel and handbags.