Monthly Archives: March 2012

Happy Hour, Cave Woman Style

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Being a good “hunter and gatherer” at the grocery store is easy, but translating my cave woman ways to Happy Hours in Waikiki is slightly harder.  Wolfgang’s Steakhouse has a fantastic happy hour from 4 – 6:30 pm everyday, with steak sliders, lobster crustini, and more, each for $7… but all that bread certainly wouldn’t have been on the menu during the Stone Ages.

Tenderloin Kabobs & Creamed Spinach from Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Waikiki

For all you cave men and women out there, try my favorite – the tenderloin kabobs with a side of creamed spinach.  The spinach costs an extra buck but is so worth it!  Yabadabadoo!

from Hawaii with love,

High Five Ya’ll

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My last taping for the French Reality TV show, Angels of Reality, was tonight.  Didn’t mean to trick you into believing that the fourth taping was my last, but for real now, this is it… fini.  There wasn’t much time to prepare so I fell back to my roots, my Texas roots… denim, boots (in this case, open-toe booties), and my beloved “I left my heart in Texas” necklace.

fifth look

Fifth Look: UMEE Honolulu White Shirt (part of our soon-to-be-released SS 2012 collection!), Marc Jacob’s Denim Skirt, KORS Michael Kors Shoes, Native American style necklace from Aspen CO, and ”I left my heart in Texas” silver necklace from The Gypsy Wagon in Dallas TX.  My hair is hiding the rough-cut turquoise earrings my Mom gave me from Ranch at the Rim on a recent visit to San Antonio TX, but given that I love that store and turquoise is my birthstone, it’s worth a mention. :)

from Hawaii with love,

Scene: Waikiki A La Mode, Take Four, and “Action”

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It’s never a dull moment living in Honolulu’s jungle, Waikiki.  My look for the fourth and final taping of the French Reality TV show, Angels of Reality, draws inspiration from our island jungle.  The scene: Beachy, a little bit of a time warp, pretty but kinda rough around the edges, and a whole lota fun.

fourth look

Fourth Look: UMEE ‘from Hawaii with love’ logo tee, Habitual jeans (hello again bootcut!), Charles David shoes, Melodies sunglasses, Gem Parfait earrings, Jason Dow ring and ccdoodle clutch

and… scene.

from Hawaii with love,

Hello Sunshine & Merci Beaucoup

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Everyone was so glad to see the sun today after several days of cloudy and stormy weather in the Hawaiian Islands.  I always feel bad for the tourists when we get a few consecutive days of cloudy and rainy weather here on Oahu.  They only have a short time to enjoy our beaches and work on their tan before heading back home.

third look

To pay homage to the sun, I brought out some tropical blooms from my soon-to-be-released collection… et voilà… my third look for today’s taping of the French Reality TV show, Angels of Reality.

Third Look: Umee Aloha Skirt (part of our soon-to-be-released SS 2012 collection!), my Mom’s denim shirt from Tokyo (from the 70′s), Club Monaco belt, Reed Krakoff shoes, layered a pearl necklace with Nina Kuna Hawaii nameplate gold necklace, and gold pineapple earrings from Na Hoku.

from Hawaii with love,

Incubate Yourself

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The Hawaii Fashion Incubator (Hifi) officially opened their doors last weekend.

Front Door to the Hifi Coop

The Hawaiian blessing…

Hawaiian Blessing

 

Hawaiian Blessing

There was lots of support from the community including Governor Neil Abercrombie.

Hifi Co-Founders, Melissa and Toby, with Governor Neil Abercrombie

There is a little something for everyone… including a great collection of local designer goods for sale in the boutique.

Hifi offers a little something for everyone…

We have stocked some of our limited inventory UMEE designs at the Hifi Coop Boutique so I hope you’ll swing by and check it out.

from Hawaii with love,

Luwak – The Visual

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Being a fan of gourmet coffee, I take full advantage of the local coffees in Hawaii.  Besides Kona coffees, we are lucky to indulge in other Hawaiian Island caffeinated pleasures from Maui, Kauai, and even Oahu.  Whole Foods has a nice selection or a weekend jaunt to the neighbor islands will reveal some nice small distribution coffee roasters.

Everyone generally knows about Kona coffee, but only true coffee fans know about Indonesian Luwak coffee.  Toddy cats start the luwak coffee production process by eating coffee berries and passing the coffee beans out their other end.  The beans are collected, cleaned (I would hope so!), dried and roasted.  The result is a delectable cup of joe, sans the bitterness.

My Father-in-law went to Indonesia recently and we didn’t get a t-shirt, oh no, we got the luwak and lots of other fantastic Indonesian coffees!  Coolest omiyage ever!

Indonesian Coffee - Luwak bottom center

Indonesian Coffee – luwak bottom center

freshly ground luwak

from Hawaii with love,