Edited by Kirby Marzec on
For those of you who follow Fashion Indie religiously, you’ve probably been wondering where I disappeared to for the past few weeks. No, I didn’t get fired (yet) and I didn’t come down with a case of the Swine Flu (yet), but I did take a two week vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii to unwind and surf with my family for the holidays. But before you throw your coffee at your computer screen in a jealous rage, let it be known that I am back in the freezing, snowy Buffalo, New York for a few weeks before I return to good old New York!
I didn’t believe my friend when she told me that Honolulu had good shopping. What could they possibly sell beyond bikinis, surf gear and grass skirts? Well, after stepping off my 9-hour flight, I was immediately greeted by hundreds of top notch stores directly across from my hotel (we stayed at the Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach…highly recommended for anyone traveling to Honolulu!) on Kalakaua Avenue. Having Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Marc Jacobs right across the street was terribly daunting to my wallet.
Since I moved to New York City, I haven’t been much of a mall person, but the Ala Moana Center certainly changed my outlook. Miu Miu, Prada, Chanel, Dior…I’ve never seen such high end stores in a mall before! Cabs are expensive in Honolulu and renting a car is rather pointless unless you want to take an adventure to surf Banzai Pipeline up on the North Shore, but Ala Moana is about a 20-30 minute walk from most hotels and resorts on Kalakaua Avenue. Really, it’s a must!
But if there is one shopping destination that you positively must visit, it’s undoubtedly the original Aloha Rag on Kapiolani Boulevard. Living across the street from New York’s Aloha Rag on Greenwich Street, I know how painful self control can be, but after setting foot in Honolulu’s gem, it hurts even worse. Trust me when I tell you that Honolulu’s Aloha Rag is the most immaculate store I’ve ever set foot in…and the sales are amazing! From Lanvin blazers to Ann Demeulemeester sweaters and Margiela sandals to Balenciaga bags, the Honolulu location didn’t carry a single piece I wasn’t temped to go into credit card debt for. Damn, I really should have gotten those two-tone, studded Alexander Wang gladiator sandals!
Now that I’ve sufficiently depressed myself reminiscing on my amazing vacation, it’s back to the old grind stone! This trip made me quite the Oahu connoisseur, so if any of you have questions or need suggestions for future travels, please don’t hesitate to contact me! Afterall, any Indie is “ohana” in my book!
P.S. My tan is already significantly faded. Great.
Dior, Not War.