by Paula Rath, lead writer and stylist, u magazine and fashion writer, The Honolulu Advertiser

I've always wondered why men's and women's garments are buttoned on opposite sides. I have put the question to many a friend, designer and colleague.
Katie Tiger, who makes Kool Kat aloha shirts at her studio in, of all places, Massachusetts, wrote me this answer, which she found in "Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things":

The practice is traced back to the 15th century. Men at court, on travels and on the battlefield, generally dressed themselves. And, as most humans are right handed, the majority of men found it faster to have garments button from right to left.
On the other hand, women who could afford garments with expensive buttons had attendants to dress them. The dressers were predominantly right handed so when facing buttons head on, they found it easier to fasten their mistresses' garments if the buttons and buttonholes were sewn on in a mirror image of the men's. Tailors complied and the convention has never been altered or challenged.

By Paula Rath, lead writer and stylist, u magazine, and fashion writer, The Honolulu Advertiser

The other day I saw my hula alaka'i and commented on her cute white sandals. She looked sheepish and said "Oh dear, I was afraid you'd notice. I know we're not supposed to wear white shoes."
Yikes! Where did that come from, I thought. Then I remembered that she had attended one of my talks at Kahala Mall when I said that white PUMPS are an absolute no-no and should not be worn any time for any reason.
Let me clarify: I'm talking about white PUMPS, those granny shoes with closed toes and 1-inch heels that make your feet look like huge boats.
My alaka'i, on the other hand, was wearing cute strappy slides with a kitten heel. They were perfect with our hula costume, an Avanti silk dress.
White sandals are fine, and are often a good solution with aloha attire. Just make sure they're strappy and feminine, not clunky and old-fashioned.
Another great shoe to pep up aloha attire is a metallic slide or sandal; bronze and copper can be perfect compliments to aloha prints. Cork or woven (some even look like lauhala) soles with colorful straps can work well too. This is the season to find bright shoes: lemon yellow, turquoise, hot pink and coral are all on the shelves.

By Paula Rath, lead writer and stylist, u magazine and fashion writer, The Honolulu Advertiser

When I saw the tent outside Nordstrom the week before the long-awaited shopping mecca opened, I wondered how on earth they could pull off a gala fashion show there. Wouldn't it be stiflingly hot? What would the runway and backdrop look like? Would attendees have to stand up?
I didn't need to worry. In their highly professional manner, Nordstrom pulled off every aspect of the fashion show, which was put on twice during their opening gala.
The tent was about the same temperature as the store. How? They pumped cool air into it all day long. There were plenty of seats with precious few obstructions. Even the sound system (loved those African beats) was perfected.
But this is a predominately a fashion blog, so on to the fashions!
Unlike so many fashion shows, these clothes were eminently wearable. Honolulu women were nodding, smiling and taking notes throughout the show. Yes, it lacked the drama some might have expected, but I think the stylists were going for something more practical and down to earth.
First off the runway was Dries Van Noten, who surprised me. I think of his clothes as monochromatic, pale and complex in their construction. Not this spring! His colors popped, with turquoise, lemon yellow, emerald, an elegant gray and a brilliant blue. The prints? Ethnic gone ultra!
Versace was all about body-conscious brights - aqua, royal blue and pink jerseys; an olive and loden linen coat I loved (perhaps because it reminded me of the swing coats I was designing about a decade ago) and some toga draping a la Rami.
Tori Burch was fresh and flirty with lots of navy and white in a nod to nautical. Her characteristic high contrast prints looked right at home in Honolulu.
Diane von Furstenberg was clearly inspired by African safaris. Her mud-cloth prints in black and tan and safari jackets were stand-outs. She also paired fuchsia with orange and turquoise with white for some spectacular prints.
3.1 Phillip Lim, my personal new fave, favored a poppy red with khaki, as well as a paisley with pop. His silver double-breasted jacket with blue silk pleated top and wide-leg cuffed pants were fabulous.
When the gorgeous male models walked out, there was appreciative applause, and more than a few "whoops!" The looks from Armani and Hugo Boss were adapted to Island lifestyles, not your stuffy Mainland suits. Nice job, Nordstrom. But I don't remember seeing those men on our runways before (and I would have noticed, trust me) so they must have been imported from the Mainland?
Michael Kors channeled the '60s with his ruffled cabana coat and lemon tunic dress. I expected more dramatic looks from Marchesa, but the simple silhouettes and interesting back treatments were the kind of dresses one might see at the Heart Ball or Symphony Ball, so they were clearly targetted.
Giambattista Valli's collection reminded me of Biba in late '60s London. The hot pink butterfly dress was very King's Road, as was the silk jacquard caftan. There were some really fun appliques and ruffled organzas.
Missoni's prints looked as if they flowed directly from a watercolorist's brush. The last pieces off the Missoni runway, however, were distinctly different: Egypt meets Polynesia with tattoo-inspired prints.
Even Oscar de la Renta was inspired by Africa and Polynesia; some of his prints looked like Ghanaian mud cloth, while his brown embroidered silk faille dress was quite Polynesian. There were also ikat prints in olive and black. His last three pieces, in citron, turquoise and red, seemed like another separate collection, and more characteristic of the de la Renta elegance.
The show closed with Lanvin, which has its own boutique inside the store. Here, ruffles ruled. Navy and natural silks dominated but the last two numbers, a royal blue one-shoulder ruffled cocktail dress and green one-shoulder gown with scalloped train, ended the show with some appreciated drama. And, hey, that tent even had blowers aimed perfectly to get the green dress to float like a dream.

By Paula Rath, U magazine lead writer and stylist and The Honolulu Advertiser's fashion writer.

Oscar has spoken: RED is the color for evening. While many stars made red shine, my fave was Anne Hathaway in her Marchesa one-shoulder gown. Naturally, Heide Klum also dazzled in layers of scarlet chiffon. Red worked across the generations as well, from teens (Miley Cyrus) to fabulous over 50s (Helen Mirren and Ruby Dee.)

If you're one of those women who fears wearing red, maybe now is the time to really give it a serious try. There are all sorts of reds, from cool blue-reds to warm pinky-reds to earthy brown-reds to the hottest cayenne and vermilion. There is, truly, a red for everyone.

One way to see which red might work for you, without making an expensive mistake, is to try on several red shades of nail polish. See which shade flatters your skin tone. Once discovered, take it shopping with you to find the perfect T-shirt, dress or jacket in that shade.

With all the color on the runways, and now appearing in our local stores, it's definitely time to figure out which colors work for you. Back in the early '80s women "had their colors done." This concept originated with the book "Color Me Beautiful" by Carole Jackson. You might want to check your mother's bookshelf to see if she still has a copy.

Jackson decided that every individual should be assigned a season so she could choose all her color within that season's color range: spring, summer, autumn, winter. Your colors were determined by your hair and eye color and skin tone. Autumns, she said, should wear browns and oranges. Winters should wear black and white.

While I think this concept can be helpful in getting women to try some colors they might have ignored in the past, a word of caution about following Jackson's advice in lock step. It's too limiting! You just might miss out on some colors that would look great on you. For example, she said that only winters would look good in black. Hellllloooo!

The best way to test all these fabulous spring colors on you is to try, try, try. You might be surprised at how great you look in that coral or azure or lime green.

Paula's note: Lacy Matsumoto is a freelancer for both U mag and The Honolulu Advertiser. Catch her "From the Hip" features in the Sunday issues of The Honolulu Advertiser. She's also a member of our fashion forum and, as such, updates us on the insider scene from Magic in Las Vegas, one of the nation's biggest fashion-oriented trade shows.

I'm so lucky to have had the experience of attending the Magic and Pool trade shows as a buyer for the boutique Ginger & Koi on the Big Island. Can I just say 'Wow'?
The intensity of Las Vegas, mixed with an overload of fashion and a lot of parties, was almost overwhelming.
Although I only stayed for three days, my mind is cluttered with bright lights, images of what's hot in 2008, the purple Escalade that drove me around the whole trip and the sounds of club music that is still banging in my head.
I think the highlight of this trip for me was the streetwear section of Magic. Although cameras weren't technically allowed into the trade show, I did manage to get a few pictures ... imagine Jay-Z, Rock A Wear, In4mation, Steve Aoki, LRG, Apple Bottom Jeans, Baby Phat, Nike, Kool Herc, Three Six Mafia, and thousands more all in walking distance and all in your face.
(Kool Herc -- the GODFATHER of Hip-Hop says he loves Hawaii and promises to be back soon!)
Pool was really hot, also, especially s(eco)nd in the environmental friendly section. Clothing company The Organik was popular. Also saw some of our local designers, like Indah and Roberta Oaks -- those girls rock.
From my perspective, bright colors, embroidery, detailed graphics, retro-80's
comeback, and layers ruled the younger styles. As for what
the general public would like, mixing basic black and white with
chunkier accessories to be safe with a little funk looked like a popular option.

I'm glad to be home. Although all that madness was very exciting and inspirational, now I need to get to work in order to bring some of that fashion and excitement to everyone back here at home.