BY ERIN SMITH / Special to the Star-Advertiser
“I Think We’re Alone Now” is an awesome jam. We all know it. So I was thrilled when I received an email invitation from Tiffany to attend an event in Waikiki. Should I wear acid wash? Will Jon from New Kids on the Block be there?
As it turns out, it’s not 1990 anymore, and the invitation was from iconic American jewelry company Tiffany & Co. — not Tiffany the singer, who lit up my very early school days with side ponytails and mall tours.
I guess we’re all growing up.
The event, called “The Jazz Age,” was to celebrate Tiffany’s new line of jewelry inspired by “The Great Gatsby.” Honolulu stylists, event and fashion bloggers, models and fashion editors were invited to attend and preview the pieces.
Did you know F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of the 1925 literary classic, was a Tiffany customer? And New York City, the company’s birthplace, was a booming place of change during the Jazz age?
For women in particular, it was a time of liberation and newfound freedom, one that manifested itself largely in fashion and attitude. Corsets and covered up limbs were pushed into the roaring tides of social change, with feathers, streamlined dresses, headpieces and beads signifying women joining in on the social party of carefree opulence.
Tiffany & Co. has long been on the forefront in the business of opulence, and I have long been into any event that encourages people to wear feathers. It’s a win-win for everybody.
My boyfriend “T” — short for “Trouble” — and I suited up in our best interpretation of 1920’s garb to attend the event on June 28, held on the third floor of the Tiffany store in Waikiki. Silver headband, paired with a black dress with an adorned neckline of strings of pearls for me, classic black pants, white shirt and black and white shoes for my man.
Driving in from our Kailua cottage to the event, we took a look at the classic Sinatra-style cap he picked up that day and played our second favorite game: “Hat or No Hat?”
(Our first favorite game is “Rug or No Rug?” but that’s a different story.)
Clockwise, from left: Maleana Cosmetics doing work on the author; hanging out with Honolulu’s fashion elite; the USB drive presented to guests as a gift from Tiffany & Co. (Courtesy photos)
UPON OUR arrival, we were ushered into the elegant Tiffany elevator and whisked to the third floor. As we passed the second floor, I glimpsed a huge photo of Daisy from “The Great Gatsby” as portrayed by actress Carey Mulligan hanging on a wall. It reminded me of a large-scale photo of an indie-hipster that takes up most of the wall at The Republik, Honolulu’s newest, coolest concert venue. Rock and roll and opulent jewelry often go hand in hand, though the aesthetics and presentation are worlds apart.
When the elevator door opened, we were greeted and handed a glass of champagne along with a Tiffany blue chocolate. You know your branding is solid when you have an entire COLOR you can reference that people associate with your company.
After a quick briefing about Tiffany’s new Jazz Age line of jewelry, we were asked to have some fun, try on the pieces and mingle. Stylist Tyson Joines, model Neka Stephens and stylist Crystal Pancipanci were among the guests, and we all had fun playing with the exquisite pieces. Lockets shimmered, art deco-styled earrings sparkled and Crystal even broke into the Charleston.
Kimberly Fujinaka from Pac Rim Marketing chose a gorgeous ring, long necklace and stunning pair of hanging, diamond-encrusted earrings for me to wear, and the stylists from Maleana Cosmetics took my hair from a sleek ponytail to a pin-curled, tied back, 1920’s up-do. They were so fast about it, which amazed me, because I have around 75 pounds of hair and it takes forever to actually “do” it. I hadn’t even finished my champagne and they had finished my chignon.
AS THE event wrapped, we were handed blue Tiffany gift bags. Among the goodies were a pearl necklace and, cleverly, a Tiffany blue USB drive. Trouble and I set off into the night, hand in hand — although my heels were borderline too high for me to walk in.
Sometimes, the most amazing, opulent thing you could ever imagine is holding your hand and tickling your neck in the hot Hawaiian night. I looked towards the Waikiki skyline as palm trees swayed and enjoyed the warm breeze upon my skin.
Opulence indeed. But it’s never a bad thing to be handed a little Tiffany blue bag.
———
Erin Smith is a singer and guitarist who performs as a solo artist and with Maui-based Na Hoku Hanohano Award-nominated band The Throwdowns. Born in Canada, she moved to Hawaii in 2004 and now resides in Kailua. Contact her via e-mail or follow her on Twitter.