BY ERIN SMITH / Special to the Star-Advertiser
I used to carry my makeup around in a resealable plastic bag. Banging around in my purse in all it’s ghetto glory, my bag of Sephorical delights would do it’s best not to tear as I overloaded it with blushes, MAC eyeliners — and of course, that one shade of Chanel lipstick I adore.
One of my besties, the most fabulous uber-gay Jesse, found my setup appalling. I am one of those girls who will touch up my makeup anywhere and everywhere. At the bar, in a waiting room. Anywhere.
So whenever we would go out to dinner, he would gasp every time I would pull my magical, half-trashed bag of makeup out of my purse.
“Smith, we have to get you a real makeup case,” he finally said one night. “Otherwise we can no longer be friends.”
This man’s motto: Gucci or Die.
At the time, Jesse was working part-time at the Coach store in the Shops at Wailea on Maui, where we both lived. And since he was the one who demanded a major upgrade in my choice of makeup bags, we went together to pick one out for me.
Now, I’ve stopped into Coach on Maui several times to do some shopping — but also for another purpose, as another one of my best friends runs both of the Maui stores. We’d often sit on a bench at the Shops of Wailea on her break, Maui breeze in our hair and Louis Vuitton emblazoned on a wall behind us, deeply involved in one of our many heart-to-heart conversations.
To me, Coach not only represents luxury leather goods and wonderful bags that last forever, but also a great friendship. That’s Maui-style living. Your heart goes where ever you go and doesn’t hide behind much pretense.
Since I cannot be trusted with anything light in color, especially when there is makeup involved, I chose a black make-up bag with silver imprints of the Coach “C” printed on it. The interior is a stunning deep purple and it feels luxurious every time I open it. This particular bag marked the beginning of my love affair with Coach.
Since the makeup case came into my life to save my friendship with Jesse, I have also become the proud owner of a dark purple, patent leather purse. To say I love it would be an understatement. The design is sleek and functional; the patent leather allows me to wipe it down to clean it and it is so huge I can treat it like the Mary-Poppins purse required to get on with my day-to-day life.
“What is IN that thing?”
Hair serum? Check. Guitar picks? Check. Full size table lamp? Check.
After that purchase, I set my sights on a light grey wallet with a faux snakeskin flap. Admittedly for me, light grey was not the best move. I just cannot keep light-colored things clean. While the Coach crew armed me with the right tools to keep it stain-free, rock-n-roll is a dirty business.
So what’s happening at Coach right now? Blues and pinks are hot, so there is plenty of gorgeous leather that pops with color along the exquisitely lit white walls of Honolulu’s Coach store. In the “bags fit for a rocker” section, they offer faux cheetah and blue snakeskin purses.
The Honolulu store also sells shoes, like a teal-colored pair of heels with a classic bow on the toes to wear out to the perfect island brunch or business meeting. For the gentlemen, there is a men’s store in Waikiki with a full assortment of men’s bags of all sizes, from shaving kits to full-sized travel bags. (They even carry a Coach baseball glove.)
Most recently, I picked up a really great passport holder for my boyfriend at the Coach store. You know, for all the jet setting days I see ahead of us!
Sometimes it takes a trip to Coach to teach you plastic bags are really meant for sandwiches and snacks.
Sometimes you have to kiss your dog with your red Chanel lipstick on to realize the color stains, big time.
And sometimes you need a Coach bag to remind you some things do last — like a good purse, a good man and your best friends.
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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.