In the season of spring and summer fashion, Ala Moana Shopping Center was showered in pink from the ground up. Statuesque models twirling melon pink umbrellas strut the island’s latest designs down a matching pink carpet runway. The runway, which stretched across the length of the mall, was the longest one in the nation.
All this pink glam had been for the weeklong Shop A Lea event, a fashion forward affair that Ala Moana hosts every year. With sleeked back hair and dark sunglasses, the models pushed through crowds of shoppers with very stoic demeanors. I had been one of those shoppers present for the show by accident. Everyone seemed to be caught off guard when loud techno music started blasting from the mall speakers. It was the audible art piece of a DJ spinning nearby.
Instead of a fashion show that takes place on stage, this show got shoppers’ attention right away. Actually, there was no way of averting our eyes from the commotion coming down the long pink carpet. I felt like we were a part of the show itself — with how loud the music was. The show turned out to be a really effective method of putting the fashion in our faces.
Apparently, the ladies did three shows that day, totaling to about a mile-and-a-half in heels! I can barely make it down the driveway when I wear heels, but these women rocked it. The fashion shows spanned through a four-day period, featuring fashionable trends ranging from Splash! bikinis to Diane von Ferstenburg.
Even shoppers could get involved in Hawaii fashion. All they had to do was take a picture of them on the pink carpet runway and post to Twitter or Instagram with the #Shopalea hashtag. Six lucky gals or guys would get picked, winning a $50 Ala Moana gift card.
