Haute Trash Hilo

I love trash fashion.  In my book I talk about how I started my trash fashion design career twenty-five years ago in California, and am still designing trash fashion in Hawai'i.  This year I designed this outfit, called Meditating with Trash for the Hilo Haute Trash fashion show at Imiloa, on October 26.  

Here is my script:

Meditating with Trash

In these troubled times, every now and then a rest from worry and a solitary quiet time can bring a sense of peace while the whole world whirls on.  Recyclarella created this mediation ensemble, modeled by Malama Opala, just for those times, and added inspirational sayings from her page-a-day Zen calendar, collected since 2009, to help calm the mind and remember to let go of what is not needed.  The robe is crafted from a shower curtain ruined by a housesitter’s hair dye, covered with calendar pages and duct tape accents. The casual off the shoulder look uses leftover rope scraps.  The loose fitting tunic and pants fall back on that classic trash fashion statement:  the black plastic trash bag, quilted for softer comfort in both walking and sitting meditation.  The hat, once a food screen before it became a cat toy, adds another layer of insulation from the outer world, with even more calendar pages and abandoned fishing line. Thank You, Malama Opala, and may this little rest provide you with strength in your mission to care for the planet.

Now that you have read this far, here are some more pictures of trash fashion I did not design, for your amusement.

My Bus Vacation at Spencerʻs Beach

Last week I decided to see if I could take a vacation to the other side of the island, the one with the white sandy beaches, by taking the Hele-On Bus and be independent.  A friend who takes the bus decided to join me and we had a fun and interesting adventure.

We camped near the pavillion on the south side of the park, and had a lovely grassy space for our tent, a picnic table, a camp grill we didnʻt use, and lots of running water, showers, and even electricity in the pavilion.  It was quite stylin.

There was even a lifeguard to make sure we are all safe when swimming, although it is a very safe beach for kids of all ages.

We didnʻt cook much, and Tasty Bite meals from the health food store provided us with hot and easy dinners. 

On this side of the island the sun sets in the ocean, and sometimes there is a green flash. I have never seen it but it is a good reason for stopping everything and watching the sunset.

75

Taking the bus required looking at lots of bus schedules, and going there we got three transfers and I only paid 75 cents, a discount senior ticket, and two dollars for my luggage. Affordable.  Getting back we had to hitchhike up the hill, and then to Waimea, but got there in time for the 11am bus, so I couldnʻt transfer to get home, because my own home bus didnʻt leave for another 4 hours after we got back to Hilo. But I still got back for $4.50.  Not bad.  And the campground was only $5. a night for island residents. We took all sizes buses, big ones, small ones, and a tiny one. Weʻre planning to do it again in spring, it would only be fun in good weather. Rain and wind would have been more of a challenge.