By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
The antique furniture and huge windows are the perfect
backdrop to the Takeo gown modeled by Rebecca Rasmussen.

Takeo and Eric Chandler
share a studio workspace
that simply glows

By Nadine Kam
Assistant Features Editor
Star-Bulletin

The sky's the limit in fashion design and local couturiers Takeo and Eric Eugene Kamakahia'ai Chandler are reminded of that every day they step into their new Chinatown office and studio.

The centerpiece of the 3,000 square-foot loft on Nuuanu Avenue is the front half of an Air Molokai plane fuselage, which the two designers inherited with the room.

"As soon as I saw this space I saw my name on the door. I could not have designed a more appropriate studio," said Chandler. "There's a tremendous sense of energy, and because this plane is here, there's always a sense of going forward."

The designers are definitely going forward, having made the leap from dressing local beauty queens to working with Miss Universe delegates.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Japanese tea-cup boxes sit atop stacks of art and
design books. The row of eight oranges is a
Chinese symbol of good luck.

In a second-floor studio flooded with a soft white glow streaming through a skylight, Takeo is putting the finishing touches on garments he's creating for the Friday "Made in Hawaii" fashion show featuring Miss Universe delegates, as well as the Japanese Women's Society 23rd annual fashion show coming up Sunday.

Between endless fittings, meeting and dressing dignitaries, finding and sometimes training models, it would be easy to burn out, but the studio manages to be both an oasis and a workspace conducive to creation and a flow of energy and ideas.

"This space is not structured, so you can think anything," Takeo said.

In fact, among the portraits of beauty queens that adorn the office is one large gilt frame that remains purposely empty.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Takeo, left, and Eric Chandler meet with Rasmussen
inside the airplane cabin that serves as a meeting room,
dressing room and focal point for the studio.

"What goes in there is imagination," Takeo said. "It's anything you want it to be."

A workspace that suits the individual may seem, to traditionalists, to be making play of serious work, it actually creates good business karma.

"It's just common sense, that if a place feels dead, you're not going to want to go there," said feng shui consultant Sharissa Chun of Harmonious Creations.

Feng shui is the Chinese discipline that takes into account an individual's relationship to a site and the larger universe.

"The office is an extension of yourself," Chun said. "Environ-ment impacts our well-being and having a flow of energy is necessary for a prosperous business.

"For the designers, their high energy, the color of their fashions definitely spill over into their shop and will always attract new people."

Back inside Chandler and Takeo's studio, the plane is the first object that catches the eye, but it is more than a conversation piece. It provides a space where old-fashioned hospitality reigns. Snacks, coffee and champagne await guests on board. Further into the cabin there is seating for 12 for meetings and for briefing models on fashion show assignments. The plane may also serve as an impromptu dressing room for photo sessions.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Rebecca Rasmussen adjusts her shoes in front of
the Air Molokai fuselage that serves as focal point
inside the design studio.

The rest of the decor is a symbiotic blend of East and West, old and new, classic and camp, that reflects the personalities -- quirks and all -- of the two designers.

They could not be more different. Chandler is the more flamboyant and his gowns reflect his personality. His European-influenced designs make bold use of theatrics, texture and pattern, while Takeo's gowns, spare and elegant, maintain a cool reserve evocative of his Japan upbringing.

And so goes the office. French antique desks and chairs are interspersed with stacks of art and design books topped with Japanese tea-cup boxes, each marked by unique calligraphy. Nearby is a row of eight oranges, which Takeo says signify Chinese good luck.

At the studio entry are a pair of glittery, sequined red shoes as befitting Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." A plastic Astro Boy doll sits next to Chandler's desk. Antiques and fresh flowers abound. Classical music wafts from hidden speakers.

If there is one slight problem with the space, Chandler said, "What happens is people feel so relaxed that nobody wants to leave!"

Who would want to leave a place where, in the late afternoon the sun casts a soft orange glow upon the interior, and at night, doves come to roost and coo outside.

And, Chandler said, "Every time the door opens, someone gracious, beautiful and full of life walks in the door. It just doesn't get any better than this. Period."

Made in Hawaii

Fashion show features Takeo, Eric Chandler and designers from the Hawaii Fashion Industry Association. Miss Universe delegates will model.
Time: 6:45 p.m. Friday
Place: Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom
Tickets: $100, to benefit Junior Achievement of Hawaii
Call: Junior Achievement, 524-2211.

Tapestry in Motion

Japanese Women's Society fashion show features Takeo, Anne Namba, Paula Rath and Linda Iki.
Time: 1 p.m. Sunday. Boutique opens 9 a.m., luncheon at 11:45 a.m.
Place: Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.
Also: Guest models will be Gov. Ben Cayetano and First Lady Vicky Cayetano. Cathy Foy and Melissa Short will sing; Onoe Kikunobuaki will present an abridged kabuki performance. Emcee is Jimmy Borges.
Tickets: $45, to benefit Kuakini Home for the Elderly. Imperial Silk tables for 10, $650; Royal Velvet tables for 10, $450.
Call: Emiko Sugino, 941-3818.