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POSTED: Thursday, April 15, 2010

Anne Namba is in such demand that from one day to the next she never knows who's going to call. One day it was a “;Project Runway”; talent scout who had seen her Web site, fallen in love with her designs and invited her to audition for the show.

Namba, who'd never watched the reality TV fashion design competition — she lives it, after all — put the question to her kids. Her daughter thought it would be hilarious to see her mom rooming with a bunch of 20-something designers, while her son warned her against the idea, saying that he would disappear when it came time to interview designers' families.

At any rate, she decided it would be better for someone else to have the recognition. She's already established a name for herself internationally. After all, she recently accepted an invitation by Mikhail Baryshnikov to present a fashion show at his performing arts center in New York on May 6.

It all started when the dancer came to Hawaii last fall to perform during a Ballet Hawaii concert. While here, the renowned dancer visited Namba's studio and fell in love with her designs.

“;He put on one of my shirts, and the way he moves his body, the silk just flows. It's not like he was doing jumps or leaps, but with just the slightest movement, I was like, wow!”;

               

     

 

 

'FASHION IN MOTION'         » Place: Halekulani Ballroom         » Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday         » Tickets: $100         » Reservations: Call Ballet Hawaii, 521-8600, ext. 104, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).         » Information: Anna Meng, 782-4501

He not only bought the shirt, but after hearing of her work for the Savonlinna Opera Festival last spring, “;got excited and said let's do something together,”; Namba said.

Baryshnikov will hand-select the dancers to wear Namba's designs in New York and choreograph the show.

Honolulu audiences will get a preview of the designs during a brunch fashion show taking place Sunday at Halekulani, a benefit for Ballet Hawaii.

Dancers from Ballet Hawaii and private studios will show garments designed to move, by introducing segments inspired by the fire of Latin dances, the dark edge of modern dance and the soft flow of lyrical dance, the last segment featuring Namba's newest print, “;Amethyst Flower.”;

Ensembles also will showcase jewelry from the Meng Dynasty's Anna Meng.

Amethyst Flower pieces will be available for sale after the show, on site and in her Kamani Street boutique, but one-of-a-kind pieces will travel to New York.

WITH NAMBA'S RETAIL and bridal market presence long established, the designer finds herself increasingly drawn to the performing arts as another venue for her work.

After creating the costumes for a Hawaii Opera Theatre production of “;Madame Butterfly,”; she was invited to create the costumes for the opera at the prestigious Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland last spring.

Working with Baryshnikov has been a dream come true.

“;He impresses me as a very artistic and cultured person, obviously. But he's so multitalented. You go into his building and you see all these wonderful photos he's taken.

“;He's such a visionary. The Baryshnikov Art Center provides a home for aspiring, starting artists, people who need a place to perform and meet, with a state-of-the-art theater, a performance center and two studios.”;

The stage is one place to demonstrate creativity free of commercial restraint, one of the aspects of “;Project Runway”; that appealed to her.

“;When I heard of some of the challenges, I thought, 'Ooh, that sounds like fun.' The idea of going to a museum for inspiration, or going to a hardware store for materials, that part intrigues me. I love things like that. I tend to be more creative under pressure. I think that's typical of creative types.”;

But she really has no time for such a lengthy commitment. She just returned from presenting trunk shows in Washington, D.C., and Boston, and will go on a buying trip in Japan before heading off for her New York show and another show in San Francisco before returning home to present another fashion event for Hawaii Food and Wine Paradise in late May.

Then there's the real deal breaker: the idea of sharing a small living space with three strangers.

“;I would be like, I can't do this, I need my own space.”; Which would have cast her in the role of the season's diva, and that would have been fun to watch.

               

     

 

 

KEEPING UP WITH ANNE         » April 26: Anne Namba Designs boutique sale: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays through May 8, with 25 to 50 percent discounts storewide at 324 Kamani St.         » May 7 and 8: Trunk show, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and to 3 p.m. Saturday, AKA Central Park Hotel, New York. Call (877) 578-0001.         » May 9: ”;A Stylish Mother's Day”; buffet and fashion show featuring Namba, Manuheali'i, Na Makua and Wahine Toa Designs, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kaanapali Beach Hotel on Maui. Tickets $46.95; $24 children; free for ages 5 and younger. Call (808) 667-0124.         » May 28: ”;Paradise Food & Wine Classic,”; 6 p.m., Westin Moana Surfrider. Fashion show by Namba accompanies a five-course dinner by chefs Colin Hazama of Jean-Georges Kauai Grill, Rodney Uyehara of The Beachhouse at the Moana, Jon Matsubara of Azure and Ryan Loo of Twist at Hanohano.