In my sunny, seaside hometown of Kailua, a new little vintage shop has recently popped up. Hana Hou Vintage is located on a sleepy, unassuming little street. But once you walk in, you quickly forget just where you are.
The store offers curated 50s - 80s clothing with some accessories and decorated with whimsical knickknacks (also for sale!) that are just perfect for adorning your home with a vintage touch.
The clothes are arranged by color and are labeled with approximate size, which makes it easy to estimate whether or not a vintage item might be your size.
In the past year I've been home twice and made sure to stop by HHV both times and each time I scored an awesome vintage piece!
The first time I came by, I had company (aka the other half) with me at HHV, and even he thought they had some pretty cool stuff - and he doesn't like shopping!
We particularly enjoyed the hats.
On my first visit, I ended up going home with this knitted Jantzen cardigan. I couldn't resist this colorful pattern - and it perfectly matched the 1950's dress I was already wearing!
With such a serendipitous find at a great price on my first visit, I was excited to head back on my next visit home to Hawai'i.
I was not disappointed! When I entered, HHV's lovely sales assistant Nanhee welcomed me in and offered me a glass of bubbly. Sparkling wine while shopping on a Sunday afternoon? Yes please!
Nanhee explained to me that the owner of HHV, who is also the owner/designer of the former dress shop Muumuu Heaven collected these vintage pieces with the intention of repurposing the fabric for her creations, but decided that some of them were too good to be cut up. I totally understand her and am so glad she saved them!
I wished this lacy yellow ballgown was my size, but alas.
She asked me what I was looking for and promptly began scouring their racks, pulling out all manner of gorgeous vintage from many different eras. I even spotted a 70's Alfred Shaheen dress!
But the piece that stole my heart was this 1960's Paradise Hawaii playsuit. A vintage, plus-size playsuit?! Can it be?
Yes, yes it can!!
I stepped out of the fitting room, feeling fabulous and Nanhee snapped a photo of me. The vibrant print was irresistible and when the other ladies in the store stopped their shopping to admire this super cute suit, I knew it had to come home with me!
They make reusable tote bags out of vintage fabric that you can pick out with your purchase. Naturally, when I saw this Alfred Shaheen-esque reproduction print, that had to be the one!
Hana Hou Vintage is easily one of my favorite vintage stores on Oahu. Great vintage finds for a nice price and right in my number one favorite town in the world! If you happen to find yourself in Kailua, do yourself (and your wardrobe!) a favor and stop by!
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