Spring sensations

I keep a tiny sliver of fragrant soap in my shower, protected with a dish purchased for the purpose. I am passionate about that sliver of soap. It came from my favorite room in all the world, Studio Les Chevresin Les Maisons de Cappadoce in Uchisar, Cappadocia, Turkey. Each time I put the soap to my nose I am transported to that special place, a dwelling carved out of the surreal landscape of caves. I can feel the cool marble floors in the spacious shower. I am reminded of the serene lnai where I spent the day painting. I feel the smooth, sensual luxurious hand-embroidered linens. The spectacular cave hotel is the
genius of French architect Jacques Avizou, and I yearn to return.

This is what scent can do. Scent has the ability to transport us to a time or place inextricably connected with the fragrance. Who can ever forget the lavender Ttwore, our first pikake lei or moms Chanel No. 5? I believe we are especially sensitized to scents in Hawaii. Flowers are fraught with meaning here in the land of lei. Fragrance can play an important role throughout our homes. In Scenting your home, one of our home-style stories, we explore the many means by which we can imbue our homes with scents to help set a mood.

In this issue of umag we also explore the exquisite beauty of flowers. Fashion designers as diverse as Issey Miyake, Tamara Catz and Custo Barcelona created refreshing floral prints for spring. In our cover story, we pay homage to their inspiration. Speaking of scents and florals, not to mention style, spring brings Nordstrom to Hawaii, at last! The 210,000 square-foot retail emporium, complete with one-third of an acre of women's shoes, is now open at Ala Moana, and dozens more are here or on the way. Many offer fresh new fashion shopping experiences. A few to be excited about: Lululemon Athletica, Chicos, Club Monaco, Kahala, J. Crew, True Religion and Wolford. More reasons to shop at home in Honolulu instead of flying away for a Mainland shopping spree.

In this issue we introduce freelance writer Melissa Gibson, a co-author of The Little Black Apron: A Single Girls Guide to Cooking With Style & Grace. The Punahou grad now lives in San Francisco but keeps her ties to Honolulu. Shes a breath of fresh air with a breezy writing style and a lot to say about the single life. Were also excited to introduce Kawehi Haug, our new nightlife reporter. Kawehi, always out and about scouting the scene, brings u the latest club news. Youll notice an expanded role for our Fashion Forum. In this issue, four members choose a spring trend, combine it with items already in their closets, and dress it up or down to suit their lifestyles.

Were confident that youll find a great deal to peruse in this issue. After all, its all about u!

Paula Rath