Getting Wanko for Winter
One of the benefits of living on the Eastside is the vast mountain range, and cool island breezes, but when winter hits, the wind picks up and it can get a little chilly. But unlike the mainland winters, our island weather patterns are severely inconsistent. One minute there will be heavy downpours with wind that practically makes you feel like you’re in a hurricane, then out of nowhere the sun will pop out as if nothing just happened.
So how do you dress appropriately for this type of predicament? Local girl Aimee Vogelgesang whipped up the perfect accessories for this exact situation. Born and raised in Kailua, she has bared witnessed to Kailua’s weather for over twenty-five years now and in response, created WankoWanko- a collection of light weight scarves. What started off as a side project to help raise money for her pet bunny Bambi’s surgery, now has become a boom in the fashion industry. An avid thrift shopper, she can be found perusing the men’s t-shirt section searching for comfortable, cotton tees in bright hues which she’ll use as the base of her scarves.
Photos by: Kristen Hook Photography
All hand-made, with recycled materials, WankoWanko scarves are lightweight enough for the Hawaiian sun, but offer enough warmth for those cooler days. Wear the scarf long, or loop it to make it shorter, or even combine WankoWanko scarves to add to the thickness.
Vogelgesang also promises new WankoWanko collections in the coming year, with a selection of hand-dyed, tie-dyed, the Circle Scarf collection, and the Hardware collection. Want to pick up your own WankoWanko scarf?
Visit Olive Boutique, 43 Kihapai St. Kailua, HI #808-263-9919 or send Aimee an email at WankoWankoHI@yahoo.com
Enjoy,
Have a “Keeping Cool in Kailua” story idea? Email Lianne at LThompson@staradvertiser.com