Aima Aluli McManus, 56, of Kailua, is best known as a vocalist and musician. She's the standup bass and 'ukulele player for Hawaiian music group Puamana. Now she's launching a new career: fashion designer.

It began when McManus won the Island Style division of the FACE of Nu'uanu contest in 2006. Her "Hula-lu-lu" dress caught the judges' eyes (including mine) and won her the prize. Hula-lu-lu is a bright turquoise dress with a lining of tulle, an eclectic mix of Polynesian pareu and ballet costume.

For the past three years, McManus has been making dresses for herself and her friends. She took out the tulle, opting for simple, easy to wear and easy-care dresses that have garnered so many compliments that she's decided to start her own line.

Her collection, BLEST (Bringing Love to Every Single Thread), will be introduced to the public tonight with a trunk show.

In a nod to the tradition of 'ohana, her hanai twin nieces will also show works in the Louis Pohl Gallery, showcasing Chenoa Salmon's jewelry and Chaunnel "Pake" Salmon's photography.

'FASHION PLATE' FUN

McManus has been surrounded by fashion all her life. Her mother, the late entertainer and composer Aunty Irmgard Aluli, "was a real fashion plate," McManus said. "She went to thrift shops and garage sales, and she would put it all together and look like a million bucks. She had classic Hawaiian style, wearing a red hibiscus in her hair. She had fun shopping and putting things together, so we all grew up around it. We all had great fashion sense."

McManus is a girly girl when it comes to fashion. "I'm not a jeans girl. I have never worn them," she said. "I love hats and flowers" — and dresses, always dresses.

Puamana often entertains at parties, affording McManus the opportunity to people-watch. She pays attention to what people wear and how they wear it.

McManus, who has no formal training in fashion, relies on seamstress Tsao Le to get the dresses right. The fabric is a lightweight stretch nylon, a challenge to sew unless you're a professional like Le.

While McManus personally prefers solid fabrics, she employs plenty of prints for BLEST. Some are vintage, others are vintage-inspired. Many have a hippie-chic vibe, a look McManus has adopted for decades. One outfit, a bold print tunic with wide-legged pants (the only pants in the collection), looks like it stepped right out of the early '70s.

McManus loves to accessorize with big, bold Polynesian necklaces, bracelets, belts and hair ornaments, which will all be part of the trunk show. Her dresses pair well with shawls, scarves and jackets for cool evenings or air conditioning. They can even carry a woman through all nine months of pregnancy. BLEST dresses cost $30 to $100.

SHIPWRECKED STYLE

Chenoa Salmon, 32, of Kailua, grew up on Makaha Beach and at Makua Bay. From an early age she and her twin sister, Pake, collected shells and driftwood on the beaches. Chenoa said, "I was into painting, sewing, making little dog collars with flower shells on them. We had a dog named Hilo who used to surf, so I made up a dog collar for her with shells."

She began making hair accessories in the late 1990s, and then discovered jewelry making. James Escobido of Royal Pacific Jewels offered Chenoa Salmon an internship, and she learned to make jewelry. Her debut line, called Shipwrecked, features shells she has collected on beaches, as well as Tahitian pearls and cultured pearls, sterling silver and gold.

Prices for the pieces range from $35 (for hoops with puka shells) to $1,000 (for the starfish in white or yellow gold with pave diamonds).

CAMERA'S EYE

Pake Salmon, also 32, is an ocean lifestyle photographer. She began working in film and television as a stuntwoman and segued into acting, locations management and underwater cinematography. She recently worked on "Lost" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

"My specialty is nature photography (seascapes, landscapes and underwater), ocean sports, and people and places," Pake Salmon said. She will be showing a carefully edited selection of her photos at the BLEST show.