On December 6, 2025, the stage at Hale Lihue, Rice Community Center will be unlike anything Kauai has seen before. The Kauai Concert Association presents Vibe and Vogue, a performance that fuses Haute Couture, live music, and storytelling into a single work of art. At the heart of this bold production is a collaboration between Haute Couture designer Louda Larrain and pianist Monica Chung (also the artistic director of the association). Louda’s husband, the renowned photographer Gilles Larrain, lends his talent documenting this dazzling and colorful event.
The project began when Monica—a longtime friend of Louda—approached Louda because she wanted to wear her designs for an event. That request evolved into a collaboration that stretches far beyond clothing. For Vibe & Vogue, Louda not only created couture gowns and elaborate headpieces for Monica, but also imagined the stage itself, designing sets from cardboard and discarded materials. Her artistry takes what others might discard and breathes new life into it, echoing Kauai’s ability to transform and tame with its unique energy.
The performance unfolds as a narrative that is at once playful, symbolic, and deeply personal. The story begins with “Taming Tigers with Aloha,” a motif that captures Louda’s own journey since moving to Kauai in 2013 with her husband Gilles. Once symbols of raw ferocity, the tigers of her imagination are calmed and softened by the aloha spirit of the island, much as she and Gilles felt themselves grounded and “tamed” by Kauai’s embrace.
From there, the stage blooms with the presence of Hawaii’s beloved state bird, the nene, evoked through Louda’s stylized and fanciful creations. Next, the narrative dives underwater with the appearance of the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a, Hawaii’s state fish, whose playful presence reminds audiences that whimsy belongs alongside solemnity in the stories we tell.
From the depths of the ocean to the expanse of the sky, Louda then brings forth the North Star shining in the Polynesian sky—a guiding light that threads her Siberian childhood, and recollections of her father, with her Hawaiian present.
And finally, no Kauai story would be complete without Kauai Chickens, the raucous and ever-present character of island life. In Vibe and Vogue, the rooster struts into the narrative with all the flair and audacity of Kauai’s feathered mascots, its crowing presence a reminder that even chaos has its place in the island’s rhythm.
Through all of this, Monica Chung becomes both musician and canvas. Her pianism drives the performance, while Louda’s couture creations transform her into a living embodiment of the story. Each garment and headpiece are matched to the music and the moods it creates, blurring the line between sound and sight. She is not only performing but also inhabiting the world Louda has conjured.
Behind the lens, Gilles Larrain ensures that the fleeting moments of this collaboration live on. Famous for his evocative portraiture and ability to capture the spirit of his subjects, Gilles documents Monica’s transformations onstage and Louda’s sets in ways that give permanence to an ephemeral performance.
Vibe and Vogue is more than an evening of music or fashion—it is a celebration of Kauai itself, refracted through the creative spirits of three artists who call the island home. It is at once whimsical and profound, rooted in memory yet brimming with imagination, a performance where Haute Couture speaks and music shines. This December, expect to be transported into a world where creative boundaries dissolve and the art isn’t just performed—it’s worn, shaped, and felt. Kauai has never seen anything like this before. Don’t miss out, limited tickets are available at www.kauai-concert.org.
Vibe and Vogue Photo Diary
Photos by Gilles Larrain
