White Party

THE PARTY As debuts go, the first island edition of French fete Dîner en Blanc at ‘Iolani Palace last year couldn’t have been more spectacular. But that left one problem: How do you top a former royal residence? Leave it to hosts Maleko McDonnell, Aubrey Akana and Malie Moran to pull it off the second time around. THE GUESTS Last year’s spectacular obviously made an impact: There were nearly double the attendees this year—a total of 1,300. Among them were Honolulu’s movers and shakers, including Thomas and Michele Sorensen, and Robert and Kyoko Palma. THE HIGHLIGHTS Like all editions of Dîner en Blanc around the world, the location was top secret, leading to buzz all around town. Eventually, the guests, shuttled by private bus, arrived in Ko Olina, West O‘ahu’s tony resort community, where they were greeted by the glow of the afternoon sun. After night fell, the party really got going, thanks to sweet sets by DJ Super CW, DJ Gem Tag Team and DJ Betty. –Photos by Travis Okimoto