cute & little | Dallas Petite Fashion Blogger

WEDNESDAY SALE FIND 9/8/2021:

Bold Red Floral Maxi for Luau Kalamaku

. dressed up . 32 Comments

Be sure to check out the weekly On Trend Tuesdays linkup below!

Bold Red Floral Maxi for Luau Kalamaku by Dallas petite fashion blog cute and littlephoto taken outside Koloa Landing Resort

Dress: Banana Republic Floral Tie-Neck Maxi – over 50% off! (print also as a top, more similar maxis)
worn with this strapless bra (review)
Belt: borrowed from dress (similar, similar)
Shoes: Steve Madden ‘Belma’ – runs small, size up
Clutch: Ross Dress For Less (old, similar, similar)
Hat: Morning Lavender ‘Victoria’ Striped Hat (also comes in black/white)
Watch: Citizen Eco-Drive Crystal Silhouette c/o
Earrings: Modcloth ‘Gynko A Long Way’

I’m slowly but surely making my way through my Kauai trip pictures and had to share one of my favorite maxi dresses as well as an amazing luau experience I had while on the island!  I’ve been loving the red floral maxi dress options at Banana Republic this season (you might remember this pretty blue one I wore a couple months ago — I found a similar if you’re interested!) and love that their petite sizing actually hits at the perfect length so that no alterations are necessary.  The quality is amazing as per typical Banana Republic — the fabric is lightweight, drapes well, and even machine washable!  This red floral maxi is  fully lined and there’s even an elastic waistband to give it a figure-flattering shape.  I found that the bodice did pouf out a bit so I added a belt and pushed some of the excess fabric to the back and loved that it pulled double duty in accentuating an hourglass silhouette too!

Bold Red Floral Maxi for Luau Kalamaku by Dallas petite fashion blog cute and littlephoto taken at Luau Kalamaku

Bold Red Floral Maxi for Luau Kalamaku by Dallas petite fashion blog cute and little

I wore this red floral maxi dress a couple times actually one my Kauai trip — I switched into it first thing after we landed and wore it again a few days later as we headed out for a luau dinner.  No first-time visit to Kauai is complete with a Hawaiian luau so I was super excited as we stepped out onto Kilohana Plantation for Luau Kalamaku.

cute & little blog | luau kalamaku review

how stunningly gorgeous is this dancer who handed us our leis?

Laua Kalamaku offers a truly unique experience as you can actually explore the plantation before the show and enjoy a train ride, tour the plantation and even feed the animals (I had a goat eat bread out of my hand!).  There is so much of Kauai’s history that is rooted in the sugar plantation days so it was super interesting to see that aspect first-hand.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE taro and it was super cool so see fields of taro as we cruised by on the train.

Bold Red Floral Maxi for Luau Kalamaku by Dallas petite fashion blog cute and little

all aboard the train to tour Kilohana Plantation!

I also didn’t know this before I went to my first luau, but the signature shredded kalua pork is cooked in an underground oven called the imu, which uses a combination of hot coals, stones and layers of leaves and cloth or mats to steam food.  I watched the imu ceremony which basically consisted of of removing the layers of cloth and leaves from the pit oven to expose the cooked pork. The pork is removed from the pit and taken to the kitchen for shredding. I had never seen anything like it before so it was really interesting to see this ancient cooking process still in practice.

 

cute & little blog | luau kalamaku review | uncovering pork from imu

It was too packed for me to get a shot of them as they unearthed the pork but here’s a shot of the shredding the pork once it was removed from the oven.

The buffet dinner opened up shortly afterwards and I was excited to eat!  The spread featured all the signature authentic Polynesian , including selections such as lomi lomi salmon, mahi mahi, shredded kalua pork, Okinawan purple sweet potatoes, poi (a sweet paste made from taro), and a super delicious teriyaki chicken.

Of course, no luau is complete without dessert!  I took a sampling of everything which included pineapple upside-down cake (probably my favorite), rice pudding with dark rum sauce, banana cream pie, and haupia (the white coconut pudding below).

left to right: haupia (coconut pudding), rice pudding with dark rum sauce, pineapple upside-down cake, banana cream pie

While the food was good, the performance was truly spectacular!  I loved that the stage was actually at the center of the room so there were seats all around that offered front-row views.  While I had attended a luau previously when I visited Maui a couple years ago, the one at Luau Kalamaku was quite different in that instead of just having various hula dancers and drummers performing various skits on stage, this one was absolutely theatrical!

cute & little blog | luau kalamaku review

The performance told a story of the original Tahitian voyage to the Hawaiian Islands and it was almost like watching a show by Cirque de Soleil!  The lighting, costumes, and incredible dancing made it a completely immersive experience.  The show ended with fire poi balls and even fire knife dancing!

cute & little blog | luau kalamaku review | Spirit of the Sea dance

cute & little blog | kauai luau kalamaku review | fire dancer

If you ever get the chance to visit Kauai, the Luau Kalamaku is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that I would highly recommend and one that you won’t forget!  You can read more about a few of my other Kauai trip adventures here including horseback riding and a helicopter island tour!

And now for this week’s On Trend Tuesdays linkup!  Sandy and I are excited to feature Stefanie from The Style Safari this week.  I’m in love with her swimsuit — be sure to check out her blog and give her some love!

striped one-piece swimsuit

Now it’s your turn to share a recent outfit with the rest of our community for a chance to be featured!  Just link up a recent outfit and remember to include either the button below or link to both me and Sandy in your post.  We’d love if you could comment on 5 other bloggers too as this is a community where we can all get to know and support each other!  Tag us on social media too to join the conversation with #OnTrendTuesdaysLinkUp!




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Comments

  6. Stefanie Schoen says

    Kileen and Sandy thank you so much for the feature! I’m so glad you both liked my post and my swimsuit- it’s definitely a favorite of mine!

    And your tripp looked AMAZING- such great pictures!

    Thanks again!
    -Stefanie

    Reply

  8. Iliana says

    I’m at work in my lunch break I want to book a flight and go there now hahaha I love all the photos!

    Now that maxi dress looks stunning on you. I love the print and it’s perfect for a tropical vacation. Do you mind me asking how tall are you for size reference?

    xx
    Iliana | http://www.sophisticatedfashionista.com

    Reply

    • cutenlittle says

      Hi Iliana!

      I’m 5′ tall and about 107 lbs. I typically wear XSP and it’s what I’m wearing for this dress — it runs true to size! 🙂

      xo, Kileen

      Reply

  21. Bryanna says

    That’s why vacations are so amazing! Not only do you get to relax in the gorgeous scenery, but you have blog content for dayssss. Your Kauai trip looks like so much fun, and I’m adding it to my bucket list! As for this dress, that print is so stunning. You always pick out the best pieces.

    xoxo Bryanna

    Reply

  28. Nicole says

    Thanks for linking up to Top of the World Style. You look awesome in this red summer dress! I love how you styled it. The shoes are a perfect addition.

    Reply

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