Fashion Week T&T - The Review, Pt.2

A few of my faves from Pilar, Claudia Pegus, and Zadd & Eastman.
Check out last month's Au Courant Mag. for a close-up

I did things belatedly, and a bit backward, dealing with the 'bad' and the 'ugly' of Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago (FWTT), weeks after its conclusion in June, and it's high time I dealt with the 'good!' So here goes:

Claudia Pegus (the Classic Collection, NOT CPFS) : Talk about grown-up glamour! With a hint of old Hollywood flair, Pegus' collection was a course on High Class. Every look was well tailored creating sharp silhouettes and a 'naughty lady' effect, using Pegus' signature materials (Taffetta, Lace, Silk, Tulle, etc) and rich, peacock tones. Think of the upper class 'lady that lunches,' out on a secret rendezvous, and you'll get the effect.

Radical Designs: More of a sportswear collection, the showing by Radical Designs stood out to me for one main reason: it signaled a return to the Radical Designs of yore. Recently, the Dianne Hunt lead fashion brand tended to regurgitate old designs and their basic tees with a generic graphical print on it. This showing reminded me that Radical can indeed put out inspired linen and cotton suits, dresses, and such.

Pilar: I believe Ms. T&T 2008, Anya Ayoung-Chee attended Parsons Design for Graphic Arts, but apparently, some of the design mojo from the Fashion department must have rubbed off on her, too. Debuting Pilar, a line named in memory of her deceased brother, Ayoung-Chee focused on incorporating ethnic prints , cottons and African elements into her first collection. Full of contemporary pieces with simple construction - shorts, halter tops, circle and full skirts - a Pilar piece is the kind of design you'd wear for the club, a social, dinner, or just hanging out.

Zadd & Eastman: This team is the one to watch - trust me! Zadd & Eastman was originally known as the 'go-t0' designers for a slammin' beauty pageant dress. But the South Trinidad-based team (Omzad Khan & Nigel Eastman, I believe) keep creating original, flirty, and girly pieces that scream 'buy me!' From their old standbys (ruffles on skirts; delicate prints & patterns) to new, form-fitting silhouettes, it was a strong showing that further heralded Zadd & Eastman's arrival on the fashion front.

Meiling (the Classic collection, not Msquared) : Meiling did what Meiling does best, by giving us a collection of airy separates and dresses that are decidedly feminine, but with womanly touches of grown-up style, and an air of mysterious finesse. With a muted, natural palette and the usual Meiling cottons, the collection didn't represent anything groundbreaking or novel, but was a solid showing nonetheless.

You might note, that my favourites - save for Zadd & Eastman, and Pilar - are the 'usuals.' You know, those designers whose names are synonymous with Trinidadian design. And it was not a conscious decision, really.

The truth is (as I've said so many times before on Au Courant,) that Fashion is an actual industry, just like Sports, Media, Construction, and so forth. And as such, there are certain standards and processes that must be present in a designer's or brand's efforts, for it to be considered a serious collection.

To me, those standards and processes (sound garment construction and aesthetic; tasteful, inventive, and practical clothing; cohesive collection presentation; company/designer overview; contact information; designer/business plan, etc) were lacking in the vast majority of collections, with the exception of the long-standing designers I listed above.

Well, I guess there's something to be said for longevity, after all...

LMN Harris

NB. Images courtesy Triniscene

Live From T&T - Finding Zadd & Eastman

I wanted to visit the studio of Zadd & Eastman so, so badly when I was in Trinidad over the Christmas holidays; it's no secret that I greatly admire their design aesthetic. But alas, contacting the designers and finding their studio proved to be much harder than it seemed.

My logic went as follows: "The south of Trinidad is right there - not more than a mere 90 minute drive. And the Fashion Week of Trinidad & Tobago site has a designer directory with their contacts, so I'm sure I can call them and book an appointment!"

Well, talk about having faulty logic in this instance. Their studio number? Rang for minutes on end, for numerous tries; didn't even go to an answering service. A message to their email address? Unanswered thus far, and I'm on two minds whether or not to send a follow-up message.

Maybe they have since changed their contact information and have relocated. Maybe, they're working on a new website for the collection - which I still love, by the way - and needed the supposed new contact information for the site. A thousand maybe's...

At any rate, it's a bad look for a growing brand, and I'm duly disappointed. How are potential customers (a.k.a, everyone outside of the inner sanctum of a designer's intimate circle of friends) supposed to see the apparel and order pieces, if they can't find or contact the designer's studio?

LMN Harris.

Fashion Week T&T: The Post Mortem.

So, this page has been idle for a bit, due to some impromptu travel plans I've had within the past few months. But I'm fully back, and armed with the promised pics from the May 29th conclusion of Fashion Week Trinidad & Tobago!

Amongst the designers who showed their works were my always favourite Meiling, Millhouse, Claudia Pegus, Kaj Designs, Francis Hendy, Ecliff Elie, Zadd & Eastman (Fantastic Showing!!!) and others.

Unfortunately, I only attended the final night and expected a grand finale - a big Ta Da - but the night was poorly organizedand the fashions that were shown were not accompanied by some sort of tag or sign that indicated who designed what...

I mean, from my front row vantage point, I witnessed a flummoxed Peter Elias audibly shooing people/models/some folks across the front ramp area, whilst the actual show was going on! At the start of the showing, a jarring hip hop tune blasted out in the middle of the National Anthem, and the lights were dimmed at least twice on models as they walked the runway!

So beyond the fact that the colourful cotton dresses on Ms. T&T/Universe Anya Ayoung-Chee & Top model Raeanne Vialva were done by Meiling, the FANTASTIC and colourful strip-styled pieces were by Zadd & Eastman, and that the fierce animal printed pieces were by Kaj Designs, I can't say who did what! If by chance you know who the designers are, feel free to let me know, comment or drop me a line at aucourantinthecaribbean@gmail.com

Nonetheless, enjoy!

L.M.N. Harris

To fit, or not - Designer Shoping for Xmas

Christmas '09 designs from: Claudia Pegus (Top); Meiling (Above)

I often wonder what happens after a beloved, independent designer like Poshe, Zadd & Eastman or Ecliff Elie shows their collections. Do the fashion masses rush to the designer's showrooms to cherry-pick their favourite pieces?

Do the fashion masses even know where the designer showrooms are?

According to the team at one popular Trinidadian designer's atelier, "The morning after we have our showings, there's always a bit of a crowd outside our place - people are ready to snap up our pieces and they email us with images of the ones they want, because they are serious about buying the collections!"

As refreshing as it is to hear, I doubt it's the case at most fashion designer studios in the Caribbean. Why? Because even though people oooh and aaaah at the mention of Claudia Pegus or KAJ, the only people who actually buy the pieces are their loyalists.

The rest of us are busy shopping in the malls, buying a $600.00 TTD dress from some supposedly 'fancy' boutique, never mind the dress actually cost no more than $10.00 USD retail (0r $63.00 TTD) in a boutique on Broadway, NYC...

Trust me when I tell you this; I've even seen some of these boutique owners negotiating their buys, right up the street from me....

Seems like people rather get ripped off, instead of just going ahead and booking an appointment with one of our top designers for a bespoke piece. For the love of God, I can't wrap my mind around why someone would pay that $600.00 TTD for a $63.00 dress, instead of getting an actual designer original for about the same price!

Anywhoo, most of the local fashion greats would have launched their S/S2010, or their Resort/Holiday collections: make the best of it, and go shopping at Meiling's Kapok store for instance, or just call her up for an appointment. She would never scoff at your interest; you don't have to be a society darling to get a piece from her.

In fact , I can bet my bottom dollar that any designer will open their studio and make a w.o.w Christmas Dinner frock for you - if you would only ask more often! And if, for some inexplicable reason (that's filled with high-nosed snobbery) a designer happens to refuse you, just let me know and I'll put them on blast.

LMN Harris.

NB Images courtesy Trinipulse.com & Meiling