So I was idly watching TV, and happened upon an episode from season one's installment of America's Next Top Model (ANTM.) In the midst of all the top model tra-la-la, I heard a faint, island-cum-FashionGuy accent.
Upon a keener listen, I realized that the numerous drawls of "Work it!" and "It's Couture!" came from one of the supposed creators of the 'Ghetto-Fab' look, aka 90's celebrity stylist, Trinidadian, Derek Khan.
Not knowing a great deal about Khan - besides the fact that he styled Mary J. in that opulent fur coat and luxury car for the cover of the My Life album - I instantly Googled him. What came up was out of a Hollywood movie - in the worst sense. So here goes:
Derek Khan is born in Trinidad. Has a flair for style and a hankering for the high life, so he moves to NYC in his early twenties. Gets into in fashion retail, and works his way through the store system. A chance meeting with music industry folk sets him on the path towards styling artistes like Salt-n-Peppa, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklyn and the other biggies, during the 90's.
Gets into managing entertainment acts. Borrows clothes from companies like Escada for his artistes' shoots, which he then sells on the side for his own gain. Gets caught and serves a brief jail sentence on the low. Nonetheless, he slips back into the industry, and goes on to introduce the R&B and Rap folk to High Fashion with a capital H: Vuitton, YSL, Dolce and the like.
Lifestyle gets uber, uber-lavish. Read: Industry lunches at Mr. Chow's. Creme De la Mer for his skin. Luxury rooms at Raffles... Khan begins to realize he can't maintain it. Borrows diamonds for celebs - up to $1.5 million USD worth - and hawks it for the money, so he can live large. Pops up as a stylist & judge on ANTM in early 2003. Skirts the jewelers for a bit, but gets caught and is once again sent to jail. Green Card is revoked, and he's deported Trinidad, without a dime.
Dips under the radar for a bit, then decides to ride the show pony to Dubai for a fresh start. Gets into entertainment in the rising Arabic fashion & lifestyle city; appears on the cover of celeb magazines and on satellite TV, and inks a deal to design his own line of jewels. Admits to everything, says he's paid his price, and is moving on with life...
Whoa... Talk about drama! You know, some folks say the man is a crook who no one should trust, end of story. Others say maybe he IS a crook, but he's a crook with style, who did the crime and the time, and deserves a second chance. Whichever way it swings, at least he told the truth...
L.M.N. Harris.
N.B. Image courtesy NY Times.
Guess that's why we're called Trickydadians