Claudia Pegus Christmas 09 - A Review

Looks from the Christmas 09 Claudia Pegus Collection
'The Show Must Go On,' at Long Circular Mall,
Trinidad & Tobago. Nov. 21st. 2009

I'm often quite torn about Claudia Pegus' collections, and it saddens me so. The 'Couturier of the Caribbean,' Pegus is one of the rare regional designers with the ability to turn out a well-structured 'glamour' gown at the drop of a hat; her fondness for using a wide range of materials beyond the typical linens and cottons sets her apart from her contemporaries.

However, when it comes to consistently turning out her trademark pieces, Pegus often runs into problems. 'The Show Must Go On,' her recent Christmas 09 showing that took place last Saturday revealed a mish-mosh of a collection that ran the gamut from Audrey Hepburn-esque black & white pieces, to patch-worked, jewel-toned separates, and everything in between.

It was varied at best, and haphazard, at worst; a rather sub-par showing from a designer whose technical savvy and design aesthetic is not to be sniffed at. There was no continuity within the set; no common theme or thread that held the looks together. Truthfully, the collection seemed to be culled from past Pegus shows.

The execution of details could have been attended to with greater attention; the styling and accessories that were used detracted from the overall effect on some looks, and the patch-worked pieces on others puckered at the seams and appeared to have been sewn with too much tension in the stitches.

It's not to say that some of the individual pieces - and even the individual accessories - weren't nice enough. Most of the looks stood well on their own, but as a collection they failed to create a harmonious whole. Pegus' past showings at FWTT 09 and the Summit of the Americas were a glimpse of the designer at her best; hopefully the next Claudia Pegus collection will feature a return to the cohesion of her past collections...

LMN Harris

NB Images courtesy Trinipulse.com

Claudia Pegus at the 5th Summit of the Americas - Stunning!

I'm not a 'Claudia Pegus' woman, meaning that I'm not the kind of woman to wear a lot of shiny Taffeta, Silks, Jacquards, and classical 'evening' materials. My idea of a glamorous evening piece tends to go along the line of something that's lush & sensuous, or flowy and natural; think Cashmere-Jersey blends, light Chiffons, Voile, and such.

But nonetheless, I was taken aback by the Trinidadian designer's mini-presentation at the BHP Building, during the 5th Summit of the Americas, that was held recently in the twin-island state. Talk about show stopping! Click through the images above for a close-up of the gorgeousness. The pieces are classic 'Claudia': showy and statement-making, and yet finely constructed and well executed.

My personal favourite? The timely Jodphur/Dhoti style, puffed-sleeved Jumper! Now that's the kind of flashy glamour I'd rock across Manhattan: pair it with glistening skin, a bare neck, silver hoop earrings, a statement cuff bracelet, and heeled Gladiator sandals, and I'd be set! Claudia, what's the cost?

L.M.N. Harris.

N.B. Image courtesy Judette Coward-Puglisi.

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

Gucci's ex Jamaican Gyal says "So What?!!"

Although I wear many different Media, Production & Design hats myself, I tend to get a bit tense whenever I hear of popular, celeb-type folks crossing back & forth between industries & genres. I get even more tense when the industry crossing involves top models. Not because they're dumb (as popular culture would love for us to believe) but because their efforts often seem like just another ill-planned promotional venture. The few model-cum-business women/talk show hosts/model show producers/fashion reality show producers and whomever else only succeed (in my opinion) because the industries they ventured into were somehow linked to their old one of ramp stalking. Stories of fashion models becoming top singers however? Those are far and few. So what exactly is Nadine Willis, a top international model and past Gucci Campaign girl, doing in the record booth laying down reggae tracks for a single called 'So What' - no pun intended?

The Jamaican beauty, a muse to Claudia Pegus and a slew of men across the world, manages to walk the thin line between Grace Jones' outrageousness and white washed blackness without losing a trace of Jamrock. As far as I know of, this will be Nadine's first foray into the music biz as a singer; she's linked up with Jamaica's Pulse Music Label/Grub Cooper Productions, headed by Kinglsey Cooper. According to PopStyleJamaica.com, "The track sees Nadine tackling issues close to her own heart with hard hitting lyrics which speak to the virtues of perseverance and finding strength to rise above difficult situations and personal adversities." Nadine herself says that "In life people will always have negative or hurtful things to say about you and sometimes we need a little encouragement to build ourselves back up. It advises my listeners to shrug off negative energy and rise above destructive people and hard times. You are just as good as anybody else, so tell the haters – SO WHAT!" I've listened to the track and it's good. Not fantastic, but very good.

For one thing, if any model should be singing about overcoming hardships, its Nadine. I'm sure that as black model from the Caribbean, she must have had some hurdles to vault over. Knowing that Nadine was once an 'Exotic Dancer' to put it mildly, also lends credibility to a model singing about keeping strong during tough situations and saying 'So What' to adversity. Will she be the next top reggae singer comming out of Jamaica? Who knows...

L.M.N Harris.