Au Courant Flashback - The best of '09

I can't believe it's December 31st, 2009 already! Where did the year go? I remember when I first started Au Courant back in 2007, it was the only site around that focused on International & Caribbean fashion; everyone else wrote about the mass market fashion scene, and there I was in my neck of Manhattan, going the other way and documenting what was cool about independent labels and island designers.

A few short years after the fact, I'm so glad to see that many other Caribbean-focused bloggers have popped up to write about other aspects of the industry! And still, I'm extremely glad that Au Courant has always stood apart from the rest, in terms of creating original and exclusive pieces, finding the coolest fashion items to feature, linking with interesting designers and savants, and always expanding our concept in novel ways: have you checked our Magazine | Podcasts | Facebook | Twitter? Well, what are you waiting on?!

Long story short: I'm proud to be the driving force behind Au Courant, and I'm forever thankful that you guys appreciate our content! You are an integral part of the Au Courant dynamic, and I can't wait to interact with you in even more conceptual and kick-ass-cool ways for 2010, and beyond. So while we both wait for the New Year to roll in with all it's fresh goodness, let me give you a quick countdown of some of Au Courant's memorable posts of 2009:

6. Do you know Derek Khan?::: A must-read because - It shed light on the underbelly of the celebrity styling world, and revealed the sticky-fingered rise, fall, and semi-comeback of one of the greatest style trendsetters of the last decade.

5. To Peter Minshall: We need 'Real Mas' again::: A must-read because - The legendary and revered Mas' man's work has been so fantabulously fantastical for more than two decades, it's unfair that the world shouldn't see more of it.

4. What are you? Designer or Couturier?::: A must-read because - We made would-be designers stop and question themselves and their approach to having a design business. Just because your Grannie's best pal bought your crocheted garter belt once doesn't mean you actually have a fashion brand...

3. Tribe 'Secrets of the Silk': A Review::: A must-read because - The post created a forum for Mas' lovers and Masqueraders to truthfully discuss their likes, dislikes and ambivalence about what Trinidad Carnival has become. And the actual online convo was so damn fun - click here to retrace the comments.

2. Fashionable Sex: Miss Universe T&T on Tape::: A must-read because - It was sad. It was embarrassing. It was uncomfortable. It was a good Porn tape that unfortunately starred a Miss T&T representative. Moving on...

1. Designer Shopping for Xmas | Part 1 and Part 2::: A must-read because - We should all buy and wear independent, Caribbean designer wear at least once in our lives, instead of blindly doling out cash for cheapo designer knockoffs!

And that's it! All of our '09 posts were fab, but these were the ones that I most enjoyed 'penning' - so to say. And as I wrap things up on the last day of the year, I must thank you again for growing with Au Courant, and I wish you all the best for 2010.

See you tomorrow for the New Year!

LMN Harris

You've Asked. I Have Answered - MacFarlane '10

A lot of people have been contacting Au Courant recently to ask why I haven't featured or talked about any of the costumes from Brian MacFarlane's 2010 Carnival offering, Resurrection.

Frankly, I don't have a whole lot to say, hence why I haven't said anything!

MacFarlane's design aesthetic is not my personal fave. I'll give Jack his Jacket, though; no one can do a stunning, captivating decor like MacFarlane does; anyone remembers his Christmas wonderland installations at the Malls in Trinidad?

But as far as designing Carnival costumes are concerned, he doesn't quite do it for me. True, his Mas' is probably the most creative designs around these days, what with the absence of Peter Minshall & Wayne Berkely and all. Not to mention the lack of new creatives having an opportunity to shine.

And yet, MacFarlane's Mas' doesn't resonate with me. Resurrection is a pedestrian take on those beloved Traditional Mas' characters; this is nothing we haven't seen before. I'd prefer a misshaped, dead-ugly, amorphous, mechanical, rusty and clanking Bat, over a perfectly rendered copy of one that has been already done. In a heartbeat.

What I champion with any kind of design, is originality. Originality in terms of being able to reinterpret common ideas and motifs to create a new concept, and a new discussion on a common design. Originality in terms of developing signature artistic techniques and visual languages.

I know there is no 'design' that's purely new; everything that is created takes some form of inspiration or direction from something that exists beforehand. But there are designers who are still able to tweak a popular, existing idea, until it becomes their own.

And this is what MacFarlane, and Resurrection lacks...

LMN Harris.

NB Image courtesy MacFarlaneCarnival.net

And they say Mas' is not Art! Minshall's Sketches

I am so ordering this, right now! Right along with that Mas Man, the Movie DVD. There are many reasons why I heart Peter Minshall's work, but the main one is undoubtedly his creative genius and technical skill.

Minsh did not invent, or even re-invent that symbolic wheel. But he sure knew how to work it, every which way in his Mas' presentations!

So to get a glimpse into the inner machinations of the artist (not 'Carnival/Mas' Artist' but just an Artist with a capital 'A.' Mas' is the medium, much like pastels were Degas'.) get your hands on a copy of the above book, 'Looking at the Spirits.'

Published by The Drawing Center in NYC, its pages are filled with precious preliminary sketches of costumes from Minshall's past presentations.

For the uninitiated eye, scratchy, scribbly sketches can appear to be a waste of time, but really, they're like a road map to understanding a work of art and an artist's creative process.

A very purchase-worthy piece, if I might say so; thanks to artist Brian Wong Won for the heads up!

LMN Harris

NB Image courtesy The Drawing Center.

'Mas Man, The Movie' - All About Peter Minshall

Well, you know once you say 'Minshall' my ears instantly perk up! Please, do yourself a favour and check out this trailer for Mas'Man, The Movie, a docu-film by Dalton Narine that talks about the artistry of Minshall's street theatre and performance design.

I'm already on Amazon buying the DVD; what are you waiting for?

LMN Harris