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

Brian Wong Won + Au Courant: A Conversation about Trini Carnival Costumes

This is what happens when passionate, culture-loving folks meet up, whether in person, or as in this case, online. Logged via our Facebook Page, the following bit of communicae started out as just a comment on the TRIBE Carnival 2010 review I posted yesterday.

Brian Wong Won, a noted Trinidad-born artist and Mas' man in his own right, responded to the post, and the commenting quickly morphed into an all out, impromptu discussion about the degradation of what we all love - Trinidad Carnival and Masquerade:

Brian Wong Won:- "I think they (TRIBE Carnival) have more feathers this year than last, when the theme was Birds. This year, only the Peter Elias section carries out the theme well, in my opinion. But overall, most of the Carnival bands seem stuck in the "Vegas Showgirl" formula, and it's getting quite long in the tooth.

Au Courant:- Brian, you are so right! It's like TRIBE had a surplus of feathers from this year's presentation (2009's Birds of a Feather,) and they said 'What the heck - let's use it! No one will notice it's not silk, man!" Why don't they work with artists like you on their portrayals!!??!!"

BWW:- "I really don't know. It's not to say "The Secret of Silk" is a hard theme to portray; its not like a Peter Minshall mas, but oh gosh, do some proper research, nah? The theme had abundant potential with all those cultures and variances on them to draw from, but they give this Vegas nonsense again.

I am not looking for a Brian Macfarlane nor a Minshall style Mas' here, but at least do some work and don't use the Vegas motif every year like that! This lackluster, lazy attitude does nothing for the advancement of Mas'. And I extend this to almost all the bands. Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) has an abundance of artistically gifted people, so why not use their talents?

I really fear our youth will never see nor experience the power of the Mas' at this rate, and the world shall soon class T&T Carnival as, or like that, of Brazil. Had the theme been "Vegas in T&T," TRIBE's 2010 the costumes would have fitted beautifully; I really expected more.

It's as you said in your post: "A case of death by feathers!" Good thing there's no bird flu scare right now..."

AuC:- "You know, it's really saddening; everyone has internet access these days, so even if - as a designer - you don't know much, it can't be that hard to do a little design research. But you know what?

Until the costume-buying public calls a spade a spade, and vociferously complains about the regurgitated Vegas Mas', those costume makers will keep churning out the same nonsense, year after year. It is really spoiling the culture..."

BWW:- "So true! Gone are the days when you're like a possessed pack rat, making copious notes and Xerox copies of the library books for costume research! Today it's so easy to do design research with computers. But the public will continue to buy, as that is all they know Mas' to be, especially the foreigners.

I have never seen any band to step out of the norm, with the exception of Brian MacFarlane most recently, to do otherwise. We see some sections doing wonderful things from time to time, but it does not last. If I recall it was Lil' Hart who introduced the bikini mas, but even that band used to follow a theme well; a trait that Harts still continues with today - especially the men's costumes.

Harts is one of the few bands to really do excellent men's costumes, as well as women's. So it's not to say these Bikini Mas' designers don't have the ability to create variety. But this lackluster trend nowadays is making the culture of Carnival stagnant; how many variations of the same Vegas showgirls costume must we endure, year after year, from different bands?

And it's not to say we must banish the bikini mas from Carnival, but rather the actual costumes and designs could benefit from further development and variation."

Well said, Brian!

LMN Harris.

NB Image courtesy Trinidad Carnival Diary

TRIBE 2010 "The Secrets of Silk" - a Review

The section "Osage" designed by Gail Cabral.
A lovely section, but can you glean The Secret of Silk, from this?

The Secrets of Silk... Quite an alluring title for a Carnival presentation, right? Instantly, the mind conjures up images of sexy, lithe bodies, swathed in rich silken threads and glinting with bejeweled elements adorning their limbs... Bodies that dance sinuously and weave their magic and Asian mystique upon dazed onlookers...

So imagine my utter disappointment at seeing the 2010 launch presentation from TRIBE Carnival, and upon realizing that The Secrets of Silk had nothing to do with the luxurious textile, but was really just a case of death by feathers.

I had already gotten a taste of the designs through the leaked promotional booklet that I posted here, days before the actual launch. But I withheld my opinions until now, because I always prefer to see how a costume's presented and how it moves on the model, and also because TRIBE's launch efforts are always extravagant, lavish, and impressive.

But truth be told, TRIBE's 2010 presentation is simply a lackluster one. The costumes are very, very nice, but in the uber-competitive industry that is Trinidad Carnival, 'nice' is not enough. Nor is regurgitating old design concepts or costumes, and calling them new.

The Secrets of Silk as a theme has so many Asian/African elements and references that could have been exploited in the design process, but instead, TRIBE relied too heavily on adornment with those ubiquitous feathers to enliven their presentation.

There are other sites that go into great detail about which particular costume is better than another, so I don't need to say much on that. But I will say this: Maybe it is time for these contemporary costume designers to admit to themselves that there are other ways to create Carnival portrayals; ways that may not even need feathers, bikinis, waistbands, and such.

Maybe they also need to seriously consider treating costume design as an actual art form, not unlike fashion or costume design for the runway or the Theatre respectively; look into studying fashion/construction, visual art, 3-dimensional sculpture, or installation art.

Training in any of those disciplines will provide an inexhaustible reservoir of inspiration and technical skill, both elements that are sorely lacking from the Carnival costume industry these days. For the absolute least, a smidgen of artistic knowledge in any of those areas would all but guarantee original costume designs that show a bit of forethought and attention to form or concept.

Above all, costume designers need to remember that beyond Carnival being a money-making industry, the actual costumes are works of art that says a lot - or a little - about their talent and skill. It's very sad, actually. Folks like Ken Morris and Carlisle Chang would have died a second death, if they were alive to see the costumes that are created now...

LMN Harris.

Image courtesy Triniscene.