Now that Style week and Fashion week is over…which was better? Why? What expectations did you have and were they met? Let’s speak on it.

I for one enjoyed CFW waaaay better. But then, my expectations were as such. I’ve always felt that the two were on different levels, SWJ tries to please the crowd by bringing us “hype” and “flava” while CFW brings world class presentations to us so that we get the feel of a fashionweek that would happen in a Paris or Milan. Style week. Both of the had horrible delays. On CFW’s opening night, the showed started 3 HOURS late as we waited patiently while the stage was being built!!! Are they serious??? Style week had us wait almost an hour in between shows for an editor who had just flown in from London or something…because my presence alone is clearly not enough.

The CFW location was much better, it was indoors for one and I could actually see what was on the runway. Fashionblock is very overhyped, the sidewalk can only hold so much people (which was way too stuffed for my liking) and outside of that you can’t see jack! The sponsors on board made for a better CFW experience…Taboo, Smirnoff Flavoured Vodka and Nestle Supligen mixes were free flowing…though the combining of all three is not something I’d recommend! The idea of setting up booths so that the audience can actually meet the designers and purchase items on spot, also one-ups SWJ.

SWJ had great entertainment at Fashionblock, the fire-spitting dancers were HOT, pun intended LOL. The gas they left on the stage also made for very funny trips from the models as well…ok that wasn’t really funny but hey no one got seriously hurt.

I really enjoyed the collections from both shows though, this years collections were really good. Colour was definitely a trend…bright, vibrant colourful pieces…I was disappointed by only a minimal few.

Enough of me babbling on…what do our loyal FOS readers have to say?

Jhay:

Ofcourse the whole production of CFW is superior to SWJ. CFW had a more internatinal flair. Pulse is a lot more organized and it showed. Pulse’s venue choice was WAY better 2.
CFW lacked a certain something though that SWJ has - i think its the “hype” that SWJ brings which makes their shows not so boring as CFW.
Both events had shows that started late and unnecessay delays.
WRT [with regards to] designers, both brought designers that i really liked (i.e. Fauvette, Kevin O’brian, Ande Sew & Reve from SWJ and Claudia Pegus, Catalin Botezatu, The Cloth & Bill Edwards from CFW) and others i didn’t.
I missed Posh Punk (ye that piece that Jaunel is wearing on the cover of the CFW book) that showed the previous 2 years at CFW though.

Time for some of the fashion from the audience…

Homegirl on the right…I am loving your shirtdress and your shoes

Too cute for words…

Spragga di Benz pon di enzzzz

Again…loving those shoes…

Holding it down for the fellas in the crisp Bill Edwards

Eve and Mashonda front row style

FOS Fave Cherine Anderson

Nia Long sitting pretty in the front row next to first lady Lorna Golding.

Much more pics in the gallery and you can see these full-sized there…were you caught by my cam? Go check them out …

Nia Long and Nadine Willis

When I saw the different pieces from Claudia Pegus’ line [Trinidad and Tobago] at Pulse’s Caribbean Fashion Week this Sunday, all that ran through my head was "wow…I could see Carrie in that." You’ll have to forgive me, I’m still a little high from the movie itself…but the dresses were BEAUTIFUL! And the lil hats angled on the side? OH that’s so CARRIE!!!! The line was fabulously glamorous from the accessories and the hats to the shoes and it brought out the most celebrities walking for one designer. It was mega packed from supermodel Jaunel McKenzie opening the line, former Gucci model Nadine Willis rocking the runway with baby stroller in tow plus international stars Vanessa Williams, Mashonda and Nia Long all taking the catwalk by storm. Claudia got a very warm welcome when she took the catwalk herself for her amazing line.

Alot of these pics are horribly shaky…please forgive…but I do have good video of the final walk to make-up for it!

Vanessa Williams and Mashonda

The line is available for viewing in the FOS galleries …vote for your favorite piece and leave your comments!

Amidst all of the fashionweek recap, I pause to bring to you a lil of my own press. FOS yahdie Mikelah writes for Jamrock Magazine online and was gracious enough to give yah girl some shine. Check out the article here , thanks again Mikelah

So, remember how I told you [first] that Indashio was coming to show his line in Jamaica? Well that he did…twice. Indashio is quite a spirited character, i.e. a spunky lil dude, energetic and full o’ vibe. You can see he’d be great to party with and in fact, the after party was off the chain! Shout outs to Darren and the Sky Dock lounge.

However, I have a gripe with Mr. Indashio. I’m not sure who convinced you to show the ENTIRE line at Fashionblock, a free style week event, only to charge JA$2500 (about US$35) +drinks for me to watch the line all over again with no additives. How about next time at a pre -event you do a lil pre view…a lil teaser to plug your show? Cus if I’ve seen it all before, why’d I pay good money to go see it again? Thanks to your sponsor Uni-lever for the complimentary Ponds and Dove products though, those face-wipes are great for night time make-up removal!

Anyhoo…on to the line. It certainly reflects your personality: funky, spirited, colourful…FUN!

This was my favorite piece. The Zebra print over the turqoise was gorgeous…a refreshing change from the normal animal print matched with red…oh…you had a few of those two huh…

MMMMMhhhmmmm

Flip flops huh….only you Indashio… and maybe Dexter…

Work it out then… full gallery available here .

Pics courtesy of Brass.Angel.Photography

Wanna see what $80,000 US dollars looks like? Model Canise shows off this b Michael creation shown at International Mecca of Style.

Go ahead, click the thumbnails and take it aaaallllll in. The full b. Michael gallery is available here along with Jamaican designers Bunmi, 3D, Yola Grey, Mdiz and Dominique Acevedo here .

All pics were courtesy of our very own make-up guru and photographer Brass.Angel.Photography

I took a vid clip of the Ed Hardy line rocking the 150ft long catwalk in the middle of New Kingston’s Knutsford Boulevard. Ed Hardy done brung it y’all…check it out.

Styleweek Jamaica is well under way and will culminate tonight with it’s history making catwalk in the middle of Kingston’s busy busy business district (well on a Sunday night there’s not much business eh) and I can’t wait to be front and centre. The shows have been great thus far, with the normal setbacks such as HUMONGOUS delays between collections (man, we need to get over this ish!) but its all fab none-the-less.

Here’s your favorite fashionista snapping a shot with hottie model Tafari Hinds of GQ and French Connection fame. He’s such a gracious soul.

I also spotted Saint Top model Canise mingling in the crowd in a FABULOUS pair of black mary-janes with a red heel. She rocked it well in all black including the full length black leggings you all know I adore. Hot eh?

Of course I’m not about to leave you all out of the scene. I got a few clips of the final walks especially the fabulous Les Campbell, noted Jamaican menswear designer, Rojoe from Barbados and the dynamic Dexter Pottinger closing the show with the 3D 08 line. Check the vid for the fabulosity below.

Rojoe

Les Campbell

Dexter

Mynka is a fashion designer from rural Jamaica who is really a free spirit at heart. She chants nam-myoho-renge-kyo and practices Nichirin Daishonin’s Buddhism to keep her grounded and attract her good fortune and needed support. She’s got many ventures under her belt and the drive to succeed at them all. I spoke to Mynka recently about her roots and her latest efforts:

The Beginning

I started designing at about ten, cutting up my jeans and other clothes and sewing sequins on everything I wore including my shoes. My aunt and my stepmother taught me to crochet around the same age but I really started designing seriously at around age 21. I actually moved to Kingston [Jamaica] to pursue a musical career and [while] hanging out at the studios people would always love my clothes. I started out as a personal shopper at first and then people started ordering hats and then I would make clothes. I really dont know when the transition happened, I just know that Buju Banton was one of the first people to start buying my hats and he said to me one day “you know everybody a go want dem hat ya now, you a go crochet ’til you hand dem bun you” and it has been like that ever since: me crocheting ’til my hands burn me, lol. I used to write for the Teenage Observer and one day they did a feature on me and as they say the rest is history. Shortly after that I was introduced to Dewight Peters [of Saint International fame] who put me on my first fashion show.

Challenges

Lack of raw materials like fashion yarns, buckles and other trimmings.

Alot of [Jamaicans] will spend a fortune on foreign name brands but try to negotiate my price.

There really isn’t a supportive body to help us designers. Other Caribbean countries, I know their government sends the designers to school, give them buildings to sell their stuff or sponsor them to travel and go to different fashion shows. Our government does nothing for us. I am not saying I need a hand out, but even the business development center , that claim they are there to develop businesses, will order things from you, bawl down [i.e. negotiate] your price to little and nothing and then still take a month to pay you after the goods are delivered. The hotels are the same.

I am on a fashion committee right now and I am pushing to change that and trying to work with the government to improve the situations. Everybody keeps telling me I need to be a politician. I am so about fighting for justice which is the meaning of my name.

Who and where:

I’ve worked with Buju Banton, Cecile, Truth Hurts, Roberta Flack, Gyptian, Deon Silvera, Audrey Reid, Pam Hall, Nadine Willis, Arturo Tapping, Faye Alibocus, D’angel

My pieces are available at the CFW boutique in the Pulse Complex, Shades of Africa and la Pluma Negra [all in Kgn, Jamaica] for now. I am building a boutque in Grange Hill [Westmoreland, Jamaica] and thats where my base will be. That hopefully will be opened before the end of the year.

So Mynka, what else is new?

I will be opening a restaurant as well, been writing recipes for that. It is going to be all vegetarian and [located at the] same place in Grange Hill. [I'm] also writing lots of songs and planning to go into the studio real soon to start some recording. I have a cosmetic line to be launched, just have to get the products approved now. These natural cosmetics will be homemade and free from chemicals of all kind. Most of the herbs used will be from my mother’s garden and there will be something for everyone [from] baby diaper creams to wrinkle removers to formulas for naturally enlarging or decreasing your breast size. I am also wrting several books, the first out will ofcourse be about fashion. It will have original crochet patterns from me and fashion tips. My next book will be a cook book with all my favourite vegan recipes and the other books will be on stories of my life portraying mostly my spiritual side and how I’ve used my practices to attain success. I’ve also started an organization called The Love for Life Foundation, which is focused on getting people, especially teenage girls, to love themselves for who they are and also to help pregnant teens financially. What I do is go into the girls homes, teach them how to crochet or whatever else I can teach them. I also counsel them and help them to educate themselves. My intention is to have other people come in and teach them other skills.

I have a show in Harlem [NY] on the 18th of [May], then there is Caribbean Fashion Week and then I was invited to take part in the Islands of the World Fashion Week in Bahamas in November, so I’ll be pretty busy. A boutique here in Harlem wants to carry my line so we are planning a party to launch here in the states. I also plan on opening a school as I have a few students that I am teaching designing to.

As you can see, Mynka is a pretty busy woman with a tun-load of titles attached to her name!  The challenges she faces have been echoed by so many of our local designers , I wish Mynka nothing but luck on her efforts to enlighten the government on the need for investment and aid in our booming fashion industry. Come out and see her new line at this year’s Caribbean Fashion Week and stay tuned to FOS for more designer profiles. The pictures are from Mynka’s showings at CFW 2007, more on her myspace page .

Are you a fan of SWJ or CFW? If you’re a true fashionista then you’ll be like me and make sure you’re at both! And if you just saw those letters and went "huh???" then get a clue! For this tiny lil island of ours, we are privileged to host not one but two esteemed fashionweeks each year showcasing the absolute best in fashion from this region and around the world. How we hot soh? Paris, Milan, New York, London, Kingston! A fashion force to be reckoned with. Style Week Jamaica (SWJ) is from May 22-25 and Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) is June 11-15. Check out the different websites for all the intricate details.

Of course, I’ll be bringing features on some of the designers, personalities and models participating in this year’s events and I’ll capture as much of each week as I can. Guest authors and contributors are very welcomed during this time, if you’re attending any of the events and would like to publish a story/pictorial about it, FOS is your place to do just that. Holla at your girl and lets get it done.

SWJ promises to bring Ed Hardy and lets not forget that Indashio is showing in Ocho Rios on May 31st. Are you guys excited? Where will you be? Which do you regard as the better show?

Our resident makeup artist Sheroma has delivered a beauty makeover for our viewing pleasure. Check out the fabulous transformation below and pick up a few styling more tips from previous features here as well.

Brass.Angel.Makeover

Subject: Taleya Girvan

Taleya is a 3^rd Year, Medical Sciences student at the University of the West Indies Mona. Because she’s always in her books, it’s hard to find time to be glamourous. That’s where I come in. Purple is her favourite colour and so it was the inspiration for the new look.

Hair [Prep]

1. Taleya’s hair was first straightened out with a flat iron.

2. For body I used a small curling iron to make ringlette curles.

3. Pin up away from the face to prep for makeup.

Makeup

1. Apply foundation and concealer. Seal it in with pressed or loose powder.

2. Create smokey eyes, concentrating most of the ‘smoke’ on the outer edges of the eye.

3. Overlay with purple shimmer eyeshadow.

4. Add silver eyeshadow just under the eyebrow and in the corners of the eyes near the tear ducts.

5. Add black eyeliner to the top and bottom lids.

6. Add mascara to top and bottom lashes. Fill in eyebrows with black powder.

7. Apply blush along the cheek bone at an angle towards the temple.

8. Add a coloured lip gloss to the lips.

9. Go back to the hair and comb out the curls using a large toothed or triangle-tooth comb.

10. Spray hair with oil sheen.

Sheroma Hodge

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