American rap star Eve injected some life into the final night of what was at times a dull Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW), which ended at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday. The event got off to a late start - one and a half hours after the scheduled 7 p.m. starting time. By the second presentation of designs, many persons in the audience had red, watery eyes and were yawning. There were even a few dozing during the sometimes long breaks between segments. The fact that food and drink were not allowed in the show area did not help either.
Remarkable appearanceAmid all this, when Eve stepped on to the runway, there were scores of people standing and singing along to her songs. And those who did not know them simply waved. In a little black dress and studded silver heels, she sang Who's That Girl, Let Me Blow Your Mind and Tambourine.
design by Kahnami
But before Eve, D'Angel blazed the stage with a relatively strong performance. She strutted her stuff doing First Lady and was very passionate during Stronger.
Prior to the performances, there was a bit of a shocker during Claudia Pegus' first set. Wearing a bee-like metal mask, a full-figured model made some heavy steps on to the runway wearing high wedge heels, a dress with interesting cuts, and a messy wig. The model was followed by thinner models, who walked gracefully, wearing similar masks. As the display of the collection was about to end, the first model returned and removed the mask. It was at this point that everyone realised that it was, in fact, a man.
A male model dressed as a woman wears a Claudia Pegus design at Caribbean Fashionweek at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance PhotographerAfter the awe, and in some cases disgust, there were designs from Minka, Trefle, Pret A Porter and Rebel Clothing.
During the second set, Sushma Patel had some bright-coloured designs with sequins. A pleasant child brought a 'cute' element to the programme as she strutted gracefully.
Fifth Element provided a mix of fabrics, as well as bright and basic colours.
Male collectionMillhouse and Sandra Kennedy were on the more relaxed side of things. Millhouse, a male collection, had smooth finishes and a few edgy designs. Sandra Kennedy had white flowing outfits that were made of 100 per cent sea-island cotton.
Zadd and Eastman started with brown and khaki outfits. Then there was a big dash of colours - orange, green, aqua, blue, yellow and pink.
Moncrieffe, known for using mostly black and white, used bright and vibrant colours this year. There were also some models wearing masks.
Afterwards, there were collections from Mantsho, Simon Parchment and The Cloth.
Pegus ended CFW with a tribute to Michelle Obama. These designs were sophisticated and the bold accessories went well with the outfits. With one model lip-synching At Last, two other models waltzed, mimicking Barack and Michelle Obama at their inauguration ball after he was sworn in as the United States of America's 44th president earlier this year.
while Jamaican Red Stripe Beer and Rum is poured into the streets of New York and San Fransisco in support of a seemingly fledgling boycott Jamaica Campaign a resident of the Detroit area who has links to both States previously mentioned is here in Jamaica conducting a photo project to bring to bear the voices of those on the ground who have been affected by homophobic abuse.
