CFW 2011: Night Three

 Night three for Caribbean Fashion Week was a bit more eventful than the other nights, and in all honesty, I was able to sift through some pretty decent pieces through-out the night. I arrived just in time for the second segment, and was treated to performances from Beenie Man and R&B star Joe, and even with a brief blackout, (yes, you read right- A BLACKOUT!) the energy was pretty high right through. Here's the best of the runway collections I saw, and then some.

Julan

Designed by friend Juliette Dyke, Julan's collection consisted of a pre-collection made of sea island cotton in addition to the main collection which was shown after. The pre-collection was simple, emphasizing clean lines and maxi silhouettes. I personally loved the colour, and in all honesty, if Dyke had stretched this out for the entire collection, I wouldn't have had any qualms. 

Here are some of the pieces from Julan's main collection. It was all about sass and bad-ass punk attitude, I even loved the runway music. There were a few pieces with some leather detailing, I absolutely loved those. Unfortunately, my camera started to screw itself around that time. Still, if you look at the very last piece, you can get an idea of what I mean. All in all, it was a very wearable collection from Julan, and a marked improvement from her collection last year.

Attitude by Ashley Martin

Ashley Martin may have emphasized presentation over content for her "Attitude" line, but it cannot be denied that there were some good pieces here. There were frills and things, but my fave pieces came towards the end with the patterned and sequined body-con gowns.

Biggy

If you didn't already know, Earl "Biggy" Turner's modus operandi is via the dancehall. With each collection, he looks to dancehall music and culture for inspiration for his pieces, and more usually than not, it works wonderfully. This season, though, I was rather bored with his collection. Sure, there were some nice colours and the usual sheer motif, but I didn't see much to be excited over.

Everblazing 

But what Biggy might have lacked in content, Italian designer Milica Pesic more than made up for in her "Everblazing" collection. The collection was very urban, very Jamaican, very eye-catching. I love the chain embellishments, and I could easily see myself rocking a few of those blazers. But what I found even more uncanny was how Pesic was able to actually make the collection look soooo Jamaican. I dunno if the whole urban edge is her usual design aesthetic, or even if she designed this collection specifically for a Jamaican/Caribbean market, but whatever. It worked.

 

And last but not least, Gavin Douglas made a very, very small presentation with just four pieces before he discussed briefly his brain-child, a venture that would provide young and upcoming designers with the opportunity to develop their line. I loved the shoes!

CFW 2011- Night Two

I arrived at CFW on Saturday night way too late to have gotten any real pics or to provide any commentary on what happened on the runway, (I hardly had time to find my ass at a party) but I sauntered through-out the crowd and got pics of everything else.

Designer Camesha Powell

Prof. Carolyn Cooper (love her necklace) and friend

Pulse models Oraine Barrett, Jaunel McKenzie and Khalil Marks

Designer Juliette Dyke in deep conversation with Pulse Investment Ltd. C.E.O. Kingsley Cooper

Juliette again, this time with designer Shenna Carby, winner of the first season of Mission Catwalk

Designer Sandra Kennedy and press

Patrons anticipating the next look coming down the runway

Not everyone stayed for the performances toward the end, but those that did, went quickly to the front to gyrate to the music of soca-star Machel Montano

And last but not least, here I am with supermodel, and friend Jeneil Williams :)

I'll have plenty of runway coverage for the next post.- DW

Jeneil and Karl!

Just when we thought Jeneil Williams couldn't possibly get any bigger, homegirl just did! Now on tour with fashion LEGEND Karl Lagerfeld, Jeneil was hand-picked by Mr. Lagerfeld to be shot for the annual Pirelli calendar.

Pirelli is an Italian tiremaker and every year, they unveil a calendar, which is basically a collector's item for the world's elite. This year, Karl Lagerfeld was tapped to create the 38th edition of the limited-edition calendar, and he opted to create a Greek-themed "Mythology" calendar with some 36 photos all depicting Greek gods, heroes and myths. Appearing are an international group of models: 15 women, five men and Academy-award nominated and actress Julianne Moore as Hera, the wife of god of gods Zeus.

Pirelli gives pretty much complete freedom to the artists it picks to create its calendars, and for 2011, Lagerfeld did all photos in black and white, making the figures look like Grecian sculptures. I'm ecstatic that Lagerfeld hand-picked Jeneil; as someone familiar with her, she's a gorgeous, down-to-earth, humble girl who deserves all the success she's been achieving lately. Other models chosen include, Erin Wasson, Freja Beha Erichsen, Anja Rubik, Daria Werbowy, and Lagerfeld muse, Baptiste Giabiconi. Writing on her Facebook wall that the press conference in Russia was amazing, it seems she's having the time of her life, too. Way to go Jeneil! Check out some more images from the calendar here and a behind-the-scenes look  of its making here.