Don't Fail Me Now

I have been so excited about Style Spirit. I used to intern at Trinidad Lookbook so I know first hand, the pristine level of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that goes on in the mind of Editor-in-chief, Mel Gabriel and her collaborations. I feel like Mel has an accurate vision about where Caribbean entertainment media should be heading. Lookbook has opened up so many doors for young artists and enthusiasts in the local fashion industry. I can even remember the actual moment that I was elected to be a part of it all, and how eager I was to witness the magical operations behind such a fantastic production.

The cover from my first issue with them.
Photo Credits: www.trinidadlookbook.com

I can also remember, however, how challenging it was to maintain the clockwork movement of the process. Despite how great the result- somewhere, somehow, someone would miss a step and basically disorganization would ensue. Deadlines were regularly missed and hired participants were often left a tad frustrated.

Whatever. I'm not there anymore, and by the looks of it, Style Spirit is looking FAB. (Check it out for yourself at http://www.trinidadlookbook.com/style-spirit-2012/about-style-spirit/ ) I got my name put down for my early bird tickets and am already thinking of what I'm going to wear. I'm reading every blog, every status update and every tweet about it. Then I had to contact a committee member...Sighments.

 I had to basically run down this girl to pay her for my tickets before the deadline was up. She answered once, arranged to meet, then on the meeting day just never answered. Actually, for for three and a half days she never answered or responded to my voicemail. I even had to contact Mel directly to explain my quandary and she had to give me an account number- then the bank closed as I got there- then I contacted another committee member- then I found another number for the first girl--- all kinda comess. At the end of it all I eventually got homegirl's address and went to her house to pay her. She offered me no receipt, and when I asked her about it she was like "What could go wrong that you would need a receipt?" Clearly she's new. She said I would get an e-receipt almost immediately. 5 hours and counting...

Bottom line. Get it together. I really admire the ambition and the perceptive concept that this group has for Trinidad fashion, but it would be even more wonderful if some sort of project management and HR could join in the mix. Even art needs method if it is to be a business. Fingers crossed that Style Spirit runs smoothly.