Music and Style

Conveniently two big music nights happened this weekend- The Soca Monarch Finals and The Grammys. I can just as easily get lost in great music as I can in a fabulously cut dress, so having two big nights one after the next was thrilling!

The Grammys has always set super high expectations for extreme fashion risks. This year stylists were issued regulations about dress code and modesty (if that's how you would describe "puffy skin"). With their second highest rated viewer numbers, it means that many of us tuned in to see who broke the rules! The Soca Monarch finals is always an opportunity for the artistes to go all out with outrageous costumes and gimmicks. This year, fashion was on the forefront, with the first ever "Fashion Police" and a show decorated with clothing by Meiling, Anya and Anthony Reid. It was a baby step for Trinidad fashion, but I was excited to finally see the link being made between dress and music. I have high expectations for next year, such as more designers dressing media personalities and performers- a little diversity rather than Carlos Street's finest.

Here are some of the looks that stood out to me from both nights!

Kelly Rowland made a huge statement, stepping out from Beyonce's shadow (perfectly timed after a reunion at the Superbowl half-time show). This dress is PERFECT for an event like the Grammys. She pushed the limit with these new dress rules, and straddled the line between class and crude. The dress fit her as well as her own skin. everything was exactly where it should be! Her body looked fantastic-- ugh- BEST dress I've seen on a red carpet in a long time!

Another Destiny's Child  family member, Solange Knowles outshone her sis Beyonce in this emerald (on- trend colour) dress with bright coral shoes! I love her style!

Speaking of Beyonce, her body looks AH-mazing, but she is insane to be this under-dressed at the Grammys for crying out loud! Not to mention she was a presenter- and has been out of the spotlight for so long! No excuses. This was a major disappointment.

Someone I can always count on to raise the bar is Machel Montano. His both performances were fantastic and high energy. I love that he did not resort to verbally bashing his main competitor, but paid homage to Super Blue in this provocative choice! Machel is the best entertainer we have. I say so!

For his Groovy performance he wore sparkly jodhpurs! Not the most flattering item of clothing, but a welcomed risk! I just hope he hasn't started a trend with this one.

 

Grammys men won the fashion award in my opinion. They were the risk takers and trendsetters this year. I'm loving the sophisticated take on the white suit! Wiz Kalifa and Host, LL Cool J also wore white.

Best accessory for the night was Trey Songz's pierced bow-tie!! Loved the little accents the the guys wore to accessorize their suits, but this was by far my favourite!

Worst accessorizing had to be done by Carrie Underwood. She is such a poor dresser it bores me to tears. Who helps this poor girl?!! That necklace was like 30 million dollars! Sadly she could have done without it. She succeeded at the impossible task of making a Roberto Cavalli dress look like a lame granny number. Wish she wore her hair up and did something a bit edgier. One word comes to mind every time I see this girl- "lame"

"Lame" is not a word I would use for Destra, however. While her style choices are ALWAYS quite questionable, I must commend her on actually making an effort. This wolf-like jeweled face looked like a bedazzled penis flapping between her legs, but hey- at least the girl has a glam squad! What she needs is a new one, but kudos for taking your presentation seriously! When you decide to change your stylist, "Call my name!" lol. I just had to.



(Machel pictures courtesy Nationnews.com and zimbio.com respectively.
Destra image courtesy Arlene Villarule.)

What to wear to the wet fetes

Every year I wait with eager anticipation for Soaka- the best fete EVER.

This year, I went to bed around midnight and tried to peel myself off of the bed when my alarm sounded Kes "Your Body Wukking" at 2.30am! I put the coffee to brew and jumped in the shower to stretch out the cricks in my lower back with some Snake oil. I checked my body parts, made sure everything was intact. Since foot, waist and neck were working fine, to Soaka I went!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p31mbXaJPdc

The party starts at 3am and goes on through sunrise and the hours when you should be home making Sunday lunch. When Machel comes on, he calls for the water trucks to soak the crowd with enormous water hoses. Sounds like the prelude to pneumonia but it really is the BEST morning of your life.

This year I thought I would be all chic and wear my J. Angelique white ruffled bodysuit.

 I had never worn it before, and it was perfect with some blue denim shorts for a wet fete such as soaka. It definitely caught the attention of many a media photog. You can imagine my horror when I was handed a small plastic bag of yellow dyed powder. I was even more horrified at the overwhelming smell of scented talc- and the appearance of rainbow coloured clouds. Machel was set to shoot his video for Fog at the fete- I had only just received the memo that he was inspired by Phagwa for the concept. Before I knew it, I was covered in pinkness and my new suit was ruined.

So what to wear to the wet fetes?
I would have said to wear a cute crochet cover up, or a sleek monokini and hot pants- But since I "fraid powder" I would say wear whatever you don't mind ruining. A plain white vest, disposable shorts and waterproof makeup are your safest bet. You never know when a phagwa session might mysteriously present itself.

J. Angelique bodysuit has been soaking in a solution of bleach and water. Hoping for a miracle, Lazarus style.