something secret

I've been meaning to get back to my Soundtrack Saturday polyvore posts for absolutely ages now, (seriously, it's been months...) so when I saw that tech giant HP, and local darling, designer, and winner of Project Runway Season 9, Anya Ayoung Chee were collaborating with Polyvore  in a contest to celebrate the debut of her Spring/Summer 2013 collection Carnival of Colour , I thought that now was as good a time as any to get back on the horse. For what it's worth, I'm loving Anya's new collection. True to her aesthetic, it's full of breezy relaxed pieces infused with strikingly bold prints. You can't have a Carnival of colour without the COLOUR can you! My personal favourite piece is the gorgeous floor length dress in the bottom left corner. The cut is fabulous and flattering and the print is stunning. My only complaint? There is no way I could wear that dress with my massive boobs and not offend someone! The busty gals love your designs too Any...

It's the finale! Here's the rundown: Sarah Jane  (wisely) decides to sign on as the face of Fantasy. I'm glad (though, not surprised) that she took it, because it's a great move for her. It's something she might actually be able to build a career on, as opposed to trying to wing it with her "Visa face". Working with Fantasy lets her do what she's always been doing (party, look cute) and make some money. It also lets her dip into planning events, which she's expressed a mild interest in. To me, it's a no-brainer. Have fun, get paid, add a few lines to your resume. Win-win! It was a very smart decision and I hope she finds success. I was amused though by the completely transparent way that she name dropped Anya. It's superficial on its face, and won't endear her to people outside her immediate social circle, but honestly, that's all tied up in the social politics of self in relation to race and class, but I won't say anything mor...

Alas, I'm late again! No shade, but I simply had better things to do than slave over a Glambition blog post... Whoops! In any case, I've watched the rest of the season, and I do some thoughts. Thoughts everywhere! Most of the drama this episode centered on a tiff between Isoke and Leah. Firstly, we see Leah house-hunting for a place closer to the heart of Port-of-Spain (the capital of Trinidad and Tobago) so that she can be closer to her business ventures. Predictably, she's caught between a place she loves and can't afford, and a places she can afford, but doesn't love. But, either way, she gave us the line of the night: "Champagne tastes with mauby pockets." Love it! I might have to take that as my personal motto, because lord knows  it describes my life! Later, Leah meets up with Bianca, and talks a little bit about being Ms. World, and her perception of Sarah Jane's distress that she can't "do anything" because people expect her to b...

I'm two weeks late on this review so I'll try to make it short and sweet. It helps that most of the focus this week on was the professional pursuits of the women, rather than on interpersonal drama. Thank God for small mercies. Let's get down to business. Isoke is still trying to position herself as a worthy successor to her father's business, and it seems as though she's getting considerable pushback from father's girlfriend. I appreciate that she's trying to step up. I don't know the history of her familial relations or the business' history, so I can't comment on whether or not she makes a good fit as a business leader, but she seems very determined to elevate the company from local parlour to international brand. That's exactly the kind of vision and forethought that you need in business, and it certainly tilts the scales in her favour. Isoke seems determined and driven, and that alone bodes well for her. Continue Reading My Brilliance! ...

Anyone who knows me or has paid a lick of attention to this blog in the last month or so knows that I am no friend of Miley Cyrus . The woman is obliviously racist, willfully obtuse and completely ignorant. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that she spent yesterday shaming two women for their mental health issues. So no, Miley and I are not bosom buddies. But you see this shit ? I DO NOT NEED YOUR MALE OPINIONS SCORCH MAGAZINE, NOR DO I WANT THEM. And I'm no stranger to calling out misogynistic Trinidadian men on their shitty interpretations of gender relations. I've already cussed out a radio DJ  and a friend of a friend . There's nothing new about this asinine explanation of events. But it's still insidious, so I guess I'll go lace up my patriarchy smashing boots. This "article" is full of slut-shaming, body-shaming, concern trolling, gender essentialist, patriarchal bullshit. I do not need to read that. I have spend the last few ye...

The theme of this week's episode is Girl, Bye . And yes, I'm talking to you Sarah Jane. I mean, I wasn't impressed with her last week , but this week she displayed a whole other level of.... self absorption that I just don't know what to do with her. It's weird for me to say that because Sarah Jane is my age. She's in a whole other bracket than I am financially, but I definitely understand that 20-something struggle of identity, direction and carving out a place for yourself in this world. I get the desperation to be successful and independent and financially stable. What I don't get is someone seeking validation for something that didn't actually happen to you. SJ's claim to fame locally is that she went up for Ms. T&T Universe. I suppose that means she considers herself a beauty queen as well as a socialite. In this episode, she asks Leah to meet up with her to "discuss her concerns" and commiserate I suppose with a fellow beauty quee...

Well, I had so much fun reviewing #CNTM that I'm back for more, this time with the new docu-drama Glambition , filmed in Trinidad, and airing Tuesday nights on Synergy TV. I didn't initially know a lot about the series, so I missed the initial pilot broadcast, but caught up later online. The 20 minute episode was.... interesting  to say the least. If I'm being honest? I wasn't impressed. The entire thing feels like a contrived, rehashed, bootleg version of The Hills, and that show got cancelled. The show is poorly edited, voice overs are stiltingly delivered, cuts are jumpy and obvious, transitions are jarring, there's a lot of repeated information.... production wise, it's a mess. And that's just the beginning. There is that strange stilted feeling throughout; cast members on budding realities shows tend to be hyper-aware of the camera's presence. The few actual conversations were constructed in such a way as to feel almost scripted. We've always k...

Sometimes a human story is all it takes. Not having read the novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie , I went into the screening of TTFF2013 's opening night film, Half Of A Yellow Sun  on Tuesday last, completely blind in terms of characterization and plot. The film, starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, was making it's Trinidadian debut after premiering in the Toronto International Film Festival the week before.  The story is set in Nigeria during the Nigerian-Biafran war of 1967-1970, and focuses largely on the personal relationship between Olanna and Odenigbo, (Newton and Ejiofor respectively) and their struggle to survive during the a bloody civil war. The couple go through familiar relationship rigors; testy in-laws, infidelity, hints at infertility; but they decide to commit to each other fully in a world that is crumbling around them, where the people they love are here one day and gone the next in frequently increasing air strikes that result from the war. I...

To be clear, none of this is a comment on Ms. Miller's individual suitability for the position, but rather a comment on the way in which any and all attempts to call attention to racialized oppression are immediately delegitimized and ignored in Trinidad. It's not about her personally and it never will be. I have nothing bad to say about her because I don't know her. Honestly, I'm inclined to like her despite not knowing her because I so rarely meet another "Catherine." The following tweets are about the way in which people with power respond when the legitimacy that power is questioned. Continue Reading My Brilliance! >>>

via Cocoa Vintage How stunning are THESE? I've been obsessing over them since I first saw them, and they will be mine if it's the last thing I do! I've been meaning to post about this gorgeous collection for a little bit now, but better late than never.  Cocoa Vintage is a local (to Trinidad) artisan jewellery line by designer Crystal Antoine. I had the pleasure of interviewing Crystal back in 2011 for Outlish Magazine , and I've been a fan of her work ever since. What I love about her pieces is the way that she incorporates quintessential Trinidadian elements, without being bogged down by the stereotypical vestiges of our culture. Her pieces appeal to all women because they are well crafted, and stunning in their own right. This latest limited summer collection will be available for purchase from July 7th, (this Saturday!) so email  cocoavintagejewlery@gmail.com ASAP to place your orders. Prices are available in $US and $TT. Trust me, you definitely want to get your...

via  CNTM Stephany photographed by Pedro Virgil I'll spoil it for you now. Both Trudy and Susan were eliminated and only Stephany and Treveen remain. There really isn't much more to say about it other than that, so we'll skip straight to the recap. Stephany continues to surprise me. While I'm not completely convinced that she's ready for the kind of work that CNTM should  be preparing her for, she's been creeping up in the ranks. She improves every week, and  has been focusing on improving rather than interpersonal drama. She's slowly convincing me that she's a contender. This shot is one her strongest to date. It's dramatic and eye-catching, but I can't be sure that that is due to her skill as a model. I am confident that she has a future in modelling however. She has an incredible presence and continues to show that she would be pleasant to work with. Going into the finale, I'm cautiously putting my bets on Curacao. I'm beginning to th...

via CNTM A still from Stephany's winning CHI nailpolish commercial My biddies, I apologize for this very late review. This week has been hectic, and unfortunately it meant that CNTM dropped to the bottom of my list of priorities. I promise, I did not forget you. But since episode seven airs tonight, and as of yet the footage from the models' commercials has not been made available online, this will be a very abbreviated review. Honestly, the only thing I really  want to talk about this week was Athaliah's unceremonious ejection in favour of Susan in the bottom two last week. Now, Athaliah has garnered herself very few fans over the course of this season, and I would hardly count myself among them, but she did not deserve to be eliminated so early. That is simply a fact. And to send her home in favour of keeping a girl who has yet to take a good picture on purpose, well... I'm every bit as pissed as Athaliah must have been. I think we can all agree that Athaliah is an...

via  CNTM Trudy photographed by Calvin French I always start these posts off with a ton of preamble, and it makes the reviews rather long, so this week, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to cut down on the word count. But before I get to the reviews, I want to call attention to something that I'm sure went over most people's heads: this entire shoot was done in redface, and that is NOT OKAY . Naturally I blame the producers of the show for not thinking, even for a second, that this might be problematic, but I'm a little disappointed that none of the girls pointed it out. (Or maybe they did and it was edited out? Let's pretend that happened.) Other people have said it more eloquently than I, (specifically as it relates to Native Americans in the US, however the lesson translates well) but the basics are this: to be Amerindian is an identity. It is not a costume. It is the very essence of who the indigenous people are. To reduce their existence to a homogeneous ...

via  CNTM Stephany photographed by Marvin Bartley This week was... interesting. There were a lot of problems that had nothing to do with the girls, but can we just agree that the drama between them is just too draining to be worth mentioning anymore? Kendra, you are not humble if you talk about how humble you are. Athaliah, someone not asking excuse, while rude, is not a capital offense. Calm down. Lisa, stop with the passive-aggressiveness. It's not cute. And all of you, leave poor Treveen alone please. There's a reason she's shooting past the rest of you while you battle for a spot in the bottom two. Top Model is a  family franchise . There is no reason TV6 should have to place a parental guidance warning before the show. Tone it down ladies.  But as we mention the bottom two, can we please discuss how completely messed up the call out order was this week?  AGAIN?  Somebody on that judging panel is hitting that Jesus Juice a little hard. I won't say who, but it rhymes...

via  CNTM Treveen photographed by Kerron Riley Oh my darling biddies, I'm sorry to say that I missed everything but the judging this week, so I have little to say about the models' interpersonal drama. Unfortunately that means that this week, I'll have to base this review exclusively on the their performance in the photoshoot. I know! Comment très ennuyeux! But that can't be helped. Let's get on with it.  It seems Treveen has once again found herself at the top of the pack and with good reason! This shot has all the  Charima Uniquness Nerve and Talent  you could ask for. Treveen is engaged with her body and in her face, she's interacting with the other characters in frame, and she still manages to stand out amongst all the feathers. I can easily see this as an ad for Trinidad Carnival, as it fantastically captures the idea of interacting with a new culture, while also being wary of it. In this shot, Treveen has accomplished the near impossible: she looks demure ...

via  CNTM This week's winning photograph Treveen photographed by Andros Belfonte Firstly: I TOLD YOU BITCHES IT WOULD GET BETTER! This week we saw improvements in almost every aspect of the show (except the damn sound editing. *shakes fist*) from the judging sets, to the girls' house, to the girls themselves in the form of makeovers. Sadly, Wendy was still gorgeous and still boring, and the final call-out order was an absolute mess, but we did finally get a clear picture of the prizes: a US$50K contract with bmoblie, a cover and feature spread in Caribbean Belle Magazine and a modelling contract with Factor Women. But it was makeover week, so naturally there were tears and complaints, but other than Kendra, no one seemed to have any serious traumatic experiences. In general the makeovers were pretty great, but the colours were mostly atrocious. None were truly terrible, but there were only a handful of standouts. (See Treveen, Trudy, Lisa, Susan) Everyone else looked different,...

via CNTM The Winning Photograph, featuring Trudy and Susan photographed by David Wears So… almost an entire week has passed and I’m just getting to this review. It’s a little bit laziness and being busy at work, but it’s mostly my complete and utter inability to make heads or tails of what happened on Monday.  And I’m not talking about what happened in the episode. But first, the task at hand: A few minutes in, Rachel opted to leave to take a job she had interviewed for prior to making it into the competition. Power to you girl. Go make that money. Modelling may seem glamorous and fun, but it can take years before you hit a stride and make the kind of living you want. In the spirit of fairness, model hopeful Lisa was invited to take her place. With that all sorted, the journey continued. There was some screaming, two gorgeous male models, arrival at their new accommodations (a drastic, minimal, military style barracks) and commentary on who is or isn’t “real”, who causes comess, and wh...

Let me first preface this review by saying that I am not a model, have never been a model, and have no intentions of ever being a model. (I mean really. At 5'2" I don't stand a chance) What I am,  is someone with a vested interest in fashion and the fashion industry, especially locally, and an avid, nay obsessive  viewer of ANTM. I even watched the British Invasion season. It's that serious. So I do feel qualified to comment on this latest iteration of the ANTM franchise, and frankly, there's quite a lot to discuss. Continue Reading My Brilliance! >>>

Style Spirit Fashion Weekend is almost here! What am I talking about you ask?  Style Spirit  Fashion Weekend, the inaugural fashion event being hosted by  TrinidadLookbook  Editor-in-Chief Mel Gabriel is a weekend event meant to showcase local (to Trinidad and Tobago) designers and their creations.  With Fashion Week on an indefinite hiatus, (sad face) Trinidad's fashion elite has been screaming for a high caliber event to draw them in and help them showcase the emerging talent in the local industry.  Haute Caribe  set the stage for re-launching the hunger that Trinbagonians have for original fashion that speaks to the local aesthetic, and Style Spirit will be the premiere event to exhibit that desire and encourage more involvement in the industry.  Style Spirit will run from December 7-9th, 2012 at The Warehouse in Champs Fleur. Early Bird tickets are available for a limited time at  $250 per night or $600 for the weekend pass...

So, while I was only halfway looking (jk, I was raptly paying attention) an amazing thing happened. The fashion industry in Trinidad and Tobago experienced a beautifully vivid resurgence. The creativity and passion and desire that Trinbagonians have always had for flavour and colour and decadence, began to once again be funnelled into expressions of fashion. Today, Haute Caribe: The World of Trinidad and Tobago Fashion , a 12 minute mini-documentary about the evolution of fashion on my wonderful twin island state debuted online. With input from some of Trinidad's longstanding fashion heavyweights like Claudia Pegus , Meiling , Dianne Hunt and Robert Young as well as relative newcomers like Anya Ayoung Chee , Keegan Simon , Lori-Antoinette Williams and Mel Gabriel , the documentary explores the way that attitudes to fashion have waxed and waned in Trinbago over the last few decades. Haute Caribe  explores the ways in which fashion used to be tightly integrated...