By Alicia Roache, Staff ReporterTHEY CAME in droves, eager to witness and be a part of fashion history. They came to get a taste of high fashion, glitz and glamour as Saint International staged 'Fashionblock', a free fashion show featuring a 100-foot runway down the middle of Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston, and some of Jamaica's hottest models and most talented local designers.
They were not disappointed.
The expectant crowd, with eyes glued to the runway and bodies pressed firmly against the railing which limited access to the catwalk, witnessed first-hand what many had only guessed, or otherwise heard, about fashion in Jamaica: the talented designers, the star models, the spectacle and the excitement, all on show, live and in living colour. The svelte women and the chiselled men were backstage, ready to display the talent of Jamaica's designers, and the crowd was for a long time "ready and waiting," according to 18-year-old Marsha Spaulding.
Like a scene from carnival, without the dancing and gyrating, people from almost every socio-economic stratum were out on Sunday. And they stood, shifting the weight from one foot to the other. The threat of rain did not prevent Knutsford Boulevard from being packed long before the slated 7:00 p.m. start.
ARMY THEME
Many of the designs, with the exception of newcomer Ray Lindo's collection, were pieces taken from previous shows. Dexter Pottinger opened the show with his collection 3D, which featured army fatigue in brown and grey, along with hand-painted tanks and chunky accessories. Shemdeeke's swimwear collection followed, before newcomer Mary Wilson showed Seven. Her collection was dominated by black and white, with touches of pink and green.
Ray Lindo debuted his denim collection, an eclectic mix of jeans trimmed with leather, a motley red, green and gold jacket and pants and shirts decorated with hats and caps on knees, around ankles and on shoulders. The excitement could not be contained when the designer walked the runway followed by a Rasta man, decked in one of Lindo's outfits and strutting like the male models on show. They created an impact of their own, as whenever their sleek bodies appeared on the runway women let out deafening screams. Pimento's tie-dyed collection also created a stir. It was one of the few collections that Jasmine Blackwood, a stout woman in her 40s, said she would wear.
Simone Clarke (Siim) and Carlton Brown were arguably the most admired designers on the show. Siim's red and white dress, trimmed with red and black ribbon that also formed the straps in the back, was a showstopper that elicited one of the many appreciative shouts and resounding applause for the designer. Carlton Brown's collection of men's wear, one of the more diverse presentations, was as usual well received. From the pinstriped pants to the formal jacket, Brown's presentation inspired even the emcee Jerry D to comment on its artistry. Sean Rennis, an 18-year-old from Kingston, was still awestruck at the end of the show. "It was great," he said, "it was an inspiration. I never knew Jamaica had so many talented men designing clothes."
Nadine Willis, Pulse international model, was also congratulatory. "The show was nice and everything. I like the idea about the other people getting to see the show for free. The models were good, the designers were great," she said.
