By Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
A design from 'Skins', by Debbie-Ann Stanley, worn by a Champs model at the hair show. - WINSTON SILL/Freelance Photographer
THE HAIR and Fashion Extravaganza, staged by the National Association of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists on Sunday night, was a party waiting to happen.
The hairdressers, cosmetologists, barbers and students filled the ballroom of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, under the guise of participants and onlookers in the hairstyle competition.
The pretence was carried on all night with presentations of hair in three categories 'Braids', 'Formal' and 'Fantasy' and fashions by designers Les Campbell, Clinton Smith and newcomer Debbie-Ann Stanley. However, the party vibe permeated almost every aspect of the show. Even the incessant, obsequious chatter of the MC Gillian Turnbull was a point of humour to the large animated audience.
The hairstyles modelled ranged from high drama,
'ghetto-fabulous' to 'other worldly'. And though the
models were obviously untrained and shy, sometimes not knowing what to do, the audience was kind. However, except for the entrants in the 'Fantasy' section hair made into a sailboat, an octopus, a dollhouse or a map of Jamaica the other entries seemed interchangeable. There was a
single entry for the 'Braids'
section and two entries for the 'Formal' section.
SEDUCTIVE FASHIONS
As the night grew longer and the Champs models presented designs ranging from the seductive to the serious, the audience, no longer required to sit quietly and focus politely on the stage, began to loosen up.
Intermission, usually a time spent waiting anxiously for the show to restart, turned into a mini session with 'juggling' of the
latest cultural hits. The audience was thrilled, singing aloud and dancing at their seats or at the back of the ballroom. This was followed by a musical onslaught from the group ToIsis. The six-man group took the stage and rocked the crowd for an extended set. With hits such as If I Were a Carpenter, Strength of a Woman, What it Means to Be Loved, If Jah is By My Side and Sweetness of Your Love, they had the audience willing to do their bidding.
So, when they beckoned three women to do ska and three others to do the latest dance moves, takers were willing and easy. They danced up a storm and received appreciative applause and gifts for their efforts. At the end of the
performances, it seemed an
anticlimax to go back to
announcing the winner of the hair competition, as matter of fact, some patrons protested this. The single braid entry by Brown won that category, Danielle Clarke won the 'Formal' category, while Nadine Fairweather won for 'Fantasy'.
