Glambition [Episode #5]: The Finale

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 more on that other than to point your eyes to this little rant.

I'm going to give Bianca the benefit of the doubt that she told Leah what Isoke said out of concern for her friend. They are old friends, and seem to have a pretty close relationship. If I were Leah, I'd want her to tell me, so I can't really fault Bianca. I do think that it there was a layer of producer intervention involved in having Bianca confront Isoke in front of Leah; it felt so contrived and staged, but I suppose in reality it is a conversation that would have happened eventually. I also think that Bianca made some great points in her defense of Leah. Trinidad is a VERY small place, and a damaged reputation can and does impact how likely you are to work in future. Isoke was out of line, and it was cool that Bianca recognized that and stood up for her friend.

Glambition [Episode #4]: Stay In Your Lane

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 be a pageant queen. (insert eyeroll...) Leah does make some salient point however, and I really appreciated her self awareness about knowing that the expectations of a beauty queen will often be at odds with the reality, forcing them to deal with an undue amount of scrutiny and criticism. My real problem with Sarah Jane is that she seems to want to co-opt that experience for herself, when in reality, the 4th place queen probably doesn't have it that hard...

Glambition [Episode #3]: The Business of Fashion

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.

Glambition [Episode #2]: Girl, Bye. Go Find Some Real Problems

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 queen about life after the pageant. Her issue seems to be that she's trying to "move past it" (it being the pageant), but couched in terms that imply that getting national recognition and access to opportunities is somehow a burden for her. Her gripe is that she can't go out with her friends to the club without being approached by "fans" who want to take her picture.

Which is just.... GURL....

Glambition: Introductions, Shit Talk and First Impressions

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 known that reality television wasn't "real" but there's something here that feels disingenuous and overtly performed.

This episode largely focused on introducing the audience to the five cast members. We heard them describe themselves and their goals. And then we heard them talk shit about each other. The cast is an eclectic bunch though, and their casting might be the real genius of the series.

Fashion Films: Haute Caribe // The World of Trinidad + Tobago Fashion

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 into the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, and the ways in which that attitude is returning. In the last few years, there has been a wave of interest and appreciation for the talent that we have always had sitting right here within our shores, and a recognition of the young and upcoming talent that is eagerly waiting in the wings.

Watching the documentary (obsessively...) gives me an immense sense of pride. I remember feeling frustrated back in 2010, because I felt that there would never be a future in fashion for me if I stayed in Trinidad; the home I love. Thankfully, that is changing. From the Caribbean Academy of Fashion Design at UTT to the upcoming Style Spirit Fashion Weekend headed by Trinidad Lookbook Editor-in-Chief, Mel Gabriel, Trinidad is finally beginning to recognize fashion as a viable industry that should be supported and explored. There are so many possibilities when it comes to fashion, and I love knowing that I'm here, and that I can get in on the ground floor when it comes to helping build an industry that I value.

In any case, head on over to www.hautecaribe.com to view the full documentary. Really soak it in. It's beautifully produced and directed and really does justice to the scope of the history and talent of fashion in Trinidad and Tobago. Personally, I hope there are a few more installments!

"Right now the Caribbean is ripe. It's ripe for fashion. Fashion is ready. We're ready." 

-Lori-Antoinette Williams (Designer, Hak Gwai)

 

Trinidad, Anya Ayoung-Chee and Project Runway: Supporting Our Own

via laura ferreira studios

Anya Ayoung-Chee by Laura Ferreira

It has happened. Trinidad's fashion chief Anya Ayoung-Chee has prevailed, and is the newest winner of the Emmy award-winning show Project Runway.

It's a funny thing to be invested in something that you technically have no personal stake in, but that's how every Trinidadian felt over the last 2-3 months as we sat and watched Anya prevail time and time again against designers more experienced than herself. 

I was a fan of the show before Anya became a contestant. But this season I found myself torn between loyalty to my fellow Trinidadian (and Convent girl), my personal tastes, and my need to judge the show objectively. Because as much as I am glad that Anya won, there were times when she floundered and others when I simply was not personally taken with her design. (See looks 3, 8 and 9 below).

via tom and lorenzo

Anya's looks from this season's competition

As far as I was concerned, it didn't really matter if she was auf'd early. Making it to the show at all after battling through the "I just learnt to sew" narrative was validation enough for me. She would have made it, and people would know her name. But she fared far better than anyone could have hoped. She was a designer, she was a Trinidadian, and she was GOOD.

It cannot be denied that Trinidadians were biased. It's not a surprise, or even a problem since we had no say in the outcome. We are a bandwagonist society; but we are also fiercely loyal. Even in her "darkest hour" (Reggae Jesus I'm looking at you) Trinis rallied in support of a subpar offering; one that Anya herself acknowledged was less than exemplary. Instead of recognizing the misstep, we praised Reggae Jesus that she was spared elimination. Typical Trini logic.

But this season, what impressed me most about Anya was not her design capabilities but her sincerity. There were very few times when Anya felt the need to denigrate her fellow competitors, and she was genuinely upset when Joshua McKinley's bad mood over losing the L'Oreal challenge carried over into the next week. She managed to form genuine friendships with people who had every right to resent her successes. That to me, speaks highly of her character.  

I  was also impressed by the fact that she made sure to keep the Fan Favourite vote as positive as possible. When things started turning nasty between her fans and Anthony Ryan's in the last few days of voting, she made it clear that they were actually friends, and that she supported his initiative The Rock One Foundation, just as much as her own. After she was announced as the winner, Anya opted to share half of her winnings with Anthony Ryan to help him launch his foundation, which seeks to raise awareness of testicular cancer. With the rest, Anya plans to start a micro-finance fund to benefit other creatives in Trinidad and Tobago. She has stated that it is her way of giving back to the people who dedicated their time to supporting her throughout the competition and providing a means for other artistically minded Trinidadians to follow their own passion.

via apartment 17

Anya's final collection for MBFW

On the show, Anya mentioned feeling the pressure of having to live up to the nation's expectations, and commenters online wondered if the pressure was all in her head. Since I knew better, something struck me about the immense support back home for her: Anya is ours and we are immeasurably proud of her. 

Trinidadians are quick to claim any person who is even vaguely well known as a compatriot. We've claimed Nicki Minaj, Nia Long and Tatyana Ali, but with the exception of Nicki (sometimes) have they ever claimed us? Anya's success resonates so deeply with the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago because she is wholly and truly ours. She grew up here, she went to school here, she represented us at Ms. Universe, she started her fashion career here and she speaks our lilting dialect. She is ours to claim completely and outright. 

So Anya, if you haven't gotten tired of hearing it already, congratulations again on winning Project Runway Season 9, and thank you for representing us so well, with equal measures of talent, class and dignity.