Blue Range:Blue Flame 2k12 Review

Yeah ok, I kinda fall off there again . I have good reasons but I still have been out and about. Most recently, this past Saturday at Blue Range All Inclusive. If nothing else, Blue Range is one of the BEST deals in terms of all inclusive fetes for Carnival. Premium drinks, headlining performance like Machel Montano and JW and blaze (Bunji, Iwer have all pass through in past years) and free food. And when I say premium, it really have Johnny Walker, not Dewars. Ok so you may not get Shrimp Florentine but you can eat your heart out with things like Bake and shark, Burgers, Jerk pork/chicken and it even had a Sushi bar. All for the starting price of $500. Wait, no if you knew someone on the Red Ants committee it had $350 ladies tickets and $450 tickets floating about as well. $350 for all that? Bessssss. Even if the party had no vibe you could get drunk enough to forget it.

So I arrived a bit later than usual but just in time for the performances which started about midnight. The set up was rather condensed compared to how it usually is and they were unable ego have the food set up outside the park area.Everything was squished inside. I sampled some of the cuisine which was actually pretty good. Made sure my drink was topped up, passed through the cocktail bar and passed on the tequila shots. Party was in full swing by this time and I could tell the large majority of the crowd was well liquored up. As this is a community fete, there is a very wide range of age groups but it seems the younger crowd is taking over. Long time we used to refer to the BR all inclusive as the "old people fete" and the BR cooler fete as the "Young people fete". I know for damn sure when I was younger I did not have no All inclusive fete money. With the collaboration with Red Ants, the fete has turned into more of a Tribe crowd than anything else. (take that however you want it).

First up in performances was JW and Blaze. JW was wearing a pair of pants that was closer to being a leggings than anything else. One compromise you would have to take with the performances is that there is no live band backing so sometimes the dj tracks can overwhelm the performance. Other notable acts was none other than All Rounder who had me close to tears with his foolishness. I still think his daughters are kinda creepy always wining on their father. I imagine the most anticipated for the night was Machel Montano and he did not disappoint. He pulled selections from both old and new while pushing his "Pump the flag". Ok aside, If that is the front runner for road march I feel cheated. I missed last year , best you give me back Advantage yes cause I really not felling that song yet and not sure I ever will. My absolute favorite so far is "Mr. Fete" and I think he is a very strong contender for the Groovy Soca Monarch as well. Machel's pants was also unbelievably tight and we could see all his business from 20 feet away. I was a bit sad when he left the stage in barely 30 mins but hey, what do you expect for $350?

Thankfully DJ Private Ryan was on set for the rest of the party (I think, cause its all a blur) and the vibe was up for the rest of the fete. The momentum kept going till the riddem section chimed in about 3am. Yes I say 3am, the old people have to go sleep. All in all , best bang for your buck as always and the party itself was enjoyable. Keep in mind that I don't get out often these days so I glad for anything.

What should be of concern is the drama brewing in the background between the residents, the Blue Range committee and Red Ants. For several years now a select portion of residents have been trying to shut down the fete. Which is kinda dumb considering its their communities' main source of income. You would think they could live with noise for two days out of the whole year. Blue Range fetes were managed by their board until somebody got the bright idea to farm it out to Red Ants. Although this definitely increased the quality of organization of the fete, it also cut into their proceeds. I guess it arguably Red Ants' involvement also increased patronage so their was a fair trade. What has residents seeing Red (no pun intended) is the fact that they were only offered limited $500 tickets(which went up to $600) from the BR Board based on availability whilst outsiders seemed to have free reign of $350 and $450 tickets. Yeah, I might be kinda pissed too, it is after all their community. Well we go see what happen next year cause the fete on the whole seems to have outgrown the venue and the residents close to uprising.

Onto the next one!

SOCA SWITCH!!

Yeah, yeah , yeah. I fall off with updating the blog again. Really and truly every year I try to update the blog consistently throughout the year and it never happens that way. Mentally I have a 'season' for carnival. It ends Ash Wednesday and Today is absolutely my FAVOURITE day of the year. It's when Carnival officially starts for me, time to get serious, time to get ready peoples!! Today is Soca Switch! The day that the radio stations start bombarding us with new soca everyday. The day that fetes start ruling out, it all starts coming together for the big day.

So status update ? Buss!!! I have a costume that is not paid for. I have a pair of boots for Tuesday but probably need to get one for Monday as well. Ok I have Monday wear...kinda....cause I am contemplating changing it. Exercise??? The Carnival gods are laughing hysterically at me right now.Not a treadmill see me yet! Fortunately for me, good genes got me back to my pre-preggie weight pretty quickly. Issue is, my goal was to be less than that seeing the my costume is crazy skimpy.I still have time as I really don't have far to go but I think I'm a bit complacent since I could be fine as is. I fraid to check the scale for Christmas damage! I was motivated enough today to do my workout playlist but I have yet to figure out when it will actually get played.

I'm going to keep this one short.I've been holding my tongue about all the carnival bacchanal going on but may put in my two cents from here on out. FIFTY-FIVE DAYS AND COUNTING BITCHES! Get off your ass!

Dear Island People......

So apparently due to the whole uproar from the general public (and I imagine a bit from the bloggers) about the quality (i.e. they oogly) of Island People's Heroes presentation, they posted on their facebook page that they would eat some humble pie and rework some (i.e all) of the costumes. I must say that is a FABULOUS idea but I dunno why some people singing sound praises for Island People's customer service for doing so.

It is definitely not an unheard of practice, lest we forget that Bliss reworked all their costumes last year after similar grumblings of the masses (and bloggers). In the past few years at least one costume has died a quiet death annually at Tribe's hands. They are shown at the launch and maybe even at the mascamp, never to be seen again. (R.I.P Flamingo, Trakson Warriors, Cyclon). I actually kinda liked Cyclon, dunno how that got the guillotine. The justification is usually that the drop one section to open up a more popular one.*whispers* Sometimes they just plain oogly. Listening to your market and responding accordingly is crucial to having a successful band with such fierce competition out there. I dunno if IP does this or not but I know for a fact that other bands have focus groups before the final crop of costumes are selected to say 'yay or nay'. Based on that, costumes can be reworked or scrapped. Given that even with this procedure , whack costumes still make it to the final presentations but its a good precaution.

Anywho, with the notice of Island People's revamp they requested that people go and 'Like' the costumes that they prefer in order to assess which ones will get the revamp or the axe I suppose. Since everybody and their tante is now a costume critic ,many people have since taken the opportunity to lambasse some of the costumes outright. I myself stumbled across Nocturnal and commented that "A costume with zero likes....nuff said". Strangely enough, my comment was deleted. Now considering that they have asked for 'constructive criticism' and yet people with comments such as 'Hell to the muhfuggin,No!" and "My eyes burn me..get rid of this crap" still remain, I am perplexed to think how my comment could have been construed as offensive or unconstructive and hence required deletion considering that it was stating facts at the time. Regular readers would know that when I do a review, I tend to be quite detailed and when it's something I don't like, I often recommend tweaks. This is primarily because I (and others) have been accused of just being 'haters' or 'bad mind' to certain bands or designers for personal reasons. To me, If I tell you exactly why I don't like/like something it cannot be said that I have any sort of bias. No critique is is unsupported by evidence and where personal taste prevails it is clearly indicated.

I am such a fan of irony and I had a good laugh when I recalled that around this same time last year I visited the IP Mascamp to get better close of pics (was also invited to the media launch last year, like meh pass get lost in the mail this year). While browsing, I was approached by one of the IP band leaders and asked my opinion quite randomnly (I assume) about one of the costumes. I proceeded to give my honest critique and I suppose he was impressed enough with my comments to say that I should join their team the next year. I jokingly replied that I am extremely good at criticising but have never really designed a costume from head to toe. He responded that he was serious. Now I never pursued the matter although it was something I would have loved to do, I had too much going on personally at the time, but I'm kinda sorry I didn't with the end result. I don't proclaim to know everything about costumes or costume design, but I do believe that I have a pretty good eye necessary for the field I work in.I am sure that if I were to design a costume that it would be so outrageously expensive to produce that it would get trashed same way. However, if I was to get the 'wuk', these are some of the changes I would make, of course sent formally:

Dear Island People,

Allyuh need to fix some of dem costumes. Hear what to do eh...

TO BE CONT'D

YUMA:PRESS PLAY Review

Well I don't really have to tell anybody that YUMA pulled out all the stops for their band launch. Enormous stage, free drinks and hot costumes! The one thing I really love about Yuma is the way,from day one, they pay attention to the consumer and address every grievance that people may have had with other bands. You want nice male costumes, look nice male costumes. You want to know why we not playing soca, we just giving a tease of carnival (LOL). They had a justification and an explaination for everything they did. When you think about it,If Yuma can manage to right all the wrongs of other bands they will be the perfect band. However getting past registration may put a spanner in that dream, there is just no easy way to do it without pissing off some people. This band had lots of 'wow' moments during the presentation. I almost fell off my chair at one point.Ok well this should be pretty quick, here is my take on the costumes:

SPAWN

Nice standard costume. I liked how they covered the backline bra with the sequins in a diagonal pattern as opposed to the typical straight across. The little details like the skull and the brooched straps cute.

HEAVENLY SWORD

Of course the stand out point of this design is the halter fabric bra on the backline. I prefer a halter bra generally because its flattering on any body type. The top has a little sparkle to it and although we (the bloggerati) generally frown on under decorated bras, they just get away with it with the heavy working in the bra band. I would like a closer look at the waistband for sure. The Fl bra looks gorgeous with the gems. Although I did not notice it at the show , the top and bottom seem to be a bit off in colour when viewed in the pics. Will have to take another look at that.

CALL OF DUTY

I am genuinely amazed that this costume worked out so well.Like this could have gone so wrong but it was done so right. This is 'thinking out the box' in the right way.It's different but still cute and attractive.I personally would have preferred fabric instead of feathers on the bra but its covered in a way where it looks solid at a distance so I would still go with it.Love the touches with the cord, love the waistband with the brass buttons. The beret is a nice touch but my hair doesn't work well with hats.I would definitely rock a Rambo headband though. Well the frontline has some fantastic bodywear. Design wise, its on point.Love the brass notions. Like really, I don't mean to gush, its not even really my style but respect! The shade of green in the backpack was throwing me off a bit but everything else is so on point , I'll live with it.

AZTECA

WOW.I love everything about this costume. On point with theme.Well you know I get chain up with the colours one time. Love the use of the turquoise stones, especially in a shape/way I have not seen before. The FL is to die for! That top design. *faint* The bra is still decorated underneath it! PLEASE SEND ONE c/o Carnival Jumbie.

GOLDEN EYE

To be honest, it's not one of my favs but its a pretty costume. It's very simple and if you don't want too much frou frou , it works for you. I personally don't like that fringe used on the headpieces especially the long one on the FL. It's Carnival and as I have said before, you can get away with it. I guess with my hair again, it will never work for me. The chain making the the V on the waistband is a cute touch.

APACHE

LIKE WOW. My favourite part is the overlay on the bra for the frontline. There is nothing I would change. Absolutely gorgeous. Notice the bras are decorated even with the fringe at the top!

ANGRY BIRDS

I like the FL, but with best sales person working that costume , how could you not. The bra and belt are super bling and its super skimpy. You see the back?? wayyyy Love the movement in the backpack. The individual.....ummmm I dunno why the talked up the fact that they used that black leatherette on the bustier, not only does it look off but it looks like it will be hot as hell. I don't really like the stiffness of the wings and I would love to see how they making out on the road in crowds with that. I hate those gloves.

FINAL FANTASY

I had high hopes for this costume,being a Final fantasy peong. Not quite sure how it tied in with the game but the giant individual wings made is what almost made me fall off my chair. It's too much for me but Wow. I love the bodywear for the frontlines. I'm a bit on the fence about the backline bra design, I need to see it up close. It sucks to be them standing next to the FLs lol.

TYRIS

Well ,if you have beenn reading along you know I am campaigning to ban salmon/flamingo pink from Carnival. Ok maybe next year cause this costume is very nice. Solid backline, love the FL.

The FL bra and backpack are awesome. Great movement in that backpack.

TRANSFORMERS

This would be my least fav of the band. It's not a bad costume for a first time but I think the designer's inexperience is clear. The design is very simplistic and with the primary colour scheme it looks even more basic. What irked me most of all is the extremely poor fit of the bra on the frontline model. All her boobs was squishing out the underneath and sides. If it doesn't fit , get another model that does!! It looked horrible!

GOD OF WAR

Love the FL wings and the use of the multiway monokini. However I am a bit on the fence about how it was decorated, the waistband especially looks a bit scanty. I need to see that backline up close. I'm either going to love it or hate it.

LUXOR

WOWSERS. Love the FL.Absolutely love the collar with the monokini. Love the waistband side pieces.The Fl is really over the top, can't wait to see that pricing. The backline is decorated really well but not sure about the BL headpiece. I doh know how much more they could have squeeze onto that individual, it's huge.Gorgeous.

BEJEWLED BLITZ

And that it is! The splash of colour in the headpiece is what makes this costume. I love that although its a largely monochrome body wear, some of the gems pick up the rainbows of colour in the light. Interesting collar on the FL and the pants on the individual are hot! It has not escaped me that since the launch photos of a similar costume from Rio's Carnival have surfaced. It's no secret that many of the designers in all bands use Rio costumes for inspiration, and many individuals bring Rio costumes as what they are going for in the design of their costume. Well at least they did not reproduce something oogly. I am quite sure nobody is going to say "Oh my gawd, it's looks just like that costume,I'm not buying it". Let's not forget that whole Zune affair with IP and Tribe's Persian Gold. That was in the same country the same year. It happens.

Ok so My top picks (no order): Luxor,Apache, Azteca

Least fav picks : Transformers, Golden Eye

Good luck getting in!smh

ISLAND PEOPLE 2K12:Heroes Review

I was really in two minds about whether or not to do a review on Island People .This is primarily because I did not go to the launch and I know I would not be playing with them. When I saw the costumes ,I was so disappointed that I also felt reluctant to even bother. Then I found myself looking at the pics repeatedly and I realised I just needed to get it off my chest.

I must commend Island People for trying to be as creative as possible and they always seem to try to relate their costumes directly to the theme.With that said, I think generally the costumes were just poorly executed. Here we have their teaser with cartoon stylised versions of their sections which all look kinda cute. As others have pointed out , they would have done better if they just had them all look exactly like that. What bewilders me is how a design team could have collectively looked at their production and thought 'We looking Bessssss'. I am not even going to hate on the excessive use of spandex because in context it is understandable in relation to the theme and I also happen to love the 80s (spandex ruled then). What super hero doesn't like spandex? I don't know why Island People likes to make 5 versions of every section. Is it that they are not sure which one people will like or is it to give people so many options they must find one they like to play wit them? To me it just confuses the look of the band.

KAIMANA

If I'm not mistaken this is Sonia Mack's section. After what she produced last year, this costume is a poor follow up. I just don't understand it. It has too many different design elements going on, I dunno how the petals ,the beading, the architectural headpiece, the appliques and gems were supposed to look cohesive. The bra option on the individual that seems to have a white base is just awful. The beading hanging from it and the corresponding waistband is also a bit tooo 80s. It seems to come from a time when costume design was not very mature. We have come so far since then, this is one design that needed to stay in the 80s. She did a big skirt last year, it worked then, this petal framed skirt does not. But hey , it's blue. People like blue. Right?

NOCTURNAL

Sigh *bbm hand over face* . If I could save this costume, I probably wouldn't. The only thing I like is the bra on the backline version. Maybe I will let the cape slide in the spirit of heroism. I will even peg the colour combo as 'interesting'. I do not like the bird looking cutout used in the backline waistband . The headpiece is just a bit two out there for me,, it looks like it would have been more suited amongst the aliens in last year's presentation. I would love to see what superhero can manage with all that goings on. The other two versions with the wire bra are just plain scary. The bras are a weird shape, the fabric hanging from them is silly.The circles make me trypophobic and the waistbands just look cheap. I really want to like the spandex leggings but they look a bit out of place on the costume. They need to start over with this one.#fail

SOLAR FLARE

The backline is a very standard bikini mas costume and I guess its wearable however I would love to know how the 'V' s tie into anything. I don't particularly like the two types of feathers on the BL backpack, I think they look odd together. I guess its supposed to look like flames coming out her back. Cute headband though. The cuffs look like they belong to a flamenco costume and why everything have to have V's all over it so? The FL monokini looks like it could do with some more gems, I find they are depending on that spandex to do all the work in 'making' the costume. Having that much of the spandex exposed cheapens it. I could not help but wonder if it was lined. Worse yet, I hope they make brazilian waxes compulsory for all who sign up. The spandex arm pieces really should fit snug, having them look like arms warmers is not flattering.Judging from the placement, maybe V is for vajayjay? Wait, no, the male has a V as well. Well what's left is a individual or another FL? I only like the backpack but I could envision the cape soaking up all the drain water in P.O.S. The bra is reminiscent of 'flame boob' and the little ruffle on the waistband is odd.

OYA

One of the better ones in the line up. The backline could do with some upper arm pieces cause without the cape it looks quite bare. The monokini and bustier options are cute too. i think the white cape looks like a bedsheet on both options. If they insist on having a cape then I would prefer it be a bit more translucent or a different colour than white. Sheer silver maybe? I dunno but not bedsheet. I would not wear the facemask personally but you can get away with it.

WILDHEART

The only other thing I love more than the colour teal is animal prints. I was really hoping to get both next year (hint hint it's not too late!) . I like the brown version better than the pink but its ok as well. It seems unanimous that these two backline models looked the best for the night. I might lose the silver cape, again I think a more translucent fabric would have been better. The frontlines look a bit crazy with those thigh high animal print leggings. No change that , if the bodywear was a solid pink/brown and they had the leggings it could work. I would have to agree with Saucy that it just had too much animal print for one costume. All the accessories did not need to be in print unless they went with a solid colour bodywear. And suppose I want to wear sunglasses? Like I can't with that visor.Hope its removable.

KALYPSO

Although I am not in love with the colour combo, generally all the versions are ok.There are a few tweaks here and there I would do. Mostly in terms of gem placement. I don't like how the monokini is decorated, it looks a bit juvenile. I also wonder how it would fit a bigger busted person because it seems very narrow on top. I am still a bit bothered that the monokini looks like its lacking structure (which a lining would provide). Pink spandex for guys? #uberfail

ELEMENT

This is my favourite of the lot. It's probably the only one I would actually wear. Good colour combo. I really like the design of the bustier . The boyshort version fit very poorly on the model so I hope that is just a sizing issue. I don't like that the back is just some strings on the Fl version but the monokini fits much better.

VELOCITY

The backline bodywear is ok. The Fl monokini is very risque in terms of its cut, there is very little left to even decorate. The average woman cannot wear that style and have it look flattering. The model looks like a size zero. Much more cannot be said for this costume. Oh , yeah the male costume....just with the pink spandex shorts I want to see who wearing a long pants with a spandex top that has peekabo nipple action. And why is the Eye of Thundera part of this costume?

FIYAH

When I saw this costume , the first thing I did was call my rastafarian bff and tell her she could finally play mas again. All joke aside, its hard to look at this costume and think about anything other than the combination is rastafarian colours. However, the colour blocks also makes it look very Carnival Friday primary school. The male costume being most guilty of this. I think the tri colour beading could have worked but the combo with the bra is a bit much. I can't support a completely undecorated bra. The monokini is kinda cute but don't like the backpack. Does the costume come with the big stick?

THE SCARLET I

A lot of hoorah about this costume. Out of all I think it hits the theme and is a decent costume at the same time. I am not a big fan of wings but it was well done.i.e not tacky looking. The bra is borderline flame boob but it was done much better than other incarnations as the feathers are pointing in the opposite direction, so I will give it a pass. Red is not one of my favourite colours so I may just be a bit rough on it but overall one of the better costumes.

SIREN

I like the feathered headpieces, backpack and the backline bra.The fascinator style head piece being the exception. The waistband is a bit too much like a giant applique for my taste. The slack spandex accessories just not cutting it. I don't want to feel that cape is spandex too. Good luck with that and the heat.

So very much like the other bands, out the box does not negate the fact that it also has to be attractive to the wearer. Compared to last year's presentation I am quite disappointed that the offerings weren't more appealing. Island People will have a run for their money considering some of the new bands on the market and the fact that Richard and Anthony have the place locked in terms of costume design. Would like to big up the Trinidad Carnival Costume Pics crew for making life easy for the bloggers, I don't even have to take close ups anymore lol. Good job.

Soon to come BLISS and TRIBE:Take Two and YUMA.

BLISS 2K12:FIRST LOOK

So the intimate experience had their launch last Thursday. It seems that they are trying to maintain a sort of separation of identity by having a separate launch. That concept would probably have gone over much better if they did not basically have the same theme.Its not like they really follow the themes anyway so I'm kinda confused by that logic. I was not too impressed with the last minute decision to charge people to come to their launch. There were many people who attended Tribe's launch expecting to see Bliss' costumes. Some of those people were not even interested in Tribe at all and they were rather peeved at having to fork out a next set of money. I am sure there are still a lot of people who are weighing the pros and cons between Bliss and Tribe. It comes down to two things I believe, crowd size and costumes. Some are willing to give up their fave costume in Tribe to get ease up on the jam session while others just going where they best costumes are. I think there will be an increased demand for Bliss spots just because they have gotten past their first year and many people were able to get their groups into the same section. Well don't hold your breath, if Bliss is to maintain their product, the numbers will not be increasing.

My take on the costumes in general is that they are all nice. That's it. Just nice. There is not really anything that wowed me that said that I should abandon all others just to have that costume. It is still a hard follow when Tribe showed all their individuals and Bliss had to show frontlines. Again, Bliss has stuck to their tried and tested bikini mas formula and produced simple costumes in nice colours which will move (out the showroom). Having the shoot on boats just reinforced the bikini mas image. One or two have a little flair to them but its what we have seen before. So much so, that I am starting to wonder if Tribe doesn't have a warehouse somewhere with all the excess materials and they just trying to use up leftover gems/notions. There are many examples of reused items in both productions. I did my review primarily using the booklet and referring to some pics from launch. As always , final comment is reserved for when I see them in real. So, here is my take:

MONACO

I think this is one of the few which I thought the design was really creative. It can be difficult to create a costume using more material than gems but it was successful here. Albeit the colours are most associated with Caged Canary and the group produced two fringed costumes last year.Ok wait, lets make that I really liked the bra top. I am sure it will be a fav for all those who seek to hide some flaws. I would have still preferred to see something on the bottom than just a plain panty. I used to wear a plain panty on Carnival Monday long time. I don't expect that my Tuesday costume should be the same. I guess since the fringe is wrapped around to make the bamcee piece they thought it was ok. I can understand the reasoning but still think its a bit of a short change. The necklace and the headpiece are also well put together. Those cuffs like they came from the warehouse. Is there a backline in this?

KUALA LUMPUR

Green and Peachy Pink are the two colours i think are most difficult to design with. This is one of the better green costumes I have seen. Tribe has a pretty good track record for nice green costumes with Honeycreeper and Mulberry under their belt and they are all quite different. I was suprised to see that the bra has green sequins on it. I can't remember the last time I see sequins on a Tribe costume. They have become so known for gemming out the bra and higher end materials. I guess in this recession they have to reduce costs but fortunately it was done well and mixed with gems so I am not going to fault them for it. I just hope the cost of the costume is reflected in that savings. I am liking the ring detailing in the bar and waistband as well. as well as the backline headpiece. I am getting tired seeing that backpack so many times in one year but hey its one of the better backpack styles.

BALI

Its interesting to see how different this costume looks in different lighting. In the book its a deep purple/burgundy and in pics it looks almost red. I think its pretty however this is a good example of reappearance of previously used materials. The gems, I have seen before I was too lazy to go look and to say where but thats ok cause I found an example a few pages before in the booklet. That is, Monaco has same gems as well. An increasing trend with them is hanging gems from the top edge of the bra and leaving the rest bare. To me this is what Oasis did to keep their costs down and I kinda expect more from Tribe. Its Tribe's fault for giving me that bad habit of expecting fully worked up bras.The wrought iron looking shapes are very similar to what was used in Izumi clan (Blis 2k11). I am not sure how I feel about the side wings. They look nice in pics but I think the road will be the true test. I am glad to see something innovative in this costume, don't recall seeing that before off the top my head. Nice costume overall.

BORA BORA

This costume probably peaked my interest the most with its very distinctive body wear. I do like when they incorporate patterned fabric into a costume and I am loving the chunky blue gems. I have mixed feelings about the feathered arm pieces. As a friend pointe dout to me, they look like seaweed. Maybe thats the point, I dunno but it is still one of my favs.

THAILAND

This costume is just pretty standard. Sticking to the formula. Its pretty enough, the backpack on show was really over the top. I would like to see some of the detailing close up. We could have hoped for something a bit more. When I think of Thailand I think costumes from "The King and I". Don't really see how this costume relates to Thailand.

CAPRI

Well the good thing about this costume is that you could probably wear it again after to a DDI party. Although the ruffles are cute, it just does not say costume to me.I am not too pleased by how the ruffles seem to fall on the bra. Would have to se it up close. It's a really blinged out swimsuit basically. The backline looks like you would have to tell people is mas you going to play. The collar seems like it may have an issue sitting up as well. Not sure what the intent was there. I also have mixed feelings about the blue tinged feathers, they just seem kinda random and not tied into the rest of the costume. If you want something shiny and light, I guess this is you here.

TAHITI

Ok firstly, FYI, Bora Bora and Tahiti are part of the same country. Might want to rethink that section name. I like the colours and I really like how the regular bra was decorated.I would prefer if both sides were decorated the same way even if they insisted on putting the feather accent. This bra style looks good on just about everybody. The wire bra is one that is a hit or miss depending on who wears it and how much nip action is revealed. I don't particularly like the stuff hanging from the boobs either.The paillettes on the side of the waistband and on necklace kinda concern me, I always feel like I am going to get sliced and diced by a handful of paillettes but they might be ok.

WAIKIKI

Ok,sorry for this again but Waikiki is a neighbourhood on one of the Hawaiian islands. I don't think people go to Hawaii just to visit a neighbourhood. I not really sure about their theme if they going to name sections after some countries, mixed in with cities, mixed in with neighbourhoods. #imjussayin. Overall the costume looks ok but personally it's probably my least fav. I just don't like the daisy looking appliques.I guess its arguable that its supposed to be hawaiian flowers but I just don't like appliques generally. I do like the grass skirt look of the gold fringe and the cord detail on the side of the waistband. The headpiece and leg pieces of the frontline are really nice but I am a bit confused by the arm pieces which I will have to see up close.

Ok so it have a million pics online and again I am too lazy to insert them here.As with Tribe I think the majority of costumes are on even footing. Maybe that's intentional so people don't all rush one section. My favs in Bliss get their edge because of their innovative design. My least fav just has the misfortune to have a design element I don't like in any costume.

My top picks (in no order) : Bora Bora, Monaco

Least fav: Waikiki

TRIBE 2K12:TAKE ME TO... REVIEW FIRST LOOK

As luck (or life) would have it I did not make it to the launch. I was not too torn up about it because I did not really expect to be in the country anywho and had actually left my costume downpayment with a (trusted) friend. When I do attend, I usually don't stay too much past the costume viewing because I don't think the party has been my speed in quite a while. Fortunately Triniscene made it easy by bringing their live stream. Not only did I save money and an outfit but I did not have to deal with looking for a park or feeling obligated to hang out longer than I wanted to because of friends. Their live stream is really as good as you can get if you cant be there in person. I got pretty much the same view as I would if I was in front the stage elbowing people to get pics (avoiding that another perk). I even got to hear Saucy's running commentary which kept me well entertained.I also like to reserve final comments for after I see the costumes in person. The following is very preliminary:

If nothing else, TRIBE is very consistent. Overall, pretty bikini mas with attractive colours. I don't understand why they seemed to have used such a small spectrum of the colour wheel. There were times when I was not sure if I was looking at another version of the same costume or a different costume. Design wise occasionally seemed that they took a little from here and there from recent costumes and made a new version. I think showing only frontlines was a bad idea. I understand that it may have been either to keep the showtime to a minimum (albeit it is a launch) or maybe to create a bigger impact. However, the frontlines and individuals won't be available to the majority of the masqueraders. These are the people who are making and breaking the band and I for one would be very annoyed and disappointed if I came to see which costume I wanted and left with very little but maybe a preferred colour option. If you are a FL H.O. then you were in your glee! I was glad to see that most of the wire bras were in the style of Amazon/nia which to me is the only wire bra that I have seen that I would consider wearing. Sexy and it's the only one I have seen that seems to work on almost every boob (i.e without exposing nipples). What I did not like was that across the board the waistbands seems to be minimal. Its to a point where it no longer seems that they trying to be sexy , its like they running short on materials. I like skimpy costumes as much as the next carnival skettel but I am starting to feel a bit shortchanged. So...section wise:

SOUTH BEACH

Absolutely gorgeous. I love this one! Love the style of the style of the bra. The gems on the bra look just wow. Yes it may be Charmeuse 2.0 + Amazon/nia backpack in terms of colouring and style but its definitely a great upgrade. One of my top 3 for sure.

RIO

I'm kinda 'meh' about this one right now. The colours on video and in pics makes it seem very monotone. There is very little contrast between the bra decoration and the base /feather colour. I am hoping and am pretty sure in reality the working on the bra will be more pronounced but it looks pretty flat right now. I would have liked to see a bit more bling on the backpack for the individual in particular as well. Seems like a very safe choice to me.As i said before I prefer the other style of wire bra. Again, i did not see it in person and I think its well worth a closer look.

ST.TROPEZ

The inidvidual was very over the top and definitely peaked my interest. I like how it looks like fireworks going off around you. I guess its appropriate to be paired with a wire bra and a standard waistband. I wondered if the silver starbursts were similar to the material used on the first version of the Bliss' Ice Warrior (which was revamped, sorry 'poofed'). That foil material looked kinda cheap to me then so I hope that is not the case here. The frontline is nicely done. I would have to agree with Saucy about the asymmetry of the backpack. I dunno, when I first saw it I wondered if something was missing and then I was like Ohhhhh, it's supposed to be a style. It looks alright either way I guess but I would have liked it more if it was evened out.

JOHANNESBURG

Very happy to see something as interesting as an animal print monokini. I love animal prints. That was after I thought,"Didn't we already go to Africa with Peter?". I think it looks lovely as it is but I'm a bit worried about how it will look on the road. I fear that it will be a bit muddy looking in a group. Maybe the collar needs a bit of contrast, some lighter tones or a bright red. Just some thoughts....but I do like it.

VEGAS

The colour peach scares me in Carnival.I am quite sure that I have proposed it be banned from Carnival permanently at sometime in the past. It was a bit difficult to get the true colour of the costume from video and pics but my first impression is that this might be the first peachy pinky costume I actually like.(R.I.P Flamingo).I say LIKE eh. Absolutely love the individual bra by itself but not too sure what to make of the waistband. The bra did not look like it fit the model very well but hopefully thats just a sizing problem. For the frontline, although I notoriously hate standard appliques, I will let it slide this once cause it does appear well done. The bra could do with a bit more gems just to fill in the flat space but it could also ruin it if its not done in a strategic way.So I will leave it alone. The colour may not compliment all skin tones but the fact that its not a oogly peach costume is a plus.

FIJI

I must admit I am totally biased when I see these colours. That is half the sell with me there. I also like the detail that this designer puts into her costumes which is why I have played in her section several times. With that said, I love the string bikini bra. I think that style enhances those who aren't working with much on top and for me its more comfortable. The rest of the costume is itty bitty (like we carnival skettels like it) and I love the mohawk head piece with the gradient colours. I am hoping that even with its size its as light as the Loulan headpiece and its much more crowd friendly. I prefer to have the extra beading on the bodywear as in the individual than to have a bigger headpiece. I hope those wings are going to be an add on option also. I will take wings and leave the headpiece yes. (Yay wings!). OMMMGGGG now noticed wings are attached to headpiece. That is fantastic! Backpacks are just more than I want to deal with on the road so I am very glad to have this option in a frontline. I can't wait to see this up close! #winning

DUBAI

The colours are lovely. Oh wait, I said that already.Oh wait, its a different costume. My bad. I honestly didn't notice until I saw pics after the fact. Between the two, I prefer South Beach. Mainly because it has more beading than Dubai. Would still like to see it up close but I am already worried about the bra being a bit bare in the cup area. Personally I like to see heavy beading or gemming on a frontline. I think that's part of what you pay for.

CYPRUS

Humph! Papa Yo! Like Tribe having a float next year to put all them girls in FL Cyprus. I eh sure if that costume legal nah. This section should have been called Rio cause that is as close as you gonna get nekkid. Everytime I think they can't get more nekkid they prove me wrong! Now I can appreciate its creativity. I think the design of the bra is different and I do like it. I personally may shy away from the cutouts in the bra but its cute. I could even rock the bottom piece when viewed from in front if I was in top form. However ,although I don't particularly mind my ass hanging out , I think having it outside like if I never put on a draws at all is a bit much. I absolutely hate those 'headpieces' but its Carnival and no one will judge you for wearing it. I also have mixed feelings about the monokini version. I like the style of the monokini but the feathers on the crotch somehow make me thing of "lucky poonky" and the feathers edging the plunge make me think of "flame boob" both unfortunate costumes from "the band that shall not be named". I will reserve my final opinion for when I see it in reality as it does have other good features like the gems.Cyprus redeems itself fully as from what I see the backline may be one of the best in the band. The next question is, If you don't look like the model how you wearing that frontline?(Edited to add:Wait, i think I answered my own question: you don't! Maybe that's the intent hmmmm.)

SANTORINI (with one "N" Triniscene)

Ok yes it have the same gems from Amazon, but I love the body wear. If nothing else it looks like you getting something for your money. The headpiece is sky high which is great. I like the design of the hand pieces but the quality (from pics) looks a bit like it was made out of orange bristol board. I may be wrong, would need to see it up close.

CANCUN

Teal overload, i love it lol. Loving the individual bra. I need another look at FL bra which seems to be just as lovely if it's as worked up as I think it is.The waistband is extremely tiny. Totally forgivable with the ridiculous amount of feathers. Yes its a colour variation of what we have seen before but it's a fantastic colour and a sure to be popular.

MANHATTAN

I love this frontline. Simple but very attractive. Tribe love a collar eh? The colour combo is along the lines of one of this years' Bliss costumes (substitute purple for teal) but it does work well together. It may have looked a bit dark on the night but I think it will be ok on the road as their is some colour variation (as opposed to the monotone of Johannesburg). The bodywear will dazzle so arguably the darker tones in the headpiece may balance it out. Not sure how I feel about the backline bra which seems to be sequined covered. Somehow even though I know it has something on it , it still looks plain because in pics it comes out like a solid colour.

IBIZA

Achaean Odyssesy is that you? Don't get me wrong ,Its a lovely costume but its a version 2.0 of Achaean. At least it could have been a different colour! Ok, I personally don't like red costumes so I was not a fan out the gate. I do love the design and it is definitely one of the more interesting costumes in the group. I would still put it in my top picks.Let's hope they recall the issues with the torso lengths that occured with Achaean. I'm still kinda wondering why they sending Gabrielle with that version and not the other individual version to Ms.Universe.Too much to travel with? By Trini standards the headpiece and accessories are nothing new and I am sure there will be similar ones from other countries who recently seem to be coping the carnival costume style. I doubt anyone will come with anything like the bigger individual.

I am not even going to waste my time with the male costumes. Best they just give them what they want, a short pants and a id band and done the talk. I can respect the Ibiza male for the effort, although that's may be an 'individual'.

Top picks so far (in no order): South Beach, Fiji, Ibiza, Manhattan.I would like to give an honorable mention to Cyprus as well. I would not pick it for myself but I am sure it will be a hot seller.

Least fav : The rest are on pretty even footing and I don't think any are flat out ugly so I won't single out any.

With all these '2.0' and sometimes '3.0' versions of costumes Tribe played it safe but I suppose in the end the formula works as I honestly can't trash any. If one or two get a little tweak it will be just that and not major revisions. If you need to see pics of costumes it have a million on the internet and I eh able to insert them here. Remember this is only my preliminary take, we still have backlines to macco good and to see the costumes in real. I have been known to go 180 on some of my likes and dislikes.

The Return

Well whole of this year Carnival my theme song was Machel's song "Coming again" cause all I coulda say was "I shall return, I must come back.". I broke my own rules and got taken out the game so unfortunately I did not make it on the road. Bad mind alone had me holding on to my costume till I could bring myself to sell it (i.e when I stopped being in denial of missing the first carnival on the road in 15+ years. Yes, 15 I said.) So sad, so sad. I had seriously considered buying it and putting it in a corner just so I could look at it. *sigh* Oh well, I survived the torture and although I may not be as free to come and go as I was before, I am determined to be on the road next year.(God's willing. Please God please.)

Anyhow you take it , I usually go on hiatus in what we refer to as the 'off season' which is the short time between Carnival and the first band launch. I am not sure how many band launches I will be able to attend this rounds. Honestly, I good to stay home from now till Carnival Monday. Just give me meh costume. I have always been more a road person than a fete person. Being a regular Triber, the anticipation of their band launch always brings me out the woodwork and gets my blog rolling again.

After that run in with my doppelganger (refer to previous post) and with my very hectic schedule, I have not quite decided what the focus of my blog this year will be. I don't know if I have either the time or the patience to run down pics at events and upload etc etc. In the earlies this blog was mostly about my own personal routine to get prepared for Carnival (hence the tag line above) and along the way the bloggerati was born. It still boggles my mind how that happened but we have lots of fun lol. I may just revert a bit to the ole school seeing that my band launches may be attended via triniscene. If nothing else , I have a challenge. How to get back in bess shape after having a baby, while taking care of a baby. Good material there , the mampee factor was never more real to me lol. So we will see how it goes, can't promise I'll be as regular with posting, after all getting back in shape is the priority!