The prolific Kadooment band, Baje International, is celebrating twenty years on the road. As such, the theme for this year is Odyssey; a word that entered the English lexicon thanks to the epic poem attributed to Homer, The Odyssey, and fittingly has come to mean “a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience” (Oxford Dictionary). Baje’s journey thus far may be twice as long as Odysseus’ – the titular character in Homer’s piece – and has not yet reached its end, but it is no less iconic.
There was no choreography like with most other costume showcases at band launches. Here it was a fashion show more than anything. The models came out, strut their stuff and left. This was another Kadooment costume presentation that give me major Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show vibes. A lot of that had to do with the models. The models used were clearly professional; there was an obvious skill and expertise in how they modelled. They were lively, they were fierce, they had sex appeal. At least this was the case with the female models (although one of them, the Animaniaks monokini model, had no energy and looked like she didn’t want to be there).
As for the male models…What is it with male models in band launches? It’s like the majority of them always look bored and disinterested and like they’re not putting in any effort. Such was the case with the male models in Odyssey, Collage of Time and Flashing Lights. It’s kind of annoying how male models at band launches tend to be so nonchalant and underperform. Their female colleagues put their best foot forward and the male models just show up like glorified props. It’s also, in some ways, disrespectful to patrons. We’re there for the show and they seemingly can’t be bothered to put one on for us. We’ll get back to disrespect later.
As I expected they would, Baje put themselves right up there with Krave and Eunoia for me when it came to their costumes. Like I’ve said before, I never paid attention to Crop Over or the costume before this year, but I do know Baje by reputation so I had pretty high expectations for their costumes. I’d say they were just about met.
The costume that stands out the most is Odyssey. It is stunning with its tropical flower motif, vibrant colours, sensually designed “wrapkini” (as it was dubbed on the website) and the ever present “XX” design (roman numerals for twenty which show up in almost every costume in some way) on the leg straps. The costume also invokes colourful, tropical birds like the parrot. Not just with its colours, but particularly in the design of the peak of the headdress, which resembles a beak. The male costume looks pretty bland next to the female costumes, though; it’s simply a shorts, a cap and a necklace.
I don’t see how the design of the costume fits in with the section name, nor do I see it with Flashing Lights, Mega Monday or Baje XX. But I assume that that is because I am unfamiliar with the history of Baje International. The section names, along with their descriptions, do reflect the idea of a journey through that history and tie the whole thing together nicely. The costumes in those sections are beautiful, especially Mega Monday with its dreamcatcher concept.
The visors and harnesses on Collage of Time really make the female costumes in that section. The harness looks a little weird on the male costume. It’s kind of just there? But it is a very masculine spin on the same accessory from the female costumes. The harnesses truly make the female costumes sexy and add a special something. The print is lovely as well and captures the idea of “collage.”
Animaniaks, Kohinoor and Fly are pretty straight forward. When you look at them you see how they represent their sections names.
Animaniaks embodies its theme with the leopard print, fur accessories (the fur strap on the male costumes is awkward and it’s not going to stay on, if it’s put on in the first place) and green feathers that mimic foliage. The Vida Queen costume is spectacular. The sash, though, feels like a last minute add-on. As Coco Chanel said: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.” The sash would be that thing.
Kohinoor is the name of one of the world’s largest cut diamonds that is part of the British Crown Jewels and you see that “diamond” theme throughout. It’s white, and it’s sparkly. Fly looks like a clear blue sky, on a sunny day with the most striking rainbow you’ve ever seen. The feathers on the headdress even make it look like Hermes’ – the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology – winged helmet. Which is very appropriate for a section with this particular theme.
Now back to the topic of disrespect. With the exception of Eunioa and Xhosa, not a single band launch that I have been to has started on time. Given that patrons don’t show up in full force until two or three hours later (which the bands know), I haven’t minded. So when I showed up “on time” and the venue was still being set up and I was told that the doors weren’t open yet, I didn’t really care. However, when staff at the event shows blatant disregard for the start time that was advertised, I have a problem.
As I waited for Baje’s band launch to start, I happened to witness an exchange between a patron – who was media – and one of the staff working the box office. It was almost an hour past the advertised start time and the media person was, understandably, disgruntled that the event had not started yet. The member of staff then said to the media person something to the effect of: “Just because it says it will start at seven doesn’tt mean that it will start at seven.” It wasn’t just what the member of staff said that was problematic, it was the angry, annoyed tone in which she said it.
Not only was this lady rude, she was unprofessional and disrespectful. That was no way to speak to a patron, even if they were media. The correct, mannerly response would have been to apologise to the patron for the delayed start in the proceedings. Not only did she make herself look bad, she made Baje look bad. Her conduct reflected very, very, poorly on the band. That being said, I do not take her behaviour to be representative of Baje themselves.
To add insult to injury, a-hole media personnel had to be dealt with. Well before the costume presentation started, camera persons formed a line at the front of stage with everyone positioned in a way that no one would block or cross anyone else. Then not one, but two other camera people disregarded the line and set up tripods right in front of three of the camera persons who had already been there. One of them being me. In the middle of the showcase one more a-hole camera person decided to block people as well. One would think that as camera persons they would know better, be more considerate and be more respectful towards other camera persons. This happened at Krave as well. These incidents did not spoil the night for me, however.
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Eunoia is one of the new Kadooment bands emerging on the scene this year, and as such, has a lot to prove – as well as establish – in terms of its brand and its identity. Certainly, hosting their band launch at the prestigious Frank Collymore Hall – an avenue more associated with the fine arts and “high brow” entertainment – was a move meant to immediately and clearly separate them from other Kadooment bands. It definitely lent the band a particular image.
Eunoia’s models had the best of Krave and Kontact’s models; they could dance (they did very well with the choreography; they made it look effortless and easy) and they could model. The first model of the night, in the Oneiros section, set the bar quite high with her dynamic performance on stage and the remaining models more than met the challenge and matched her energy. They were clearly well trained and rehearsed. These models were exceptional. The audience responded to them enthusiastically, especially the full figured – or “fiercely real”, as Tyra Banks would say – models.
Kalokairi just embodies its name in that it looks like a beach and what is the quintessential summer time activity if it isn’t spending the day at one? Aside from that, it just captures the spirit of summer. The blue used in the costume is gorgeous and the yellow and red compliment it beautifully. Colour is also what makes Imisy special. It employs a captivating shade of red that is contrasted nicely with the blue, white and ivory. Furthermore its female ultra costume is impeccably designed and the print on the male frontline shorts is striking.
Oh how it rained on Kontact’s parade when they held their band launch last Friday at the Barbados Museum. It started with intermittent drizzles here and there that didn’t deter those in attendance from holding onto their chosen spots as they waited for the costume presentation to begin. 
The models didn’t execute the choreographed parts of the showcase very well; they weren’t very in sync, fairly uncoordinated and not to mention stiff and lacking rhythm in the case of one model. The choreography itself was nice, though. When the models were just doing their own thing, “freestyling” if you will, especially when it came time for them to wuk up and whine, they were excellent. Especially the frontline model for Envy.
Kontact’s costume offerings this year are lovely. That being said, for the most part they don’t really move me. With the exceptions of the front and backlines of Mysteries of Time, all of the Bacchanal section, the entirety of Serenity and the Miss Mischief individual costume.
Bacchanal doesn’t have a continuity problem, however. The fabric that is used in the frontline costume is used in the backline and male costumes as straps that accentuate them. The backline is fairly basic when it comes to Kadooment costumes, but the colour is what really makes it come alive. This section is my favourite because of the colour and I don’t even really like orange. The green, purple, pink and yellow go so well with it and it’s such an appealing shade of orange that it’s aesthetically pleasing. Here too the frontline is an an example of effective simplicity.
As such, the nine sections are named after deities – Aja, Ananke, Ari (short for Arianrhod) and Ceres; mythological creatures or figures – Phoenix and Reaper; a tree – Lignum Vitae (“Tree of Life”) and…flowers? Of the two remaining sections, Bloom obviously relates to flowers and also to youth, but all Google could give me about Teratai was an Indonesian Wikipedia page about lotus flowers and a song from a Malaysians singer. I assume it’s supposed to mean the lotus flower, but I really don’t know what it means.
Of the male costumes that come with joggers, Reaper is the best in my opinion. In fact, it’s the best of the male costumes overall. Not just because of the joggers, but also because of the strap situation going on at the top. The two elements together are amazing. Lignum Vitae is the best of those which come with board shorts. The model looked like a Greek god. Phoenix is a very close second. With that costume in particular the tank top makes it look more like a Foreday costume than a Kadooment one. It’s still looks very good, though.
Aja is named after an Orisha forest spirit and I definitely got “forest” looking at the costumes, thanks to the use of colour in them. The green is not my favourite shade of the colour and is a little too bright, however, the brown offsets it well and the combination does invoke wood and leaves. The olive green (a much better shade) of Lignum Vitae also helps with its relation to trees, as do the laurel leaves.
Ananke is the goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity and is also the dictator of fate and is associated with the torch. Arianrhod is the goddess of fertility, rebirth and the weaving of cosmic time and fate and is associated with a silver wheel, weaving instruments, the moon, the corona borealis, ivy, spiders and the colours silver and white and can shapeshift into an owl. Ceres is the goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility, motherly relationships, transition and law and order, is the protector of women at vulnerable points in their lives and is associated with the scepter, pigs, ants, chaste trees and corn, is depicted as carrying a farming tool in one hand and a basket of fruit or grain in the other and has poppies as her emblem.
As for the models, they were fine as a group. Some of them looked really stiff or couldn’t dance or it was obvious when they were looking toward their fellow models for cues. The two female models for Phoenix and the frontline models for Ari and Lignum Vitae stood out. The Phoenix models especially; they were incredibly vivacious. Ari’s frontline model had a very exciting introduction with the way that she moved and posed when she first came out onto the stage. Lignum Vitae’s looked like she was just there to have fun and have fun she did.
There weren’t even any street lights on the main road, it was so out in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by bush, bush and more bush. Thankfully, directions were posted on Instagram and patrons didn’t seem to have had a problem finding it. I could not have been the only one who was in constant fear of being bitten by a centipede, though. But onto the costume presentation.
As for other wardrobe malfunctions, models wearing headdresses in “Forbidden”, “Head Hunter” and “Chameleon” were having problems with them. They spent more or less the entirety of their time on stage holding them in place. One would hope that that was not an indication of how the headdresses will function once in the hands of customers on Kadooment Day. No one wants to bother with a disobedient headdress as they jump down Spring Garden Highway.
Virtually none of the costumes had the same cut or patterns and outside of differences in colours, prints, feathers and embellishments, they each had their own unique look. Even though they were all your basic one piece, monokini, bikini or two piece, each one was cut a different way to make it distinct and the use of colour in the costumes was incredible.
Erup the Band presented their offerings for this year’s Kadooment at their band launch held at George Washington House last Friday. As with any band launch, there may have been a fete surrounding it, but the main attraction was the reveal of the costumes. As dead as the spectators were during the night leading up to it, they certainly came alive once it was time to see what they’d really come there for and Erup did not disappoint. Especially if the crowd reaction was anything to go by.
Aside from those minor gripes, the models were excellent. They had amazing energy, looked like they were having fun and they showed off the costumes very well. The models were clearly well rehearsed and there wasn’t a toe, feather, gem or eyelash out of line.
For the most part the costumes were quite accurate representations of the gems from which their sections took their names; Ametrine (incorrectly spelt “Amertrine” on the night), Black Opals, Mystic Topaz, Mojave and White Diamonds. With a quick Google Image Search, one would find that the colours found in those gems are more or less faithfully reproduced in the costumes.
The Erup costume presentation was well produced, well choreographed and well executed. The designers did good jobs in crafting their costumes in general, but especially in keeping to the theme and creatively interpreting the gems which inspired them. The models did their jobs in making the costumes shine and look appealing. It was a good showing overall.
Browne, as the first contestant, set the bar fairly high for her fellow competitors when it came to the introductions, Baker opened his speech by singing “Unravel”, a Japanese language song from the anime Tokyo Ghoul, and was funny and entertaining and Prescod utilised the stage more than any other contestant.
Browne performed a moving spoken word poem which was a complete journey of self-acceptance, that was as funny as it was punny and which she delivered with charisma. Baker danced his heart out like no one was watching and he clearly had little to no training in the area of dance, but he committed to it and had fun with it and the audience was thoroughly entertained. Prescod owned the crowd and was the best in the talent segment with her brilliant, funny, poignant, topical, thought provoking, well delivered and well written dramatic performance about the importance of history and cultural identity.
This was another segment which Prescod dominated; she was strong and powerful and her response was articulate and impactful. Joining her again as the front runners were Browne and Baker. Browne gave a brilliant, effortless response and Baker’s was personal, relatable and demonstrated who he is as a person. However, joining them this time in emerging as another front runner was Hyatt, who was passionate in her response, which was topical. She stumbled somewhat, but it didn’t matter at all. She really got the crowd on her side.
![America’s Next Top Model C24E14 [FINALE] Recap](https://www.zgemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ANTM-24-Cast.jpg "America’s Next Top Model C24E14 [FINALE] Recap")
For the third week in a row, we had a final four. Thankfully, with this episode being the season finale, that would no longer be true going forward. Frankly, the schtick had started to get pretty old. As the four remaining contestants – Kyla, Jeana, Khrystyana and Shanice – made their way to their fittings for the Philipp Plein fashion show, they reflected on their journeys over the course of the competition.
Philipp was so very, very hard on Khrystyana. I thought that her walk was fine, but I wasn’t the designer casting the show and he knew what he wanted. Which was for her body not to move so much. Given that she is a curvy model, that would be pretty hard to do; she has boobs, hips and a butt and they’re going to move when she walks. The clothing looked very good on her at least.
Just as the contestants arrived for the photoshoot, before they even go into hair and make-up, there was an elimination. I’m glad that it happened there and not at the Philipp Plein fitting. Philipp’s input was taken into consideration, however, along with the models’ body of work and input from the other judges.
All of the eliminated girls were back for the finale runway! They usually are so that was to be expected, but there’s a sense of nostalgia whenever it happens. Khrystyana and Kyla had reunions with more or less everyone, including Rio; the same girl that they weren’t very fond of for a significant chunk of the competition. I was waiting on her to reunite with Jeana (I’d totally forgotten about their falling out), but that didn’t happen. I felt sorry for Jeana. She didn’t have anyone there like the other two did.
Kyla’s walk during the show looked better than at the fitting. She could have had some more expression on her face during her first walk, she looked like she wasn’t doing anything with it. She did work it out by the second pass. Because Jeana left her partner, I appreciated that Kyla stopped and took the hand of hers before going up the runway.
I think what made the judges choose her is what Law said right before the reveal; Kyla is mouldable and Jeana is not. Jeana has her own style and brand of modelling and is pretty set in her ways, as we saw over the course of the competition. Perhaps that was why she started on top, went down and came up back up, as Tyra pointed out.