So I am back from viewing TRIBE's costumes at Cascadia and I took along a friend who has never played mas before but was very blunt and honest in her opinions on seeing the costumes up close in person. Firstly, I like the layout of the viewing area, there is ample room compared to the tiny area allocated to costumes in the mas camp. As you can see from my pics there were lots of people there already and we were very early. Newsday and Triniscene photograhpers were even on hand and I saw many people snapping pics of the costumes on their camera phones.
The two costumes that we both agreed were outstanding were Fireman and Fancy Sailor, my friend, who I will call G, said that both of them looked "richly decorated". I was surprised by how much I liked Fancy Sailor when seeing it this afternoon, that is one lovely costume. G also liked Dame Lorraine which I had to admit looked much prettier and detailed than on stage, the frontline Dame Lorraine (with the large headpiece) is very pretty.
Other costumes that we both liked and found to be better looking in person were Bat frontline and backline (though I still hate the backline headpiece), Pierrot Grenade Frontline , Cow Mas and Majorette.
Jamette has a fabulous headpiece with an abundance of plumes, however G said the beads on the belt looked cheap, in actuality they are clear red beads with paiettes at the ends, as they are light materials it does look cheaper than heavy beads. I liked the bustier, and for those who don't like the bustier there is also the option of a regular bra.
Dragon has been one of my favourites since I saw it at the launch and still is even though G did not like it for whatever reason (I think she finds it is too skimpy). The fabric on the bra and belt is a fuzzy material that you cannot see from photos. Pierrot Grenade is a cute costume, but again G found the strips of ribbon hanging from the belt looked cheap, though she liked the bra and the headpice.I think the fabric suffered some wear and tear to be honest, it did look a tad bit worn, but I honestly did not find it looked cheap.
Fancy Indians is nice as to be expected, but not spectacular since we have seen different versions of it before. Jab Molassie backline and Midnight robber were just bland, nothing to make you look twice. The yellow and orange Jab Jab were liked by both G and myself, but the pink screamed Anemone to me.
Jean and Dinah was not on display up until the time we left, and the one costume we both agreed rank lowest was Imp. On stage the costume looked great but hanging on the wall and even in the TRIBE book the costume does not look very appealing.
I tried to get an idea of what prices are going to be like since rumours are circulating of extraordinarily high prices for Carnival 2007, and even though he would not committ to giving exact prices, I was told by a TRIBE offical that the prices should be between $2600.00 and $3000.00 for the regular costumes. Frontline costumes and individual characters will be more.
Finally G also went with me to view Harts costumes and she said she prefers Harts costumes to TRIBE's. Being a newbie I will expect her to say that since Harts has the heavily beaded costumes and large, feathered headpieces that are really "in your face". Having played mas many years with HARTS I have grown tired of that type of costume even though I have to admit it is attractive and looks fantastic on the road. I am excited by the new mas designs that TRIBE and Island People have brought to the table, and I like that as added bonus you get an all-inclusive experience as well. For me mas is more than just a costume, to some the costume is the most important thing, the beauty of it is that you can be sure to find a band to suit you and your tastes.
