Saucy's Carnival 2010 Costume Picks

I was holding back on giving my choices for top 5 costumes in the popular bands because I had not seen that many in person. After pouring through hundreds of photos from my friends (some of which I have "borrowed" for this post) I have made my choices. It is interesting to note that the SAME costumes keep being photographed over and over when looking at people's personal photos as well as the photo websites online.

Please remember that this is based on MY picks, I would hope everyone loved THEIR costume as much as I loved mine, even if your costume was not one of the top picks for me this year. I have to mention that overall I really loved Island People on the road; Chutney Baav looked great as well as Morgandani Individual (they get an honourable mention).

 I was disappointed in the decoration on Spice's corsets, they were really lacking compared to last year and there were some sections that floored me in the final version.. .China anyone? As for TRIBE, my sentiments did not really change on how I felt about the costumes post launch. The band looked great but my top picks still remained the same.The only costume that slipped was Osage, pretty costume but that was ALOT of orange with not that much contrast. The ladies looked gorgeous in it though, especially the "backline individuals" who took the initiative to add some embellishments! You go girls!

And now my top 5 costume picks in the top 3 most popular bands:

TRIBE

Zari Frontline

I was not impressed with this frontline at TRIBE's launch because it looked very unfinished with just a skimpy bra, belt and somewhat large headpiece. Add an asymmetrical back pack, interesting detail, and a fuller headpiece to the basic frontline costume and this one wowed on the road. Every masquerader in this costume, save one, had to be a size 4 or under and they looked awesome!

Xi Ling Shi Frontline 

I loved the backpack on this costume, lots of movement and very pretty with the two tone feathers. Gorgeous representation on the road as well, the ladies all looked so regal and delicate!

Mystery of Loulan

Loved it, almost the entire section came out with their large headpieces and most kept them on all day because they were not as heavy as people thought they would be. I think both options of the frontline looked fantastic and the backline also looked pretty cute.

Threads of Morocco

Stunning pink in the frontline really sold this section for me. I loved the arm details as well as the wire bra. The backline girls also looked great under the sun.Wished more of the frontline wore their cape! It looked great in photos.

Charmeuse

Awesome large headpiece and backpack on the frontline was a "wow" when I saw it in person. Great colour combination. The entire section looked great.

Island People

Priyadarshani

I LOVED this costume on the road, gems were glittering in the sunlight from a distance. Absolutely gorgeous!

Chandsitare

Surprise hit for me on the road, everyone I saw in this section looked amazing.Also have to mention that every single Island People male rocked their costume. 

Bindi

Even though I am not a fan of burgundy costumes this one looked really nice, not to mention it was one of the larger sections in Island People so it also stood out on impact as well.

Taal

I thought this costume looked fabulous! Loved it at the launch and on the road.

Mudra

This section gets top marks for all the lithe, hard bodies in this costume. It was skimpy but the women hit this one out the park! Very sexy section.

Spice

Greece

One of the most well constructed sections in Spice, I did not see one costume looking as it was missing anything. Great impact on the road with Individual, Frontline and Backline.

Moroccan Heat

Surprise road hit, I was not floored by this section at the band launch but on the road it popped. Everything worked, the shade of orange on the masqueraders, the gold was just enough contrast and I loved the headpiece despite the fact that it kept leaning forward.

Wings of Isis 

This costume went both ways for me. On larger bras the decoration looked a bit sloppy on the stretchy spandex base and the headpiece construction differed from the prototype. However on the smaller bras the costume looked like what it was supposed to be; one of Spice hits.

Rubies of Mumbai 

The best section in Spice for me, on the road.

Thailand

Lovely costume! I loved the backline lots.

Brian Mc Farlane's Resurrection The Mas Review

Hey people, seeing as every other band has gotten a review, I decided to write one for Macfarlane as well...

After playing for the first time with him in 2009 in Africa, I set my sights on Resurrection and registered in Black Indian. I registered in person and this was a breeze at the mas camp. Macfarlane is EXTREMELY traditional as he displays sketches and only bits of the material is brought out for you to see. For those of you who may not like this, I assure you his staff are friendly and will answer every possible question about the costume. Your other alternative is to wait some days closer to carnival when completed costumes are put on display.

Collection

After receiving an email with the collection dates, I went to collect on my assigned day and met some challenges. The costumes are distributed at the mascamp, but the camp is just too small to facilitate the smooth distribution to so many people. To avoid the rush , I went early and received everything except my headpiece which was not ready. I wasn't upset about it not being ready, but AT LEAST you could have called before hand and apologised (as I had made transport arrangements - considering the headpiece was so large!). I had to go back on friday where there was a MASS of people but luckily I was able to slip to the side and get mine easily. I hope members of the Art Factory see this and make the necessary adjustments for 2011...a larger space for distribution is costly but makes things easier.

Monday

Clad in Burlap and Mud we hit the streets at midday, in a significantly larger band. Macfarlane does not really fuss about who takes a jump up in the band, so there were many friends and family of actual masqueraders jumping up as one. Tony Prescott and Surface kept the music pumping, until a costume from Legacy damaged the truck (?)..but this was quickly corrected. I DO NOT like his chit system for the drinks (water is endless),, because just like last year it reaches a point where they just hand you without a chit...so its pointless. Furthermore, the drinks truck is just a regular pick up truck as compared to DKEWE which had a trailer converted into a full bar!!! Also, he really needs a wee wee truck ( but we all know how he feels about that!!!) As this year there were less CLEAN port-o-potties along the route (surprisingly, Piccadily street was the cleanest and only supervised reststop on the entire route). Come on Brian, you are more creative and resourceful than that! But monday was a BLAST and the mud really saved our skin from that blazing sun!

Tuesday

So, I met that band at 8:30AM and we all made final adjustments and posed for pictures. The mirrors in the park (on Rosalino street), is a nice touch as it helps with any alterations you may need to make. The band left extremely late, close to 10:00AM and we took FOREVER to cross the stage on the Avenue. So I quickly deduced that we were in for a long day. We crossed South Quay around 4ish, after waiting for hours!!! However, I must commend Macfarlane as his workers kept passing through the band and ensured that we were well hydrated, with water and juice. Surface also kept the music pumping so although I was fed up of waiting, at least I was wine-ing while doing so. His repair team was also out in full force, fixing any costume that suffered a rip or other mishap. After south Quay, we headed to Picadilly street, where we got into section again and PALANCED across that stage too! Then this was where the wait got ridiculous...it took us 5 HOURS to get to the savannah, as we were stuck behind D KREWE and DreamTeam. At this point many left the band, but somehow I found that energy for one more lap to PALANCE in front of the cameras! The only downside, was that after crossing there is usually the slow chip back to the mascamp. But because people were SO exhausted everyone just headed home....

All in all, Macfarlane gets an A- from me. Friendly staff, a great family vibe in the band and a GREAT costume that has presence on the road. If you want a traditional experience, without the unnecessary extras, a costume that you can actually PORTRAY and a full day's worth of playing mas then Macfarlane is for you!

Calique