Walking towards Pier 1 from the car park, we did get a good spot by the way, my friend was surprised by the number of people who were already there as she thought I was insane when I told her we were leaving home before 9. I too was somewhat taken aback by the small crowd of persons outside the venue. It was only a bit later that we found out the gates were yet to open.
waiting to get in
This would prove an omen of other situations that went askew on Saturday night and contributed to the night not going as smoothly as it could have. We waited for half an hour outside of Pier 1's gates before they started letting people in, at that time traffic was already starting to back up along the main road. Knowing me you know I did not line up at all but was the first inside. Yes, same trick I pulled at the mas camp, I cut in on the side. Since we were among the first to enter I observed the e-ticket system which basically scans your TLC card to confirm payment was made, the whole process was swift.
Entrance to Pier 1
The decor of the venue was a cross between medieval fairy tale and whimsy, with a lots of lights, the stage decorated like an enchanted dell and a coloured light display illuminating the ground . I even saw a few horses dressed as unicorns passing by as we went to get drinks and several maidens dressed in period type renaissance costumes. That was the last I saw of them though, I had no clue where the "unicorns" went to for the rest of the night.
There were several options for drinks with a pay bar, Heineken beer on tap, "free" bar and a bottle bar. I discovered the Angostura cocktail bar early on and was drinking Harry Potter cocktails all night much to my detriment as I was not only tipsy on Saturday night but I woke up on Sunday morning with a splitting headache!!
From early on I basically secured my spot, and eventually the area filled with other patrons who all looked anxious for the show to begin. I cannot say how much time passed but it was after midnight when they announced that the show would start soon. Carnival Jumbie was on the other side of the stage when either she saw me or I saw her and she came over to join me at the best vantage spot for taking photos. Sooner than later the show began with some pixies dancing, a pyro display that went off at the wrong time and then the models appeared.
Massive crowd
Now, I have been to several launches so I have some experience dealing with errant models, like the ones who speed down the catwalk, not stopping to pose so photographers can get a good shot or posing in such a way as to not display the costume properly. Trick is to put your camera on "burst" to take multiple shots and try to compose the photo as the model is walking towards you, and contort yourself into any position necessary to get the shot. Even with this method I only got the back of Peter Elias section, I have no idea why his models were so eager to get off the stage!As for the inexperience of the models, lets just say that I also got information beforehand that some of the "models" were last minute replacements for other models who bailed to go Great Fete in Tobago, hence the fact that some of the girls were looking confused at times, not knowing how to pose or which part of the stage they needed to be. A bit annoying for the photographer looking to get a good shot and I know patrons who were not close to the stage saw costumes in a blur, to tell you how fast the models were moving!!
Models onstage
I have to agree with Carnival Jumbie and many others who complained that there was no narration or anyone calling out section names. We did not get the booklet until much later in the night, however I had seen the media launch packet from the Triniscene representative earlier on in the evening (before he rushed off to upload photos from the media launch) which contained a booklet and had an idea of which section was which, especially since I was familiar with the names already. However most people were at a lost looking at section after section coming out with no information. Also a group of front liners came out and we had to guess which back lines they belonged to. The whole show was over in under an hour and the finale where all the models came out was punctuated with a performance by Sherwayne Winchester which was my sign to leave the front of the stage.
At that point I had every intention of leaving the launch but got sucked into looking for a booklet, which led me to the VIP area where I saw a bride and her entire bridal party hanging out there! Apparently they had their wedding at Pier 1 and along with 3o guests were invited to the launch by TRIBE, how cool is that! In the VIP area I met designer Gail Cabral who was kind enough to go to the front of the venue to get me a booklet! Talk about service from TRIBE. Anyway we got scotch at the VIP bar, limed a few minutes and again I was ready to leave when my friend decided she wanted to stay until 2:30 so we hung around until then. By that time Harry Potter was in full control of my mental faculties so I have no recollection of any bad behavior that might have occurred during that time.
Bride and Groom who were invited
Eventually we left Pier 1 but that was only the beginning of a very long morning for me!It was a good thing I made my planned pit stop before heading home as that ensured photos to be up just before 3:30am. Overall the launch was okay, I think the venue caused some problems with traffic, especially when behind the scenes was chaos as reported by blogger South Reds who was an impromptu model; she revealed that behind the scenes was much more stressful than we were privy to know.
My goal was to see the costumes firsthand, get some good photos and enjoy my night with my friends and the hubby which I did so the launch was satisfactory to me. I do hope that the next year they can procure a venue closer to Port of Spain, advise the models to take their time on the catwalk and make sure we know what costumes we are looking at. All minor issues which can be remedied with more planning for 2008.
