There exist two sides of the coin in referencing our Caribbean style. There is a luxury lifestyle aspirational fashion a la Claudia Pegus and then there is an organic, bohemian texture, the aesthetic of The Cloth. Both were recently featured as brand ambassadors at the Montano’s Chocolate Company cocktail at the Hilton. In a word, our fashion language can be bilingual. So much so, that the soul of our fashion sensibility does possess the complementary yin and yang, both elements being part of the fascinating island hybrid that is our Caribbean trademark.
Claudia Pegus Couture offers a sophisticated ‘resort’ wear catering to ‘les poseuses’, the limelight fashionistas, those wishing to make that dramatic entrée. She showed off a hedonistic adventure in nocturnal panache in sheer georgette embellished with exquisite notions which bespeak a quintessential whimsy yet reveling in an unmitigated opulence. Other sinuous sheath ensembles, en noir, languidly caressed the bodies in silk, lace, sequinned knits baring shoulders, cleavage and transparent peeps at body contours. This is the stuff that the suave socialite or even the debonair debutante is made of or rather is dressed in. Popping in the centre of her Caribbean couture was a champagne-hued Greco-Roman inspired showstopper to counterpoise the seemingly Neo-Gothic luxuriant black. Quite appropriately, these recherché designer looks are befitting the upcoming season of the Yuletide soirées.
Juxtaposed to the gusto of Pegus is the other side of the coin of Caribbean ‘resort’. Linens, cottons and silks in lazy silhouettes have become the hallmark expressions of the creative director of the Cloth, Robert Young. The Cloth brand has been defined, quite identifiably, over the years, as forever cutting-edge, always unpredictable but above all consistently innovative. One thing in common is that both designer labels pride themselves on unmatched excellence of finish. It’s simply a matter of taste for the discerning fashion passionnée. With the Cloth, she has the option of being the modern-day eco-enthusiast, donning breathing textiles in an idiosyncratic, some may say iconoclastic, interpretation. This is the signature characteristic of the Cloth designs. Relishing earth tones and festival hues - mustards, olive greens and indigo blues - as well as underscoring with matte blacks and camel khakis, their showing invariably reflects an eclectic, cosmopolitan template, mirroring our cultural mosaic. A little non-conformist, but impeccably crafted, so as to attract a first-timer to their side of the coin, The Cloth designs have compelled Christmas gift-givers to box their outside-the-box merchandise for surprising Tannenbaum delights.
‘Resort’ is merely a metropolitan appellation of our lifestyle tapestry. We can be either side of the fashion coin, at any given time. For we are the vanguard style arbiters with a myriad of influences and a plural reservoir of inspiration. Where else can you get New World style with a novel spin, emanating from a multi-ethnic, composition biography! Our diversity gives us an edge and a distinction that allows us to serve up juxtaposition within our individual fashion menus, be it Claudia Pegus Couture or The Cloth.