New islandistas @ New York Fashion Week

[caption id="attachment_2001" align="aligncenter" width="395" caption="New islandistas on the catwalk (from left) Sedene Blake, Reina Montero and Chrishell Stubbs"][/caption]




 New York Fashion Week (Fall/Winter '10) started on Thursday and so far it's been pretty good, islandista-wise. 

For the last NYFW (SS '10) we counted 10 islandista models (and one islandisto in the form of yaadie Tyson Beckford) walking the runways for 22 different designers. 

Thus far, the count is at the same 11 (including those new faces we're going to tell you about) for 19 designers so far.  

The expected names have been out there - Jamaica Jeneil Williams walked for Costello Tagliapietra, Dominican Arlenis Sosa walked for Nicole Miller and fellow Dominican Rose Cordero walked for ... everyone - we've counted six shows so far, including Doo.Ri, Jason Wu and Ruffian. 

Alongside new Sudanese-Australian wunderkid Ajak Deng, Rose has been the busiest black or brown model out there. 

However, one islandista newcomer is matching Rose so far, show for show. Read on for more.

 New-but-not-new kid, Turks and Caicos-born Chrishell Stubbs has walked in six shows so far by our count, including Lacoste. 


 







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The green-eyed 17 year old (who is of T&C and Peruvian parentage) has been on the scene for a few years now (as you can see from this five year old thread on The Fashion Spot) but has mostly been doing commercial (Levi, JC Penney) and teen magazine (Teen Vogue) work up until now. 

New York City's FW 10  season is actually her first on the catwalk and she has started in a big way! 

Another new islandista on the scene is Jamaican teenager Sedene Blake who has had what the Jamaica Observer rightly termed a "dream start" to her international career, since being introduced by Pulse three whole months ago in November. 





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She has already shot for editorials in four different editions of Vogue - American, Teen, Russian and Italian Vogue Pelle and Elle UK's site has tipped her in their New Model Faces column. 

She's already walked for Jason Wu and Costello Tagliapietra this season and we have a feeling we may just see her in a few more shows before the season is done. 

The other new girl on the catwalk is Dominican Reina Montero - coincidentally a former volleyball team-mate of Rose Cordero. Rose's mum actually helped Reina get her break, by introducing her to Rose's management agency. The 16 year old was signed last year and now she's on the scene for NYFW, walking for Rachel Comey and Wayne thus far. 





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And on an a fascinating aside, we have come across another islandista-by-descent model - she actually walked last season but the name would never have given it away - Nastasia Ohl - even by the Caribbean's diverse standards, that is an unusual name and indeed it comes from her German/Russian father. But ... she has a Jamaican-Chinese mother and New York Magazine has tipped her (along with Sedene and Reina) as one of the Top Ten Models to Watch this season. She impressed during the SS 10 season (her first) by walking for Calvin Klein, Rochas and Maison Martin Margiela. Check out her flicks below.

 







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We'll be keeping an eye out for her this season! 



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Islandistas working the runways at New York Fashion Week

Islandistas, do you know what's in style this season?




ISLANDISTAS!




That's what.




Maybe it's just us, but we are definitely seeing changes in the colour of the catwalks of New York Fashion Week. As you would know we have been tracking this for some time and the last season (Fall/Winter 09) definitely looked more colourful than it had in ... ever?




And it seems the trend is continuing. We have been poring through style.com to get an idea of how models of colour are being represented and thus far, we are pleased to report that out of the 32 collections we've reviewed thus far, all but four designers have included models of colour.




The four offenders so far are Preen, William Rast, Lyn Devon and Helmut Lang - though Lang might get a bligh since he only used two models and one was the Asiatic looking Russian Ranya Mordanova.




Anyway, these more colourful catwalks have been a boon to Caribbean models and there are islandistas all over New York Fashion Week. Honestly, we  have never seen so many.




And what is interesting is that it is not just the more familiar faces like Arlenis Sosa and Jeneil Williams that we are seeing popping up.




Check out more pics and the info on their island connections after the jump.




There are newcomers like the  17 year old Martiniquan Selina Khan, who has walked for Charlotte Ronson at this NY Fashion Week.




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She came to modelling when her mother urged to try out for a model casting that Elite Model Management was holding on the island two years ago.




With her combination of Chinese features, dark complexion and standard Indian last name, our first guess was that Selina was a Trini or even a Guyanese. But turns out she hails from my favourite island in the French Caribbean, which also has a large Indian population. Her mother is Chinese and her father is Indian.




Another newcomer is 15 year old Jamaican Shena Moulton, who hails from the gritty Kingston ghetto of Waterhouse - the same community as gold medal winning islandista Shelly-ann Fraser.




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  She walked for Ports 1961. Big t'ings a gwan for Waterhouse - don't let anybody tell you not!




Other Jamaicans on the catwalk so far at NYFW SS10 are Sigail Currie and Sasha Gaye Hunt who have walked for Elie Tahari and L.A.M.B respectively, so far.




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Both hail from the Saint International roster of models, as does Shena. We tend hear a lot more about Pulse in the Caribbean fashion industry, obviously because they do CFW, but Saint is no slouch, either! They are the ones who are really getting the girls out there on the runways.




By the way, Sasha's name is killing us. For whatever reason, the international pubs keep doing her name as Sasha Gaye-Hunt, as if Gaye-Hunt is her last name. But knowing Jamaicans' overwhelming fondess for -Kaye and -Gaye names (Peta-Gaye, Donna-Kaye, Anna-Gaye etc), we'd be willing to bet our bottom dollar that her name is Sasha-Gaye. But whatever looks more sophisticated...




Another islandista model on the New York runways is Rose Cordero, from the Dominican Republic. She has walked for Jason Wu and Cynthia Rowley thus far. The Jason Wu look is included in the collage up top and the Cynthia Rowley look is below.   





  



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Trinidad's Michelene Auguste was also on the Fashion Week scene, modelling for Alabama Chanin. She signed with IMG last year, according to Trinidad Fashionista.


 


 

And of course, we can't leave out the top girls - Arlenis and Jeneil.  Arlenis has walked for Ruffian, which can be seen in the photo collage up top.


 




Jeneil has walked in four shows thus far - for Nicole Miller, Arise, Prabal Gurung and Ruffian.


 







Fantastic stuff, isn't it? And we haven't even gotten into the islandista designers who are showing at NYFW! Look out for that in the next post!


 

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Rihanna in blackface & Islandistas on I-D cover

Islandistas are all over the place for the September round of fashion magazines.

Islandistas Jourdan Dunn and Arlenis are featured on the cover of the September issue of I-D magazine, along with fellow models of colour Chanel Iman and Sessilee Lopez in a historic all-black cover.

Jourdan, who is five months pregnant (reportedly with a boy), spoke about her baby's father, the pressures on minority models and how she has finally become comfortable with not having the type of body prized in the Afro-Caribbean community.

About her boyfriend:


My boyfriend didn't even know I was a model when I started going out with him and we've been together for three years now. It's hard, you never really know whether people want to be around Jourdan or Jourdan Dunn, and he's been there from when I was just Jourdan.


About her body:


“I’m starting to feel more secure in who I am now. Being from an Afro-Caribbean family, being black, skinny, isn’t really acceptable in that community; it’s all about having curves and stuff.... That’s why I’ve never been comfortable with my body until now, when I realize I can say this is who I am, I’m healthy, I’ve always liked to eat, and I’m now happy enough in my own skin to not give a fuck what anyone says about me any more.


About the pressures on black models:


There are loads of black models working and the idea that there's only a few of us, or four of us, to let in as top models at any one time is just bullsh*t. It creates an unnecessary competition when we should be standing together.


True talk Jourdan. Pity Naomi didn't recognise this back in the day and was so mean to Tyra.

In other islandista fashion magazine news, we have more pics from Rihanna's shoot for the couture supplement of Vogue Italia.

And... we're on the fence about it.

Yes, it is supposed to be edgy and most of the pictures are very dark and stark but in some of them, it's like Klein is just relying on using disturbing and stereotypical imagery to get a rise.

The shots are littered with them - below is a shot that seems to hint at bondage and violence against women - pretty inappropriate considering what Rihanna has been through.




[caption id="attachment_1395" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="photo credit: Stephen Klein for Italian Vogue"][/caption]




There is another shot which seems reminiscent of blackface to me which is ... uncomfortable to do with any black model, far less one whose black and white sides are not many generations back.





Seriously. What the feck is this? We know that is not Rihanna's complexion and she does not even look like this in the majority of the pics so it is not like it is a make-up theme that is running throughout the shoot.







And then this one where she's on her hands and knees - in a pretty animalistic, stalking-type pose.





Black woman as fearsome animal? Hmm. Aren't fetishistic white fashion photogs tired of this yet?




There are other great shots like the two below but the inclusion of these kinds of images is a little suss to this islandista. What do you think?

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You better WORK! - Islandista models making moves

Islandista models Jourdan Dunn and Arlenis Sosa seem to be taking RuPaul's legendary advice to heart - "you better WORK!"

And work they are, both figuratively and literally.

In the last month, the two have racked up four major ad campaigns for boldface names - Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Lancome and Maybelline.

First Jourdan was featured in an ad for YSL's La Nuit de L'homme fragrance, seductively sniffing the actor Vincent Cassel.



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Then she was featured in the ad for Calvin Klein's CK fragrance.

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Arlenis, who is the face of Lancome, shot some more ads for the brand as well. See them below.

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And thennnnn, this pic popped up this week of Jourdan on the set of the shoot for her upcoming ad campaign for Maybelline.




Fantastic. I am so heartened to see the next generation of islandista models getting some serious all-round work. It is one thing to rule the runways as Jourdan has been doing but everyone knows the real money and security is in the ad campaigns.

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Islandistas at the CFDA Awards - shades of grey

The CFDA Awards were held earlier this week and two of fashion's favourite islandistas, Zoe Saldana and model Arlenis Sosa were in attendance.

Interestingly enough, they were both wearing dresses in shades of grey, as was one of the only other brown bodies pictured there, the always fabulous Kerry Washington (let me find out she has a Caribbean granny or something! It would be on like boil corn!).

While Zoe was gorgeous in her ethereal, gauzy Calvin Klein collection dress in gun metal grey, we were ... less sure about Arlenis' nipple-baring Emanuel Ungaro outfit - a gauzy long-sleeved blouse with a high-waisted silvery grey skirt. She didn't seem too sure about it either, judging from her awkward stance.

And Kerry was radiant and glamourous as hell in her sparkling doo.ri dress with the low v-cut bodice and full skirt.

Take a look below.


 



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Islandistas at the Met Costume Institute Ball ... at last!

Shame on us - look how long we promised to bring you our take on the Met Costume Institute Ball and we're only now getting to it!

Trust, it has been a hectic week islandista-wise and other stories kept pushing our Met review further and further back.

So now, without further ado, here are some of the islandistas who graced (or in Naomi's case, was supposed to grace) the Met's Costume Institute Ball.




Rosario Dawson was as gorgeous and on point as ever in her coral column gown. I feel like she could have gone a little more high fashion though - the dress was pretty but it was not a standout on a night like that.



Model Arlenis Sosa was in an Alberta Ferretti dress with black booties. Maybe it's the picture, but this dress is not doing for me on Arlenis. You can barely notice the beautiful thread-like material of the dress and it just looks a bit shapeless on her.

 

One of our our favourite islandista models out there, Jourdan Dunn was fab in a gun-metal grey gown.




And Naomi Campbell did not actually show up to the Met Costume Institute Ball. There was a bit of a kerfuffle when her designer and long time friend Azzedine Alaia pulled the seven dresses he had made for the gala, after finding out that his work was not going to be in the exhibition. Alaia had made dresses for seven models including Naomi's fellow 'supers' Linda Evangelista and Stephanie Seymour. Campbell's spokesperson said:

As Naomi has been the muse of Azzedine Alaïa for 23 years, she feels she doesn’t want to attend unless she can represent his work.

However, Alaia did have a post-ball party and Naomi wore this aqua Alaia mini. We are ... not too certain about this dress. It fits beautifully and the colour is great but it reminds us of a mermaid. A very hot, statuesque, fierce mermaid, no doubt but it is still making us hum 'Disney's Under De Sea' very softly.

Everything's better, everything's wetter...

Under de Sea!

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Fashion season analysis: more colourful?

(photo credit: The Shophound)

So New York and London's Fashion Weeks have whizzed by in the last fortnight or so and Milan and Paris are still to come.

The question, especially relevant to us islandistas is - has there been more colour on the runways? Have we been seeing women like ourselves (well, not really like ourselves because the average islandista is not 6 feet tall but you get our point) reflected?

The fashion industry has been taking some licks over the last year or so over its lack of diversity with women such as Naomi Campbell (one of our favourite islandistas, even though she's crazy scary), Bethann Hardison and Iman speaking out. The industry responded, tetchily and defensively at first but then with a few efforts, most notably the Italian Vogue all-black special which set the fashion industry alight.

So, has this all had any impact at all where it matters - on the runways and in the magazine pages? For New York's Fashion Week, blog Shophound maintained a Diversity Quotient which they included at the end of every review. They also did a full report, listing the DQ for all of the shows  they attended.

So what did it show? Well, things have gotten marginally better at least. Instead of just the token one black model (or none at all) designers have been making the effort to include two or three per show. Prominent black designer Tracy Reese led their stats, with 36% of her models being non-white. John Bartlett was close behind with 30% diversity. Brian Reyes followed with 27% and Ports 1961 and Ruben Singer both had 25%. At the other end of the scale, Jil Stuart had a measly 6.4% diversity quotient.

According to Reuters, Diane von Furstenburg, who as head of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) had urged designers to consider more diversity for their shows this season, also featured a number of black models as did DKNY. There was even a  young black albino model, 17 year old Shaun Ross, who was featured in the Patrick Ervell show.

Still many shows only featured one or no models of colour. And things were even more woeful for Asian and sub-continental Asian models. In fact, Shophound reported that Lakshmi Menon was the only South Asian model featured. And we know islandistas come in all colours so this still does not augur very well.

Designer Michael Angel claimed:

"I don't ever think about color, nor do I think of race. That is the most backward way to think."

Hmm. Funny. His DQ was a measly 6%. Which actually represented a whopping one black model out of 19- Anabela, who modeled 3 out of 44 looks. Hmm. I guess he's trying hard not to be too 'backward'.

Anyhow, things are changing slowly or rather we should say moving slowly because truthfully it is still too early in the game to know if this represents a real shift or if it is just a temporary response to the blacklash of the last year. They say black never goes out of style but in fashion that has just not been the case.

Islandista catwalker, the Dominican (Republic) model Arlenis Sosa, armed with her brand new Lancome contract, got quite a bit of attention, as did Sesilee Lopez. Both were featured in the all-black issue of Vogue. Sosa actually made her fashion week debut in NYC and walked for some pretty big names such as Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen, Narciso Rodriguez and Tommy Hilfiger. So that Italian Vogue issue is already starting to do its work.

Naomi sees a change. She says she is encouraged enough by the black representation on the catwalks that she is considering bowing out of the business. In an interview with the Times of London, she commented:

"This time they [designers and editors] have stepped it up. I feel positive. That means that I can go soon."

Really, it remains to be seen. I think we all  - bloggers, consumers, models, designers and so on, need to continue holding their feet to the fire.

So let's do that.

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