BIRTHDAY celebrations for Caribbean Fashion Week’s 10th anniversary commenced Friday night with elegant ladies of the region swanning into the National Indoor Sports Centre, along with equally styled gents, who were as integral to the festivities as the ladies they either escorted or with whom they eagerly mingled.

Fashion was undoubtedly the theme and Night 1 served up designs we absolutely understood, embraced and imagined wearing. That they were worn by some of the world’s top models who happened to be from the Caribbean only upped the style quotient. CFW promised new designers and unveiled collections from the Sunday school charm of Tara Lee from Belize with ribbons that unravelled into period pieces, to the seductive, flirty pouts of Rhonda Tracey for China Doll. Lisa Walton opened strong forcing us to sit up and take note, especially of the white form-fitting leather dress.

Regrettably there was too, a wardrobe malfunction that left the normally unflappable supermodel Jaunel McKenzie a tad perplexed, underscoring the fact that a lot more thought needed to be placed by this designer — as well as many of the evening’s other designers — on form, flow and better editing of their collections.

G-Seow would also fall victim to that same lack of proper editing and needed to leave the audience wanting more, as opposed to tormenting us with alternating strokes of genius and utter despair. Shaco by Sharon Cole tugged at our heartstrings as we journeyed back to Africa ahead of a stop in the Caribbean in cool, sassy designs in fluffy cottons and feather-light silks — the influences of the region evident in the range of designs.

VeVe anchored the young designers showing an acute understanding of the fickleness of the region’s chicsters who want edgy, wearable designs in sophisticated silhouettes, eye-popping hues as well as the ubiquitous LBD and bags that add suitable éclat.

If JahtaXtreme women’s and men’s wear paid homage to the universal appeal of denim, cotton and jersey, then Locstafari breathed new life into ethnic designs, showing Generation X a whole new approach to embracing their African heritage and modern Caribbean upbringing. Who knew that Afrocentric fab meant sundresses complete with trains and fascinators!

Haiti’s number one home-based designer David André found favour with many as he took us on a memorable Caribbean adventure where white dominated and pops of sumptuous colour broke the monotony as cover-ups, peepholes and culottes delivered retail bliss.

Mutamba by Jackie Cohen, who closed Night 1 ahead of Yolander J for Yolander James and Phylicia Ellis, opened with model and actress Nicole Grey in a show-stopping jump-suit that might have sufficed were we convinced that there’d be enough for us all, and in fact could have ruined the entire collection were it not for the designer’s skilful play on colour, layering, belting, skirting and accessorising that kept the audience intrigued and yes, wanting more.

CFW 10 culminates today with the much-anticipated collections of Claudia Pegus of Trinidad and Tobago and Uzuri International of Jamaica.

— NMW