RSVP Fabulous. single. well-educated. and Signatures styled
They represent many of our well-educated 30+GCT year olds in Jamaica – seriously opinionated, fun-loving, with a passion for retail therapy. all woman takes you shopping with practising attorney-at-law Rochelle Cameron, marketing and event whiz Tara Playfair-Scott and destination manager Janice Allen.
We discussed fashion and yes, there was lots of dressing up and cajoling too. Naturally, the subject of men came up right alongside silk, cotton, wool, linen, frills and flounces.
Janice Allen was born and raised in Montego Bay, but is now resident in Kingston. Introduced by her father to cricket during high school (it was a test match between the West Indies and England), the vivacious Allen has been hooked ever since. There’s golf too, we might hasten to add. Allen is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts (MBA) as well as the Florida International University.
What I look for in a man?
“I am a flexible person and I want a man who is equally flexible. Flexible means he can do the formal dining and at the same time he can stop on the roadside, get some jerk chicken or roast fish and be comfortable in both settings. I like a man who can be himself and while that might sound like a cliché, it is extremely important because you meet someone and for the first six months they say and do all the right things and then suddenly a new person is in the room.
A sense of humour is extremely important; if you can’t laugh at yourself or at my sometimes silly jokes, then we can’t get along.
Just be honest. tell me the truth even if you think I might not like it because I hate nothing more than someone who finds it necessary to lie to me. Life is too short to complicate it with lies.
Attorney-at-law Rochelle Cameron described herself to our fashion team as “very focused”. No idle boast, since it took a while for her to ‘warm up’. When she did however, it was snap, dazzle and pop all over the place.
Glasses came off, hair moved (at this stage just a tad from the face) and the wrap dress teamed with red T-bar heels and handbag created quite a stir. The dialogue continued in between fashion uncertainties. “I am intense and goal-oriented. On the other hand, I am the life of the party.” This former Clerk of Courts for the parish of Trelawny and Crown Counsel in the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions is currently spreading her wings (and damaging precious brain cells) pursuing an MBA at the Mona School of Business.
To unwind, even though (her words) “24 hours in a day really do not seem enough”, Cameron loves to curl up with a good book especially mystery novels by James Patterson. “I am involved in volunteer work and love to organise events, get together with friends, open a bottle of robust wine, eat some good food – ‘a hungry Rochelle doth not maketh a good time’.
And what does Rochelle look for in a man?
Proviso: I have not been actively looking. However, quick wit is a must! As simple as it is, I love a man who takes charge and who is sure of himself – that guy who walks into a room and commands it; a man who feels that an independent woman complements rather than threatens. No need for him to ‘wind up’ his mouth, but please no ‘h’ displacement. I also happen to think that it is important that a man be willing and able (even in a crisp white shirt) to change a tyre and that he will at least pretend to know what is wrong with the car.
The summation:
Women in our generation are truly able to be all they can be. The difficulty is balancing it all – the career, the kids and the husband. We are at the age now when we are old enough to be taken seriously, but still young enough that we are not always greeted with ‘you nuh married yet’. I have been learning to really take things one day at a time; marriage will therefore come when it comes. In the meantime, there is no need to gripe about it, I will continue doing what I do best – live.
And this she does stylishly in the perfect festive suit that goes from day till you say when. The crinoline, by the way, provides additional flirtation tools. Come evening when it’s time to RSVP belle of the ball, she’s all that and more.
Tara Playfair-Scott
“I love reading, crossword puzzles, kaluki and cricket, boring huh? I love watching cricket and enjoy going to the beach, so normally the mound is a great place for me as it combines friends, the sport and the sun all-in-one.” It was an ex who introduced her to the sport in ’94 and she now confesses to being totally hooked. “It’s a true unifier for the West Indies and there’s no better feeling than seeing our boys walk out on the pitch.”
Playfair-Scott, who gained her first degree in Political Science at Howard University followed by a post grad degree in Mass Communications at Florida International University, honed her skills in marketing and public relations at PBS, BET and Discovery Networks all before starting her own publicity firm with clients like Jaheim, Tank, La Var and Angie Stone. She’s back home in Jamaica, creating her own positive vibes.
Her ideal mate?
“I’m looking for a partner and a friend with humour, humility and a sense of honour. These are the things that grab me. I like a man with confidence and pride, but not so much that it overwhelms me just enough to intrigue. I like a man who’s not stuck in one mode, he has to be able to ‘flex’. so if we have an event ‘uptown’ it doesn’t mean we can’t change gears right after and head ‘downtown’.
He has to be able to laugh at himself and not take himself or me for that matter too seriously. He definitely has to be witty. I like to throw out a little sarcasm now and then and he should be able to give it right back. There’s more, he has to be well travelled, open to new things and cultures, proud of his heritage and willing to give back to his country and community.
Come time to unwind and mesmerise. Sorry what was that you said about being boring, Tara?
Photographer: Lionel Rookwood
Make-up: Delores Brown.
Clothes, shoes and accessories from Signatures Boutique: 4 Dilcoosha Avenue(10)
Special thanks to Jean Anderson-Wright and Patricia Samuels.
Hair assistance: Adolfo.
Fashion Editor: Novia McDonald-Whyte
