Shala Monroque Gives One Fashion Writer a Lesson in Caribbean Carnival Style Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Marjon Carlos1/12Wining, rum, and feathers: Although Carnival had just begun, Shala and I were already exhibiting some of our “worst behavior,” as the local saying goes, while feting with our band.
Photo: Courtesy of Marjon Carlos2/12Competition is thick during Carnival, from the best band to the very Carnival Queen who reigns over all the proceedings. As 2015’s court passes by in all their glory, I remember Shala telling me she competed once and came in second. She was simply robbed.
Photo: Courtesy of Marjon Carlos3/12Shale, a nickname given to Shala by her family, can mean fire in French patois. Obviously she was crackling at this point in our revelry!
Photo: Courtesy of Shala Monroque4/12“So Prada!” Shala screamed at the site of this water vendor’s fringed makeshift ensemble. Immediately the custom textured and feathered dress that Lupita Nyong o wore to the 2014 Met Gala came to mind. Perhaps designers will soon be looking to Carnival for further inspiration?
Photo: Courtesy of Marjon Carlos5/12Flying high above the crowds, the moko jumbie stilt walkers tiptoed through the crowds in their monochromatic ensembles, their aerodynamic posture meant to represent the fabled _moko’_s trip across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa by foot.
