Fantasy Barbados 2012 Band Launch Review

As you will have seen from our interview with the Fantasy bandleader here, this new band is one of the first of the season to launch, and we were invited to have a front row seat last night as they presented 'Warriors of Africa' for Crop Over 2012.

The launch was held in the University of The West Indies and started off with some lovely cultural bits, including an African dance performed by students of the university. After this we were treated to a background on the theme behind the band, which the bandleader connected to the UWI's African masters program. The way she connected it to the struggle of Africans in the Caribbean really impressed me. Really interesting stuff! 

Now onto the costumes *pricelist below*:

MANDINGO

A nicely executed costume, granted the male feels truer to the African theme, as it did in many of the sections. I found the male very authentic down to the staff and zebra print. Loving the use of accessories like the staff by Fantasy. It's those little touches that make all the difference. As they said, they think men deserve more than a shorts and band. The female feels a bit over plumed, but other than that it is a pretty costume that a lot of frontline divas will love.

AMAZON

Now THIS, this is my favourite section. The strong geometric shapes which scream authentic Africa, the mohawk (!) headpieces, the bright yellows, golds, and bronzes which always look amazing in the sun, the shield for those boys who always wanted to play gladiator...did I mention this is my favourite section? Fierce all round!

ZULU

This section was designed by a Trinidadian, which you can tell just by looking at the frontline. I like the backline's fringe, headpiece is a typical one except for the animal print inlay. Male is very colourful, reminds me of Peter Elias' 'Masai' in Tribe Trinidad's band.
The frontline has an extremely skimpy wire bra, and though the model must be at least a D cup, I've already been told by a few people that no way are they being seen on the streets of Barbados in THAT! Nice headpiece, but it had to be held all the way down the runway-this always looks bad.

MASAI

Camille McDonald, America's Next Top Model star modeled this female costume. VERY huge backpack, lots of detail on belt. The red and gold with purple accents looks very regal. This one will also be popular with the Bajan hot girls, but the brocade on the bra is quite dated, and a wire bra would have gone down better with the girls. 

Male has lots of accessories-leg pieces, arm pieces, a little headpiece too. I'm loving the shorts on the male costumes since they are more than just board shorts, they are actually detailed at the hems and run a longer length, so they are more of a capri. Fantasy is good news for one of my Twitter followers who wished out loud only yesterday that a Bajan band would give males a proper headpiece.

Overall, this was one of the better band launches Barbados has seen in terms of execution, style, and class. High marks to Fantasy, they can show a few older bands a thing or two!

All photos courtesy Reginald King, Tropic Beauty Barbados

See prices below, a deposit of $75 US secures your costume. Stay tuned to the TrpleF fan page for current band updates and registration info. 

Next up, Baje and Contact Band!

PRICE LIST

ZULU FRONTLINE - 700BDS/350USD

ZULU REGULAR FEMALE - 550BDS/275USD

ZULU MALE - 510BDS/255USD

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AMAZON FEMALE - 550BDS/275USD

AMAZON MALE - 520BDS/260USD

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MANDINGO FEMALE - 550BDS/225USD

Backpack - 100BDS/50USD

***Wire bra available at an additional cost.

MANDINGO MALE - 520BDS/260USD

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MASAI FRONTLINE - 1000BDS/500USD

***Wire bra available at an additional cost.

MASAI REGULAR FEMALE - 560BDS/280USD

MASAI MALE - 510BDS/255USD