I Am No Frontline H.O.

Frontliners. These are your carnival head honchos.  They are those women and men that you cannot help but stare at.  Some look so good in their costumes that crowds swarm them just to get a picture with them.  They're the daring bunch donning wire bras and feathered pieces so grand that you wonder how it's possible for them to even breathe... The show offs.  But they're not even on the top of the food chain of revelers!

Carnival TRIBE 2014 - Comanche Sunset Frontline

The individuals are the show stoppers.  Indies as I commonly refer to them, have costumes so embellished that they become the sights to see.  Take them all in without blinking. Because you won't see anyone else whose costume looks remotely close to this carnival king or queen.

Passion Carnival 2014 - Chasity Individual

Not to be forgotten are the backliners.  In my little head, they are carnival.  They're the free spirits.  The ones whose sole purpose is to get on bad.  The party people who without a doubt are the reason we all come running back year after year for more.

Island People Mas 2014 - Absolute backline

In the hierarchy of masqueraders, I still struggle to find my identity.  Truth be told, I have a bad reputation for stripping while chipping.  Loosely termed, I never return from playing mas the same way I left.  While I generally always get a frontline costume, my need to be on my absolute worst behavior when playing mas typically leaves me with a bathing suit instead of costume.  My headpiece (if I even bother to wear it) is usually the first to go.  As the liquor sets in, I bid the leg pieces and arm bands farewell.  And it's down hill from there.

While, I'll spare you all of the details of my stripper like tendencies, I have set forth a challenge for myself.  My costume for Trinidad Carnival 2014 is by far the most grand (and most expensive) that I've ever dared to wear.  Even though there is a lot of skin to bare, there are also so many extra large feathers in the headpiece and backpack that I am nervous.  But, I didn't pay $1500 American dollars to have some random child on the road wearing remnants of my fabulous costume (sorry kids, this costume is not up for grabs... not one jewel!).  So, I challenge myself to keep my costume on for the entire course of Carnival Tuesday.  It's a daunting task for someone who is used to leaving her home as a dazzling peacock and returning home a New York City pigeon but, I am up for the challenge.

Costume Chronicles...

As I am a sack of bones, I never think twice when it comes to playing mas in close to nothing.  Actually, for me, the less material, the better.  If I’m going to bear it, might as well bear it all.  That’s my mentality.  But what about those women who are not as open to wearing nothing but their skin in front of thousands of people?

The Monokini Debacle:
At little to no additional cost, most bands offer the body conscious woman the option of wearing a one piece costume.  When done correctly, the one piece option is a great thing for women who don’t feel comfortable with their stomachs out.  But there is one thing that we must get straight when registering for a one piece option:  A MONOKINI DOES NOT COUNT AS A ONE PIECE. 

Monokini’s are those bathing suits that you see with a string or two connecting the two pieces of a bikini to each other.  They look amazing… but on the wrong body type, a monokini  can be a lot less forgiving.  If you are a full figured woman seeking coverage from a traditional two-piece, make certain to specify your desire for a true one piece, .  Before making a purchase, verify with your band or section leader that the one piece option is a true one piece not a monokini.

(while i hate the fact that the mas band did not add more embellishments on top portion of this costume, Nikki was completely worry free on the road because her one piece camouflaged her sensitive spots and gave her girls the support they needed)

Bras and TaTa’s:
It’s a well known fact that costume bras are not the best for coverage/support.  Afterall, they are costumes, not the latest Victorias Secret collection.  Unfortunately, many bands have even stopped offering bras over certain “normal” sizes.  However, there are options for you ladies that are more endowed up top than others:

If you find yourself in a situation where you have ordered a bra size that is too small for your chest.  You can always double up on bras.  I have a friend who realized her bra would never fully cover her breasts after picking her costume up 2 days before the actual carnival.  What did she do?  She found an identical gold triangle bikini top and put it under her one size too small bra.  The end result:  FABULOUS coverage for those parts that the costume just couldn’t mask. 

Wire Bras are all of the craze these days.  Especially for frontline costumes.  My little piece of advice:  Unless you have implants, the cut off cup size for natural boobs should be a D cup.  A small D cup at that!  Nothing looks worse in a wire bra than breasts that look like they are trying to escape through the spaces in a wire bra. 

Also, avoid nip slips by using pasties.  They are your friends!!!  Don’t rely on the band to provide nip covers.  Bring your own!  You can find a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes online.  My favorite online shop to aid in avoiding nip slips is www.yournipplecovers.com. 

Kadooment Day frenzy has officially begun…

For the first time since 2008, I will not be going to Barbados for Crop Over.  Instead, as you all know, I will be heading further north to Toronto for Caribana.  But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to keep you up to date with all of the Crop Over movements and festivities!

The one thing that kills me about Crop Over planning is that the bands don’t launch costumes until May-June which is about 2 months before the event.  Registration is usually a mad rush.  But then again, if you are serious about getting the costume of your choice, registration for any section, in any band, for any carnival is usually a daunting task.  And then to make it even worse, if you are an overseas masquerader like myself, you have to wait until online registration opens up before .  By the time online costumes become available, my palms are usually sweating and hands are shaking as I try to navigate through the website to register. 

Enough about me and my costume woes!  This post is about you; and finding you your costume so you’re not left in the dark for Crop Over.  Here are my favorite three all inclusive bands for Crop Over:

Baje International – This year’s theme is Break Away.  You’re in luck if you are a male masquerader.  Costumes are still available for men in four of the six sections.  Sorry ladies, our costumes sold out in no time.  Here are my top picks from Break Away 2013:

Break Away

Colours

Dawn

Contact – This year's theme is entitled Moods and Attitudes.  As more info becomes available, I will update this post.

Power By Four – The largest band and the most obnoxious band on the road for Kadooment Day… It’s a good thing! This year, Power By Four has donned their mas presentation as “A Barrel of Fun.”  Online registration opens up June 10!  My favorite sections are Aroma, Fusion and Voyage. 

Aroma

 Fusion

Voyage

Next Stop... CARIBANA!!!

As I’m officially signed up as an Emporer’s  Angelfish with Carnival Nationz for this year’s Caribana festivities, I should be happily basking in happiness knowing that I no longer need to hurt my head about what band/section to play mas with.   But instead, I am a researching fool trying to find the right accessories to accentuate my costume. 

My biggest concerns of the current moment: Should I wear boots or wedges on the road?  How long do I have to find this fabulous shoe of choice? When is my carnival shoe designer Too Boots Chile, going to have time to schedule me in for the bedazzling of my chosen footwear?  Do I have enough adhesive left over from last year’s carnival festivities to tie me and the whole crew over for this year?

Are you or do you know of a shoe designer for carnival anywhere? Send me your information!  I’m in need of a shoe designer in every country I visit to play mas.

Check out some pics of my section below:

photos courtesy of Carnival Nationz