“Nuttn like dis ever come outta Anguilla yet,” was how one patron put it near the end of the Panache Couture fashion show staged at the Anguilla Great House on Sunday night. I would like to salute Ms. Charla Connor of Old Ta, for a really inspired and inspiring evening of fashion.

Ijahnya Christian

Those of you who missed it will have other opportunities in the future but when we begin to hear of Panache Couture on the major news networks covering the international fashion industry, I will be among those who can say, I remember her unofficial launch at the Great House. I asked Charla why “unofficial” launch and she explained that she will do the official launch when she has obtained her degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising and a business licence for Panache Couture. The fact that Charla dedicated the show to both of her grandmothers must have made it an extra special evening for those two ladies and they must have been justly proud to witness that manifestation of their granddaughter’s talent. Her parents Charles and Janice Connor, both teachers, must also have been bursting with pride.

Let me get all that was wrong with it out of the way. The show started late, experienced too many gaps between sections, had some technical glitches and the MCing and entertainment needed a little work. The evening was therefore a little long for early to bed birds like me but it was well worth it and that is why many of us who witnessed the spectacle are still talking and writing about it days afterwards. What a production it was! Even more remarkable was the disclosure that the total package was conceived, created and delivered in a time span of a mere three months. Charla’s creations were presented in six segments, namely, The Heritage Collection, Riches, Untouched, Taste the Rainbow, Our Appreciated Sponsors and Masquerade. Each segment had its own introduction with dance and music that were well orchestrated to match its theme. I thought that added flavour to the already exciting dish. When the first segment was announced, I thought that Mr. Petty would be the main model but what that section shared with Mr. Petty’s museum was more than the name. It was the recognition of our past, our African roots and our natural environment. The designs combined African fabrics in mainly earth tones in a blend of the traditional and the modern accessorized by little baskets and worn with panache.

Panache is one of those funny compound words that as children we separated to play a game that went like this: the first speaker would say, spell pan. The respondent would answer, P A N. Spell ache – A C H E. Put them together and what do you get? If the respondent did not know the word, he/she would come up with the combined pronunciation. However, just in case there is a living soul who still does not know it, the word is pronounced, PANASH. It means a combination of flamboyance and confidence or flair. Couture is another French word that should not rhyme with culture. It refers to unique fashion designs tailor made to fit the specific wearer but has come generally to mean to fashion. There were distinct moments during the show on Sunday night in which it became evident that Panache Couture included haute couture which is the label given to high quality, fashionable clothing produced by the leading fashion houses of the world.

During the second segment entitled Riches, the models in dazzling silver and gold outfits could well have been strutting down a Parisian catwalk to Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl”.

The influences of street, hip hop and dancehall culture combined with a certain air of sophistication, characterized that segment. What struck me was that most of the designs were wearable for those with bodies like the models. The unfortunate thing about fashion is that those with bodies like mine sometimes venture boldly where they ought not to in the world of fashion. Untouched began with four, young, shirtless hunks who were most distracting until the models came out and distracted them. Here, the theme of naturalness was emphasized in the choice of fabrics that included soft linens and fake fur animal prints, accessorized with touches of nature and once again the creative use of netting. Contrasting whites with green and a striking beige and brown outfit brought the house down. What struck me was how Panache Couture transformed simple, shy looking ALHCS students when in uniform, into women armed with fashion and out to conquer the world. These students also demonstrated the versatility of talents possessed by Anguillian youth and just waiting to be tapped, as Charla has done. Taste The Rainbow featured a line of colourful casual wear, with flounces, splashes of tie and dye, and brilliant swatches turned into halter tops knotted to stay in place. It was then that I began to pay closer attention to the shoes which featured a range of colours, stiletto heels and stringed lace up tops that were once associated with lowly espadrilles. This segment also featured a number of hair accessories, belts and the most sensuous use of lollipops, which added to the colour and were shared with the audience so that we could literally taste the rainbow.

The surprise of the evening was the fifth segment in which fashion paid tribute to ten main sponsors who were Anguilla Great House, NBA, Sunset Homes, Ellie’s Music Store, Ron’s Sign Shop, Lake’s World, ABF Services, Greig’s Trucking, Tropical Shipping and Titanium Sound System. Each model wore an outfit that displayed the name of the business and symbols of what it stood for. Denecia Niles’ outfit was a plain bright orange two-piece outfit with cap and no trimmings but when she entered with her step ladder and introduced her sponsor, no words were needed to know that Greig and all the other sponsors had got more than their money’s worth in the sponsorship. I have never seen a more creative way of thanking sponsors. Several seamstresses who assisted Charla with the sewing were also thanked. Other surprises that night were two outfits designed and made by Roy Petty of Roaches Hill. I look forward to writing an article like this about Roy one day. Ending the show was Masquerade and not for the first time that evening did I wonder if Charla was aware of how much the African influences could be found right through her production from the colour combinations to the accessories. In Masquerade, some of the designs were also reminiscent of Amerindian symbols. The models’ peacock feather masks added mystique and mirrored the peacock feathers with palm leaves that decorated the unusually shaped twin stage. The colours of the peacock characterized that segment and it was explained that the peacock’s feather is Panache Couture’s symbol. That night the peacock certainly spread its tail and I was thrilled to be there when it did.

Congratulations Charla!

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