Butterflies inspire Bajan collection

Barbadian designer Janelle Forde of J. Angelique launched two collections at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad, last Sunday when she showcased Caribbean Butterfly and debuted her Carnival Monday wear collection MonDiva.
Caribbean Butterfly is Forde’s fourth collection and represents the sexiness and sophistication of a diva. The designer reveals her unexpected interpretation of a Caribbean butterfly and uses bright colours and hints of lace, reminiscent of butterfly wings.
The collection reminds the audience to expect the unexpected.
Janelle is coming off the recent Mission Catwalk reality TV show in Jamaica where she was one of three Barbadians. The others were Kerin Scott and Kesia Estwick.
“I got the idea to do the collection after my elimination from Mission Catwalk. The collection has 15 looks and it took about a month and a half to construct. The piece I was eliminated for reminded me of a Caribbean butterfly so – voila!”
Explaining the looks, Forde said: “The silhouette is simple. Simplicity is the key to fashion. The fundamentals of this collection are sophisticated pencil dresses, flirty pencil skirts, stylish jumpsuits, regal full-length skirts and dresses, and poolside attire.”
The colour palette is true Caribbean with hues of green, alluring yellows, pinks, oranges and white gold. Fabrics are relaxed and fit the body perfectly: jersey, bamboo cotton, lace and voile.
The MonDiva Carnival Monday collection is a deliberate attempt to bring fashion to Carnival Monday in Trinidad and Tobago. It is for those divas who are not content with wearing the ordinary boy shorts and tube tops on the road.
What is good about this collection is that the pieces may be used as swimwear after Carnival. (NS)