I'll admit it- When it comes to Meiling, I often wonder what all the fuss is about.
She's definitely one of Trinidad's most well-known designers, and she seems to have been around so long that her brand is something of a legend.
But what about the clothes? Have they warranted all the attention they've received throughout the years?....
I never really got into them because I never fit the market to whom they seemed to be pitched. I'm not over 40, I don't have a disposable income, and my style isn't very 'Caribbean', or at least what the prevailing idea of Caribbean seems to be. Granted, I did have a dress made by her for my school's graduation ball, but balls don't come around everyday. Neither does a thousand dollars, come to think of it. Perhaps I haven't always been partial to Meiling because I associate her with her clients and her entourage- the kind of people who seem only to wear a brand because of its name; the models and fashion 'people' in Trinidad who have a heightened sense of their own grandeur. Meiling herself is actually rather sweet.
Biases aside, however, the collection is alright at best.
There are times when the styling's really sloppy, when clothes seem as though they've been tossed together without much thought, and when models seem not to have been touched up between clothing changes.
In an effort to be all-encompassing (which in a tiny, emerging industry like Trinidad's, seems really the only way to survive), she's included clothes for the older woman. But some of these seem dated and lack sophistication, and it's a lot of stuff from Meiling we've seen before.
There are times when I'd wished she'd render something in a fabric other than denim.
There are times when I'd wished for more innovation and experimentation with the silhouettes. Why so many shirt dresses? Why so many tent dresses?
Also really noticeable was a fit issue with a ton of the garments. (Girl, what is going on with your face?)
I like the styling, for the most part- she's trying to go for something edgier (which actually seems more akin to her personal style) by incorporating the Oxfords and socks, dark nylons, smoky eyes and bouffants. She's trying to push the limits of the clothes Trinidadians normally wear, showing them (and rather commendably so) that it's quite alright to experiment with how they look.
I also like the attention to detail in some of the clothes, and the dying techniques (perhaps hand-dying?) used for some pieces as well. I also like the fact that the collection is cohesive, a problem that a lot of Trinidadian designers seem to have.
And there are some pieces that I'd definitely wear.
Silk shorts as formal wear! Yes yes yes!
Bringin back the big pants! Hurrah!
This, however, is unforgivable.
The thing is, this collection will still impress a great deal of potential Caribbean buyers as it features particular details which haven't really been seen before on our runways. Comparing this show to the collections presented at Bryant Park during New York fashion week, for example, becomes problematic as you're dealing with a crowd that's known and has been wearing these trends for quite some time. The impact of the styling, for example, would be quite lost- hipsters have been wearing oxfords for years now; Luella Bartley sent girls in glasses and lace-ups down a runway for Spring 2008. Though Meiling's idea of what's cool may be new and exciting for a Trinidadian audience, it's pretty much already what the international audience is wearing, and they're always thirsting for something new.
Don't get me wrong, Meiling's collection definitely has a lot of mass-market appeal- a lot of local mass-market appeal. International appeal would more be based off of the novelty of the garments, the fact that they are Caribbean-made and, in some of the design choices, seem to reflect that.
With a lot more polish, this collection could have been fantastic.
Photos: Top three, jtography
Rest of em, triniview
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