Back to the drawing board with the national dress
BVI News Staff - Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 at 3:25 AM
Eileene L. Parsons
The committee responsible for conceptualising a territorial dress and song have to go back to the drawing board to come up with a better national dress which will be to the satisfaction of people in the BVI.
Last Sunday at the Eileen Parsons Auditorium at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College, the committee presented the finalists in the song and dress competition, and all entries were to be taken to the House of Assembly at the next convenient sitting, where a decision would have been made by the House. The dresses were presented by Florence Phillips and Kristine Fraser.
Speaking on NDP Radio last evening, host of the programme and chairman of the committee responsible for the dress and song, Eileen Parsons, said since the presentation of the finalists in both categories last Sunday, persons have been expressing concerns to the minister concerning the national dress, and the minister called a meeting with the committee and the two young ladies responsible for presenting the dresses, and they were told to work together to do something that was more acceptable to the public.
Walwyn said if the public is concerned about something it should be addressed.
He said: “When you are talking about a territorial song and territorial dress, we want a wide acceptance as you can possibly get because you can’t force them to wear the dress. It has to be something they feel proud wearing. We got some comments and they were constructive comments because I know at times you can be very political, but when you hear objective people with no axe to grind, taking their time out to come and look for you and talk to you and give you suggestions and feedback, you have to listen. It was not just me, also my colleagues as well as we were in caucus. I was glad that I raised the topic because when I walked into caucus I saw the look on their faces like we have to tell Myron something, but after I broke the ice, they said to me that they were getting comments as well, and perhaps it’s best that we go back to the drawing board and I think it’s the right decision to make.”
Walwyn further said people were saying that “we have two dresses, we like some elements of one, we don’t like some elements on it and they like some elements on the other and to try and bring the two parties together and come up with something that we can all be proud of, and that is what we told the committee to come up with: two options again this time which will again be presented to the public.”
Phillips and Fraser promised to come up with two more design dresses by this Wednesday. Committee chairman Parsons said the committee will present the two dresses and the cabinet will make the decision because “we would like to have those clothes ready for our athletes to go on the road to 2012 in London; we would like to have them outfitted in what these two young ladies working together”.
Parsons thanked the minister for listening to the public because “you could have said, you know this is what you going to get and some body would have stoned you, because the people were quite vocal in what they wanted and I am glad that you and cabinet decided that let us give it another shot, and the young ladies are very receptive to doing that, so by Wednesday we should have something for you”.
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18 Comments
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people on a real di dyou guys see the cultural dress that the ms bvi mckellys girl wore in 2009…let but everything aside but that was one of the most beautiful culture dress ever do something withing that base!!!
frazer…aint no way she could win with that last name
I agree with the opinion of Well sa 199%. Those two costumes were obviously not designed for the BVI taking into consideration the average size of our people. And yes, I totally agree even more that the public should be the ones to vote for the best outfit. By the way? wha’ happen to the Heritage Dancers outfit with its cultural design?Just a bt of food for thought!!!!!
I agree those dresses are laughable. They should have never been allowed to present them.
They should use Keto’s song RISE with a few modification. It has the right beat tempo and lyrics
The designs should take into consideration who will be wearing them. I don’t see the Heritage dancers moving comfortably in these and this is where I have a problem with the dresses. They also seem to have been designed for slender persons.
I take it you’re fat? What sort of comment is that, the models chosen where slender that is all. kmt
Why the rush to design and rollout a national dress a mere few days before the Olympics starts? The Olympics is an opportunity to show case our national dress. But our national dress must and should be of high quality and reflect our culture, customs and history.
Let’s take our time and do this thing right; there is no need to dash headlong at break neck speed. The national dress is about the people of these Virgin Islands, not about the desires and egos of a select few in the ruling/upper class. All Virgin Islanders should have the opportunity to vote on or express their views on the national dress. Feedback completed, make a majority -based selection; 100% satisfaction is not possible.
Again, there is no need to race ahead like Usain Bolt in a 100m dash. We need to proceed with deliberate speed. Slavery was abolished on 01 Aug 1834 some 178 years ago and we are still working on a national dress. As such a few more months is not a big deal. Lets take whatever time is needed and do this right. When it is completed whether today or next year all deserving persons will get their glory. There is an old saying, well may be not so old, that if you want something bad you will get it bad.
We have been taking our time with everything and look where it landed us. We are donkey years behind in a dress and song. What is wrong with us? And how in God’s name can you have a whole country vote on a dress. When will you ever get it done? Minister, get the thing done and out the way. We procrastinate too much in this place.
Just because we have been taking our sweet time to get things done do not justify us rushing this national dress and run the risk of a poor outcome. It is better to take our time to do it and get a desirable outcome.Haste makes waste.
Each Virgin Islander has ownership in the crafting of our national dress and should be given the opportunity to provide input. Getting national input is not impractical; all that is needed is some simple planning and organizing. The idea is to get as much input as possible and roll with the overall consensus. This is an elastic decision i.e., decision does not have to be made this week or even before the 2012 Olympics in London. Set a reasonable timeframe, get public input and lets roll.
Why they have to work together, it is very obvious that their design aesthetic are completely different! You will NEVER please everyone, so I don’t know why after all the work both ladies put into this they must be subjected to another seemingly impossible deadline. Watch it and see, there will again be people who hate it, so I guess it will never be done! SMH
If ‘some’people hate it that’s one thing, but when MOST people hate it then you have a problem and this was the case. Talk what you know not what you think you know.
this is only happening because the fraser girl dress is way better than archie’s sister design
She is FRAZER not Fraser and stop your BS, nobody studying your dumb a*& anymore.
I haven’t seen the dress last version but I saw the two proposed finalist and they did not impress me. We should thank the people that on their own time produced those ideas but on the other hand this is a matter way too serious to feel ourselves forced or obligated to pick between the “ugly” or the “ugliest” (please excuse me but is time to speak with the truth) This territorial dress will never meet our people expectation unless is something not merely colorful and folkloric but also real, part of us. We must look back into to our history, how our grandparents use to dress and we should proudly adopt it today as our National attire, please no more “fakes” no more “tropical stereotypes”
So who you think goin wear dem GRAA-NY CLOTHES you talkin bout…..Granny dem used to ‘turn hand mek fashion’. Something out of nothing?
These costumes are largely conceptual creations which represent the gaity and spontaneity of the Caribbean spirit, as well as splendor with fashion appeal.
If you want, its not too late to get some ‘very best’ flour bag material and decorative sisal or jute sacks that could be patchworked into the overall design with miniature cottas and tie-head scarves.
Are we to take our cue from the freed gentry of the past or the folkloric ‘Guajiro’ or peasantry of the past.
Culture is not only about the past you know; it is substantially about the present, and our creative interpretations and imaginative representations of that lived experience.
Now we will end up with a patchwork incorporating different design concepts, unless there is a fashion police to superintend the process.
You might be describing your grandfather but certainly not mind… Are you an Ignorant or what? Just leave me alone and mind your own business
Mark my word; if we follow you those men goin’ be either half naked or wearing a flannel or merino. How’s that for fashion and authenticity?
Mrs. Parsons,
I agree with you 150% percent. Those dresses are ugly, ugly, ugly. I want the opportunity to design something and it was not properly done. I think the public should be the ones to vote for the best outfit.
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