Veteran Trinidad and Tobago designer and all-time Mas band winner, Kenneth Antoine is gearing up to bring excitement over the Labor Day weekend competing in three of the biggest Carnival events, with confidence that he will take home the coveted prize for best children’s costume band.
Placing third in the Medium band category last year, the champ is ready to vie at this year’s ‘Ole Mas on Thursday, Aug. 30, at the Brooklyn Museum grounds, with Victoria Secret Trini Style. He will then unleash the Children’s Costume competition on Saturday, Sept. 1, and then revel on the Parkway on Monday, Sept. 3, for another win.
Antoine’s Carnival studio located at 245 E 34th Street at the corner of Church Avenue in Brooklyn is emblazoned with colorful and sensual costumes befitting his theme – “A Lust of Mankind.”
With his sights set on outfitting more than 200 masqueraders to revel in the large band category, Antoine wants the spectators and judges alike to expect for the first time, an exotic front line section festooned with ladies all wearing alluring designed wire-frame bras in a variety of colors and styles.
Antoine will be playing up his ladies to male spectators in sections titled, Waben (bad woman), Divas, Virgins, Rant and Rave, and Material Girls. The costumes that will also be centered on Love, Jealousy, Fetish, the Forbidden Fruit and Adam and Eve, said Antoine, will be decorated with thousands of feathers, beads and sequins.
He said despite the rising cost to design costumes, he has the cheapest available to accommodate masquerade that are eager to participate in the carnival. The affordable prices start at $150.00 for men, while women cost from $185.00, right up to $225.00.
On the other hand, costume designer Clyde Bascome is raring to storm the parkway under the 1199 SEUI Social Cultural Community banner, vying in the medium category with 350-strong revelers. He will bring to life the rhythm of the theme “Drums” – in spectacular pageantry depicting the beauty of ancient Asia, Africa and South America.
Bascome, another Trinidad and Tobago designer who has competed on the parkway for many years, and been a designer for the last 20 years, with innovative costumes said that he wanted to use a common theme that unites nations, and as such has created six sections that will tell the story of the Aztecs, Myans, Indians, Yoruba, Rabari and Arapesh tribes.
The band will consist of both male and female revelers and a children’s costume section.
Bascome is known for his vibrancy and lavish costume design and as such, has embellished each piece with tons of feathers, streamers and sequins.
The pink “drums of dance” costume is especially stunning. It is designed with a bra midriff creation and loincloth of glitter and beads. It is finished with a lavish headpiece of pink and black features. This costume is worth its $45.00 price tag.
Bascome’s spectacular female costumes of fuchsia, pink and yellow feathers are complete with gold skimpy bras and skirts that will glitter under the sunshine and dazzle the judges.
The designer is confident of a sure win with his Mas band that brings out the beauty of his tribal theme.
The 2414 Snyder Avenue, Mas Camp is abuzz with excitement and could be reached at 646-377-6836 to purchase one of many creations. Prices start at $150.00.
