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Saturday, April 18, 2015

Saldenah's THE CHRONICLES OF MACHEL MONTANO band launch



Saldenah's much anticipated band launch THE CHRONICLES OF MACHEL MONTANO was held at the Chadni Grand. 

If the crowd at the launch is any indication of the amount of masqueraders who will play with Saldenah this year, be prepared for a very big band. We arrived at 11pm and the parking lot was full as well as surrounding side streets. The line was super long. We slipped in with the media, but lots of folks spent a couple hours in that line.
This is a REALLY long post with lots of pics. We hope you enjoy them because we seriously worked.
 Big Phat Fish
SOLD OUT  May 9.
Outta Space
 
 
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 Where to start, where to start? I'll start with overall looks that I really liked, which would be this one. The suit is designed well as is the headpiece. It's my favourite from this Powder Puff section. 

Powder Puff
 
Carnival
 

The Sun
 
 

Jumbie
 These Jumbie wings moved well, and the blue jewels constantly sparkled on stage. That's what a black base needs, jewels added to create a shine like this. 

  
 
 This was my favourite headpiece in this section, I really like how it cascades back.

 
 
 Higher Than High
 Wild Ants
Yellow and burgundy is a different colour combo for mas that looks nice together.  These shoulder pieces are also a different design.
 
 
 
 The impressive wings are also manageable, and the entire look is very sensual Victoria Secret's.
 Pump Yuh Flag
 
 
 Vibes Cyan Done
SOLD OUT May 9 
 
 Another one of the colour combinations I liked. The bra and waistband are fuller, providing more coverage. Because hey, not everyone wants to go naked!
 
 Possessed
 
 
 Feathered on one side, collar on the other, very unique look.
Just like in Big Phat Fish, the new open way these bras are designed is fantastic.

 Indian Gyal
SOLD OUT MAY 9
 
 
 Mr. Fete 
SOLD OUT MAY 9
 Another entire costume that works so very well. Because there are many who want wings, but not necessarily massive ones, so these are the perfect size. The pastel blue with a touch of mauve and yellow is super soft and feminine, and that rhinestone waistband is simply shiny fabulousness.

 There were many models who enthusiastically showcased their mas and took their time to pose. But when it came to naming the Model with the Most, Trini-in-Toronto and I both named Mr. Fete here. He made the wings move with ease, and Trini-in-Toronto says it's a cool costume. 

Remedy 
- updated May 1: FIRST section to be SOLD OUT!!! No wonder, it's sensational. Fabulous job again Melinda.
That's it, the Remedy for anything is lilac and peach. How ultra feminine are these costumes, all feathered and jewelled. And if you simply can't get enough feathers, the monokini is fully covered in them. 
Erupt
 
 
Party Done
SOLD OUT MAY 9

 You can't help but be drawn to the original look of Party Done. Those hanging strings and chains that are moving mas reminds me of what Trini-in-Toronto told me long ago what he likes to see in a costume - or probably it was what he likes to wine on. 
It's a toss up as to which one is my favourite in this section, above or below. I really like the beading and how the collar attaches to the bra here.

This is the section designed by Anya Ayoung Chee, Like Ah Boss.
 
 
 
 
 
The most anticipated section Like Ah Boss, which resembles Monday wear, is certainly different for Toronto Carnival. 
There is talk of whether this section will in fact even remain in the band, but still, what do you think? Too risqué for mas? Or an alternative to feathers & big headpieces? Is Toronto Carnival eventually headed that way?   




 So what do you think, which are your favourites, which ones will be the first to sell out?

14 comments:

Kryssy said...

I actually only have a few things to say:

1st: CCTV PLEASE fix the bandwidth for your website. The live stream was horrible to the point that it was non-existent. (And last night was not the first time.)

My faves: the beadwork for Saldenah's costumes is REALLY nice this year.
My favorite section overall was Big Phat Fish.
Also liked the Indian Gyal section, the Powder Puff section, and the Jumbie section. The color change effect of the Jumbie Section's Lead costume was pretty cool and I liked the frontline costume with the unique wings as well.
My favorite costumes overall were the costume with the large red wings from the Red Ants section and the male costume with the wings for the Mr. Fete section.

Was it me or were there a LOT of blue costumes and red and yellow costumes this year?

For the last few years I've been saying and will continue to say "Less is More" in regards to color combinations, beading, patterns and feathers.... I'm switching to "More is More" for body wear. It felt very exposed this year.

If you have that many sections; it would be nice to start an hour earlier. That launch felt incredibly long... Because it was. LOL.

Finally, I'm a big fan of both Machel and Anya... That being said; to me, that section was sexy Monday wear that left me wondering, "What about the curvier girls?"
That's all.
On to Carnival Nationz next week.

Tammy Soulful said...

I can see that Saldenah isn't skinnin' teet with anyone this year. The costumes are GORGEOUS! Shout out to Jumbie, Indian Gyal, Carnival, and Powder Puff.

HOWEVER....

The lack of coverage for the vagina area of these ladies is NOT cool. I was seeing a lot of lips and if it's this bad on slender/smaller girls WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE ON OTHERS?! Nope, Saldenah needs to remedy that. ASAP.

Other than that, JOB WELL DONE! The costumes are gorgeous.

Unknown said...

Going through the costume selection this year I will have to say the same!

There was very little vagina coverage and I am not sure why. It was a little unpleasant. There is again way to many of the same colour combinations for the past 5 years now.

The Pink & Purple Indian Gyal -Section- Love the costume design, tired of seeing that same colour combination year after year

The Red & Yellow Section- No much going on with that one but alot of crotch showing...

The Black & Gold Section - I have no words...

THE GOOD:
I have a few favorites to say the least so its not the end of the world.

Top 3 Choices:

1st Choice: Vibes Cyan Done in the Pink Coral and Sea Foam Green. I am big on head pieces but with this costume I wont need it! That tiara and backpack are surely calling my name!!! My girls and I are all on the same page so If all goes well and it is not sold out the same day of registration I am so down for it!

2nd Choice: (Tied)- Remedy & Big Phat Fish - Love the colours the bra and the bead work on both costumes

and last but not least...

3rd Choice: Possessed love love love the colour scheme and love the style of bra...very cute!

I love Sally and I would never play with any other band but I just thought Id share my thoughts and opinions. Its all love and constructive criticism.

#TeamSaldenah

Anonymous said...

Saldenah costumes are always a hit. I absolutely love Possessed! The feathers, the bling, the colour for all sections are fantastic.

I have to give my 2 cents about the Like Ah Boss "costume". I can't classify this as a costume. This is just a black stripper monokini with a gold design. I am sure I can get something that looks like that in the Stag Shop or any Adult Store in Toronto. After all the hype about this costume it was a huge disappointment. To be honest, i wasn't surprised at this designer's lack of creativity. Viewing her other so called costumes online such as one of her white monokini with a chain "designs", anyone can do that! I'm sorry but I'm not paying my hard earned money for a plain black monokini with gold paint on it. When it comes to Caribana, I want all the bling, feathers and color. Like Ah Boss was Like ah Fail.

Stargyal said...

I dont understand what the need is to be so scandalous.. Like A Boss was a huge let down... I think with stormers ruining costumes the LAST thing I want to worry about are guys "accidentally" brushing up/ touching up on my bare backside. I feel like its something you'd see in a strip club and is in no way reflective of a mas costume. Whatever hapened to feathers, bling and beads? Better hope that costume doesnt get ruined on the road cause there isnt much there to cover you in the first place. Maybe keep that for your monday wear in Trini?

Unknown said...

Went to the band launching, loved the costumes until I seen the lovely ladies exposing their vaginal areas, which was very displeasing and distasteful.
Anya's costumes Like Ah Boss was very disappointing, what was the big hype about? Is that the best Anya can come up with to represent Machel??? There was no creativity and as REN Lewis said you can find that outfit at an Adult Store especially under $100 or less. Then you want to sell this costumes to people for their hard earned cash for about $250 or more???? Nahhhh, don't make sense.

Crying Wolf said...

I must admit, I must be the only person who liked the "Like Ah Boss" section. It's really sad to see that people have to take raiders into consideration when choosing a costume. That's how bad the situation has gotten for masqueraders in Toronto. In the end, even though Saldenah had 17 sections, it definitely didn't feel that way. It felt like there was only 5-6, I'm not sure if that meant some sections weren't very memorable or the usage of blue made the others all blend into one big section. But it was very mish mash this year, heck not even the "goddess" costume stood out to me. I couldn't even tell which one it was lol. Not that it matters anyway, the public will never have a chance at scoring one. I'm sure a lot of costumes will be gone before they officially go on sale. I felt a lot of the costumes didn't do the theme justice this year, so I'm not calling pwned or nailed it. I still have my favorites though. Just very mixed feelings I guess.

Sophia Rickson said...

HI there, The Ultra-Frontline from Jumbie is a custom made suit. You do have the opportunity to have a normal fit and not the high cut option. You can also change the back to whatever you like... brazilian, cheeky (with the elastic in the middle) full coverage, or thong.
Just wanted to clarify.

If you have any further questions about the Ultra- Frontline Experience (security guard, goodie bag, etc), please don't hesitate to send me an email, sophiarickson@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your time and comments. God Bless

Karabana said...

It's official, I've never heard the word vagina used this much as it has in the comments to this launch!!!

In going through our 1500+ photos, I have to point out that all the sections have waistbands that provide coverage. There are only a handful of costumes that have a high cut bottoms or monokini.
Perhaps it's because people are shocked at the few they saw, so they are focusing on those?
Look again - most of the costumes have got you covered.

Gin said...

Pump Yuh Flag is the truth! Ah in dat! Overall all of the costumes are very nice despite the extra nudity. However, Pump Yuh Flag will compliment all skin tones and has a sexiness to it minus the extra nudity. Time to round up the troops!

Stephluvher said...

First time doing mas and I will be accompanied with 10 other females from the U.S. We decided to wear Jumbie Does anyone have more pics... Interested in seeing more as we are all nervous about fitting lol Also any tips on wear to purchase stockings and footwear? TIA

Trini-in-Toronto said...

www.facebook.com/torontomastights

They could hook you up with tights.

Stephluvher said...

Thank you Trini-in-Toronto

Karabana said...

Also Stephluvher you can check out
http://www.carnivalkicks.com/.
And did you go to http://saldenahcarnival.com/ for more pictures?

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