As you would all know by now ,on Sunday,YUMA had their launch of their first ever presentation for Carnival called "Zodeak". I of course have to thank the YUMA crew who were kind enough to give us unprecedented access to the backstage prior to the show. Myself, AC and Saucy were afforded the privilege of being to witness the whole production from beginning to end and it was indeed and experience.
The venue was an interesting choice, a part of the Oval Carpark that I had never seen used for an event. It turned out to be a good gamble as the crowd was just enough to make the entire place look full.The stage set up was also extremely elaborate with several giant screens in the backdrop. The sponsors Coldstone, Jack Daniels, Dixie were all set up and ready before the doors were officially opened. I must say from the get go you can see the backstage also appeared very well organised; all the costumes were laid out and from well before the show there were ladies fully dressed in frontline costumes.Kudos to those ladies who spent no less than 5 hours in costume in heels! We were all given a full walkthrough of all the costumes by section and allowed to observe the elaborate detailing.
Well my thoughts? In general I think YUMA had a point to prove that they could compete with the other established large bands especially if they want to be successful. It took some thinking before we could find a phrase to describe what we were seeing and we finally decided on "Shock and Awe". They pulled out all the stops when it came to bling,costume size and sexiness to just continuously have that "WOW !" factor throughout the presentation. In some cases it worked to their advantage, others not so much but without a doubt people went home talking about YUMA. Overall I think there may be too many costumes in earth tones and the models seem to have some challenges with some of the backpacks but as they say.....go big or go home so I will put it down to unforeseen circumstances. Please note that my critique are always a personal opinion based on personal experience and longevity playing mas in costume. I always respect a designer's effort and inspired design thought regardless whether I like the end product or not.Ok so costume review time :
THE ORACLE
This costume is absolutely gorgeous.Love love love! My opinion from the media launch has definitely not changed The detail on the bra is fantastic and the colour was definitely a good pick for the incorporation of the peacock feathers.
I love how the decoration goes up the bra straps. The frontline bodywear is my absolute favourite of the entire band. The headpieces are sky high!The individual backpack seems a bit unstable but that should be an easy fix. I was a bit concerned about the wire bra for the individual as it clearly did not fit her but it is also absolutely gorgeous. Some people think the shreds of cloth are a bit much in the backpack but I love them as I love to see them trail off as the models moved across the stage. When you see this one coming , get out the way!
ARIES
Interesting colour choice for this sign. The interpretation was meant to be the remnants of flames i.e ash and soot. Don't quite understand how that is associated with a ram ..maybe cause its a sun sign? However, I am not too bothered by theme and interpretations.The birthstone most associated with this sign (Diamonds) is used quite generously in the back line version. Backline is a nice pick and
a safe bet. I think the individual bustier is fantastic. Not sure how I feel about the wings but the plunge neckline, the spikes and the detailing with the whole dominatrix feel. When the model walked with this and you saw how the top of the bustier moved , you know Beyonce might be calling for a borrow.
TAURUS
This costume is definitely in my top three! Actually no, this is my favourite! Just wow. This is not usually one of my
favourite colours but it was just done so well! The belt, the bras are so well detailed, absolutely gorgeous! This is one that could have gone so wrong with the horns but it was incorporated into the headpiece so elegantly you can barely notice it. When you do notice it its like, that's just fabulous. Backline, Frontline, Individual all fantastic. The variation
of the frontline neckpiece had me doing double takes. Those jewel pants on the individual ..very daring! The decoration is really something to see up close.
LEO
Leo, Leo,Leo. Sigh. Ok, so as i saw the backline model being dressed I said hmmm. Alright, loved the hanging gems from the bar similar to Island People's 'Rays of light'. I understand that its supposed to represent a lion but in my opinion furry boobies, or furry anything for that matter is really not very flattering. I still kept an open mind and hung around to see how this was going to end up. Then I saw the waistband with even more fur with just 3 little pieces hanging in front and I was like nooo this is not going where I am willing it to go. In fairness, I am a bit biased when it comes to furry bamcees due to a personal unfortunate costume experience. So maybe its just transference at play here but I would have lived with the bra if it was the only portion with the fur. It would have been better if they used some leather and made her an african queen. Then we have the frontline.....humph! For shock value it gets an A+, for people who really want to play mas...it gets an D-. I actually like the front of the frontline alot better than the floor, even though its furry, as you can see the pattern of the animal print much better than in the smaller areas on the backline.The headpieces are quite a risk with all the hair used .You will either love it or hate it. I am not feeling it just yet ,maybe it will grow on me (no pun intended) as I appreciate the interpretation. I thought the lion nostril design was quite creative but I could not help but wonder what happens if it gets wet? Hmmmm. I liked the plunge neckline on the bodywear, even liked the side chains. I absolutely cannot endorse the back of this costume. Its just too much for something that I don't particularly care for to begin with. Skimpy is one thing and I love a skimpy costume, this is flat out nekkid.Not naked eh..nekkid! I dunno who will seriously wear this (without tights at that) but I am not sure if that's the clientele YUMA is looking for or if I really want to lime with those who would.
VIRGO
The floor is baby pink and white and the frontline is all white.Another interesting colour choice. If it was up to me I would ban baby pink and lime green from the colour spectrum for Carnival as they are very difficult colours to get right. They did a pretty good job with this one mostly due to the fact that the beading is so detailed. I would have to agree with Saucy when she says that when its put together its nice. I like it but don't love it. The frontline however is fantastic! That I absolutely love!! If you blinked you missed it but I was lucky enough to catch a few shots on stage and see it close up before hand. One of the best frontlines. The male version had huge wings which he seemed to be barely able to manage. Forgive me, but I hope his pants were lined cause he may be giving us a different type of show on the road.
SAGITTARIUS
Another earthy toned costume. I think the side skirt on this was actually kind of cute. Modest yet still sexy. I liked the bra and the use of the bronze circles in the decoration especially on the foot pieces. Not sure if I am feeling the tubular chains, it seems that was a very popular material this year amongst all the bands. It just always makes me think of its use in costume jewellery. I liked it a bit more when i saw it connected to the waistband across the body. The arm accessories and the headpiece on the frontline are very pretty. I have some reservations about the braided weave incorporated into the headpiece. Yes,its a play on 'horse hair' which is the symbol of Sagittarius. I think the model who had a similar hair colour to the weave used in the headpiece braid was able to pull it off .That pic is actually my one of my favourites that I took for the night.However it just looked odd on the the model who had her own darker braids who had a much longer headpiece braid to begin with. Suppose a girl with blonde hair chose to wear the costume? then it becomes a bit weird. If you could have said on registration, Yeah I'm a number 4/30 then I would work with it. Either that or you are pretty much forced to wear your hair up. I hope its optional.
SCORPIO
This costume caused quite a stir on stage. Honestly it had to grow on me a bit.I loved the bloodstones used on the costumes but was a bit on the fence about how the monokini was decorated.Then I thought about it so more and said, ok, it kinda looks like a scorpion stingers and that's when I decided to like it. I agree with Sauce that we would have liked to see a tail or a bustle on the frontline as well . For me its more because the back looks a bit boring. I think I like the two piece version in the individual better as it looks like claws grabbing onto everything.It should be noted that these bras are lined on the inside for comfort. I am not really a fan of the backline however, I think it just looks a bit too cluttered.I would have liked it more if just the edges were lined with the bloodstones. Its a very bold gem to use so densely. I like the waistband even less. The headpieces and accessories are all fantastic so I would say overall a good costume but not OMG in my books.
AQUARIUS
Not to much different to what I thought from the launch. I just have to say the individual is stunning. I love the cut of the bra , the waistband. The cascading feathers in different shades of blue. Bling for days.Gorgeous! Hope those g-strings don't get people in trouble!
LIBRA
One of my favourites. This has a similar bra to Aquarius on the Fl but both floor and backline bra are very worked up with lots of diamante. It has a simple design but if you are a diamante lover and want to blind people in the sun, this is for
you! I swear this costume was glowing in the dark backstage. I love the use of the x-style bra on the backline.I would like to recommend a slider band to hold it together instead of stitching it down because it was clear that the model has issues with the fit. Other than that one issue, gorgeous.
GEMINI
HMMM I am very on the fence about this one. Green is a very difficult colour to pull off. I think the backline is much better than the frontline body wear wise. They use two shades of green with some gems and some pearl details. The pearls are used sparingly in the backline and its a cute touch. The frontline body wear is really not to my liking. There are certain elements to it that I like but together it does not mesh well with me. The medallion by itself is nice and I like the idea of the pearls hanging but the pearl strands seem to be very low cost material for a frontline.The bar is very well worked up but it looks odd on the lime green base. I think its the colour of the swimsuit that disturbs me the most. The bejewelled panty is really just awful between the colour and the placement of the placement of the stones it is hovering on tacky. I also don't understand how it is supposed to be worn because the model had to place the side bands high on her hip in high cut fashion although the front sits dangerously low. If it is worn any other way you would be flashing people. The leg pieces look very ole school. Its such a pity because the backpack and headpiece are fabulous. Overall the section is one of my least favourite but I agree with Sauce, the model definitely rocked it.
CANCER
This costume is a bit worrying for me . It has a whole lot going on. I liked the cups on the backline and the large gems used to hang from it but that's about it. The rest of the costume is a whole lot of applique/edging strung together.
A bit of transference here again, I never liked this sequin material, it has been used in several costume including Tribe's Jamette. I did not like it on that costume either and sorry to say it looks well... a tad bit cancerous. It is then paired with this band of applique with diamante which in my view does not tie in very well with the sequins. Then a there a few off-colour gems which I am not really sure how they got there at all. I am going to have to say the neckpiece is just not cute and quite blah. Given that there are some interesting details like the tie in the back of the bra but not a whole lot going on in the waistband back. The backpack and the headpiece of the frontline is probably the best part of the section overall. Now if I overlook the sequins material I can actually like the idea of the frontline legpieces. However, most sane people certainly wont be wearing high heels on the road and god forbid they wear sneakers with a frontline costume so I have to wonder how this will look with boots. It will be a bit odd having to lace up those thigh high leggings over boots. I will leave that for AC to figure out. I like the style of the bra and jewelled panty but again, the sequins just don't sit well with me. The panty in this one also sits extremely low, you can't afford to miss wax day with this one.
PISCES
YAY for Pisces! Ok I am biased , this is my sign and I am so happy to se it be as good as I hoped.It is fantastic! Absolutely love the frontline bodywear. I love the use of the different shades of blue and green in thebackpacks and headpieces. Blue meets bling and its fab-u-lous. The back of the waist band could have done with some more fringe hanging but that is an easy fix if you so chose to. The bustier is just wow! Love the movement in it and all the different colours. The larger winsg lread a bit more bat like than fish like with the blue candy floss but I can work with it.
CAPRICON
From the time I first saw the colour combo I knew I would like this one. Not since Poison's El Dorado have I seen a gold and black costume that I was really feeling. I love the beaded circles detail on the headpiece .This costume is simple and easy while still very cute. I really liked the jacket for the frontline but I think I would personally prefer something a bit visually lighter like the chains. So thast no real objection there. I loved the footpieces, I dunno how you supposed to walk in it but they are very pretty.Hmm , maybe you can turn that into a collar....or into arm pieces.
In general I think YUMA showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with and had a very good showing. I can't wait to see prices as the materials used in these costumes are not cheap but good sense would dictate that they would have to have a similar price point as other popular bands to be competitive.
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