
Anya Ayoung-Chee packed Ariapita Avenue on Thursday night when she put on her first solo fashion show in the Caribbean since winning Project Runway.
It was entitled “Fashion Rocks the Avenue” and it was everything we’ve come to expect from Anya – in a good way!

There was a bit of Carnival with the show held in the height of the season and Anya showcasing her Acara Acraea section designs for Tribe’s 2013 presentation Butterflies, Beasts and Bacchanal.
There was African print, which has been a continuing theme in Anya’s work from her very first Pilar presentations and which she told the Express was the inspiration behind her Carnival designs.
There were flowing, printed looks – something which she became known for her during her Project Runway stint.
And in keeping with her pageant background, there were beauty queens galore with Barbados’ Leah Marville and Trinidadians Gabrielle Walcott and Athalia Samuels making appearances on the catwalk.

Here at Islandista, we definitely loved this collection. Just looking through the photos, we could see several outfits that could definitely get a wear for a nice, all-inclusive Carnival fete – they had that easy-breezy but sexy vibe.

So it was no surprise to see that Anya said that she designed it with Carnival in mind, telling the Trinidad Guardian:
“Caribbean fashion is becoming so popular across the globe and so the purpose of this showing is to highlight the creative and innovative way of fusing fashion and Carnival, because the season is more than music and mas, it is about the way we express ourselves through what we wear.”
What we also appreciate about the collection is that many of the looks can be worn by women of all sizes and look sexy. The flowing lines are sympathetic to all kinds of body types but the high slits and low cuts make sure that the outfits stay saucy, not frumpy. Check out some more of our favourites below!




A bit resort, a lot Caribbean!