Lifestyle correspondent – Lissa Joseph
“HOT Couture” – the inaugural showing of the new addition to the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival delivered the expected heat and much more.
With a fashion extravaganza featuring 14 local, regional and international designers showing on exclusively Saint Lucian models, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board is confident that it has effectively created a viable outlet for fashion to flourish as a legitimate art form.
Patrons filled the transformed Audi Saint Lucia showroom to witness a diverse range of collections presented on an international standard catwalk.
The collections featured both classic and avant garde design narratives adorning hand selected Hot Couture models, trained by home grown international fashion savant Vincent Mc Doom, and Saint Lucia supermodel Denise Lay.
The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival opened on April 30th at the Mindoo Phillip Park and encompassed a kaleidoscope of Caribbean music and artistry that featured performances from Jamaica’s Konshens, Haiti’s T- Vice, Trinidad and Tobago’s Kerwin Dubois & Benjai, and national acts Superman HD, Ricky T and Thygeson ‘Penn’ Joseph.
The festival’s main headliners include celebrated multiple Grammy-winner R Kelly, the O’jays, Brian Culbertson,The Jacksons, Akon, Tony Allen, Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, David Rudder, Tito Puente Jr., Ginuwine and ACE Loctar.
PRESENTING sponsor for the 2013 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival is the Saint Lucia Tourist Board. PLATINUM sponsor is Digicel. GOLD sponsors are Heineken, Tropical Shipping, HTS, LUCELEC, Karib Cable, and The Wave. BRONZE sponsors are Bank of Saint Lucia Ltd, First Citizens, Cotton Bay Village, RBC Royal Bank and RBTT Bank Ltd, Radio Caribbean International, and Delta Airlines Inc. COLLATERAL sponsors are Hot FM, Radio St. Lucia, Kotex, Avis Rent a Car, Guy’s Car Rental, Exel Sign, Guardsman and Chairman’s Reserve.
For more information on the full lineup for Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival 2013 along with show dates, venues and ticket sales, log onto www.stluciajazz.org.
For more information about the island of Saint Lucia call 
1-800 456-3984 , or 1-800 4STLUCIA or visit www.saintlucianow.com.
About Saint Lucia
One of the Windward Islands of the West Indies’ Lesser Antilles, Saint Lucia (pronounced Saint LOO-sha) is nestled halfway down the Eastern Caribbean archipelago.
The “Helen of the West Indies,” Saint Lucia is known for its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including the signature Piton Mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a tropical rainforest and one of the world’s few drive-in volcanoes.
Culturally rich offerings include the bustling marketplace in the capital of Castries, quaint fishing villages along the coastline, and the annual Saint Lucia Jazz festival.
Saint Lucia’s wide range of accommodations includes world-class five-star resorts, all-inclusive resorts, intimate inns and value-oriented properties. Saint Lucia also is home to world class cruise and yachting facilities.
For more information, visit www.saintlucianow.com
Article from CaribDirect lifestyle reporter in St Lucia. Follow these stories on our I love St Lucia Because Facebook page.
