Minshall jamming still

The costume of each king and queen of the bands parading the Savannah stage is, unashamedly, designed around a Minshall idea. What has only to be decided is which of his costumes is the most copied.

As the sky is blue and the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, The Sacred and the Profane king costume and his butterflies (Papillon,1982 ) are always portrayed, year in year out, in both children’s and adult portrayals of TT Carnival. And, after all these years, his Man Crab (1983) is still holding centre stage and every single year we have a Humming Bird (1974).

Brian MacFarlane’s dedication to detail has always been described as “coming closest as possible to Minshall.” This is the truism of MacFarlane’s many successes. Looking like a Minshall mas is what defines a successful costume in any of the years of Carnival. Nearly, in reality, is even more than a mile away in TT Carnival costume design.

I say to Peter, wait until Carnival 2018 and laugh your head off when the imitators cross the stage in copies of your hastily edited out “spirit mas” of 2017.

That was the only new idea in costuming set to cross the stage.

In 2018, spirit mas might well be “ghosting” everywhere as Minshall imitators have no shame.

Lynette Joseph Diego Martin