Islandistas unite for Gotham magazine cover

It was an islandista affair recently when Antiguan-born stylist June Ambrose connected with the half-Jamaican singer Alicia Keys for a gorgeous photo shoot for the Gotham magazine cover, below.

Ambrose also tweeted pics giving followers a behind the scenes glimpse at the shoot which she styled. Check them below.

Islandistas at the Brit Awards

The biggest night in British music came off two nights ago and plenty islandistas were in the mix and while none of them won any awards on the night, they at least looked the part.

X-Factor divas Alexandra Burke and Leona Lewis played against type in their outfits. Alexandra, who often rocks short dresses to show off her great legs, went very formal award show in a lovely long, strapless red Notte by Marchesa dress with a huge bow at the top.

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Good girl Leona on the other hand, went edgy with a funky gun-metal silver William Tempest dress and bubble-gum pink Stella McCartney heels.

Love it. It looks like something Rihanna would wear and we mean that in the best way. Definitely hot.

'Strictly Come Dancing Host' Alesha Dixon and American singer Alicia Keys, who both have Jamaican fathers both went sparkly, dark and short for their dresses - but in very different ways.


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Alicia (or rather her makeup artist?) also went a biiiiit too happy with the bronzer. Not. a. good. look from the heck up. Great all the way down.

And we love the contrast of the juicy orange pumps with Alesha's sparkly dark mini.

Island folk part of massive Hope for Haiti telethon

And I can't tell you how...  how moved I am that everybody cares. It means a lot because for so long, no one cared. For so long, no one knew us. And this really means a lot.

- Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon

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Those were the words from a tearful Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon earlier this week on Larry King Live, during a mini telethon which CNN held to raise funds to aid Haiti which was ripped apart by a huge earthquake on January 12th.

Islandistas, we have to tell you -  Garcelle's words really grabbed us - the emotion in her voice when she said "no one cared... no one knew us" was really moving. It made us think of the burden and conflicted emotions that her and other Haitians have to bear loving a country that can be so unremittingly sad.

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This is really what it had to come to for the world to look at Ayiti, to pay attention to the injustices that have been wrought upon it since they first declared independence in 1804.

But at least now they are looking.

And a huge cast of stars, including island folk in Wyclef Jean, Rihanna and Alicia Keys are getting together tomorrow night for what could be one of the biggest telethons of all time - the Hope for Haiti telethon, spearheaded by George Clooney and MTV Networks.

Islandistas at the AMAs

So the American Music Awards hit the air last night and everyone is still buzzing about it.

Adam Lambert's performance? Just... wow.

But would people have been so shocked if a raunchy female performer - say a Janet or even a Rihanna, did the same thing? Food for thought, eh?


Speaking of Rihanna, her performance outfit was... pretty risque. We're getting to expect that from Ri-ri, so really the question should be - where does this rank among her more out-there outfits?

Her red carpet outfit - a black and white Marchesa from their spring 2010 line and her red-eyed makeup was pushing the fashion envelope too, which is to be expected.

Islandistas at the BET Awards & after-parties

Sighhhh.... oh BET.

BET, BET, B.E.T.

What can we say about Black Entertainment (or is that Exploitation?) Television's awards show on Sunday night?

Well for one, we like others really only tuned in for the expected Michael Jackson tribute.

If it weren't for that, we doubt we would have made it all the way through.

It was especially rough towards the end there when Lil Wayne and the world's most hyped new rapper Drake performed 'Every Girl in the World'.

And Lil Wayne brought his 10 year old daughter and her friends up on stage.

To sing along with the lyrics "I just wanna f*ck every girl in the world."

Fay-Ann and Destra out front & islandistas at Oscar parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So up to now, we here at Islandista are still not sure who has won the Road March title in Trinidad and Tobago. From all accounts, it seems to be a close battle between Fay-Ann Lyons 'Meet Super Blue' and Destra Garcia's 'Bacchanal'.

Checking Trinidad's major papers isn't helping either.

The Trinidad Express claims, 'Bacchanal hot on Super Blue's tail', while the Guardian says 'Destra, Faye-Ann in tight race for Road March'. At first glance, NewsDay seems to be sure it is Fay-Ann, with their front page proclaiming 'Fay-Ann's Queen of the Road' and their online lead story headlined as 'Fay-Ann leads Road March race'. However, later in the article they caution

Islandistas at the AMAs

The American Music Awards were last night and there were a few islandistas speckled here and there amidst this mostly 'pop' awards show. 

 

 Rihanna aka the real hottest chick in the game was on the red carpet and on the stage, performing her new song 'Rehab' (Amy Winehouse anyone? hm.)

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 Truthfully, not too sure about this dress. Love the concept and material but something about the way it is cut around the waist is making Rihanna look short-bodied and at 5"9, she is far from.

 

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Avast there me hearties! What is up with the bejewelled eye-patch Ri-ri? Even you can't stop that from looking slightly ridiculous.

Ms. Alicia Keys also hit the red carpet and performed 'Superwoman along with Queen Latifah and opera great Kathleen Battle.

 

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We ... LOVE... Alicia's shoes ... hotness cyan dun!

Brit-Guyanese singer Leona Lewis was also on the red carpet looking gorgeous as usual and yes, yes we know Guyana is not an island, so how she get an islandista? Because Guyana is part of the Caribbean and this blog is for Caribbean women and we decide we want to include her in our islandista hot list so if we say so, is so.... lol! Plus, Guyana has some islands within it... like in its rivers and ting... ok we're stretching it now!

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Notes on the BET Awards 08 - Islandistas on the red carpet

 Trini-descended islandista Nia Long was absolutely working this plum-coloured dress. I loved everything about it - the rich colour, the daring back with just the two suspender-like straps down to the waist, the draped pockets at the sides, the plunging neckline - it was a winner from every direction. And of course, Nia herself is just fabulous - she really harkens back to the late 90s, early 'noughties' heyday of black romantic cinema featuring all those fabulous buppies - Love Jones, The Best Man, Soul Food ... what happened to those movies anyhow? There was a good run there in the late 90s.

Another islandista by descent, the half-Nevisian Mel B aka Scary Spice was also at the awards and showed off her fabulous body in this close-fitting champagne-coloured dress. As opposed to Nia's dress with its complex structure, this dress is deceptively simple but the gorgeous colour and Mel's great shape is all it needs.

Half-Jamaican and sometime dancehall songstress islandista Alicia Keys had three outfit changes on the night. First was her fuschia dress with the slight origami-like folds on the bodice that she rocked on the red carpet. Didn't so much like how the skirt of this fell - it wasn't quite a bubble shape, not quite straight... hmm. But the colour was definitely pretty.

Next was her performance outfit.

And... well!

Ms. Keys was never rail thin or anything but laaaaaawd gaad ... she a tek fowl pill or what? Since when she had all that bumper? I know her skinny jeans had to be struggling!

And third was her post-performance, acceptance dress - a beige number that would have been blah-ish were it not for the dramatic silver and gold embellishment running across the bodice and along the shoulder. Not everyone's cup of tea but I liked it. I like artistes to wear something a little daring and different. 

I wasn't sure whether to include this last one but I'm feeling generous. Islandista-by-marriage (though maybe not for much longer what with all the scandal facing her hubby, Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick) LisaRaye McCoy-Misick wore a great short metallic dress. Quite daring for a red carpet but allowable I think for a music show. And for a woman that is 40-pushing-41, she looks great!

(photo credits: YBF.com)