Chester Francis-Jackson, Gleaner Writer

Pulse's CEO Kingsley Cooper and his lovely daughter Safia Cooper enjoy each other's company at the Caribbean Fashionweek show on Saturday night. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Oh my dears, was destination Jamaica, especially Kingston, kicking last week or what! Pumpkin pies, y'all can take the word from this here scribe, the Caribbean's leading metropolis was buzzing like 10 coal stoves, and then some.

Yes, to be sure, it was mostly all about the Pulse's Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) - the fab after-parties, the cool fashion, the hot models, sensational designers, and the hot celebs who jetted in from fashion centres all across the globe. That too, my dears, but then again, there was the launch of Thai Week - a cultural, culinary, horticultural and fashion exposition, on Sunday evening at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston. There was also the Diaspora Conference, all happening in Kingston!

My daahlings, talk about a social and cultural sushi, well this was it.

Hottest show in town

But my dears, it was CFW that was the hottest show in town! And honeychiles, when we say hot, we do mean HOT! We mean hot like a Frappucino and a serving of the sweet potato pone at Café Blue in the foothills of Blue Mountain coffee country.

Dovecakes, we are talking fab like that and sizzling like everybody's business being discussed in the village square! Oh my word and then some, this party got started and ended on the right note!

And so it was with CFW, as this year's fashion fiesta began with a tight and oh-so happening do over there at the Pulse complex on Trafalgar Road, last Thursday evening. All of the reigning stars and hopefuls were in attendance. Not to mention, some of the hottest bodies since the goddess Aphrodite and legendary contemporary David.

Now, in between the opening and welcoming shindig, there were the collections at the National Indoor Sports Arena, the after-parties at Villa Ronai, Old Stony Hill Road; the workshops, seminars and showcases that saw the world and his wife out and about. The ultimate wrap party was held at the tres chic and oh-so fine Strawberry Hill Boutique Hotel and Spa, Irish Town, St Andrew, on Monday night.

Friday the 13th jinx

My daahlings, to be sure, there was the Friday the 13th jinx that was in full swing for the opening of the collections that saw the patience of guests, patrons, designers, other participants, and even the organisers, tested to the fullest. There was a near three-hour delay. But patrons were patient and waited for the kinks to be ironed out and the show to get under way.

Well, when it did, and throughout the weekend-long showing of the collections many had braved the inconvenience to see the collections that, for the most part, ran way into the night on each showing.

'Sell-off'

Luvs, some dazzled, some captivated! Some simply blew conventions out the doors. Well, my daahlings, in the words of the subculture, "This one sell-off".

Out sharing in the passion for fashion were Mrs Lorna Golding; Culture, Information and Sports Minister Olivia Grange; Mining and Energy Minister Clive Mullings and his fiancée, banker Carlene Johnson; former Miss World, the drop-dead-gorgeous Lisa Hanna; Carrole Guntley; Mexican Ambassador Her Excellency Leonora Rueda; Honorary Consul of Ecuador Clelia Barretto de Hunter; Pulse's Founding director Hillary Phillips, QC; the celebrated Maurice Foster and former Miss World, the fab Cindy Breakspeare and her fab daughter Leah Tavares-Finson.

Dancer, choreographer and designer Barry Moncrieff; Miss Jamaica World, Yendi Phillipps; Gurney Beckford; Barbara Blake-Hanna; Carlyle Hudson and his fab wife Diane; James Samuels; Dr Carolyn Cooper; Washington based attorney Donnett Cooper; Lennie Little-White; clothiers to the rich and famous, and emerging hoteliers, Karlene MaxBrown, her stunning daughter Sophia MaxBrown, and her sibling Carlos MaxBrown; the charming Hortense Waul and her daughter Dionne Gordon; Marilyn Bennett; Mutabaruka and Jackie Amber Olabisi; Kimberly Mais Issa; the always dapper Dr Michael Banbury; businessman Dwight Moore; his sibling attorney Andrea Moore, also out; publisher Douglas Gordon; Jonathan and Paula Surtees.

We saw: the oh so charming Sydoney Massop; Oliver Magnus; Gilou Bauer and her niece, visiting from France; Winston and Marjorie Barrett; the celebrated actor/model/designer/ choreographer Weston Haughton; the absolutely fab Sandra Kennedy, who made a return to her designing ways; Kenneth Shaw; runway diva/grooming expert Althea Laing, and her hot young lover; CVM's Dr David McBean; noted fashion designer Richard Vassel; Sharon Beckford; playwright and actor Aston Cooke; the simply stunning Kerry Ann Clake; Rodney and Nadja Davies; David Minott and his gorgeous French companion; Garnett Reid; the lovely Nevine Heaven; Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Beckford; the happening Cecile Burrowes; Adrian and Nathalie St. Louis; Nurma James; Michael Barrett and his companion; Lincoln Wynter; the gorgeous Tracy Moses; the lovely Marsha Wilson, just back from her sabbatical in France; and June Daley, in from the UK and proving to be a riot; plus a number of others.

Left: Entertainer Lee 'Scratch' Perry struts the catwalk with university lecturer, Dr Carolyn Cooper. Right: Wife of Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Lorna Golding (right), arrives for the show accompanied by Deborah Roberts, American television personality.

(CFW), Fashion Shows, held at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC), Independence Park on Sarurday June 14, 2008. Kingsley Cooper and daughter Safia.

Pulse Caribbean ashion Week (CFW), Fashion Shows, held at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC), Independence Park on Sarurday June 14, 2008.

(CFW) Fashion Shows, held at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC), Independence Park on Sunday June 15, 2008.

Father and daughter Dwight and Shari Moore out on the town at Pulse Caribbean Fashionweek wrap party in cool Strawberry Hill.

The stylish Alister Gordon is among the many lovers of fashion who attended this year's Pulse Caribbean Fashionweek shows at the National Indoor Sports Centre last weekend.

(NISC), Independence Park on Sarurday June 14, 2008.

N'Djamena from Kinte Vreasyon in Guadeloupe is all smiles at the weekend of fashion shows.

.Pulse Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW), Fashion Shows, held at the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC), Independence Park on Sarurday June 14, 2008. Here is N'Djamena from Kinte Vreasyon in Guadeloupe.

Hot like 10 firesides (from left): Rochelle Notice, Sashalee Atkinson, Danisha Scott and Heidi-Ann Jamieson strike a pose at the Caribbean Fashionweek wrap party at Strawberry Hill.

Pulse Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW) Wrap Up Party, held at Strawberry Hill, Irish Town on Monday June 16, 2008.