press releases

By Donnielle Mackey
IWFW PRESS

Nassau, Bahamas -- Yves Saint Laurent’s quote, “Fashions fade, style is eternal” rang true at the Saturday evening revealing of the Harl Taylor BAG collection at Islands of the World Fashion Week (IWFW).

The amazing display of 34 bags, including five of his signature HIV/AIDS and Pink for the CURE bags, floated down the runway and dazzled a packed ballroom.

Infamous for being a perfectionist, the late Harl Joseph Taylor’s sketches of baby totes, evening and beach bags were all brought to life and shown in living color.

Bright and golden yellow, tangerine, turquoise red, caramel, green and gray were just a few colours that were part of the kaleidoscope woven into the collection of straw bags.

The show began with an array of casual bags, each of which were centered with hand carved ornaments of tropical items like the angelfish, blue marlin, nautilus shell, pineapple and palm tree..

Taylor, who studied Fashion Design at Parsons School of Art and Design in Paris said in a Caribbean Travel and Life interview. “I tend to veer towards the necessities set forth by my gang of women friends. Each of my BAG creations has ‘a soul and passes through the hands of at least 5 artisans---from start to finish; therefore each is distinctive.”

Taylor took simple styles and made them exquisite and breathtaking with not only intricate weaving, color and ornaments but also with exotic beads, sea glass, shells and Swarovski crystals. The display progressed from the creative day bags to the more elegant evening bags that had the lighting bouncing and dancing around their colored beads and carved conch shell pieces that were intimately strung around each bag.

Chocolate brown, pink, silver, pearly white, aqua and maroon accented bags dazzled the audience. The crowd seemed to emit a collective small gasp as the showstopper of the collection called the “piéce de résistancé” (a French term referring to prize piece ) made its way onto the runway.

Emerging outstretched in two satiny white-gloved hands of a model draped in a long white nylon veil, was a sparkling gold beaded pouch-like shaped straw bag with a thick single rope handle.

The show concluded with a standing ovation as Taylor’s mother, Beverly Joyce Thomas Taylor made the designer walk for her son. She said that she just wanted to put her son’s work out there as well as show the beauty of straw work.

Harl Taylor BAG is simply iconic and like George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon once said, “the style is the man himself.”