it's finally my turn to talk about the sentosa spooktacular. yes, it is no longer news that i went to the media preview with some members of the staff. (my apologies to those who had to wait in line while i waltzed through trail after trail) so having gone through the entire experience with five ladies, i'm not going to sell you the event. many other blogs would have done that by now and seriously, the online edition is only interested in the fashion aspect of it.
so here's a look the spooky clothes that you will see.
the culturally dead
the ethnic: this is a sure-win for me. i am all things asia and i do take a lot of pride in my asian culture (just look through the posts of week two). sick as it may sound but i rather be spooked by the ghosts from my own backyard than by a spirit with an accent. (think spider spirit calling 'lai ar, lai ar' as opposed to female vampire saying 'come to me darling so that i can devour you and drain you dry of blood') the familiarity factor is always an intimate touch. so it was nice to see how asian culture, myths and legends were infused into the fright fest. when i saw the ancient guards at the walkway, i was sold (not fully though).
the shiny and feathery dead
the sequins and feathers: the pictures were taken at two different venues, far from each other.
the first set of feathers and sequins for the cross-dresser, that i understand, for its reference to thailand and the cross-dressing shows they stage.
however, the sequins and feathers on the left were a tad out of place. they were located very near the ancient guards and the monkey god (who will be featured in the final post of this series). so it took me a long time to figure out why they were there. unless they were showgirls but showgirls, along the street with other characters that had a distinct ethnic or cultural reference? if the entire walkway was to be a presentation of the 'asian nightmare', this touch of modernity pretty much ruined the authenticity of asian superstitions.
the simply dead
the dead-something: air stewardess, man off the street, schoolgirl. frankly, these ones are the worst of the lot. if i were to take wet wipes and clean their faces, their outfits would look like my nieces and nephews after a day of rolling in the mud. as halloween fashion, it does not give me the 'wow' factor. but that's the problem when you have to cater for two hundred talents, you cannot put everyone in a fanciful and elaborate outfit. so i chose to believe that they were more the 'talents' than the 'costumes'.
fortunately, most of these simple dead-something fashion are found in the dim and smoky parts of the trails so you will have no time to be spooked by their plain outfits because they are busy scaring the living daylights out of you. so it worked out well. it's true: out of sight, out of mind... you won't see them much hence a lack of opportunity to b***h about what they're wearing.
the bodily dead
the 'gym rat by day, roaming spirit by night': or also known as the group of 'i forgot my costume so i'm just going to rub on body paint and bare my torso' halloween costumes.
before i critique this 'collection' on their clothes, or rather lack of it, most (if not all) of the talents are students hence baring their bodies take a lot of courage. they do not have the time to spend hours at the gym to tone and sculpt the muscles so kudos to the boys! (the girls played it safe...)
that said, this series is almost expected at any scare fest. they will make one (especially ladies) go weak in the knees from their well-toned bodies. in fact, for just one moment, the joke's on you because you will wonder if they are the damned ones with the pecs and abs or are we the ones cursed because we work so hard just to shed a few pounds.
(sidenote to the organisers: a friend went through my pictures and asked that the talent from the middle picture can be brought out into 'light' cos he has probably the best body but no one can see it through all the smoke. haha!)
so what my verdict in terms of the fashion / clothes / costumes / outfits? i understand the concept but the execution feels disjointed. the uniformity of fashion and ideas on the trails were almost seamless but once out in the open, it was like a dress held together by hot glue... messy and on the brink of breakdown. true halloween reigned and the spirits roamed in every direction they pleased.
fash'on... BAM!
