Book Review – A Spirited Butterfly: A History of Fashion in Trinidad and Tobago

Caribbean Studies Press is pleased to announce the release of A Spirited Butterfly:
A History of Fashion in Trinidad and Tobago by Rosemary Stone.

This lavishly illustrated book presents a historical perspective and a contemporary
look at fashion design and manufacturing, as well as the role of the fashion industry in the social, cultural and economic development of Trinidad and Tobago.

Chapters review the history of fashion development from 1834, after slavery, through
the twentieth century and bring us to an exciting and new visionary approach to the
business of fashion. Chapters also examine areas of local fashion, including fashion shows in the Caribbean, and some of the unique and spectacular fashion designs of Carnival.

A Spirited Butterfly is a departure from the prevailing notion that the creation of
fashion is confined to Paris, Milan, London and New York. The book makes a strong case that there are also strong roots of fashion in the Caribbean and Global South.

This book will be of interest to historians of the Caribbean as well as to those who love and work in fashion.

About the Author: Fashion Editor for the Trinidad Express newspaper for 26 years,
Rosemary Stone produced the first Caribbean Fashion Week in 1990 and has been
involved in Fashion Week Trinidad and Tobago since its inception in 2008. She received her fashion training in London and returned to Trinidad and developed the first line of mass-produced dresses in the country. She later made her mark producing the elaborate Carnival costumes designed by Wayne Berkeley.