Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Left: A tiger-print top with satin ribbon under the bust. The asymmetrical hemline falls over the hips giving it the versatility of a dress. It is made of spandex fabric Right: Sexy gown featuring lattice-work effect down the plunging V front it hugs the curves to perfection.
TWENTY-NINE YEAR-OLD fashion designer Natoya Doulatt has been sewing since she was a wee tot. At age 10 she used only a needle and her grandmother's scissors and made for herself a baby doll dress. Before that, she was altering her dolls' dresses and sewing outfits for her toys.
Growing up, Doulatt, of Lacovia, St. Elizabeth, constantly experimented with her clothes, sewing and altering them. "My mother often quarrelled with me because I was changing the hemlines of my uniforms or making my school blouses' sleeves shorter." Those complaints did not stop the future designer. "I turned my clothes inside out, lay them out on the bed and saw how it's done and follow the pattern, she said."
Doulatt could not put her finger on what has given her the ability to sew and design. Her only claim is that her grandmother was a notable dressmaker, but although they did not live together and she was never shown her how to, the talent might have been passed down genetically.
"I was never taught nor did I see anyone making clothes, got no formal training and my mother did not sew. This is just a gift that God has given me," says Doulatt. At age 16 for her end of year school fair, at Lacovia Secondary, she made her own outfit, a pants suit. "It was the last event to close off school and I could not wear something that was old that schoolmates knew. My parents were not interested in the fair. So I bought cotton fabric and decided to make a pants suit. There was a jeans pants suit that I loved, so I went home, laid it out on the bed and made one like it."
"It turned out fabulous, and I bragged to everybody at school that I made it, and they didn't believe until I showed them the 'chakka-chakka' (untidy) stitching on the inside."
Now, the designer has her own, clothing line Natoya Doulatt (her name joined together), a change from Kerry's Fashion World and clients across Jamaica.
Stacy Goodin-Plummer, a friend, thinks highly of her designs. "She has tremendous potential, good vision and a creative flair, and for the short time she has been doing this and being self-taught I think she has achieved a lot." Doulatt also made Goodin-Plum-mer's wedding gown last November. "The gown was very well done, it was a hit actually. People are still talking about it," says Mrs. Goodin-Plummer who often takes some of Doulatt's designs to her office in Kingston and gets offers for her.
Doulatt notes that her designing inspiration comes from fabrics. Whenever she sees a particular fabric the style of an outfit usually immediately comes to mind. "I go crazy when I see fabrics in stores, especially if they are interesting. For example, I experimented with sheer material to make the ruffles which are now in style, long before they were popular.
I do not settle with one particular type of fabric, as I get bored easily so I match colours and fabric."
Experimenting with materials and colours is something she loves to do. Along with D'March (Glenroy March), also a fashion designer, she made pants featuring one full-length side and the other part a skirt. "It came out pretty well, and many persons liked it."
Doulatt's latest experiment was a backless dress. The front had a corset-type bodice that hugs and gives a figure and a Cinderella- shaped bottom. "The Cinderella look was made of satin, mixed with red flowers and lots of colours while the top had sparkling sequins." With straps at the back she also created a bikini, "to cover the buttocks." "That dress drove everybody wild. But it was something to leave in the back of the minds of patrons at a fashion show."
Being in Lacovia, Doulatt frequently uses items within her surrounding John Crow beads, coconut shells, thatch and peanuts - on her designs. "Doing a show and wanting to make a statement, I come good," says Doulatt. "Instead of going out and buying something expensive I just use authentic items to leave an impression."
Last October she launched out on her own with an exhibition at the Coral Cliff Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James. "It was pretty good. It fulfilled my expectations, and I got more customers from Montego Bay."
"I am very happy doing fashion designing. It gives me a lot of pleasure. There is nothing else I'll want to do."
She is not scared either that several persons are launching clothing lines, as she notes that everyone can get a slice of the pie. "Fashion is ever changing and what I am trying to sell to my customers is that I create to their taste. That is something for which I want to be remembered. I have a special for creation for you whether you want to go wild and crazy or simple and elegant."
