"As summer draws to a fairly gloomy close, many lungs were filled with fearful anticipation; hurricane Irene threatened to rip through New York and the much loved Caribbean party that is Notting Hill Carnival threatened to tear up London.
Post the riots in the UK, the future of the carnival looked uncertain, at least for this year. Over the years I have enjoyed many a carnival party but this time it probably wouldn’t have been hard to convince me to steer clear. This said the mention of a Wrangler bash at the Bumpkin slap bang in the midst of the mayhem was laden with pros that heavily outweighed a little nervousness - the only con I could think of.
As the endless floats, streams of partygoers and a river of rubbish flowed through the streets, Wrangler’s denim clad guestlisters threatened to burst Bumpkin’s banks as the fashion crowd dipped their toes into the street party without having to fully commit. Bearing in mind Wrangler’s All-American-Boy meets straw-chewing cowboy chic, the colours of the outfits were fundamentally red white and blue with many kissed by Caribbean bling; some outfits were braver than others but if their aim was to make an appearance in the party pages their courage will have paid off. Maverick Sabre, Seb Chew and George Craig spun their best assets into the atmosphere and mixed with a Caribbean style BBQ, a sprinkling of celebrity sightings and a generous serving of eye candy, all made for the perfect hearty helping of Carnival fun – thankfully without a Vuvuzela in sight.
This apprehension joined another (ever so slightly less important to the global crises) nerve wracking diary scenario during the week; meeting an old friend after seven years. An unease set in once the date had been filed in the diary. Maybe she’ll judge me "what you’re still single?" "You’re still burning the candle at both ends?" the build up was intense – what the hell was I going to wear?! Shoulder pads and the new Miu Miu shoes that I can’t afford? At least then I may be able to convince her that I’ve at least done something with my life in the last near decade – even if that was maxing out my credit card. I needn’t have worried of course; it was as if we had only been apart for half term - the similarities that drew us together all those years ago still remained and the nerves that preceded the evening were seemingly completely ridiculous.
Perhaps that’s the thing about fear. Maybe contentment inevitably awaits you once you have managed to scale the anxiety wall. Whether it’s a career choice, embarking on a new relationship or indeed ending one; like New York’s nerves of Irene, maybe it won’t be as bad as you think – it may just be the best thing you’ve ever done and wouldn’t that be worth a risk?"
