By STACY MOORE Saturday, January 26 2008

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Carnival baby: Dinesha Jones parades in a costume on her way to winning the THA 2008 Interdepartment Carnival Queen crown at Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tob...

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Coloured wigs, pearl beads, sunglasses, wenched shoes, coloured boots, high cut pencil pants and wide brim hats, are top sellers in South Trinidad this Carnival.

These items have been selling briskly at stores in San Fernando, and are proving to be just as popular in the southern city as they are in the capital, Port-of-Spain.

Store owners expect the pace to pick up even more during Carnival week.

A sales clerk at Santa’s The Hair and Wig King store on High Street said coloured wigs cost $99 and up and expects sales to get a boost next week when customers get paid, after a long time gap between salaries after Christmas.

“I expect the sales to pick up by next week. I think people are still recovering from Christmas. I should know, because I have been in this business for more than 20 years. But sales will be better,” he said

The clerk pointed to a collection of green, blue, orange and pink wigs and even modelled one.

Charmaine Martin, a sales clerk at Exclusive Fashions, also on High Street said people are buying tops, tights and tube tops to wear under their costumes.

“They mainly purchase tube tops for inside their Carnival costumes and long and short tights,” she said.

High cut boots are also quick sellers, although wenched shoes, popular among women for fetes, have also been selling well.

“Some people like the boots, the high heeled shoes, but others just want to be comfortable in the flat coloured wenched shoes,” said a store clerk.

Wenched flat shoes were even assembled on the streets by vendors looking to also cash in on Carnival sales.