Feeling that fashion vibe with the classy Vikash Gajjar
And there’s so much to celebrate!
This past week involved four of my favourite things: fashion, passionate people, music and movies. All courtesy of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh SA International Fashion Film Festival
The Fashioning the Future Workshop with the Cape Town International Jazz Festival
First up: The annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, also known as Africa’s Grandest Gathering, is famed for showcasing superb local and international musicians. But there’s more. Because the CTIJ also involves a heartfelt commitment to our fashion industry, from the factories to the ramp, students to designers.
The fashion aspect kicked off at the Cape Sun hotel, with a jam-packed Wear SA: Fashioning the Future workshop for students. And what wonderful students they were – enthused, committed and interestingly dressed! So, it was an honour to be on the workshop panel, along with designer Ernest Mahomane (a talent to watch), Anita Stanbury (CEO of the South African National Fashion Council), Cyril Naicker (owner of Cape Town InVogue and director of MyVogue SA) and Graham Choice (CEO of Prestige Clothing and GM of TFG Manufacturing)
The discussion was bright and lively from the start. And it got even more interesting when question time came around. Where is the boundary between creative independence and satisfying the customer? What is the difference between inspiration and plagiarism? What role does social media play in our lives?
These were just some of the fascinating queries posed to the panel, all indicating the seriousness these students are applying to their future careers.
With the fabulous panel at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival’s Fashioning the Future workshop.
The Fashion And All That Jazz Gala Dinner
And if any further proof were needed that SA has stylish stars in its present and future, it could be found in abundance the following evening at the glittering Fashion and All That Jazz Gala Dinner at the Cape Town Convention Centre.
On the ramp: superb work by students from the Cape Town College of Fashion Design, as well as the work of designers like Ernest Mahomane and Lara Klawikowski, among others. Plus, my colleagues from GQ, as well as Andrea Albertyn, GLAMOUR’s senior fashion editor, Gina Beretta, our online editor, and I had the terrific task of choosing the four most stylish guests in a massive room filled with stylish guests.
Check this page to see the winners and second-place winners of the GQ and GLAMOUR Most Stylish Guest categories – each and every one looking sensational. (And they did a victory walk down the ramp, too.)
The cherry on top was a visit from Tsholo and Drew to our offices the following day. Needless to say, we could not resist taking photographs of them and their charismatic crew. And yes, they looked just as striking by day as they did by night. Click here to see our Gala Dinner gallery, and here to see the Jazz Festival street style.
With a national treasure, the great Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, at the Fashion and All That Jazz Gala Dinner.
Wearing Gavin Rajah and a silver vintage hand jewel found at a farm store in Overberg
Happy Friday afternoon visit from our Most Stylish winner, Tsholo Dikobe, and her charismatic crew
Mercedes-Benz Bokeh SA International Fashion Festival
All of this would have been a style feast in itself, but Saturday night offered yet another delight: The chance to be a judge at the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh SA International Fashion Film Festival. This showcase of stunning short fashion-themed movies attracts entries from around the world, and it’s a growing art form that is winning great attention.
Scores of beautiful people poured into the chic 15 On Orange Hotel for cocktails, canapés and, of course, popcorn (it was the movies after all), and then the show began – the wining movies, all themed around the theme fashion. A big, gleaming bravo to Adrian Lazarus, the founder of this wonderful initiative! (Read more about Adrian in our upcoming May issue.)
Want to see more? We’ll be posting some of our favourite movies from the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh SA International Fashion Film Festival over the next while, so have that popcorn at the ready and look out for the updates.
Want to see what Pnina got up to last week? Click here.
