Lifestyle: Night With The Stars #NWTS Fashion Show by Hospice Wits

As you know from reading my previous post, I attended the #NWTS at Melrose Arch with my cousin Farhana for the first time this year. I always wanted to know what it felt like sitting at the front row at a spectacular fashion show�.and now, I get to share that with you.

I must confess, that my expectations were high but it was a fashion show for a �Great� cause�so I would have sat on the floor if I had to�but a girl can dream.

I imagined the front row with comfy seating, sparkling non-alcoholic beverages personally served by smartly dressed hostesses, complimentary chocolates�.......reasonable? no?....okay then.

We arrived about 30mins early at the venue, so we window shopped and got to take a closer look at d�cor.

Imagine the setting on one of Melrose Arches paved roads outside Edgars, the traffic lights just behind the start of the runway, a huge plastic bubble (UFO- looking) with a beautiful violinist clad in a striking red dress playing on passionately, oblivious to the barely filled venue.

 A long line of seating of gold painted cane chairs with white cushions in five rows on either side of the long road, which was to be the ramp, was laid with a red carpet. Camera and tripods everywhere, spot lighting, hostesses in �sheer� micro-mini dresses�(3 words I never put together for public dressing�"sheer" "micro-mini" and "dresses")

We took our seats, the show was about to begin and we didn�t want to miss a thing! The crowd was finally coming in about 2mins before the event�s start time.

We scanned the audience for any smartly clad fashionistas or otherwise hair-raising ones..not intentionally though�we eventually resorted to style analysis as the fashion show was "painfully" delayed by an hour as one of the celebrities didn�t arrive on time.

Painful? �well, the chairs seemed to be alright to seat my toddler for about 10mins, so for a grown women�hmmm�spacing was limited, think public transport�not UAE�South African taxi style�.we sat sideways (to avoid elbow stabbing or knocking out any �alcoholic� beverages� ).

Anyways,..lets get back to the fashion show shall we�?

The MC for the Fashion show was a party on his own�He definitely added humour, excitement, and fun to the evening drawing comparisons between Jhb and Cape Town hosted events, right down to model clich�s, live singing and introducing the sponsors, the violinist, celebs and designers with his own personal spunk.

A video recording acknowledging Hospice Wits efforts was played before we had two very skilled dancers ballet their way down the ramp.

The show then opened with intermingling between celebrities wearing the works of established well known South African Designers and Designers wearing the second hand clothing sold by Hospice Wits.

Celebrities included Bonang Matheba, Janez from Top Billing, Former Miss South Africas Tatum Keshwar, Claudia Henkel, Vanessa Carreira, Vuzu entertainment host Lalla Hirayama, Jenna Dover, Zuraida Jardine, Shashi Naidoo, Louise Carver, Penny Heyns�..to list just a few..

Fashion Designers included David Tlale, Loincloth and Ashes, Thula Sinde, Gert Johan, and many more�

I was particularly in love with the wedding gowns by Gert Johan and the long cape worn by Tatum Keshwar made by David Tlale. All designers brought amazing pieces to showcase and showed imaginative designs, mixed with practicality, with South African roots, it is clearly evident that South African designers are pushing the limits and staying true to their heritage. 

    

Bonang wearing a Gert Johan gown

Kerry McGregor

Vanessa Carreira

Claudia Henkel

Simba

Lalla Hirayama

Jenna Dover

David Tlale

Clive Rundle

Gert Johan and his masterpieces

Tatum Keshwar

The final �long walk to freedom� was to close the show with all of the celebs, and designers included, taking to the ramp.

All in all, a fantastic evening out, and for a good cause!�

Personally, I would have preferred if the alcoholic drinks were not allowed to be consumed during the fashion show for obvious Islamic reasons. Being seated next to those who don't show restraint was not at all pleasant (this is me being polite) , so lets hope they improve on that.

Oooh...what did I eventually wear???...just jeans, a tee and my favourite scarf...lol...perfect for the narrow seating, sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go...:) 

At the end of the Fashion Show, Farhana on the left and Mwah on the right..I am wearing jeans I made, with Pierre Cardin nude pumps and a Truworths oversized Batwing top, watch out for my own winter range, blog on that soon:).

Don't forget to support Hospice Wits...every bit helps! Find a worthy cause and make a difference! 


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