Miss South Africa contenders will have to share the limelight with eight local designers Rachel Martens
This year Miss South Africa competition might still draw the attention of post-rugby match male crowds, the true fashion highlights of the evening are a little less brief.
In a first for the local pageant, organisers have selected not one, but eight, of South Africa’s top designers to clothe competitors for the glamorous cocktail and eveningwear sections.
“We were given quite a tight brief for each section,” explains Norman Callan of The Boys. Interpreting the black and metallic theme employed for the cocktail wear, Callan has balanced black and gold with black and silver on his separate outfits. “I’ve used one-shouldered dresses with asymmetrical hemlines, low backs and long trains,” he says. For evening garments, in colours that Callan refers to as “wasabi” and “lavender”, Callan has adorned his dresses with unique hologram “fish scale” sequins known as pailletes which will cover the outfit from hemline to neckline (or, at least, cleavage line) to a sparkling effect.
Derek of D-Patri, a veteran pageant designer, has chosen slinky and fitted outfits for the cocktail wear section, with asymmetrical lines and slits adding an element of seduction.”The pageant is about the girls and not the garment,” he says.
Working in salmons and soft wisterias, the dresses have been made from two-tone satin and will be accented with silver beading, diamant and silver Swarovski crystals.
Design team Marc and Michael have concentrated on fabric and texture for the cocktail wear, with an emphasis on subtle beadwork and translucent fabrics. “We’ve tried to keep the look sexy but fresh,” says Michael, “because the contestants are still young.”
Bare backs have also supplanted breasts and cleavage as a focus. For evening beaded fabrics fade from one colour to another.
Durban-based Gideon says that his cocktail wear is linear and clean, inspired by architecture. Special jewellery, commissioned from designer Phillippa Green, will complete the look, which he says “has a slightly African feel”. The evening dresses make use of corset-style tops, paired with innovative, pyramid-shaped skirts.
“It’s nice that we don’t get to choose the girls,” Gideon says, “because it makes for an exciting challenge. We have to interpret the girls’ personalities, and somehow translate that into the clothing.” Gert van der Merwe reveals that he’s gone short and feminine for cocktail wear using spaghetti straps, beaded silk and french lace to complete the look. “This is my handwriting,” he comments, adding: “A woman should look like a woman … never aggressive.”
For the more formal evening wear, Van der Merwe reveals that the dresses are big, with soft layers of silk tulle and intricately adorned bodices. “The only accessories I’ll be using are earrings,” he says. “These girls are beautiful, and they don’t need extra tsatskes.”
A past judge on the Miss South Africa panel, Pretoria-based Simon Rademan says for evening dress he has gone all the way. “I’ve used full skirts, with organzas, and lots and lots of beading! “
Kathy Page Wood and Cheryl Arthur, of Cape Town clothing label Hip Hop, have chosen to use dazzling gold metallics in their cocktail wear. “This is an important trend at the moment,” Kathy says, “and previews a look that we’ll be using in future collections.” For their evening wear, Cheryl says, the look is “distinctly Hip Hop. We always use a lot of roses, and this comes through on the garments.”
The other female clothing designer at the pageant is Sibusile Zulu, who’s probably used to queens and princesses, being of royal blood herself (she’s officially a Zulu princess).
Although Zulu shares workshop space with Callan, she is the only designer on the list who represents herself rather than a label designing and manufacturing singlehandedly.
Zulu’s work tends towards the exotic and her cocktail dresses employ tight fishtail skirts that flare at the knee, together with silvery-black beaded fabric. Her evening wear makes use of luxurious prints, from a turquoise and gold shot taffeta skirt with an oriental bodice featuring entwined dragons, to a fruity pink with embossed gold angels.
Sunglasses may be required.