How celebrities get those stunning looks
THIS year has seen its fair share of stunning red carpet looks from our celebrities.
With the awards season over, we have seen some of the best, and worst, celebrity fashions that had social media abuzz.
While our celebrities tend to look picture perfect like they just magically landed on the red carpet looking their best, there is usually a team of people who ensure that they dazzle and leave us in awe.
From their outfits, the hair, the make-up and even accessories, we find out how they achieved their stunning looks for the night.
NANDI MNGOMA – BET AWARDS Mngoma was an absolute vision when she strutted her stuff on the red carpet at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, US, in June.
We caught up with her to find out exactly how she managed to pull that look off.
The singer wore a black and white peek-a-boo dress, that she says was from her upcoming line Colour, which she launched at the AFI Fashion Week.
“Surprisingly, I was alone. I didn’t have a stylist following me around at all. I was working on the red carpet doing interviews and, apart from my crew, I was all alone. All I brought with me was my smile and my confidence,” Mngoma says.
As for the dress that left us dazzled, Mngoma says the inspiration behind it was completely unexpected. “I had received a gift a week before the awards, and it was wrapped in a black and white bow. That’s where we got the inspiration for the dress.
“The dress itself was made from scuba material, which is a stretch fabric. It fit me like a glove, and was very comfortable.”
Mngoma also wore a stunning gold Masai-inspired neckpiece and a silver clutch.
Surprisingly, she says all the accessories were pieces she already had in her closet.
“I love travelling, and I love collecting nice pieces wherever I go. So the shoes, the neckpiece and clutch were all my own. I wanted to wear very comfortable shoes, so I didn’t go for anything too high because I knew it would be a long day on that red carpet.
“BET also provided an amazing American make-up artist for me, and he was incredible. The whole look took just over an hour to pull together.”
THANDO THABETHE – YOU SPECTACULAR AWARDS
Thabethe is emerging as quite a style trailblazer in her own right.
For the recent YOU Spectacular Awards, the actress wore a stunning oxblood gown that was made by the design duo of Quiteria and George.
We spoke to her publicist Linda Moeketsi, who says her look was a modern take on a classic red carpet look.
“Instead of going for a long dress, Thando’s outfit was a highwaisted skirt with a closed bolero top. We kept it classic by using velvet material and keeping a very regal silhouette,” he says.
Her classic up-do also had people talking, and Moeketsi says that is exactly what they had in mind.
“For Thando’s hair, we went for an up-do, which is very clean and complemented her ensemble.
“Thando is always on set shooting Generations, which means she needs to keep the same hairstyle for a while, so at events like these we get to play around a bit and try out new styles. Her hair was done by Jawed Maphoto from Lajawi Beute Café.”
Moeketsi says that when it came to accessories, they wanted to keep it as simple as possible.
“We didn’t have any accessories as Thando’s ensemble had embellishments on the collar, so we didn’t want to over-accessorise her and have her looking like a Christmas tree.”
For Thabethe’s make-up, makeup artist Beverly Mushwana was responsible for the look.
Unlike Mngoma, Moeketsi says Thabethe had an assistant with her for the night to help keep her look together.
NATHI – METRO FM AWARDS The soul singer not only was the big winner at this year’s Metro FM Awards, he also won on the red carpet with his gorgeous couture ensemble by David Tlale.
For his look, Nathi says it was conceptualised by Tlale.
Nathi says he had no stylist involved on the night. “The shoes were from Palazzopitti in Rosebank [Johannesburg], and my hair was cut at a local salon. I just opted for a simple look.”
“There is usually a team of people that ensure that they dazzle us