Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Pink rocks red carpet as colour of the night
IF THE fashion on the red carpet was an indicator, those attending the opening of Parliament were prepared to be tickled pink by President Jacob Zuma’s keynote speech.
From the pale pink of First Lady MaKhumalo Zuma’s frock, to the bright Barbie hue of the dress worn by Limpopo businesswoman Princess Tsakani Nkambule, pink was definitely the colour of the night.
Gloria Borman and her husband John arrived in matching pink attire, her dress covering all bases by featuring traditional African elements, stripes and fabric roses.
Television personality Dali Tambo’s wife Rachel wore pink and black Sun Goddess, even matching her lipstick and nails to the dress, while he sported a pocket square in the same shade.
She said she loved the dress because it was so pink, and because it was Valentine’s Day.
But the prize for cutest couple would have to go to ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe and his wife Lydia, who continued their tradition of wearing matching outfits, this time with black and white polka dots.
The couple said they had been married for 36 years, and when asked who picked the outfits, Lydia declared: “This year, I’m the boss.”
Over the top and very bling was the other theme of the evening. Nkambule’s dress, with ruffles, rhinestones and roses, made for her by a young Limpopo designer, was the kind of dress little girls dream about, while the ANC’s Mmamoloko Kubayi’s shimmering, baby pink number came with a gold sash and roses at the waist.
Tshego Moseme, of the Free State, arrived in a dress with giant blue puffy shoulders that recalled the 1980s, and Magosi Sosibo combined a shiny gold and leopard print dress with a gigantic gold head wrap.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille wore perhaps her most stylish State of the Nation dress in years – an aquamarine lace and raw silk number with a train. She said the dress, made up in her husband’s favourite colour, was her way of marking Valentine’s Day.
And while her bag, a blue ball of feathers, raised some eyebrows, she said it was her nod to the struggling ostrich farming industry.
It was however the younger attendees who showed how a red carpet should really be done.
Carla Hill-Lewis, wife of the DA’s Jordan Hill-Lewis, resembled a Hollywood starlet in a white dress, red lips and sideswept hair. She said she’d taken a gamble by ordering her dress online, and had then sewn on some glitzy detail around the neckline.
The ANC’s Judith Tshabalala was vibrant in a multicoloured, short layered dress, while the IFP’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa rocked it in a dark suit, wearing his heart on his feet with a pair of red sneakers to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit.