Fashion eclipses horses at the Met

CAPE TOWN - Ribbons, leopard print and plenty of skin were flaunted yesterday at one of the country’s premier horse-racing events, the J&B Met, at Kenilworth race course on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Some 3 000 staff sweated at the event, while well-heeled patrons nibbled on canapés in air-conditioned and carpeted tents.

The most luxurious package of the day - which included entry into a carpeted glass marquee fitted with beechwood-style furniture and a buffet luncheon - cost R2 950 a head.

Fashionistas interpreted the theme, "Larger than life", with bold colours and prints. Rap artist HHP arrived in a shimmering grey printed suit with a canary-yellow bow-tie.

Also spotted were radio and TV personality Bonang Matheba and musician Loyiso Bala with fiancée Jen Odjidja.

Bala earlier tweeted that he had to scramble around yesterday morning for new shoes after realising that his looked a bit ‘tired’.

Designer Gavin Rajah said he expected guests to arrive in exaggerated garments, longer hemlines and a touch of transparency. "I think that people will focus on a literal interpretation of the theme. Personally, I think we can expect loads of colour-blocking in an 80s kind of way," he said.

Recent mother Lee-Ann Liebenberg arrived in a sheer leopard print by Rajah.

The eldest child of TV personality Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, Lindiwe Suttle, turned heads in a white ribbon ensemble by local fashion label Kluk CGDT. Suttle - named the "most stylish South African" at the SA Style Awards last year - was accompanied by friends, including her design business partner, Lizel Strydom.

"I always like to find the pieces that everyone is a bit scared to wear. This dress, made of rolls and rolls of ribbon, is quirky, but beautiful," she said.

Other celebrities who opted for Kluk CGDT included surfer Roxy Louw in taupe silk organza, former Miss South Africa Jo-Anne Strauss in red satin, and Top Billing diva Jeannie D in a mesh jump-suit with black ruffles on one shoulder.

Rajah said other hot trends this year were geometric hats, oversized flowers and floral prints, fringe detailing and feathered dresses.

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