Durban July Gateway Fashion Preview 2016

All Images by: Al Nicoll Photography

Its that time again, ladies and gentlemen, steady the horses!

The forever popular annual Durban July Horse Race is on our doorstep! Hosted on the 02nd July 2016 at the Greyville Racing Course. The Vodacom Durban July is known both for it’s fashion flair, horse racing, and the serious bets that are placed on races.It’s been termed “Africa’s Greatest Horse Racing Event”, and we give credit where it is due here at Ceeces Travel.

The Fashion Show preview was hosted a week before the main event, showcasing a taste of the fashion to be seen at the Durban July, and of course introducing this years event theme, Leader of The Pack. A rather interesting theme to play with as we have already seen at the Gateway Fashion Show Preview.

The show itself was hosted in the old wave-house an concert dome at Gateway Theater of Shopping Mall. This gave designers, models and press plenty of space to move around and explore the runway, VIP area and music stage.

The Fashion:

The fashion presented on the evening was nothing short of brilliant! The models were beautifully made up by Kyrolan Make Up and GeraldWells Hair. And the designs were nothing but HOT HOT HOT!

Something I really enjoyed was the men’s fashion on the runway this year. The models that were chosen to wear the outfits were picked perfectly and the outfits themselves were truly a step up from the average show.

Lot’s of clean cuts, broad lines, sharp edges and dominant styles. Where as the ladies, were super classy, yet all had a feminine flow to their style. Lot’s of swaying and swishing along the walkway, very strong and powerful but also incredibly feminine, sexy, stylish. It was almost as though the various designers had taken the theme “Leader of The Pack” and represented it by creating strong,bold characters and designs for each gender.

So, let’s have a look at some of those bold styles!

Do you see what I mean about these strong but sexy designs? And yes that is Kevin Sawyer and one half of the amazing Brissett Twins, Keelan Brissest…. looking super suave!

I don’t know about you but these PJ’s I am sitting in are feeling a little less “chic” the more I look at these designs and photo’s. Which of course the talented and my most amazing business partner Al Nicoll took.

Kristina Andrea’s was one of the models that completely dominated the runway! What a force to be reckoned with! Absolutely love your work Kristina!

VaVa Voom! Just look at those orange hues! Anyone who know’s Cee know’s that bright colors are my jam, peanut butter and jelly!

So where does that leave us on the fashion side of things? Well speechless really. It leaves me asking….

What…
Is still……
To come?

The Music:

Oh what a night, a night of glitz, glam, and music! The fashion show was a success but then we were ushered over to the dome, for a night of South African artists taking to the stage and absolutely rocking the party!

Local Durban talent, Kyle Deutsch performed all his hits and of course had the crowd swaying back and fourth too Back to The Beach with Shekhinah.

Sketchy Bongo jumped on the decks in his famed mask and got the crowd bouncing to some deep tracks.

And Jimmy Nevis? What do we say about Capetown local, soul gripping, mind whirling, fun loving, stage dominating, Jimmy Nevis?

Well if you think he is a super star on stage you should talk to him off stage. The man is as genuine as they come, friendly, kind hearted, fun loving, just a guy who likes to sing.

Al and I were lucky to spend quite a bit of time chatting to this young gentleman and he’s manager Craig. The first thing I picked up on were his uncanny use of manners and pauses. Thank you, pleasure, please I felt so at ease, as though chatting to an old school friend I hadn’t seen in ages and then wondered why not?

The VIP:

Aaah, and of course the VIP Lounge! What a place, I think we all have a little space in our hearts for VIP lounges right? Like a special place, a land filled with honey (in Al’s case) and sushi (in mine). I am not usually fussed with who is actually in the VIP room but more so, what the VIP is, looks like, and has inside it. That’s the event manager in me coming out!

This years VIP Lounge did not disappoint in either case. Brands like Haagen Dazs, Beluga, and Chateau Gateaux were in charge of the meals and Haagen Dazs even had a cocktail station! Yes it was delicious! It was like adult desserts in a glass!

332_Durban July Gateway fashion show_Al Nicoll

333_Durban July Gateway fashion show_Al Nicoll

We were lucking enough to have also bummed into some well known local peeps!

Ryan_TheDJ was looking smooth cut in he’s suit.

Durban July favorite, long time friend and South African Fashion Designer and Model, Alexander James Cox, also known under Xander_Designer was working his Durban July Style!

Mrs South Africa finalist 2016 Levinia Lea Arran proudly rocked her sash along with a classic headpiece an diva necklace!

Another absolute social gem was Zoe Brown presenter on Expresso Show and Radio presenter on KFM. Zoe has always been so fun to watch on the telly, with her signature smile and playful attitude there was no doubt she was going to be brighten up the night! Especially as hostess of the event!

And of course, I spent some time hanging out with local boys! Durban Photographer and Instagrammer Dalton Green and I finally managed to meet up, after just over a year!

So by now, if you weren’t there you’re at least kicking yourself, right? Don’t make the same mistake and get your tickets NOW for this years Vodacom Durban July 2016. Seriously! If this is anything to go by then this coming weekend is going to be out of this world!

I expect super sharp ties and heels! Bright red lipsticks and wild hair do’s! Big smiles, lots of laughs, “great weather” and yes, lots of horses!

Thank you to everyone involved in making this event what it was. Thank you to the designers, the models, the artists, the staff behind the scenes, the food and drink operators and the fans! A special thank you to Gateway and their media,marketing and events team and to The Fashion Affair!

Once again, thank you to the amazing, truly talented, friend and business partner Al Nicoll for the great photography!

*If you would like to contact us about acquiring any of the images above for commercial or brand use, please use the form below to contact us and we would be happy to send you a quote*

*If you would like to have us on your team or your next big event, please use the same form below to contact us* If you would like to meet us at the Durban July 2016 please use the form below*