With the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reaching pandemic levels many fashion events have either been cancelled or postponed around the world in Milan, Paris and New York. It’s not business as usual here in South Africa as well. African Fashion International Fashion Week (AFI Fashion Week) made a tough decision on Saturday morning and called off the last day of fashion week, adhering to the guidelines proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The first two days of the AFI Fashion Week, the Autumn and Winter collections, ran without a glitch. Fashion lovers gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Center to take street style photos aswell as to watch runway shows by some of the biggest fashion names in Africa. Informative and engaging masterclasses were held during the day. An exciting edition worth noting was "Marketplace", an online digital directory of Pan-African designers where one can shop . Some of the designs were also on display during the fashion week.
Even though the crowd and production felt somewhat flat, most of the fashion was vibrant and the makeup was a work of art. One other thing the organisers need to work on is a structured seating plan that the ushers can execute seamlessly. Season after season, the seating plan is often disorganised with confusion before each show as guests scramble to find the right seats.
Day one began with an emotional showcase by National Ambassador for UNICEF South Africa Gavin Rajah in collaboration with BLOMBOY. The show's strong message was to highlight the scourge of violence against children in the country.
Models walked down the runway in Rajah’s statement coats, whimsical dresses and floral, sheer kaftans and pants, as well as delicate separates. Makeup looks put together by Elite International Makeup Artist and Director of talent at LMDA, Raine Tauber and her team, stole the show.
Top beauty looks for Rajah's showcase included glitter bombs splashed on faces, war paint like, and glitter lined lips and eyes.
My fashion highlights included a disco meets colourpop showcase by Michelle Ludek, the “Cathedral Range” by Andiswa Apparel, knits by Dadeni and haute textures by Eric Raisina.
Amidst being a makeup artist extraordinaire, Raine Tauber also uses her keen eye to find, train and grow an exclusive selection of talents
in each region, in her new role as Talent Director at Creative Talent Agency, LMDA. Raine’s career has taken her around the world, where she has worked behind-the-scenes at fashion weeks in Paris, London and Milan, creating runway looks for the likes of John Galliano, Lanvin and Moschino.
Spearheading the makeup artist team, powered by Avon, at this AFI, Raine shares her top 5 beauty trends for the season.
1. Artsy
Think impressionist paintings where colours and textures collide, euphoric festival makeup and colour pushed to the max. This trend sees punched up pastels worn in sheer washes on eyes, lips or cheeks, with placement that's effortless and fun.
2. Ornamental
Embellished, gilded and opulent are all words to describe this trend. Metallics, glitters and rhinestones to add adornment to the face. This season, more is more as ornate decoration feels modern set against winter fashion - metallics, glitters and rhinestones add adornment to the face. From full-on gilding or delicate touches there’s a way to wear this trend that suits any personality.
3. Sensual
Blurred, understated and enchanting, this look allows the skin to shine through the makeup. Non-traditional colour combinations make
this trend less bridal and more poetic. This is portrait-like beauty at its best. Grab your favourite nude and neutral-toned makeup and layer them sheerly. Foundation is minimal but perfected and all the products have a pushed-in-stain-like look.
4. Carnelian
Seductive, nuanced and dominant but not punchy describes the red lip for this season. We are seeing a layered effect of reds with browns giving it simultaneously a vintage and pragmatic feel. Think everything from Bordeaux to cognac, a 3D red if you will.
5. Inky
Just as we are destined to see a take on a red lip every season, we see the same with a black liner. This season it is architectural, elongated and structural despite being effortlessly taken apart. Each brush stroke is considered and engineered even to convey a feel and mood. Black is powerful and acute.
