Best & worst dressed celebs on the 2019 SAFTAs red carpet

This weekend our local TV divas and film stars stepped out for the annual South African Film and Television Awards, and Sun City was never ready for the glitter that was apparently the memo given. 

Perhaps it was South African designers who interpreted the theme ‘Dare to dream’ to mean sparkles everywhere and anywhere. 

But generally speaking the Saftas have always proven to be a mixed bag when it comes to fashion.

Over the years, it has remained unclear as to whether it is the night for for full glitz and glam like at the Oscars? Or whether the celebs should be a bit more playful with their outfits  like at the Grammy awards. 

Judging from the outfits that the celebs, winners and randoms chose to wear, it is still not clear what the Saftas are trying to communicate when it comes to the fashion front, but nonetheless, here are our best and worst dressed from the evening.

Best Dressed

Pearl Modiadie

Co-host Pearl Modiadie served us many a stunning outfit during the Saftas. Her first look was a classic evening gown in a timeless silhouette with feather details and lots of crystals embellishments. She clearly wanted to open the ceremony with a bang. She looked gorgeous.

Hlomla Dandala

Men’s fashion can be quite boring. It’s usually the same suits and tuxedos the world over in the same blocked colours. While Hlomla Dandala didn’t reinvent the wheel with this one, his pine green suit changed things up a little especially as he paired it with a navy blue tie and a black shirt. Somehow all those colours worked harmoniously to create one outstanding outfit.

Ilse Klink

Velvet has been trending for the past few seasons and although it can be a hard material to pull off, Ilse Klink does so elegantly and effortlessly in this navy blue number. The bare shoulders and short cut make the dress more appropriate for a summer event, while the flare sleeves add a bit of drama. Simply pairing it with silver shoes and her long hair let down, makes her look classic but chic at the same time. Well done to the veteran actress.

Lorna Maseko

Many wore glittering evening dresses to the awards and although many were beautiful, they can look out of place. That being said, Lorna Maseko’s dress really was stunning. It fit her curves beautifully, the long black ruffles created a beautiful contrast to the glittering gold dress. And the romance of those straps is everything. Not the style we would choose for the Saftas but she killed it. 

Worst Dressed

Somizi Mhlongo

We love the Mad Hatter/Pharrell-inspired hat but the pattern of the outfit and those shoes get a no from us. Maybe Somgaga was trying to follow the pyjama trend, but without the hat he really looked like he was ready for bed. As always, we love a daring outfit, but this one went off the rails. Maybe a solid colour or two could  have worked with some formal shoes, but unfortunately this comes across as someone who was trying too hard to be fashionable without the style chops to pull it off. 

Vele Manenje

There is no excuse for this dress because Mzansi watches Vele Manenje kill the fashion game every Sunday on Our Perfect Wedding. So what happened here? Does she really have a great stylist on the show who knocks off after filming is done? This dress looks like what you wear when you didn’t want to bother too much with your attire but also didn’t want to look too shabby. It’s not an event dress in any way, let alone a Saftas one.

Jill Levenberg

While the actress’s acting chops are on point, we unfortunately cannot say the same for her fashion. The faux leather top part of the dress does not go with the lace straps and the asymmetrical patterned skirt with the gold inner lining. For the next awards ceremony, she needs someone to help out because this dress would be a disaster even for a matric dance.

Moshidi Motshegwa

It saddens our hearts to have to put Moshidi Motshegwa on the worst dressed list because not only did she attempt to put together a unique outfit that actually represents South African cultures, she also gave a beautiful acceptance speech after she won the award for Best Actress in a Telenovela. But this dress is a disaster. The material looks cheap and tie-dyed. Although the fit is good, the design is not great--why was it cut like that in the front? Culturally-inspired evening dresses should definitely become a thing, but that does not mean they should also not be held to a high standard.