I feel like a queen - Connie Chiume

Veteran actor Connie Chiume accompanied by her two children Nongelo Chiume and Nothando Mabuza rubbed shoulders with Hollywood A-listers Rihanna, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B Jordan and Angela Bassett at the world premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in Los Angeles.

Nigerian megastar Burna Boy and SA leading lady Nomzamo Mbatha also joined the likes of Michaela Coel, Letitia Wright, Halle Bailey, Danai Gurira, Tyler Perry and A$AP Rocky on the star-studded purple carpet on Thursday night.

Chiume looked like a regal goddess in a canary yellow ball gown, complete with a dramatic train, designed by local designer Sello Medupe, renowned for his label Scalo. The beaded number, with exaggerated shoulders, was styled with a matching isicholo (traditional Zulu hat).

“Her gown was inspired by an African jewel that’s a part of a scene in the movie and the city of gold being Johannesburg,” Medupe said

“Mam Connie helped me choose the colour of the dress but I handled the creative and designing process of how it should look – the dress took a week to make because of the hand beading.

“She fell in love with the dress at first glance at our first fitting, she said it made her feel like a queen and loved the final results of how it looked,” Medupe said.

Rihanna, rocking Rick Owens, will tomorrow drop her first solo release, Lift Me Up, in six years. The anticipated song will be the lead single from the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Written by Nigerian musician Tems, the track is billed as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular role in the first film.

“Thank you for the love and support, I’m here representing us and I hope my talent will be well received,” Chiume said to her followers on Instagram.

The sartorial picks of the other stars included Wright in Alexander McQueen tailoring, Nyong’o looking angelic in Balmain, Coel hooded in custom Ferragamo, Jordan opting for a pop of colour in Louis Vuitton and Bassett donning a peplum Moschine gown.