Suit up, inflated silhouettes, African prints take centre stage for Durban July

We are off to the races!   

Saddle up SMaggers, the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July gallops into town at the Greyville Racecourse, Durban, on Saturday.     

The highly attended social calendar event promises to be a day sparkling with glitz and glam where high stakes and high fashion converge on the manicured greens.   

This year’s dress code is themed “Marvels of Mzansi”, honouring everything that makes us uniquely South African – diverse cultures, rich heritage and the zeitgeist of its people.

Zolani Mahola is set to sing the national anthem, with the other star-studded line-up of performers including Mafikizolo, Lira, Hot Water, GoodLuck, DJ Dalootz, Lee Cole and Sunset Sweatshop.

Inspired by the recent Milan and Paris runways swirled in with local designer flare, SMag has the style guide as your cheat sheet to the last-minute fashion glam-up ahead of Saturday:

All things wild and weird

Bring out your interpretation of African haute couture with unconventional pairings stirred with personality. As seen at Gert-Johan Coetzee in April, models walked the showcase in electric azure beading and panelling with a polaroid helmet. SMag cover star Ponahalo Mojapelo led the final in a scarlet baroque-styled corset in the shape of an elephant’s trunk. The ensemble was complete with beading over graphic boot pants. 

Inflated silhouettes 

Go big or go home, right? The big-boss energy commands attention especially when your ‘fit overtakes the room’. As seen on the Marc Jacobs runway on Monday, models walked the showcase in oversized trousers and exaggerated latex floral gowns and blouses. The statement platforms are what make the looks, so don’t skip on those but keep them for the photocalls. Substitute with platform courts and wedged heels for the same dramatic effect and ease of walking. Good luck!   

Suit n Tie

The classic pinstripe suit and tie will be a standout favourite at the Durban July, particularly nodding the recent Met Gala theme (Superfine: Tailoring Black Style) but we nudge you to step it up with different textures and exhilarating colour combinations. Local designer Nao Serati’s 2024 collection reinterpreted the suit in a mesmerising monochromic floor-length leather coat and shorts. SMag cover star and model Mordecai Ngubane looked suave at the SMag Youth issue cover party in an ombre suit by Serati. At the SuperKid show last week, a model strutted in an oversized pinstriped suit blazer in a paper doll silhouette over a striped shirt and jet-black tie.

Self expression   

Express what makes you South African with imagination and creativity but keep it high fashion. As seen on the runway of SuperKid, models walked in a kimono made from canvas fabric with graphic paintings and another model in a hair-raising ensemble that mimicked a blown-out mane from her hair into the gown. 

African stripes 

Tell me you are from Mzansi without telling me you are from Mzansi! SA is renowned for its love affair with tribal prints and patterns. Be unmissable at the Durban July with prints that will make you stand out from the crowd. As seen at Gert-Johan Coetzee, a model walked the showcase in a hypnotic abstract canary yellow and black catsuit complete with a floor-length faux fur coat of the same hue. On the same runway, another model walked the showcase in a body-conscious monochrome tribal gown.