A new Miss South Africa 2022 was crowned at a glittering pageant finale which was held at the SunBet Arena in Time Square, Pretoria.
Limpopo native, 23-year-old Ndavi Nokeri was crowned with the prestigious title of Miss South Africa 2022, she was also voted People’s Choice.
While the pageant finale was the centre of attention, the red carpet also was the talk of the night, as looks were served by Mzansi personalities.
The Miss SA red carpet was graced by musicians, Lloyiso, Elaine, Boity, Makhadzi, Rouge and Nadia Nakai, beauty queens, judges, media personalities Bonang Matheba, Tshepi Vundla, Kim Jayde and Sophie Lichaba, to name a few.
As with any red carpet event, the fashion police was on duty to inspect and rate the outfits that were worn by the who’s who of the industry.
Mzansi celebrities must be feeling the pressure of walking the red carpet as some are upping their fashion game and serving the red carpet with the respect it deserves, while some people need to fire their stylists.
Red carpet host Moshe Ndiki, well done for coming through with the looks. The media personality had about four looks for his big night, he experimented with colour with his yellow look and he also played around with his suit ensembles.
Zozibini Tunzi – Worst
While the former Miss Universe’s mandate was to be “Grace Jones” her fashion forward look was not the one. Styled by Thobeka Mbane, Tunzi's pink and black couture look had too much going on!
The black skirt, bottom part of the dress, had a triangular shape and looked totally out of place. The bow at the back of this dress could have been a real showstopper but it got lost in the mess of the starship skirt.
Zandile Msutwana – Worst
Actress Msutwana came out for the red carpet and was all smiles, while it was great to see her out and about her outfit was a major disappointment.
Msutwana rocked a 2-in-1 ensemble a black long striped jacket that had a mermaid dress flowing out. The outfit looked as though the jacket was covering her actual dress. This look was too busy and made no sense.
Basestana Khumalo – Worst
The former beauty queen’s couture look was another case of too much going on. Sometimes it’s okay to stick to one idea.
Dressed by her go-to designer Gavin Rajah, this “Bridgerton” inspired dress did not need the overflowing cape. The material looked heavy as well, while it was quite the pageant look, this ball gown missed the mark.
Bonang Matheba – Best
One thing about Bonang Matheba, she knows how to rock a red carpet look, she hardly misses.
She wore a custom red metallic dress and was styled by Dahmola. The gold accessories completed her look and her dangerous slit allowed her to serve leg action on the red carpet.
Thuli Madonsela – Safe
The former public protector looked stunning in her emerald green flowing dress. Flowing dress are clearly a love for Madonsela as on judging day, she wore a similar look.
While the dress complimented her physical appearance, the velvet material certainly missed the mark.
Boity – Safe
Rapper Boity opted to go with yet another Ryan Keys looks and while she looked amazing, her looks are getting boring. Her black couture look is something we have seen her wearing so many times.
It might be time for a new go-to designer Boity or perhaps challenge Keys to go out of the box.
Nadia Nakai – Safe
While the craftsmanship of the dress could have been a little bit better. Nadia Nakai rocked the blue number, which had a dangerous slit with such grace. She made the dress look stunning.
Kudos to Nadia for working with young designer Lindokuhle Mnguni. We need to see the work of different South African young designers being worn more on the red carpet.
Tshepi Vundla – Safe
Social media influencer Tshepi Vundla went with a safe gold metallic dress from Bride and Co. Her glam, make-up and hair, was on point, serving golden honey.
This dress is rather conflicting, while it looked great on Vundla, it was also giving bridesmaid and not red carpet.
Makhadzi – Best
The “MaGear” hitmaker also entrusted her go-to designer B Mashilo for her red carpet look. Makhadzi wore a short playful tutu dress, which she loved playing around with as posed.
B Mashilo is doing an excellent job at curating looks for Makhadzi, her stage outfits on her recent international tour were a hit because of the designer.
Harnaaz Sandhu – Best
Miss Universe 2022 Harnaaz Sandhu of India, looked gorgeous in her Gert-Johan Coetzee Couture orange beaded ensemble. The dress flaunted the beauty queens curves beautifully and she looked stunning.
However, Gert, we have seen this look before, Sandhu’s dress looked very similar to the one Matheba rocked at the 2019 Vodacom Durban July. While the beaded ensemble is one of the award-winning designers signature looks, some creativity would have been nice.
Read the latest IOL Fashion digital magazine here.