Tag Archives: Val de Vie

Lots of fun with the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo

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This year’s Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo event at the beautiful Val de Vie estate just outside Paarl certainly did not disappoint. (But I knew it wouldn’t!)  No expense was spared to put on a day of ultimate luxury, high fashion and regte egte French bubbly overindulgence… there’s nothing fancier than a real champagne hangover, just so you know. ;)

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DSC04702Now there were rumours going around that Ryk Neethling wasn’t actually going to be able to attend this year’s event.  But luckily that turned out to be total nonsense.  He was there, he was looking good and he was having a great time:

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I did think his interpretation of the “Whimsical chic” dress code was a little strange though… but hey, I wasn’t complaining.

Pretty soon he was just one of the gang really…

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Here with Roxanne Cloete from Fairlady and journo & celeb expert, Clayton Morar.  I dunno where my friend Siv Ngesi disappeared to in this pic. He was supposed to be there on the right. Hmmm…

We were lucky enough to be rocking the VIP area where we were totally spoilt.  Think endless, flowing Veuve Clicquot, big tables with all different kinds of cheeses, yummy charcuterie, fresh fruit and more.  Waiters walking around with trays of canapes and sweet treats.  A dieter’s nightmare basically.

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veuvefood2Oh and ice cream cones, how could I forget the ice cream cones!  Bjorn and Darryn downed these babies like naughty children who’d hijacked the ice cream truck:

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Hehe…

Clouds also got into the action and even made it look oh-so-fashionable as it kinda matched her beautiful Kobus Dippenaar dress perfectly:

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New accessory trend? I like it…

Other people on the scene included this awesome lineup of folks:

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Golden ladies on the left: actress Lee-Anne Summers & Top Billing’s Jeannie D; Always fashion perfect couple Kelly Parkhurst & Grant Paul Roy

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Luxo blog power couple – Elrico & Ritza. I just loved Ritza’s dress, especially that back. It was designed by Ricci Janse Van Rensburg from CTCFD.

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From left to right: Jen Su looking fresh in her slinky grey number and the gorgeous Natalie Becker with friend, Andrew.

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Lovely ladies, from left to right: Jasna from Fashionjazz.co.za, Expresso’s Leigh-Anne Williams & Decleor Ambassador Thandi Kupe in a striking Black Cake hat.

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Here with actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim who’s just snagged a lead role in new pirate series, Black Sails, which is being shot at the Cape Town Film Studios (you’ve also seen him in Pirates of the  Caribbean, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Hotel Rwanda) and then kykNET’s Kia Johnson who was looking striking in bright orange.

As well as designer Hendrik Vermeulen who’s partner (whom he dressed of course) was nominated for best dressed:

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Loved that pink & white combo.

And on the topic of fashion, I was totally obsessed with actor Aidan Whytock‘s sunglasses.  How cool are these??

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I so badly want a pair too…  And the glasses & bow tie combo, pure awesome.  Love a guy who’s willing to have a bit of fun with fashion.

Entertainment wise we got so check out a fashion show by Jenni Button showing some gorgeous (and I have to say somewhat daring) evening wear:

jennybuttonAs well as some great, classic silhouettes by Hilton Weiner:

DSC04724Oh yes, then of course it being a “Masters Polo” event, there was an actual polo match too:

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According to the announcer, this was very exciting match…  but I don’t know anything about the game, so won’t even attempt to comment.  All I can say is, watching horses running around with the Franschhoek mountains as their backdrop is pretty incredible.

There was also the traditional “stomping of the divots” (which always reminds me of that scene in Pretty Woman):

DSC04769But I couldn’t join in as I was a bit tied up with a “fan” at the time:

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OK OK, that was super cheesy, I know…

All ‘n all, this was a great day out with great people and I have to say a HUGE thank you to the team at Vivid Luxury for putting together such an amazing event and letting me be part of it.

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My peeps. I love them.

xxx

It’s Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo time again!

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JJS_1357_01The Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo has become another event I look forward to every year.  It’s held at the beautiful Val de Vie wine estate outside Paarl and it’s a fantastic opportunity to dress up, drink endless amounts of French bubbly, snack on delicious canapés and watch some polo ponies doing their thing.

The guest list for this event is always a good mix of celebs, socialites, fashionable folks & polo lovers,   and this year they’re expecting a whopping 1200 people to be there.

To be one of them, book out Sat, 23 Feb on your calendar right now and hop on over here to secure your ticket.  Veuve Clicquot Masters Club tickets cost R390 pp and includes a welcome drink and a light lunch.

There’s also going to be a Hilton Weiner & Jenni Button fashion show and a competition for best dressed (Warrick Gautier, the creative director for these two brands, will be on the judging panel).  So planning that perfect polo chic look is key people…

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Some piccies from last year to further tempt you…  (that’s the gorgeous designs from last year’s Hilton Weinter & Jenni Button fashion show in the bottom pic)

I have no clue what I’m going to be wearing yet, so it is stressing me out a little.  I need a fairy godmother dammit! ;)  But I’m sure I’ll work it out.  The most important thing really is that this is a great day to hang with some great people.  So if you can, get a group of friends together and organise a designated driver or taxi so you can totally embrace the non-stop champers appreciation.

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Oh and if you’re lucky like I was last year, you might also be wedged between SA hotties, Ryan Botha and Ryk Neethling… aaaah #bliss.

Hope to see you guys there. :)

xxx

Veuve Clicquot Masters: The Recap

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This past Saturday was just one of those days that couldn’t possibly have turned out any better.   I must hand it to the Vivid Luxury team, they sure know how to put together one hell of an event…

My dress for the event was from a little shop in Canal Walk called Daisy Island (which is now closed sadly) – it’s that dress that you can wrap and twist into like 20 different styles, it’s pretty awesome.  And then I was rocking another lovely fascinator by Carrie B, check it out:

The venue for the event was the Val de Vie estate just outside Paarl.  The absolute gorgeousness of this place actually can’t be explained in words.  So I’m going to let the following images set the scene:

Bjorn was lucky enough to score two VVIP tickets, which according to Google stands for “Very Very Important Person” – and boy did they go out of their way to make you feel like one.  Of course, being a Veuve Clicquot event one major perk was fabulous French champagne flowing all day long!

Oh yeah… come to mama…

Food wise we also got seriously spoilt, with dashing young gentlemen working their way through the crowd.  Each time passing with something even more enticing than before:

You can just leave the tray, thx!

As (let’s face it) a polo event is really more about the fashion than the horseback action, the entertainment kicked off with a fashion show where Jenni Button and Viyella presented some gorgeous gowns & menswear from their latest collections.

You just can’t beat that backdrop…

But don’t worry, there were horsies too – I can prove it. :)

As I know absolutely nothing about the game of polo, I’m just going to leave it at that…

Instead, I’m going to move on to some “happy snaps”.  Here’s me with Bjorn, who was looking very suave:

We got to mingle with TV personality & actress, Kelly Parkhurst (who is sooooo sweet) and her equally lovely fiancé, Grant, who was rocking some very brave only-real-men-wear-pink shorts.  Loved it.

Then of course also my two partners in crime for the day: Leigh & Clouds there on the right.  Mwah! Love you girls.

Then the obligatory ladylike piccie before we totally overindulged in the champers and started looking um… “not so fresh”.

Gorgeous gals: Leigh, Kelly & Clouds.

But even if that DID in fact happen (never to me of course, cause I’m an absolute angel), they totally had you covered with the Elizabeth Arden pamper area where you could have your hair & make-up done:

AND as if that wasn’t enough, you could walk out there with your handbag filled with free Elizabeth Arden goodies including their famous 8 Hour cream and some Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara.  I was cursing the fact that I only brought a tiny clutch bag.  Stupid, stupid girl…

Check out Leigh – she has that crazy eye thing going on. The girl just loooves free beauty treats.

While there I bumped into darling Sarah Martin who was wearing some seriously lust-worthy killer heels:

Amazing right?

Dominiek and Kerry from The Little Hattery were also there offering up some fabulous hat & fascinator options, which in case you didn’t know is a total must for any horse related event:

These were some of my favourite pieces:

Being the total divas we are, we couldn’t resist a quick pose-off session on the red carpet:

That guy in the background was laughing his head off at us…

Back at VVIP city, we were given yet more food.  My favourite, being an Afrikaanse meisie, was the steak & chips – but a fancy version of this old classic:

Then the grand finale to blow everyone’s hair back – hot pink macarons served on super cute individual serving trays:

Ta da!

Some fabulous people on the scene included fashion blogger, Jasna Zellerhoff aka Fashionjazz and celebrity blogger, Clayton Morar.

Lookin’ good guys

Top Billing presenter, Jo-Ann Strauss was without a doubt my best dressed lady of the day.  Her look was put together by local designer Elbeth Gillis and she was a real show-stopper:

Then the beautiful Jeannie D sparkled in a sexy Jenni Button number:

And sports hotties, Ryan Botha & Ryk Neethling were there to ensure there was some eye candy for the ladies as well:

Clouds was in this photo as well… but I totally cropped her out! Bhahahahahaha. Sorry babe! I just wanted them all to myself…

All the while my very own piece of eye candy had been collecting various Veuve inspired accessories to complete his look:

Fabulous daaahling

I think it was to help him get into the zone for the big boules tournament…

Just look at that concentration.  You can do it!!!

I had the VERY tough job of supporting him from my sun lounger, champers in hand…

Ah… what a tough life…

After the sun had set, me moved over to the Equus Lounge for the big after party.  Here people could let there hair down on a chandelier framed dance floor:

While being entertained by The Swing Tings:

Love this lady – gorgeous girl with an amazing voice

And who was busting out some killer moves right next to me on that dance floor?  None other than that Fresca dude, Hakeeem Kae-Kazim!  You remember those ads from the 90s – “cause nothing tastes like Fresca!!!”  Of course he’s moved on to much bigger and better things since then, including roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Shame, not the most flattering shot for either of us. But too good a celebrity moment to pass up.

I finished off the evening chillin’ in style on a gorgeous Victorian couch with my two US buds, David & Jon Jon:

Also giving my feet a much needed rest… sjoe

Now THAT’S what you call a successful day out.  I am very impressed that I managed to last all the way through, I must be getting really party fit – which in my book is far more useful than being gym fit. ;)

This event is definitely something to look out for again next year.

xxx

So who’s going to check out the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo?

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The BF has scored a double ticket to the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo event on Sat, 25 Feb at the oh-so-fabulous Val de Vie estate, just outside Paarl.

This is an opportunity to watch some polo ponies in action, enjoy lots of champers and (my favourite part) dress up daaaahlings. ;)

But hey, you too can join in on the fun.  General VIP tickets cost R400 pp and can be purchased from Webtickets.  Ladies, this is your chance to whip out those fabulous hats & fascinators.  And gents, you better dust off your best summer suits dudes.  (There will be a prize for best dressed – so no pressure)

The main event will take place between 2:30pm and 7pm.  And then there’s also a fancy pants after party from 7 – 11pm.  But what exactly do you get for your hard earned cash?  Well firstly you’ll enjoy a glass of wine on arrival plus a ‘before polo tea’ (I’m not exactly sure what that is – but it sounds delicious. hehe). You also get access to the Elizabeth Arden Pamper House where make up & hair specialists will be on hand to spruce up your look.

As part of the afternoon entertainment, there will be a French style ‘Pétanque’ boules tournament which I understand was pretty cut-throat last year.  So make sure you warm up properly before hand and put on your “game face”…  I’m super competitive, so just a heads up, if things go badly for me I’ll likely beat someone with the boules ball in a fit of rage.  (but while still looking totally ladylike in my bestest polo outfit of course)

Then to wrap up the day, you will move to the ‘Equus Lounge’ after party where top SA band, Goodluck, will be getting you to shake your boo-tey on the dance floor.  

Sounds pretty awesome right?  Carrie B has been kind enough to let me borrow one of her more over-the-top cocktail hats for the event.  Now I just have to find something to match the hat… hmmmm.

So anyhoo, mull it over and maybe I’ll see you guys there?

xxx