Media Release: Salon 58 ends the year on an inspiring note
Salon 58 ended the year on an inspiring note as Jackie Burger presented on Saturday 21 November.
“Magic is about experiencing the pleasures of mystery and discovery, having fun and celebrating the wonder of creation. Our fifth and final soirée was about embracing local design, repurposing and upcycling and creating an experience where the wicked and the wonderful collide in inspiration, fashion, décor and conversation.” ~ Jackie Burger.
In the Oxford Dictionary, one of the definitions provided for the word “magic” is “a quality of being beautiful and delightful in a way that seems remote from daily life” – and that is precisely what Jackie Burger delivered with her last soirée for 2015 entitled Magic.
The enchantment began with the venue: the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden just outside Stellenbosch. The setting is spectacular and the sculptures aweinspiring – and Lewis kindly allowed Salon 58 to host the soirée there before its official opening next year.
Even before the day, guests were encouraged to be playful and the dress code called for their “most magical dress and sneakers.”
The sneakers were needed in part because they were invited to stroll through the garden (Graham Beck Brut MCC NV in hand) as they took in the scenery and the fashion installations by eight top South African designers and because Adidas Originals South Africa collaborated with Burger and introduced their brand new range of women’s sneakers for the upcoming season. In a first for Salon 58, Burger chose an edit of five pairs of Adidas Originals sneakers before the soirée and shared her edit with guests that took them to adidas’ online shop.
“A year ago, we sat down to detail what I’d like Salon 58 to be and ended up with ‘a place of magic,’ something that brings one joy,”
“And here we are! Magic is about experiencing the pleasures of mystery and discovery, having fun and celebrating the wonder of creation.”
said Burger as she welcomed the 150 guests.
Not even the chilly weather and threatening rain clouds could deter guests as they took in the designs by KLûK CGDT, Black Coffee, Marianne Fassler,
Suzaan Heyns, Clive Rundle, Karen Ter Morshuizen, Vesselina Pentcheva and Superella, all paired with a pair of Adidas sneakers, that made up Magic
Moves, the day’s fashion installation produced by Juanita Kotze of KØ Productions. Models were positioned strategically along the meander to surprise and delight guests as they came across them, one lazily moving to and fro on a swing in a secret hideaway among poplars, another perched
next to the lily pond while yet another made a dramatic image in yellow and black against the blue sky.
In keeping with the underlying theme of the soirée – our connection to nature and our place in it – the designers were briefed to up-cycle and re-purpose garments from their archives and make them new rather than creating one from scratch. “We chose to team sneakers with these couture garments because wearing sneakers is now, it’s street culture, it’s relevant and timeless. The perennial sneaker transcends seasons!” said Burger.
Following a short introduction to the garden and his work by Lewis, the afternoon further included a conversation guided by Alayne Reesburg with
life coach Stanford Payne and metaphysical healer Dr. Yvette de Villiers. Together with Burger, they explored the topic of repurposing, whether it be as profound as your life or something a practical as “re-gifting”.
Before departing, guests were treated to a Salon 58 Magic Feast by Chanelle Schoon of Schoon de Companje in association with Protea Wines, which served their Shiraz, Rosé, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc alongside Juicebox Pure Fruit Juices as the non-alcoholic option. The Protea range from Anthonij Rupert Wyne is a celebration of the Cape, both in the wines’ easydrinking character and the eye-catching bottle designs that depict the protea. In introducing the wines, Anthonij Rupert Wyne’s Marketing Manager, Gareth Robertson, highlighted the thinking behind the new-look bottles: “We wanted to create wine bottles that could be upcycled and not just recycled, and chose the designs because they could happily be repurposed into glasses or as water bottles with a formal or informal table setting.”
In creating the menu, Schoon picked fynbos from the garden to make the cordial that was served throughout the event and husband Fritz baked whole-grain bread plates, which became part of the meal. Other dishes set out on the tables decorated and conceptualised by Alwijn Burger of Blomboy included aubergine parfait with a fragrant nut crust, heirloom carrots baked in honey custard and lemon macaroon trifle with elderflower jelly and mascarpone whip. The décor of Salon 58 Magic was created by SCAPE Events together with Alwijn Burger of Blomboy and completed the magic of the day.
As with all previous soirées, there was a carefully curated gallery where guests could browse and buy. This time it consisted of vintage handbags from Piér Rabe Antiques, skincare products and perfumes by Wild Olive African Artisan Apothecary & Artistic Perfumery and authentic Japanese silk kimonos from Karen Ter Morshuizen.
The Salon 58 programme for 2016 will be announced early next year.
Other Salon 58 Magic collaborators
Event management: The Aleit Academy
Make-up: M.A.C Cosmetics
Hair: Diana Asherson and Sian Moss of One League Creative Management
Creative and production: Juanita Kotze of KØ Productions
Models: Ice Model Management
Hair art and floral installations: Alwijn Burger of Blomboy
Décor: Scape Events
Photography: Niquita Bento
Salon 58:
Website: www.salon58.co.za
Facebook: Salon 58
Twitter: @Jackie_Burger_
Instagram: @jackieburger
Issued by Jenna McArthur PR
e: jenna@jennamcarthur.com
