Taking selfies at parties? So 2016!
The ultimate for those who live for their Instagram “likes” is hiring a snapper to document your social swirling.
However, even that’s small potatoes for Shauwn Mkhize, the controversial TV personality, football club owner and socialite who arrived with a five-member glam and film crew to a nightspot on Wednesday evening.
We were at the opening of TV sweetheart Minnie Dlamini’s new venture, a plush restaurant-slash-nightclub called The Mansion, in Centurion, that fast-growing spot between Pretoria and Midrand in Gauteng.
Passing along the regulatory red carpet, I accept a cocktail of sparkling wine, coconut liqueur and gin before heading inside the massive venue, which can fit 300 patrons across two levels.
Over at the DJ booth I notice Mfumu Mhinga, son of Yvonne Chaka Chaka and husband Tiny Mhinga.
Up the stairs, I greet Nicole Capper, the statuesque former Mrs SA, who tells me that her new TV foray, an off-road adventure series called Ovalandr, was debuting on DStv channel Ignition TV later in the week.
With the booming music a little too loud for my fragile ears, I head back downstairs to a seated area near an outside terrace.
Wondering where the lady of the hour was, I peer outside.
That’s when I spot someone wearing a lime green ruched top and matching designer stilettos finished with black beaded slacks leaning against a pillar and pouting for the camera.
It’s Mam’Mkhize, the Royal AM boss who famously handed out a fistful of notes to players after a match victory, in the midst of creating a social media content — with a little help from a photographer, videographer and an assistant brandishing what appears to be a light sabre to ensure she’s perfectly illuminated.
Completing the tableau are hair and makeup artists, on standby to make sure the KwaZulu-Natal-born celeb, who arrived in a Maybach, is ’gram perfect.
Back to the club, and we are served platters of party snacks — pizza slices, crumbed chicken pieces and sushi — as guests continue to arrive.
In walks a trio of familiar faces — Unathi Nkayi, Zizo Beda and Melanie Son.
Realising that these three bosom buddies have something else in common besides being gorgeous, talented and household names, I say to Unathi: “You’re the queen of the First Wives’ Club”, at which the former Idols judge laughs.
“Don’t say that!” she responds.
A little while later I finally get to see Unathi’s other bestie, Minnie Dlamini, who is a vision in white thanks to designer Asanda Madyibi.
Minnie, who jointly with Quinton Jones released a statement that they were going their separate ways after a four-year union, glows as she tells me about her new foray.
“This is like merging luxe with the comfort of your home,” replies the media personality when I ask about the club’s name.
From clubbing with Minnie and her gal pals, to joining a small, tight group of dandies to learn the ins and outs of Cognac etiquette.
This was Tuesday afternoon and the venue was the outside dining area of Proud Mary, the chic mid-century modern-inspired restaurant and wine bar in Rosebank.
Our guide?
A Frenchman whose surname denotes his family’s original Sicilian roots with a passion for restoring vintage cars and who travels the globe to espouse the virtues of a reddish-brown 40% alcohol spirit from a French producer founded almost three centuries ago.
The Rémy Martin XO Opulence Revealed experience was hosted by the house’s international brand ambassador, Maxime Pulci.
Sidecar cocktails with Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice are proffered to whet our appetites on arrival.
At the bar I catch up with influencers Gemaén Taylor, Nkosingiphile King and author Kojo Baffoe, who tells me that his book Listen to Your Footsteps has spawned a podcast of the same name in which he explores his interests in art, culture, design and business through an African lens.
Heading outside, and next to a harvest table laid out with an assortment of ingredients and dishes such as cinnamon quills, honey, candied orange peel, stone fruit and chocolate truffles, Maxime is introduced.
He tells us it happens to be an auspicious day in the Cognac region in France.
“From this morning, people are walking in the field, harvesting the grapes and taking good care of them,” he says.
Onto those tips to impress your friends — and while many of us know we shouldn’t add ice to cognac, according to Maxime, “swirling and drinking it warm are bad habits”.
I also learn that there’s no need to fork out on glassware such as tulip glasses to savour the good stuff.
For the tasting and pairing, Maxime holds up a pinot noir wine glass.
“Tonight we will taste Cognac in a wine glass because we have a right to do it, because Cognac at the origin, a long time ago, is coming from wine,” he declares.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.