Solange in love with Jozi girl's dresses

03 September 2012 - 02:09 By ANDILE NDLOVU
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Solange Knowles wore several designs by Joburg's Anisa Mpungwe for her Elle magazine shoot Picture: ESA ALEXANDER
Solange Knowles wore several designs by Joburg's Anisa Mpungwe for her Elle magazine shoot Picture: ESA ALEXANDER

Fashion designer Anisa Mpungwe is doing "big girl things" - at the weekend she dressed international stars Solange Knowles and Yukimi Nagano, of the Swedish electronic band Little Dragon.

Mpungwe was in her Loin Cloth and Ashes store in Maboneng, Johannesburg, when she was asked (along with others such as Gavin Rajah, David Tlale and Kluk CGDT) to send some of her best pieces for Knowles to pick from for Elle magazine's November issue.

Mpungwe sent 30 pieces -- and the I Decided singer "loved the designs".

The magazine flew Mpungwe to Cape Town, meaning that she had to hastily finish a client's dress for a wedding on Saturday. "I was busy enjoying dinner with friends, thinking: 'This is the closest we can get to the Knowles family', when Poppy [Evans, the fashion director at Elle] told me to get on the first flight to Cape Town because Knowles wanted to meet me."

Six of Knowles's seven looks for the shoot were Loin Cloth and Ashes designs - making it "probable" that Mpungwe has nabbed the November issue cover.

In addition, Knowles intends to wear several of Mpungwe's designs at New York Fashion Week, which begins on Thursday.

Mpungwe and the magazine's team are among the few to have heard Knowles's upcoming third album - also slated for a November release.

Mpungwe said of the shoot: "She has a lot of hair so it took about two hours to get it ready."

Mpungwe said she was startled when she went to see Little Dragon play at Museum of Africa Designs, in Johannesburg on Saturday, and vocalist Nagano was wearing one of her designs.

"I'm having a rock star weekend, let me just tell you," Mpungwe said.

Nagano had visited Mpungwe's shop hours before their gig, and came away with what she wore on stage.

Knowles said that her music video for the lead single, Losing You, would be shot in Cape Town and use " the colour of the architecture and townships" as its inspiration.

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