Step into the pages of a glossy magazine

It's disconcerting to enter a party through the floorboards.

But when you are settled in a chair inside the PJOlivier Art Centre in Stellenbosch, where Jackie Burger has staged her latest Salon, it's fun to observe people popping up through a hole in the floor.

Most look surprised and delighted as they take in the scene that Burger has staged.

It is like stepping into another era - a prewar one, when people dress to the nines in the afternoon and guzzle bubbly without a care in the world.

In sync with the silly season, the atmosphere is celebratory; the room is decorated with balloons, streamers and glitter, and panels on the walls are covered in silver.

The room is pregnant with expectation; every Salon is different and no one is quite sure what sort of entertainment or activities will be on offer. Well, almost. Burger's reputation as a fashion and magazine editor means clothing and style will certainly drive the event.

Salon is like a live enactment of the contents of a women's magazine. Burger's introduction serves as the editor's column, setting the tone. She introduces her collaborators, who include makeup artists, clothing stylist Juanita Kotze, and virtual food "editor" Hannerie Visser.

Alwijn Burger of Blomboy is responsible for the creative direction, and Eduan Roos of A Create does the decor.

In two makeshift booths, hairstylists and makeup artists are on hand to give everyone's looks a style boost.

Burger encourages her guests to ''play" and experiment in another room, where clothing by Gideon and KLûK CGDT and a quirky collection of shoes are on display. The idea is appealing, except that there's hardly any clothing and nowhere to try it on.

However, Visser's banana bread and cherry-loaf toasted sandwiches, which are made on ironing boards with hot irons, serve as a distraction.

Given the strain the print industry is under and people's hankering for instagrammable moments, it makes sense to deliver on the fantasy of a women's magazine in real life via these Salons. But, just like the paper version, it feels a little self-indulgent. It is not quite something you can consume in a dentist's waiting room, but stretched out into a long afternoon it's truly escapist.

The cost, R850 a ticket, is prohibitive. However, it makes for an ideal setting to bond with your gal pals in an exclusive fashion world.

• The next Salon will is on April1. Visit www.salon58.co.za to find out more