Win two tickets to the J&B Met
The J&B Met is a much-loved celebration of glamour and flair
In keeping with this year’s J&B Met’s bold fashion theme, “In full colour”, Cape Town Tourism is giving away two free tickets to this Saturday’s (January 30, 2010) race, to the reader who leaves the wittiest comment about his/her favourite colour.
It’s the one day that Cape Town, known for its exquisite beauty, is swathed in its designers’ most elegant creations. The city’s events calendar is crowned by the J&B Met; a much-loved celebration of glamour and flair, which turns 33 on January 30, 2010.
The country’s trendiest designers – including Cape Town favourites Hip Hop – are already sewing furiously to wrap a host of celebrities in clothes that shout out this year’s theme: “In full colour”.
Cheryl Arthur of Hip Hop said: “The J&B Met is one of the best times of the year for us. It’s all about sexy dressing and standing out. “We specialise in the showstopper thing – women who look confident, bold and gorgeous. But the garments do tend to be quite revealing because it’s so hot at that time of the year”.
This year Carducci will be dressing many of the country’s top entertainers and celebrities.
“We’re looking at rich jewel colours, lots of gold, lots of burgundies and emeralds, lots of shiny fabrics,” says Carducci’s Marc Gooding. “The guys are getting more and more involved in the Met. In the past they’d choose a suit they wear to church, but now they’re making an effort!”
But besides the funky fashion, the Met has a heritage of its own. It is intrinsically linked to the history of the country and the development of horse racing in South Africa.
Mark Lottering at the J&B Met
Since the early 1800s, the best horseman in the Cape saddled the best horses on the Green Point Common and rode against each other to impress the ladies of the town, in all their finery. The first recorded winner of the Metropolitan Mile, as it was originally known in 1883, was Sir Hercules and, while the race had a chequered existence for many years in the early 1900s, by the 1960s it was firmly established as one of the “big three” races in the country along with the Durban July and the Summer Cup in Gauteng.
The race really came alive for the general public when in 1977, J&B stepped in as sponsor and the J&B Met as we know it today was born.
While the day’s often outrageous fashion is a firm favourite with race-goers, the crowds also eagerly await the announcement of the J&B Most Elegant couple, presented by L’Oreal Paris. This hotly contested parade offers a range of fabulous prizes for its winners, including holidays, jewellery, gift vouchers and much more.
Tickets to the J&B Met cost R150 each and are available through selected stores and totes or by calling the Kenilworth Racecourse on + 27 21 700 1600.
For more information about the J&B Met visit www.jbmet.co.za.
