Inside ‘The Shards’ SA watch party: Local stars serve 80s excess for the Disney+ premiere [PICS]
· Citizen
FX’s The Shards is officially streaming on Disney+, and South Africa’s entertainment and influencer set marked the occasion in true 1980s Los Angeles fashion.
Visit mwafrika.life for more information.
The streamer took over Sandton’s Hotel Sky, turning the outside blue, setting the tone long before guests had even parked or hopped out of their cabs.
Outside, a red sports car reminiscent of the era sat at the first photo booth, giving guests a chance to take a picture before heading inside to check in.
Because The Shards is set in the summer, Disney+ treated guests to pre-screening poolside drinks and canapés before ushering everyone to the hotel’s cinema.
What is ‘The Shards’ about?
Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, The Shards is based on the bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the nine-episode drama series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy and obsession, all while a serial killer known as “The Trawler” stalks teenagers across the city.
At the centre of it all is Bret (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer whose world begins to unravel with the arrival of the mysterious new student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere). Around them orbits a glamorous, entangled circle: Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), alongside a cast of morally murky adults played by Wes Bentley, Evan Rachel Wood and Jordan Roth.
It’s the latest project from Murphy, the powerhouse creator behind Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Feud, whose partnership with Ellis brings together two of America’s most provocative storytellers for what’s being billed as a seductive, dangerous coming-of-age thriller.
SA’s best 80s chic, on parade
Naturally, a show this steeped in 80s LA excess called for a dress code to match – and local stars didn’t hold back. They took it right back to the era with a modern take on power suits, shoulder pads, bold prints, and statement sunglasses, fully embodying the characters they’d play in this old-school, preppy setting.
Take a look at some of the guests’ outfits below.
Inside the South African watch party for FX’s The Shards where guests leaned into the show’s 1980s LA setting for the dress code. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Ollie Zondi. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Mbuyiselo Vilakazi. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Tadeus Mbatha. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Phil Mphela. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Kat Sinivasan. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Lerai and a friend. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Sni Mhlongo. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Kamo WW. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Libho Gheza. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Jabu MacDonald. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Toolz Radebe. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Inside the South African watch party for FX’s The Shards where guests leaned into the show’s 1980s LA setting for the dress code. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Mbuyiselo Vilakazi. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Nicholas Baguma. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Kat Sinivasan. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Inside the South African watch party for FX’s The Shards where guests leaned into the show’s 1980s LA setting for the dress code. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Kamo WW. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+ Ntobeko Shishi. Picture: Supplied, Baby George Creatives for Disney+The Shards is now streaming on Disney+.