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ON THE BILL: Hugh Masekela and his trumpet with Tumi at the launch of SAs Rolling Stone magazine in Joburg.

The launch of SA’s very own Rolling Stone magazine on Thursday evening was a mixture of dullsville and then some fun. It was held on top of the Lister Building with the fabulous Milk Bar Kid on the decks. He played his fantastic mixture of old skool motown and skanky disco and had the dancefloor jiving at the end of the night.

A sushi bar and large cupcakes were on offer, as was Gentleman Jack.

Blk Jks performed their usual jam session with a guest appearance by Hugh Masekela, who also graces the first cover of the SA Rolling Stone.

Surprisingly, there were not as many musicians as I expected. Had a shot of tequila with my current favourite rapper of all time, AKA. He in turn had a sweet bonding session with Da Les, who is looking rather buff of late. AKA was raving about Tumi & the Volume and what a good show they put on after Blk Jks.

Bumped into Tamara Dey in the beginning of the evening, but she seemed too bored to hang around. My radio idol, Alex Jay, also attended, as did a lot of media and music industry types. Slikour introduced the editor of the magazine, Miles Keylock. Slikour is the associate editor for the magazine. TV crews were everywhere, so you can catch the event on a telly near you.

Alex Jay also made an appearance at the opening of the Ben Sherman concept store at Sandton City on Wednesday afternoon. According to the publicity, the shop “incorporates elements inspired by Ben Sherman’s Heritage of Modernism.

“From utilitarian black and white tiles to bespoke display units, the concept creates a clean and considered shopping environment.”

Yeah, well one would expect a clean shopping environment in Sandton City, surely.

Anyway, it was packed full of celebs including KB, Dion Chang and The Shadowclub’s lead singer, Jacques Moolman.

Aside from AKA and Zahara, The Shadowclub are the hottest property in South Africa right now. Another hot property to watch out for in 2012 is blues guitarist and singer Dan Patlansky. He performed an acoustic set, not that anyone noticed, they were so busy chatting and taking in the clothes. Patlansky will be releasing his new album early next year.

Liquideep also put on an energetic show on the tiny stage of the Ben Sherman shop.

Sticking with store openings, Tom Ford Beauty South Africa opened the Tom Ford Private Blend counter in Durban’s Gateway centre at Stuttafords. Journalists were flown to the city where the fun never sets to get an early taste of some expensive Christmas shopping.

The counter was opened jointly by Estee Lauder companies head, Sue Fox, and Stuttafords chairman, Hilton Mer. This is the second in the country: the first was at Sandton City’s Stuttafords.

Packaged in a single bottle design, Private Blend unisex fragrances are all exotically sexy and the packaging is beautiful. My favourite is Bois Marocain, which features the rich essence of the Moroccan Thuya tree.

But all 16 fragrances will make a great Christmas present for your honey.

December also means the action moves to the holiday cities. Cape Town here we come!

The four-star Winchester Mansions in Seapoint recently went through a facelift, resulting in it becoming one of the city’s trendiest spots for locals.

The elegant Harvey’s Bar overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is great for sundowners. It was packed by 3pm the day we were there.

The tour of this grand lady of hotels included the Harvey Suite, where I was surprised by an actor in a bubble bath singing Prince’s Kiss in one of the en-suite bathrooms. The finishes in the suite and indeed, throughout the whole hotel, are perfect.

Service is excellent and then, of course, there is the courtyard, which is perfect for teas or cocktails.

Bumped into 7de Laan’s Christo Davids who is starring in David Kramer’s Some Like It Vrot at the Baxter Theatre until the end of January.

The tour was conducted by the MD of the hotel, Nils Hecksher, who has a great sense of humour. He had us in stitches the entire afternoon. - Saturday Star