Zari denies ordering ‘shabby’ Chameleone out of birthday bash

Socialite and businesswoman Zari Hassan has poured cold water on claims that she ordered singer Jose Chameleone out of her lavish 46th birthday party over his choice of outfit.

Zari celebrated her birthday in style last week, but before the champagne started flowing and the cameras came out, she had made one thing painfully clear: this was not a “come as you are” affair.

The birthday bash was strictly invite-only, with guests expected to dress smartly because, apparently, turning up in a T-shirt and jeans was enough to risk eviction.

Enter Chameleone.  The celebrated singer, who is no stranger to fashion experiments, showed up in an oversized shirt over a black undershirt. Not exactly a red-carpet tuxedo, but also not an outfit that came with a handwritten apology.

As the party got into full swing, Zari reportedly grabbed the microphone and instructed security to remove guests she had spotted wearing T-shirts and jeans.

Social media, being social media, immediately went into detective mode.

Because Chameleone happened to be moving around at the time, rumours quickly spread that the directive was aimed at the Valu Valu hitmaker. Suddenly, what should have been a birthday party became a fashion tribunal, complete with social media prosecutors.

But Zari has now dismissed the allegations, insisting Chameleone was nowhere near the list of people she wanted shown the door.

According to Zari, she had gone to change into her second outfit and, upon returning, spotted three gentlemen who had apparently taken the “smart casual” instruction as a mere suggestion.

“I saw three foolish idiots dressed in funny T-shirts with dirty sneakers and some dirty blue jeans. Those are the only three people I saw after my change. At this point, I hadn’t even seen where Chameleone was,” she said.

In other words, according to Zari, Chameleone was simply guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time or, at least, being photographed close enough to the fashion crime scene to become the prime suspect.

Zari further stressed that Chameleone is too close to her for her to publicly humiliate him at her birthday party.

“Everyone ranting and claiming I was chasing Chameleone should know that he is my person. He is my brother, my family, and my personal person. "He has been there for me for all the years and I have been there,” she said.