#GTBANKFASHIONWEEKEND: THROUGH MY 'EYE'PHONE!

I ask my uber driver to pump the gas since I have an early morning flight to catch. The weekend was a pretty exciting one, now it’s time to go back home to Abuja. After all the many activities, food, and visits, I can quietly settle back to write and take you through the weekend that was Guaranty Trust Bank’s.

The gtbank fashion week gathered a lot of excitement, and more in the enthusiasm apparent in an overwhelming turn out, and of course the no-way-close-to-subtle shade from that other bank with too much time in its vaults.

The first day of the fashion weekend, the traffic was a standstill, turning the long street leading to the venue into a runway of sort. Nigeria has never seen such large crowd of fashion-devotees, I thought, but I thought too soon because day 2 was absolutely MANIC!

Finally at the venue, the marquee standing magnificently before me had me feeling all the feels. Built to international standards, it was fashion and art in itself, one worth taking time to appreciate.

Now, getting into the runway space was daunting; the very unprofessional security guards did little to help, no way a fashion event should be such a hustle, so we decided to BURST. Since I could not get into the runway even with my almighty VIP pass, I opted to walk around and observe fashion and style in the city of Lagos.

My first impression: "It's not halloween! Hmm, o-okay. She looks stunning. Well..." Yes, I had mixed feelings.

The line between making genuine fashion statements and Halloween was shattered and buried as some in their zeal, gave us more than we asked for.

Day 2, me and my 3-man team, armed with our press passes this time, believing it could get us everywhere, could not even get anywhere close to anywhere, as the organisers had, this time, decided a queue would help control the overwhelming crowd into the runway space. NO WAY WE COULD GET ON THIS ANACONDA LONG QUEUE! So, we stood aside and observed.

It would behove you to know that in regular Nigeria fashion, this deceptive queue did not move an inch. The unsuspecting crowd was awoken when, at 7pm, our very humble Dangote came in and that SEALED any chance of watching the designs on the runway for me, because apparently, he was the last guest. Again, we could not enter the runway space, so, I took pictures and shopped as did on day 1. It would be remiss if I didn't state there were a lot of beautiful made-in-Nigeria bags.

Now, the attendees...

The fashion weekend witnessed a lot of interesting and confusing fashion statements, bold statements that almost translated to coming-out party for a number. Serious about making a style statement, our Lagos people kept me entertained. Because the outfit is not the only stealer, there’s the attitude too, without which an outfit is not complete, it is safe to say there was a runway outside the runway.

Verdict: LAGOSIANS ARE SERIOUS!

The host bank went above and beyond to have international standard fashion weekend; the space was breathtaking, the stall partitions, mirrors and backdrop all worked together to visually translate the purpose, unfortunately, it seemed not much thought process was put into the organisation. However much we mirror international scenes in such beautiful events, it is pertinent we remember that Nigeria is developing in every sense, and requires MORE to be able to have yourself a successful show.

If you’re going to DO IT, DO IT GOOD!

Be that as it may, we all need to take a moment to appreciate the party that is Lagos, and ultimately, Gtbank for bringing Nigeria and the world together through fashion.

Not so slowly, Nigeria’s weaving its own stories and setting the stage as Africa’s fashion hub as Paris is to Europe. I’m excited to see who holds the baton; Heineken or Gtbank, perhaps in 365 days.

These guys were gracious to let me and others take their pictures, and I really appreciate that. I have my faves, and I have made my silent judgments through my impressions, but no criticisms and "policing" at this time, because like me, everyone's narrative is different, and their styles on these days told their stories, so, here's hoping these photos make you feel like you were there...

Oh, btw, the next post is open for criticisms. It's my personal fashion weekend style edit.