Welcome to the much anticipated Mercedes Benz IMGNew York Fashion week edition. Now, we are

offering money back guarantee to readers if this isn’t a befitting finale to all other reports on the

fashion fiesta. You see, the G-Team was right in the middle of it for 10 days and can’t wait to give you a bird’s eye view of it all… and that you can take to the bank! We left Nigeria two days before the event on VIRGIN ATLANTIC; our worthy

partner. I was the team leader, then there was Motunrayo Bello (features and interviews), Seun Orotokhai (Fruition), Sonia Irabor (entertainment; from a visit to the famous Apollo, to Sourcemagazine which bought over Vibes, to

after parties and anything that was remotely connected with entertainment). Ifeoma Williams (Fruition) joined us three days later. Then there was Saheed - a fashion and style connoisseur and a Tom Ford protege. Together, the team

combed NYC for exclusives. They also lived it up. If they were not attending after parties, they were dining at the Buddakan where one of the scenes of SEX AND THE CITY was shot. They just missed P-Diddy’s legendary after party, because of a lil’ mix up with the invitation. So instead of partying after the Video Music Awards, they were content to eat yet another Chinese take-

out in my room and watch the VMA on TV. Fashion, Passion and Addiction were in sync during the event which held at

the Bryant Park in Manhattan. The first day was for registration and trust us, we were right on time. And as

we stepped out to receive our passes, the young man in charge said to us when we offered him a copy of Genevieve “Oh, that won’t be necessary, I already have a bunch of Genevieve in my office…wehad inundated them with calls and dispatched a dozen copies of Genevieve to the IMGoffice. My, we were chuffed to be so recognised and filed out to get some winks before The

Arise Showthe next day. We were proud to sit in the tent in far away New York and watch our designers in the rank and file of big players. Tiffany Amber, Jewel by Lisa didn’t disappoint and they were rewarded with thunderous applause from the full house. Well, I knew our designers would go places but I just didn’t realise it would be this soon. You see, dreams do come true.

Kudos, Arise!. They say success is what you get when opportunity meets chance…opportunities don’t come any more than that created for our design- ers by ARISE. Nice one guys! For a whole week plus, New York bubbled and the city reputed for neither

sleeping nor slumbering blazed forth as one event wove into the other. There were private viewings by top designers for which you were welcome if you had a special invitation. Psst… the G-TEAM got bounced a couple of times because the PR Company we hired was totally inept. But instead of taking it personal, we decided to get even… we re-strategized and turned up for private

shows looking so opulent that we were welcome even without an invitation. There were so many shows going on in the tent and outside that it was impossible to be everywhere all the time. I couldn’t catch up with the team’s stride, so I opted to do a solo and went to some private shows like the Dior cocktail and visited Essencemagazine. I was also invited to the legendary Ashford and Simpson’s Sugar Bar and guess who would walk in? …. Andre Leon Talley, the editor at large of Vogue. Sugar bar was fun as old and new

musicians turned up to perform. The team spent the last but one day of our visit at the New York branch of the Susan Komen foundation for cancer. We were received by Dr. Dara Richardson, a cancer survivor herself. We made our pitch and pleaded with

the foundation to cast an eye on Nigeria, especially as we were told that the association had been to Senegal, Ghana, Egypt (where they decked the pyra- mid in pink) and didn’t even have plans to visit Nigeria. “We will pass your message to the main organisation,she said and congratulated us for the Pink Ball initiative. I think they were all impressed by us especially after we present-

ed them with Genevieve. We later posed for pictures. Now, I thought I was the only one with a pink bathroom until I saw theirs!

And so it was that after 10 days of rocking New York, we returned home - not without a bit of beef and drama but then that’s OK!

This edition is a keepsake, so buy your own copy as well as a copy of Morning Dewthe book. Launch of the book is Dec. Lots of fun and gifts for guests.

SAHEED SULAIMAN TAKES OVER STYLETITUDE DESK

By the way, batons have changed hands at the Styletitudedesk. Saheed Sulaiman, who is vastly knowledge-able about style, fashion and lifestyle, takes over from our former freelance Fashion Editor Ifeoma Williams. Saheed debuts this month as Guest Editor Stylefiles. Let us know what you think.

GRATITUDE

Trip to the Mercedes Benz-IMG NY

Fashion weekwas made possible by Virgin

Atlantic…thank you Chief Adebanjo, the country manager; Nick, Wura

and Kudi (How could I have called you Nkem in the Sept Morning dew?)

Thank you duty manager at MMfor the red carpet treatment. Special gratitude

to Governor

Raji

Fasholawho surprised us with a handsome cheque and

thank you HRH.

Ugoji.

Enjoy and have a feast!