This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending my very first Grand White event. The Grand White, in conjunction with SKIP South Africa and other reputable brands, brought guests a glamourous and fun filled experience. I’m always open to something new, so I was quite delighted when SKIP invited me as one of their guests. As a first-time attendee, I had very little knowledge of what to expect, so I did a little research just to prepare myself.
The Grand White is an internationally famed, annual picnic-style event that usually happens in April. In South Africa, the Grand White takes place in four different cities; Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. This allows the opportunity for people from all over the country to attend. The dress code is generally all-white with a touch of colour, with a different colour for each year. For example, in 2016 it was the colour green and this year it’s blue. The venue is always kept secret until closer to the time of the event or upon ticket purchase, which keeps the buzz alive and the lead up exciting.
Upon arrival, everyone was decked out in their plain white or white and blue outfits. I must admit; the fact that everyone was so dedicated to dress code was pretty impressive because, more often than not, people tend to disregard it. As for myself, I wore a white dress-shirt with flared sleeves and white sneakers. Thanks to SKIP Intelligent Perfect Whites, I was able to wear an outfit that I love and have owned for a while now. Reviving its brightness and keeping it looking good as new, SKIP managed to restore the crisp quality of my dress-shirt. I didn’t even have to go out and get a whole new outfit! 
Minki Van der Westhuizen, a fellow blogger, actress and model, was one of the notable guests in attendance. Dressed in an all-white jumpsuit and nude spiked heels, she was absolutely radiant. Minki and I were treated to a beautiful day filled with fab fashion, good music and yummy food. We danced, took numerous selfies, people watched and sipped on some bubbly.
Before the day was over, Minki and I were given the responsibility of carrying out a special task. Prior to the event, the SKIP team requested that we assist in picking best dressed nominees, so we entered the crowd in search of the best dressed man and woman. It was at this point that I really got to appreciate the décor and ambiance of the event. The white tables were decorated with different accents of blue; the flowers, the balloons – some tables even had blue glasses. The guests seemed to really be enjoying themselves while being treated to the sounds of Disebo Mahlangu, Beyond Vocal, Lady Zama, Sands, DJ Loyd and Kelly Khumalo – just to name a few. The master of ceremony and queen herself, Bonang Matheba, kept the crowd well entertained during intervals. Although alcohol was to be bought and consumed from the on-site bar only, guests were still allowed to bring their own food and cooler boxes.
Another drawcard to this already fabulous event are the prizes up for grabs by the best dressed. Aside from Minki and I selecting nominees, guests were also given the opportunity to enter the ‘best dressed’ competition via Facebook or Instagram. Using specific hashtags and through tagging SKIP and Zando in their OOTD images, attendees were automatically entered into the competition and had a chance to win big.
Once the nominees were consolidated, two winners were selected and they each walked away with prizes from SKIP, Siemens and Zando.
It was a difficult choice to make! As you can see from the pictures, most of these guests did not come to play. The fashion was poppin’; from peplum tops and lace skirts to skinny jeans and flared pants, the competition was really tough. But, we loved it.
Overall; the Grand White was a great experience worth doing over again. The last event of this year is taking place this coming Saturday, 21 April in Durban. If you’re looking for a good vibe with great people, I would highly recommend it.
Head over to The Grand White official website for more information.
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