EVER
notice how important events which require killer threads always come up when
you’ve got nothing in your wallet? It
happened to me just last week when I had the attend the National Journalism And
Media Awards in Harare. I
wasn’t prepared to spend any money neither did I have anything worthy of the
event in my wardrobe. Well, I thought I didn’t. It
wasn’t even month-end yet, my hair wasn’t due for another two weeks! Just as
well I’d done my nails the week before.
On
top of not having anything special to wear, I didn’t have the time to find
something decent on a budget. I
pretty much had 24 hours to figure it out. Of course I panicked a little; I
needed to think carefully about the look I wanted and how I was going to do it
with no money in my wallet. My
first instinct was to decide, which among the pairs of shoes I already own, would
do the trick. Of
course there were quite a few options to consider so I really wasn’t about to
buy a new pair of shoes! We
all have those couple of pairs which swing a million ways – to work, church,
the club – pretty much anyway that requires A-list game.
So
I decided I’d wear the gold heels – they’d be perfect for an evening do, I
thought. With
that figured out, the next thing was to decide what goes well with gold. And
that’s easy – black! I needed to get myself a black dress. I
already had one in my wardrobe but its pencil and sleeveless – it wasn’t
exactly what I wanted. I
needed to look all shades of classy and not worry about whether or not the
dress was too tight or showing too much skin. I
was going to be meeting one of the country’s Vice President after all; surely I
had to smash it!
Lace
is elegant and I knew no other material would spell class as well as lace
would. I
pulled out a picture from the Internet and sent it to my sister who would show
it to her trusted tailor. The
tailor, Cathy, would sew me the dress overnight and have it ready for fitting
the following morning, when I arrived in Harare. The
event was starting at 6.30pm on the day I was arriving in Harare and fitting
the dress. This
was one of the biggest fashion risks I’ve ever taken in my life! I really
wouldn’t recommend anyone to do the same.
It’s
nerve wrecking and there’s always the possibility that your vision won’t come
to life. I
took the risk anyway but me being me, I’d packed an emergency dress – in case
Cathy disappointed me. I’d
settled for a round neck dress with a lace bodice, three-quarter lace sleeves
and a tulle skirt.
Tulle
is a hot fashion trend right now – I thought it would bring some funk to the
look. Plus,
it fits loosely on the body; I wouldn’t worry about who’s looking at my booty.
The lace bodice would be the focus of the dress with the difference between the
two fabric textures drawing attention to the waist area where they join. The
dress cost me – wait for it, $39! A similar dress would’ve cost me between $150
and $600 had I thought of myself as high and mighty and walked into some
clothing shop to buy a dress.
That
would’ve been such an unnecessary expense, considering there was a cheaper
option available. I know a lot of women do this but never get yourself into
debt just for a fashion piece – look at what you already have or other equally good
options which are within your means. So,
I’d accessorise the dress with a pair of gold earrings and a gold big-face
watch, which I already owned. I went for the most simple of hairstyles. For
$10, I had my hair in a bun – to show off my jewellery, face and that lace
bodice I wanted so much. Of course I
needed some elaborate make-up – I got a friend to do that for me – for free!That was some $30 saved.
We
all have that one useful friend, make use of them already. With everything
having come together well, thankfully – I looked like a million bucks, if I may
say so myself. Understand
that you don’t have to always part with your hard earned cash to look good. For
your next event, look around you and open your eyes to the gems you already
have in your wardrobe. You’ll be surprised what magic you can work without
spending a cent.
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