“Mix it up a little bit”

NO woman knows about the “two-piece suit” obsession better than a Zimbabwean woman.

I’m sure some men know about it too because they’ve had to buy a two-piece suit for someone at some point in their lives.

Photo Credit: Online

Perhaps it was their mother or wife who made a fuss about theirs.

Owning a two-piece suit was a big deal back in the 90s, it probably still is to some people.

It mattered where the outfit was bought. One wouldn’t talk about their two-piece suit without mentioning they bought it from “Edgars”, “Topics” or “Truworths”.

They came in all sorts of colours; lime green, maroon, yellow, red, pink – you name it!

The designs were also quite varied, with florals and all sorts of patterns here and there.

And this wasn’t your everyday outfit; it was one of those special occasions’ types of clothing.

Weddings, church, graduation ceremonies – all the serious gatherings.

But for me, the matching skirt and jacket trend has never been quite my thing. Sort of like the whole petticoat mission.

I would never wear one of those even if I were dead! If I’m to wear a suit of any kind, it would have to be plain and in a neutral colour – black, grey or navy blue.

My reasons for this are quite straight forward. I like to mix things up a little bit and you can’t do this if you buy clothes which should strictly be paired with each other.

How many times have you stood in front of your wardrobe and felt like you needed a makeover? You’ve said the “I no longer have clothes line” so many times. It’s because you’ve bought clothes which limit your style and you get bored with your wardrobe over time.

Because you wear the brown skirt with that white blouse all the time and never the brown skirt with the pink shirt you think you’ve run out of clothes.

Stop limiting yourself to pairing specific fashion pieces with each other.

Open yourself up to new combinations.                

Being your own stylist will come as second nature if you buy clothes that can be worn differently.

A white shirt or a black dress is a good starting point because they each can be worn in a million different ways. Your accessories and shoes are all that matter in this instance.

Looking good does not have to be expensive. You can own a few clothing pieces and look like you have a million dollars in the bank.

It’s all about utilising what you have; mixing it up a little bit and people will be fooled to think you bought something new.

Do me a favour and just don’t wear the same blouse all the time, try to pair it with something else.

A full length mirror is going to have to be your new best friend. If you don’t own one, I’d start making plans to buy one as a matter of urgency!

The only way to see how well fashion pieces go together is by standing in front of the mirror before you leave the house.

Simply stand in front of the mirror and examine how combinations of clothing, shoes and accessories impact your figure, complexion and overall look.

Sometimes you don’t need the next person to tell you whether or not an outfit works.

You know that little voice that always wants to run your life by influencing the choices you make, listen to it.

Your gut feeling will never let you down. But if you’re one of those people that are not confident about their sense of style, take your fashionista friend on board.

We all have at least one of those.

Take a picture of yourself, send it to them and ask what they think about the outfit you’ve put together.

You could even send two options and ask them to pick the best. I do that whenever I’m not confident about a particular combination. It’s really okay. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking for a little help.