Give it about 7 days!

I HAVE a royal blue dress which I bought under duress from the sales lady at some clothing store in town. At the time of the purchase, I didn’t quite like the dress and didn’t wear it much. But one day, I decided to give the dress a chance and fell madly in love with it. It was so comfortable, the royal blue gave off a perfectly classy look and the design created a flawless silhouette. The dress made it seem like I’m living it up, yet it’s just a simple fashion piece. With time, I discovered I could dress it up or down with all sorts of accessories and shoes. It became such a jewel and made it to the list whenever it mattered most.

But just the other day, as I was doing my final checks in front of the full-length mirror at the end of our hallway, my brother passed a remark.

He said, “Is that the only dress you own?” Well, of course it wasn’t but I liked it. On the defensive, I side-eyed him and asked, “Why do you say that?” His answer was quite simple. “You’re always wearing it,” he said.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the dress, I’d just been wearing it too many times in such a short space of time. Of course I hadn’t been paying attention to THAT but he had observed that within the two weeks he’d been home visiting, I’d worn the dress three times already.

And he was right; I wasn’t giving the dress a break. I mean, why should I 

have been giving it a break– I love it and it’s so damn comfortable! I know for sure I’m not the only one who has abused a piece of clothing in this lifetime. For one reason or the other, there’s that one piece of clothing that you must wear every week. You probably see nothing wrong with it but onlookers do. They notice and will probably start thinking that’s all you own. So, give it about seven days to breathe. If you can avoid it, don’t wear the same piece of clothing twice during the same week.

Unless you master the art of rotation, it’ll always seem like you’re a fashion novice if you keep wearing the same clothes together, repeatedly.

It could be that pair of black chinos or the crisp white shirt – neutral colours yes, but always try to utilise your whole wardrobe. Mix things up a little bit and believe me; you’ll enjoy your wardrobe more. Besides people thinking you need to turn things up a notch as far as your wardrobe game is concerned, wearing the same clothes repeatedly wears them out much faster. They’ll have to be washed and ironed more often. The more the washes, the more the garment loses its luster and the less desirable it will become. Maybe you wear the same things because you feel you just don’t have enough or the right kind of clothes.

It’s not until you learn rotation and re-invention that you’ll realise getting your threads ready for the day doesn’t have to be an emotional roller coaster ride. Sometimes, all it takes to look good is matching a bright red pair of shoes with an equally bright red lipstick. Instead of wearing the same blazer with the same pair of jeans and shirt, layer the blazer with a different top and pair of pants or shorts. Rotation is key in ensuring your wardrobe remains vibrant and gives people the impression that your wardrobe is a clothing boutique, which you and I already know it’s not!

Dressing up otherwise simple pieces with jewellery or shoes could be the difference between fabric “slayage” and a fashion faux pas.

Rocking leggings like a boss…

Photo Credit: Style Pantry

I WAS never a fan of leggings especially when people wore them under dresses, skirts and shorts. I mean, what’s the point of wearing bum shorts – which should show off your legs – with a pair of leggings. How absurd is that! It never did make sense to me, how a pair of leggings got into the matrix of short skirts and shorts. What are you hiding if the idea was to show some skin? And it would be blazing hot that you found someone with the extra layer of spandex hugging the body. Suddenly, women grew some apples and instead of wearing leggings underneath skirts and shorts started wearing them as pants.

Haven’t we had enough of the booty graphics walking down the streets! My African sisters are well endowed I tell you. They have flesh in all the right places – they’re truly gifted. But the trend with the leggings is bordering along the lines of trashy. There’s no grace whatsoever! Some come in colours that would leave you convinced one is naked if you didn’t have a second look. Other pairs come in thin material you can see every lump, bump and curve. I won’t even talk about the kind that shows thigh cellulite – it’s a minefield I tell you. My gifted sisters will flaunt their booty in skin tight brown spandex which leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.

They’ll wear them with waist high T-shirts or crop tops – to make sure the booty is in full view of everybody. I mean, exactly who’s attention are you trying to grab? Remember, the way you dress will determine how you’ll be addressed and the kind of people you’ll attract. If it were up to me, I’d put rules to govern leggings. They just seem better worn as part of your exercise regalia, as a winter undergarment or pyjamas even. Unless you’re model slim, leggings for you will leave us thinking you could operate in the red light district. If you must absolutely wear leggings, you better be rocking them like a boss.

You need to first appreciate the seductive nature of their form if class is going to feature anywhere near your legging look. Think carefully about where you’re wearing your leggings to and what you’re pairing them with. Come on now – don’t be thinking you can wear leggings to church and think the ladies in the Mother’s Union will take it lying down. You better not show up to work in leggings – even if it’s a dress down Friday. We certainly don’t want to dress down to your flesh! If you’re going to pull off the leggings look and not be over the top, try pairing them with a blouse that comes down to your hip-line. Because leggings are form fitting, you need to create a balance of volumes if you’re to create a perfect silhouette. Add a pair of spicy heels to the set if you need to bring some sexy to the outfit.

Asymmetrical tops are also a great way to add some class to leggings. Because most are loose fitting and hang below the hip line, they’ll add a chic look to the outfit. Instead of a pair of heels, wear this set with a pair of Chucks and glam yourself up for some weekend chill. Pairing your leggings with a Caftan will come off as classy. These usually come too short to be worn by themselves and just perfect for leggings. Caftans often have side slits so leggings will be a good way of flaunting your figure without necessarily showing too much. Another great way to wear leggings is with a blazer, elaborate jewellery and a hot pair of heels. This is a great look for a night out on the town, a cocktail or party. It’s a great way to say hey, I’m hot but I’m also classy. A blazer adds a chic touch to the otherwise overly revealing leggings. Everybody knows well-fitted blazers have a slimming effect and will polish up any look. You could even throw in a doek, just to show them you know exactly what you’re doing!  

SKIN CARE 101

IF there’s anything I’ve learnt over the years is to be extra careful with my skin. I realise that a moment of madness can cost me a couple of weeks of misery. I was raised on Ingrams Camphor Cream (the white one with a bit of a pungent smell). I used it primarily because it’s what my mother bought me. But during high school, I started coming across people applying Fair and Lovely, Lemon Lite, Ponds and so forth and somewhat felt Camphor wasn’t good enough. By the way, my skin was relatively good besides one or two pimples which I can attribute to puberty. But because I wasn’t content, I saved some pocket money and bought Lemon Lite (I wonder if it’s still in stock). You don’t want to know what happened when I applied it. I developed a film of pimples right across my forehead and other pimples all over the face. I could’ve stroked!

And this happened just after I’d used the product for just two days! I was bitterly disappointed and had a difficult time going to school because my confidence was shattered. I immediately stopped using it and no new pimples developed. But now was the hassle of clearing the mess. It took a long while to get my skin back. Good skin is an integral part of looking good because it has a bearing on your confidence and ultimately how you conduct yourself among people. One important aspect to note is that the skin is such a sensitive organism. It takes minutes to offend it and ages to heal. It’s important that you realise that no two people have skin that reacts the same to certain products. Never make the mistake of choosing to use a particular product because it works for the next person. Never be under pressure to purchase expensive products because someone said they work. They may but they might not necessarily work for you. I can’t emphasise enough the need to consider your facial care choices meticulously.

To date, I still use Camphor Cream (believe it or not) because I’ve made peace with the fact that that’s the product that works for me. I still get people, who look down on my good old camphor cream claiming it’s a low market end product but frankly, I really don’t care because that’s what works for my face. It’s important that we understand that facial skin and skin over the rest of the body doesn’t necessarily behave the same. I’ll break it down a little bit so that you get an idea of how best you can take care of the skin on different parts of your body. The most sensitive is facial skin, which requires a whole lot of attention. Begin with adopting good hygiene practices. Don’t use the same towel on your face as the rest of your body. In fact, don’t use a towel at all on your face. It’s bizarre, I know. It took me a while to adjust but I’m enjoying the benefits now.

The reason why your body towel shouldn’t go onto face is pretty simple. Towels retain some bacteria after washes so you don’t want to take the bacteria on the rest of the body to your face. Secondly, the soap you use on your body is probably harsher than what you use on your face. Again, because towels don’t wash as clean as we think they do, the two products mix on the towel and clash, which may cause an allergic reaction to your skin. I’ve resorted to using my facial soap and hands only to wash my face because I couldn’t deal with having two towels at a time. It may seem unnecessary to mention but always wash your face first before the rest of the body, when the water is still clean and untainted by other products. Unless of course if you’re using the shower. Find a good scrub that will help clean your skin further. It’ll take away the extra oils and unclog your pores. Clogged pored cause pimples and black heads.

At least twice a week, make sure you scrub your skin-gently. Because my skin is on the sensitive side, I prefer using a mixture of mealie-meal and water as a scrub, it works just fine! If you’re into make-up, NEVER go to bed without washing your face a second time. Make-up is dirt. If left on, it clogs your pores and may cause you skin problems. There’s no end to what our hands come into contact with. Make sure you moisturise your hands whenever you wash them, finish doing the dishes or anything that involves water. It’s important to re-hydrate after moisture is lost when you come into contact with water. This may sound cheesy but whenever you can, wear protective gloves when doing chores that require them like gardening or the dishes. I know, but it’ll help in the long run. Keep a small tube of lotion in your handbag for when you’re on the go. Dry chapped feet are usually embarrassing when you decide to wear open shoes. Your feet are what will tell us how much of a hygienic person you are, so they say. So take care of them. At least once a month, soak your feet in hot/warm water, scrub and remove dead skin from underneath them.

 

Make sure you moisturise well afterwards. On a daily basis, pay attention to your feet and make sure your lotion spreads evenly throughout. Never be in a rush when applying moisturiser on your feet. A lot of us have generally tolerant skin on the rest of our bodies so we don’t pay much attention to it. But it’ll help to know the skin on the rest of your body requires an equal measure of attention. Depending on your skin type, invest in a moisturiser that will adequately hydrate your skin. I like to use tissue oil after my evening bath and body lotion for dry skin in the mornings. Tissue oil is an EXCELLENT way of rehydrating skin. It’ll leave your skin smooth and plump. It’ll also even out your skin tone. Over time of course. One important aspect to understand about your skin is that it requires patience. Once you start on a new skin regime, give it time to work UNLESS if you react. PLEASE abort mission if you develop rashes, pimples or any other irregularities.

It’s key that you also realise that a lot of what your skin appears like is as a result of your diet and intake of water. Drink lots and lots of water, it’ll clear your skin in ways you won’t believe! Watch your intake of sugar and fatty foods; they have a way of messing up your skin. Another number one enemy of good skin is fast food, try limiting yourself on that. Remember always, your skin will react to how you treat it. Treat it with respect and you’ll enjoy it.

A doek is lovely BUT…

IT’S really not for everyone. I’ve seen women who just tie a cloth on their heads and have the nerve to post pictures and hashtag #DoekOnFleek on social media. But because we’re polite, we let them thrive and hope they’ll one day realise they had it all wrong. 

This one time, I bumped into a girl who wore a black and white doek with a skirt suit.

There was no chemistry to the outfit at all. I honestly thought she was just having a bad hair day and had kept my comments to myself. Of course I had thought, “This child needs to look herself in the mirror one more time!”

She was probably feeling uncomfortable with her doek situation and highly likely could see I was perplexed by it so she was quick to disclaim, “Don’t you know wearing a doek is in fashion these days?” Well, of course I knew that head warps are trending right now but certainly not to be worn THAT way. She wore it like my grandmother, Gogo MaKhuboni, would’ve worn hers to the fields!

I didn’t want to argue with her because she was on the defensive; I knew she would’ve bit my head off had I wanted to pursue the fashion faux pas discussion! Head wraps are quite a thing for Bulawayo socialite and artist, Patience Phiri. I’ve never seen her without a head wrap and I’m not complaining because she looks so damn good with one on!

It’s actually a classy Afrocentric look, which adds a little vava voom to one’s overall appearance. I particularly like the doek for occasions and the chic touch to a smart casual look. 

I’d wear a doek with both a maxi skirt and a denim shirt or with skinny jeans and a blazer. I wouldn’t want to spill it over to the formal end of things though, but then again, that’s just me.  

If you’re going to take on the doek challenge, you’re going to have to carefully consider a few things first. Think about the design of the doek itself – the patterns, prints, motifs on it. The colour of the head warp matters a lot if you’re to get a classy look from it. You want to make sure the doek blends well with the outfit. It may not be an exact match in terms of colour but the colour palettes certainly shouldn’t clash otherwise the doek will look detached from the overall outfit.

The idea is to package everything as one unit. You can make the doek the centre of attraction, let it pop over dark or plain colours or have the doek pick colours from the outfit and tie everything together. Once you have that figured out, ask yourself whether or not the doek works with the fashion pieces you want it to blend with. Like I said earlier on, I really wouldn’t want to take my doek to the formal side of things although there are people who can pull it off effortlessly.

Of course there are a million ways of wearing a doek. You just have to find one that works for you. Because a head wrap draws a significant amount of attention to your face, you’ve got to make sure your make-up is on point. The eyebrows are usually what make or break your overall make-up so you’ve got to make sure they’re on fleek! I’m a big fan of bright red lipstick; that would be my lip colour of choice.

You probably like a different colour – just make sure it’s not smudged, take delicate care as you apply it. An important aspect of pulling off the doek look will be your choice of accessories. Because a head wrap resembles an up-do, which leaves your neck and ears bare, think about earrings and a neck piece to go with your outfit.

Remember the rules, if you’re going to go big and dangly on the earrings, don’t wear anything around your neck because you’ll look like you’re trying too hard.

But if you must wear a neck piece, make sure the earrings are complementary. Attention should remain on your face, the jewellery should simply enhance the look, allow it to do just that.

It’s difficult to say what occasion would be best suited for a doek – the line is pretty thin. It’ll depend on the rest of the outfit, I think. You should be just fine if you ensure your head wrap doesn’t clash with your outfit – whatever the occasion may be.