Zimpapers Logo

Yoliswa Dube

It looks like winter is finally saying good bye. It’s been a brutal one I must say! With summer slowly easing in, I know many of us will be tempted to add a few clothing pieces to our wardrobes.

And it’s highly likely that with all the winter bingeing and comfort food, you’ve probably put on a kilogramme or two.

This is really no time for laziness when you go shopping for clothes. Many of us have the tendency of looking at a clothing item and thinking “this will definitely fit me” without trying it on.

You really can’t afford to be taking such risks! You can never rely on instincts and “eye measurements” to buy clothes — you just must first try the clothing item on before you pay for it.

It should be standard procedure I know and many of us think it’s obvious that you need to try something on first before you leave the store but it’s actually not always the case and the results are usually quite disastrous.

Believe it or not, I don’t quite like shopping. I like looking good but I don’t like scouting for fashion from one shop to the other. I just think it’s rather cumbersome and tiresome.

Unless it’s shoes, I may as well leave a shop without trying anything on. I look at a fashion piece and think, “Oh that’s my size and it should fit perfectly” and I march out.

This method doesn’t always yield the best of results, trust me, I know. Reality strikes when you get home excited about your latest acquisition and guess what, it doesn’t fit quite well or at the worst, it doesn’t fit at all.

What an anti-climax!

You regret not making the trip to the fitting room and kick yourself for relying so much on your instincts.

For a moment you think you can lose a few kilogrammes to fit into those jeans or that shirt but no, that won’t happen.

It’s quite an emotional few minutes actually, especially if you paid an arm and a leg and no returns are allowed.

Your world sort of comes to a screeching halt for a moment there. You throw yourself on your bed in a heap and are probably so dejected you don’t even want to give the item away.

I know the feeling all too well but I’ve since learnt my lesson.

Make it a point ALWAYS to try something on first and make sure it fits just right before you leave the store.

This will ensure your purchase is worthwhile.

In fact, you’ll sleep better at night knowing you have something fresh to wear the next day.

That trip to the fitting room will also be a good indicator of whether or not a fashion piece is quite your thing.

In many instances, you look at something on the rack and think it’s nice. You probably admire the fabric it’s made from or you like the colour or maybe just the design but reality is the way something looks on the rack is quite different from how it’ll look on your body.

Because you like how something looks either on someone else or on the rack, it doesn’t mean it will look good on you.

The solution is trying the fashion piece on first and making sure it not only fits well but looks good too.

To a certain extent, I think the fashion disasters we often see walking the streets happen because people make errors during the shopping process.

You make an “eye assessment” and buy something but later realise it doesn’t look good on you or it’s not in the correct size; you wear it anyway because you paid money for it.

This explains why some people leave the house in something that’s too tight, too short or too long and spend the day pulling at it.

Honey, why did you leave the house in it if you knew you didn’t feel comfortable?

Buying clothes should be a long term investment. Clothes cost money.

Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to enjoy your money because you were too lazy to visit the fitting room.

Endure the 30 minutes of inconvenience and discomfort for a season of looking fresh.

It’s important to always look well put together. Remember, your fashion choices will speak for you before you even open your mouth.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @Yolisswa, visit my blog,

www.stayera247.blogspot.com or like my Facebook page Pattern & Style.