Yoliswa Dube
MY friends think I’m crazy because I keep a notebook with a list of “things to do”.
Every morning, I make a conscious decision to write down what I need to get done on that particular day. As the day progresses, I take note of what I’ve accomplished. My friends think I’m weird but I think I’m pretty normal because I sleep better at night knowing I’ve done something productive.

Of course the system is not always 100 percent effective because sometimes events overtake the list of “things to do” and the list is carried over to the next day but it generally works for me nonetheless.

It’s not only work stuff or personal errands that I want to keep at the back of my mind, I also think about what to wear the next day virtually every evening.

I think about the options based on the weather; have something planned out for either the heat or a chilly day.

Rarely do I ever stand in front of my wardrobe in the morning and crack my head on what to wear.

A few days ago, I was talking to a friend on the phone who could tell I was doing something and was shocked when I said I was trying to decide on what to wear the next day.

I distinctly remember him saying, “Some of us wear whatever is available on the day”. Well, I thought, you’ll have wardrobe malfunctions too often if you operate that way!

Planning is especially vital for important events such as weddings, dinners or cocktails.

Miss Zimbabwe will be crowned at Mermaid Pools in Shamva today and in all fairness, this is one event that requires serious planning.

The invitation card said the event would be black tie and women would not be allowed to wear African attires or “costumes”. I thought it was hilarious, we all did — no African attire/costumes — but then again, it’s all about standards and ambience.

When the dress code to an event says “black tie”,      for men it means wear a dark suit or tuxedo, white shirt and black tie and it’s all about elegance in gowns for the ladies.

Zimbabwe Style Icon 2014 Craig Zoowie was so excited about the pageant and asked what I’d wear.

I told him I’d go for a yellow mermaid gown with a lace bodice and have my hair jelled up in a bun.

His response to the jell up killed me, “No! No! No! No! This is the 21st century, you can’t do a jell up, I’ll tweet about you if you do!” said Zoowie.

For a minute I thought he was kidding but later realised he was dead serious.

He recommended box braids in a bun instead. For the record, I think there is nothing wrong with a jell up, if anything, it’s a classic hairstyle — it all depends on how it’s done.

Although the gown would be long, I needed a decent pair of shoes and simple jewellery; focus should be on the dress, Zoowie and I agreed.

This was all part of the planning process — consultation is important. I think too many people fail to plan in advance on what to wear for certain events and end up showing up in whatever they lay their hands on.

Because you’re stressed and cash-strapped by the time the event comes, you end up wearing a pair of jeans to a wedding when you could have saved some money and made plans to buy or get a dress made.

You’re invited to a wedding well in advance; you know you’re going to the wedding but fail to plan on what to wear until the day before the wedding. You rock up wearing an odd looking suit when you could have invested in a new shirt that could have polished your look.

Planning helps ease the pressure and gives you a rough idea of how much money you’d need to spend to achieve the look you want. Take time to plan for important events and make sure you rise to the occasion when the time comes.

It’s quite simple — when you fail to plan, expect to fail.

Last week’s feedback on “. . . when rocking a bell bottom was cool”

I liked the article in which you were talking about abusing your mother’s photo album, I really enjoyed it. — N Mpofu

I had fun reading one of your articles when I was in Zimbabwe. Very cool articles. Can you send me the watch one? — Zwelani Maphosa

Hey lady! I really like your articles. Please address the issue of shaving armpits. And people also shouldn’t misuse the Cassper Nyovest dressing coz yooo abanye they really look scruffy and awful in socks and chuck tailors! — 0783 204 899

I really enjoy your column, when and how do you think of the things you write about? I saw the watch one ndikangoti hokoyo!  — Ellen

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to drop me an SMS/Whatsapp on +263774 492 700.

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