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Yoliswa Dube

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 lustre 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.

Feedback from “Rocking leggings like a boss”

I thoroughly enjoyed your article. It’s true, girls in leggings are terrorising us. They’re right in our faces, it’s actually revolting. – Thandiwe

Your articles are totally amazing Yoliswa. – @codacanemusic

I just visited your blog for the first time and realised I’m not utilising you enough. You’re doing a great job, keep it up. – Empress

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.