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Pattern and Style, Yoliswa Dube

Nothing is as depressing as feeling like you’ve no stylish clothes to wear.

Everyday is a struggle between looking fresh and feeling good.

Often you stand in front of a wardrobe full of clothes but you feel like you have no clothes decent enough to wear.

You flip through every hanger to check exactly what’s there, in case you missed something but there’s nothing new to captivate your heart a second time.

It stirs up some impatience in you and even gets you a little agitated.

Time is usually not on your side on such a day — the pressure mounts and your stress levels begin to peak.

Now you stand akimbo and simply stare at your clothes clueless on what your next move will be.

It’s not until you learn rotation and re-invention that you 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 give 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.

My all-time favourite re-invention is dressing up an otherwise ordinary old checked or denim shirt.

If done well, this is a look you can pull off to so many spaces you won’t believe it.

The trick is in how you decide to layer the shirt, your choice of pants and of course the shoes.

I can’t emphasise the importance of the shoes enough. In most instances, your shoes will either make or break your outfit.

A checked or denim shirt can be paired with denims that have a clean wash and a pair of heels.

An ordinary looking combo — jeans and shirt — can be dressed up by a pair of heels. The shoes will add some vava voom to an otherwise boring combination.

Bring some sexy back with a pair of shorts, a checked shirt and strappy sandals or sneaks.

Depending on what tickles your fancy — a pair of Converse All Stars or air force sneaks will do the trick.

This can’t be any kind of shorts by the way — certainly not one of those that are knee high.

I’m talking something a little shorter, if your body allows it of course.

A white vest and the shirt either buttoned half-way through or tied around your waist is unbelievably fashionable.

Of course you don’t want to go around with the shirt around the waist.

Don’t tie it like my late grandmother, Gogo MaKhuboni, would do after a long day in the fields.

On a blazing hot day, she’d come back to the homestead with her jersey or extra layers scruffily tied around her waist.

Pay meticulous attention to how you tie the shirt. Cut yourself some slack in this heat and dress up what you already have. No one will know how old the fashion piece is if you dress it well.

Feedback from “It takes a certain kind of man . . .”

The reason why Zimbabwean men fail to put up a well groomed look is because of scarce resources. I don’t know if you have realised how hard it is to get a decent piece of good quality clothing especially in Bulawayo. You literally have to criss-cross the whole city before you can get your hands on something of “good quality standard’’, not to mention that it will cost you an arm and a leg to get. Nonetheless what an immaculate article, though some of the points you made would have hit home if you had used more visuals to benefit some of our “not so fashion conscious” brothers. Otherwise well done. — Son of the Soil

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.