Yoliswa Dube
LEADING up to the National Arts Merit Awards (Namas) held in Harare last weekend, ZiFM Stereo presenter MisRed went on and on about dressing for the occasion.

She encouraged listeners to make sure their outfits for the “big day” were in order. The radio personality said it was an occasion to which people had to show up looking their best.

She spoke about the Namas quite a lot and I was all hyped up about the event. I listen to her programme, The Ignition, every morning and the morning before the event, she spoke about going all out at the Namas.

I was always going to make an effort to look good but I decided I had to look extra nice because MisRed somehow put me under pressure to impress because she is a fashion icon herself who always makes an effort to look good.

She wore a dress by Zimbabwean designer Fatima Jeradi of Goddess by Fatima.

The awards ceremony was going to be a red carpet event, typical Hollywood style where Guiliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest ask celebrities which fashion designer they are wearing and why they chose to wear that particular outfit. You hear celebrities talking about Dolce and Gabanna, Luis Vuitton, Versace and Vera Wang among other fashion powerhouses.

But at the Namas we had fashion novice Star Kidz presenter Geraldine Mandengenda entrusted with the red carpet at 7 Arts Theatre in Avondale. She wore a red African print skirt, black top, matching accessories and a red head cloth matching the skirt. I was left wondering why she tried so hard to match everything.

Mandengenda asked people on the red carpet who they were wearing and in response would just say “Oh wow, that’s nice”. Even when someone was wearing a golf t-shirt and cargo pants to a red carpet event!

Maybe she was only being polite but I realised Zimbabweans generally don’t know how to dress for occasions. They wear wedding attires to church, Sunday best to work and office wear to outdoor events — it’s a circus.

One of the presenters, Patience Musa wore a white dress with barely any accessories and her hair had no highlights. She was just a plain mess, for someone at the centre of so much attention. Her co-presenter, Bulawayo-based comedian Babongile Sikhonjwa could have done better. Before I say anything else about his outfit for the night, two things stood out. His suit was too big and he wore a green pair of stockings with brown stripes under a black suit. Black stockings would have been just fine Sikhonjwa!

We’ve got to hand it to co-presenter South African based actor Leroy Gopal though, he got it. Although some felt his outfit would have been appropriate for a wedding, I think he did well by ensuring his suit fit him well! He wore a charcoal grey slim fit suit over a black shirt and a matching bowtie. He simply looked sharp.

Superstar Oliver Mtukudzi looked simple but sharp in a black and white suit. He had elegant written all over him.

A couple of celebrities who also got it right were Ammara Brown, Judith WeUtonga and Cynthia Mare. Bulawayo comedian Clive Chigubu almost looked nice but his oversize suit let him down.

But Jah Prayzah and Sulumani Chimbetu should just get over their stage regalia. It would have been interesting to see them both in something different other than the army gear and Indian attire.

Too many people were inappropriately dressed for the event which required something unique and glamorous. But the biggest crime I think was wearing clothes that don’t fit.

After all has been said and done, the most important thing is the fit. Whether it’s a dress, a suit, a skirt, a pair of shorts, a shirt, a t-shirt — whatever it is should just fit your body well.

The way a piece of clothing clings or flows on your body to accentuate your figure matters. Too tight or too loose are both extremes that compromise your overall look.

Happy Birthday to President Mugabe, one of the few men who know how to wear a suit and look good in it.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style.

 

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