African Fashion: DRESSING TO IMPRESS AND FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE

DRESSING TO IMPRESS AND FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE

entertainment news: DRESSING TO IMPRESS AND FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE

      African Fashion: Have you ever heard the popular saying “dress how you want to be addressed”? Well, this saying has been misconstrued to mean “dressing to impress”.  Nowadays, people attach so much importance to the price tag on their collars, sleeves or brand labels of their dresses. Don’t get me wrong, I know what you are thinking. I want to wear expensive clothes and accessories just like the next guy. Most people just dress to impress to show or express the social class they belong to by wearing that top class brand they barely can pronounce.

      I believe there are two kinds of people when it comes to fashion; those that wear expensive clothes, shoes and accessories solely to have a feel of that “lights, camera, action”, and those that wear what makes them feel comfortable whether it is trendy or last season’s fashion.

      Every day, I see both men and women of all ages trying so hard to fit into the society’s idea of “what’s hot and what’s not”. You take a look down the street and you see that young lady who is seeking approval, intentionally or instinctively pulling down her mini skirt every now and then because she is yet to come with terms of showing her thighs to the public. What she fails to realize is that the lady she admired the other day is comfortable in her own skin and is aware of the perks and ills of the skirt.

      The same could be said about ladies that wear heels. Everyone knows wearing heels represent that high-class and sophisticated “chic”. The occasion doesn’t matter, be it at a corporate function, party, engagement, club or even at the library. It commands that aura of confidence and high maintenance. Here’s the catch, my lady friends say it can be excruciating after wearing for a long period of time and have to switch to flats. I chuckle sometimes when I see my lady friends wobble up the stairs, being the gentleman that I am, I give a helping hand to make her give that killer catwalk that is well deserved.

      The men are not left out when it comes to wearing clothes they feel uncomfortable in, but wear because it is in vogue or as a friend of mine will say “latest in town”. When I was younger, it was either baggy jeans and pants or nothing. Oh those days! Now, I can barely stand the sight of it. Welcome to the new era, where everything is skinny to the bone. I have a friend who bought a pair of baggy jeans, took it to a tailor and ripped a lot of material to make it “skinny to the bone”. When he wore it, I must say, the tailor did a good job. You will think it was actually sewn on my friend, when night time came, he mentioned the battle he had to face to take it off. Unfortunately, he had to cut it open with a razor to set himself free from bondage. I laugh every time I remember the story, all because of a fashion trend.

      Young men that work in corporate environs don’t fall short of this dilemma. Yes, it is ideal to wear a suit and a tie, but a casual waist coat can do the trick for casual or business meetings. This is Africa. The weather is always hot and humid, putting on a jacket or as my little one’s do, wearing a hoodie can be very sore to the skin. The sweat and the itch, let’s not even talk about the smell can be very unpleasant. A race to a well air conditioned room is the order of the day.

       I like to feel comfortable, either in a long or short sleeve top, t-shirt, jeans, pants, shorts or even in traditional attire. I love to look good and still feel comfy in my own skin. How else will I project confidence and a good body language, if I feel awkward? Like Fela, said in one of his songs titled Gentleman “Africa hot, I like am so, I know what to wear but my friends don’t know…he be gentleman he sweat all over, he go faint like that, him go smell like shit …me I no be gentleman like that…”. You can say Fela loved being comfortable ”in his own skin”.