IN YOUR SKIN

Defining your own personal style is not an easy task; with so many trends to choose from you can never know what works best for you, unless you try… To find a perfect fit, try mix and match different elements of each style. To create and maintain an individual style that works for you start by choosing a style that best describes who you are and one that is a reflection of your personality. Remember that only you know who you are inside, and one of the easiest ways to let others know who you are is by developing your own distinct style.

Before I get in too deep, let me apologise for taking so long to post on the blog… yeah I know, BAD blogger…Anyway, today’s entry will touch on an important element of personal style, COMFORT! Comfort is paramount in fashion; it allows you to exude confidence, accentuates your style and communicates far much more than meets the eye.

Allow me to school you on a few things…

According to K. Slater (Author of Human Comfort) comfort is described as a pleasant state of physiological, psychological and physical harmony between a human being and the environment. Slater continues to describe two types of comfort; Psychological comfort which is the individuals need for specific fabrics, colours, designs etc to help them feel confident and at ease with whatever they are wearing in context to the various roles they play in everyday life.  The second one is Physiological Comfort which refers to maintenance of thermal balance (proportionality in production and loss of heat) in the body controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain. This is the basic functionality of clothes. The common phrase “freeze and shine” comes to mind…

 In reference to fashion comfort is the relationship between ones mind, body and the garment/piece/clothes one has adorned. I wonder how many of us put comfort first while shopping for different items??? I can safely testify that most women DO NOT! Most of the trendy clothes and shoes we see out there are not comfortable, but this does not stop us-the quintessential fashion victims from buying them. A personal example is when the trendy pencil jeans came out; am well endowed and I thank my God for that and here I was fighting to fit into these little, narrow pair of jeans, which I did by the way although they kept on riding down and were very uncomfortable! This didn’t stop me from wearing them.

The other day I was walking in town (I must admit I hadn’t been there for a long while…Lord! Nairobi has beautiful people-read women), I see this gorgeous girl bursting out of her short skirt suit, 6inch platform heels struggling to walk, pull down her skirt, carry her folder and handbag while still talking on her pink BB…as recent as this morning, in CBD, I saw a group of four girls dressed in amazingly short skirts, gladiator heels struggling to their way to work…All am trying to show you is comfort is both subjective and relative. Different people have different ways of looking at things; whatever is comfortable to you might not be to the other. Ladies whatever you see on music videos, runways, movies and on the glitterati may not necessarily be everyday wear I address the ladies more so as they seem to fall victim to this most of the time.

Three things to keep in mind as you strive to achieve a personal style that is just as comfortable as your skin;

Garment: you have to know which materials feel and look good on you, materials that hide your flaws and positively draw attention to your body. For men it’s an easy task for most of their clothes are made from cotton, women on the other hand have numerous materials to choose from… knowing which ones hide your contours, dimples and cellulite is essential.

Design: ladies and gentlemen the design/cut of a particular piece may flatter or might not flatter your body type. For example pleated trousers generally make a person look bigger than they actually are, stalky and well bodied men should stay away from these kinds of trousers…ladies you have be sure of your body type before you buy your clothes, not all deigns were made for your body.

Size: one size fits all is a fallacy in fashion…ladies you know I will start with you; there is nothing as repulsive as having copious amounts of flesh bulging from different areas of your body…yeah! bras are also in this category. Stick to your size, if you are a size 14 there is no need to try squeeze into a size 10 piece (unless you have an amazing pair of spanks then maybe you can). Do not worry its ok to have double digits…zero is not a sizeJ. In ideal situation all men should wear a tailored suit; this will allow you to get a suit that fits you perfectly. When choosing a ready made suit the best place to start is by measuring your waist and knowing your shirt size. Sticking to your size will make your desired look clean and confident…

Until next time…

CLOTHES ARE AN EXTENSION OF WHO YOU ARE, STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF!!!

YOU ARE FASHION!!!

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening…

For some reason I am always weary of up coming trends, possibly because I know they are made for a particular social segment in America and not necessarily fitted for the young African woman. However, this has never stopped me from being envious of the people who make it happen. Throughout history, fashion trends have been dictated by “the person behind the curtain”. Some fashion houses like Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Fendi, and Susan McCartney are directional and take months preparing for a particular season…

As trends are set for us, it’s our job to see if we fit into the trend and if not then we try and blend in; hoping that we don’t end up being labeled as fashion victims!  Being able to establish your personal style will allow you to enjoy each new trend…so instead of waiting for designers, opinion leaders, socialites, celebrities and glitterati to set trends for you, beat them to it! Set your own trends but try and remain within realistic fashion limits… 

Fashion fades, only style remains… Coco Chanel 

Personal style is an art form, an extension of your personality, to others it’s a religion… Anne Boleyn of the Tudor court, set her own fashion standards as she designed gowns that hid her natural flaws(she had a small/deformed pinky so she made her sleeves long and flared)…this became a fashion trend all over England and France. 

Other notable individuals who managed to create their own style which was taken up by the fashion hungry masses include: Audrey Hepburn credited for making “the little black dress” a staple in every woman’s wardrobe, Ralph Laurent for bringing back wide and elaborate neckties, Mary Quant who invented the mini-skirt, Bill Blass who was the first male designer to make fashion a cult of personality, Jeanne Lavin, Jackie O, Christobal Balenciaga, Calvin; the list goes on and on. 

In choosing your own style there are three things you need to note…

Comfort: You are what you wear…whatever fabrics or style of clothing you choose must reflect who you are. Fashion is about personality…you have to be comfortable and confident in what you wear!

Your body: keep in mind the type of body you have for example, continental suits were not made for everybody… if you are lean then this is the type of suit for you. An extreme pear shaped woman in harems would definitely look ridiculous, mind your curves and you will definitely look fashionable… whatever bulge, bump, length, curve you have just learn to dress it appropriately…

Time: no matter what fashion Era you are from you have to keep in mind certain things...

Age: a few days ago I saw a man (who looked 40 or so) in supras with his jeans tucked in…dress your age! Just remember trends are made for a particular age segment…

Trends: having a style of your own is very important but  remember no man is an island, you must keep in mind what is going on around you

Whatever category of style that you fall under bohemian, punk rock, afro-centric, sophisticated …et al; be true to your style and your personality… Jeffery Banks said it the best way,”rules are for shmucks!!! 

                          

                                                              Picture of Bill Blass Men's fashion Icon

                                           do not be a conformist!!!

Dorothy Dandridge African-American fashion icon

BE TRUE TO YOUR CLOTHES, BE TRUE TO YOUR STYLE, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF!!!

OUT AND ABOUT!!!

  

The Moyomoto krew were up n about, painting the town red/yellow/green (whatever color reps for you)... we could not miss out on the biggest sports event of the year!!! BIG UP to all who came through and to those who allowed us to photograph them (and those who did not :-) )... ENJOY!!!