adminYoliswa Dube
I SAT at the edge of my seat, literally, as I watched Siyaya Arts’ theatrical production — Zambezi Express at the Bulawayo Theatre on Wednesday evening.Just as I leaned back comfortably, a heart-stopping scene gave me goosebumps and I found myself at the edge of my seat again.
It was such a roller coaster ride following the story of Mzilikazi, a boy from a small shanty township whose ambition was to be a famous football player in the big city.
I certainly hope somebody gave Saimon Mambazo, the director, a Bells after the show, he deserved it!
But my interest in the production went beyond the singing and dancing. The wardrobe of the cast members definitely kept me glued to the stage.
My eyes popped when three men in the most colourful suits I’ve seen — satin material — appeared!
Oh my word satin suits in gold, red and white!
That was some serious fashion statement made.
An interesting remark was made by one of the cast members as part of the script. He said, “This is not a fashion show, who’re you showing off to in those suits?”
That was such a significant statement to me.
Being stylish is not about showing off. It’s about dressing up for yourself so that YOU look good, so that you’re confident enough to do things that will get YOU ahead in life and so that people take YOU seriously.
The biggest mistake anyone can make is dressing up to please the next person. What if they don’t notice? Or what if they notice and don’t compliment you?
Style should be a personal thing. Remember that you’re a brand and successful brands strive on consistency — dress well today, tomorrow and every other day. Women are especially the most under pressure to impress though. They dress to kill.
Everything must be extravagant — the make-up, the hair and bright colours galore, but elegance is couched within simplicity.
There’ll come a time when you’ll need to take things a notch higher, I get that, but in polishing up your look, remember always that sometimes less is more and you’re a brand that you need to take seriously.
Dress like you own the club and not like you’re trying to get in for free ladies. A woman should exude grace wherever she walks. You don’t have to “expose” your vitals to look great, that will just make you look trashy instead.
I know that no man wants to walk around with a trashy looking woman. Well, he may not mind walking with one but I doubt he’d want to have her for keeps. Remember, pulling off a flawless look comes down to being aware of your figure and what looks fresh on it.
So, towards the end of Zambezi Express, Mzilikazi marries his girlfriend who is played by Nomashawekazi Damasane. Her wedding attire — authentic African! She wore a colourful African print skirt with a black top accessorised with a dazzling Xhosa bib necklace made with bright beads, bracelets and a Xhosa hat. That was a beautiful and graceful African woman.
Most traditions and rituals of Xhosa people are all about what they’re wearing: the hang of the hat, the colour of the dress and the bibs, bracelets and beads suspended from their bodies. Few words need to be spoken to convey the status of a person in Xhosa society. In the silent but unmistakable stylish language of clothing, you can see that a lady is married because her head is covered. If her turban dips to eye level, it means she has just been married. Only young girls may go around bare-breasted. Similarly, few words need to be said about a classy woman walking down the street. Her clothes should speak for her.
Society doesn’t wait for you to open your mouth to know you’re a sensible person, society judges from what it sees so what you wear makes a lasting impression of what kind of a person you may be. On Monday, May 25, we join the rest of the continent in celebrating African unity. We celebrate the splendour of being African and all things unique under the beautiful African sun. Decorum is one of them.
Feedback from “What your shoes say about your personality”
Hello Miss Dube, I just read your article on shoes and I really like it but my concern is on the gentleman’s shoe a.k.a formal shoes. It’s true a formal shoe is a workplace shoe given one is wearing formal, but still one can wear a formal shoe on a weekend thus throwing in some chinos but that doesn’t make him less a gentleman, unless of course he is going out then by just substituting the formal shoes with boat shoes, he’s good to go. What I’m trying to say is that a formal shoe to some point makes a gentleman. Please, sometime would you consider running an article on what makes a gentleman, clothes vs character. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your articles a lot, I’m certain I’m not the only one. – +263775 671***.
Hey Yoliswa, I just loved your article. I’m so glad you said it all out and thank you for being an eye opener. From today onwards, I’ll be checking guys’ shoes just to see the message they’re sending – Nonnie.
Yes, MaMthembo. Keep educating the nation – Vort Nyathi.
Way to go girl! Ladies in heels rock – Tendai.
I’ve been seeing you in the paper and the stories you write are interesting – +263 783 351 ***.
Your article about shoes on the 16th of May was educative. We used to wear sandals all the time after work – +263738 444 ***.
Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to drop me an SMS/Whatsapp on +263 774 492 700 or send an email to [email protected].
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