‘If you’re a woman and you’re not into fashion — wake up!’

Yoliswa Dube

I SAW a picture of Sophie Ndaba in Gweru some time ago and thought to myself, YES! This is one woman on point!

She was getting out of a car, a perfect paparazzi moment that she certainly was ready for.

She wore a sexy red number, a nude pair of shoes, a white handbag, a pair of sunglasses, hair flowing and perfectly done, make-up and nails on point — she looked stunning!

During one of her interviews while she was in Zimbabwe, the former Generations actress said fashion kept her young.

Ndaba, who played the diva Queen Moroka in the popular South African soapie, said fashion was a form of inner expression. She said, “If you’re a woman and you’re not into fashion — wake up!” She was right.

These words stuck with me and have continually become validation for what I believe in. I want to look good and the next person shouldn’t be in doubt that I’m on point. That was the Sophie Ndaba effect. Look good. No questions asked.

As a woman, you can’t afford to be passive about fashion trends. It’s important that you always look on point and never be apologetic about being a beautiful African woman.

Many of us are not Beyoncé bootilicious neither are we Halle Berry flawless but that doesn’t really matter. You may have flabby arms or love handles, that shouldn’t bruise your ego and stop you from looking good. There’re lots of options for plus size women out there.

You’re probably wondering why I’m not encouraging you to lose weight so you can fit into certain clothes. It’s because I understand just how difficult it is to lose weight. Dieting is tough, working out is even more taxing — it might take you a little while to lose the weight you want to.

But while you work towards that, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t dress your body well. All you need to do is figure out what works for your body type. You can never go wrong if you’re comfortable in your own skin.

Just don’t go skimpy if you’re a big girl. If you wear something voluminous on top, make sure there’s much less volume on the bottom and vice versa. This helps balance everything off to give you a somewhat perfect silhouette.

You don’t want to go skimpy throughout; this will just distort your figure and make you look like a sausage, like my mother calls it. Too much volume is not good for you either; you’ll just look like you’re wearing a sack. Even my grandmother, Gogo MaKhuboni wouldn’t dare look like a shabby old maid — why should you?

Confidence and fashion can never be separated.

Ever seen people that wear short outfits and spend the rest of the day trying to pull the skirt, dress or pair of shorts down? I mean, why on earth did you go short if you knew you didn’t have the confidence to pull it off.

Sometimes a little confidence is all you need to work an otherwise over the top outfit. You just need to turn up and not be apologetic about it.

I always say this, looking good doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money.

Know what suits your body, make sure it’s clean and you’re good to go. No one is ever going to be checking the tags on your clothes to see if it’s Armani or Gucci.

Hussein, a friend of a friend, changed my life forever! Since I met this guy, I’ve realised you can never be too clean. The guy is just squeaky clean!

Cleanliness is an important aspect to looking good. You can never compromise on your hygiene standards.

This is what will make what you’re wearing appear more expensive than it actually is. When you apply your make-up, make sure the finish is clean and none has spilled onto your clothes.

Make sure your lipstick is neatly applied and not overlapping around the borders of your lips. Same thing with your mascara and eye liner — nothing is more distracting than scruffily applied make up. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you’re a woman, make a constant effort to slay every single day!

Feedback from “Stop borrowing hair!”
Hey, just read your article. Wow, I didn’t see that one coming! But yes, let’s stop borrowing other people’s hair. Natural is the way to go. Well done. — Thandie

Hie Yoli, you’re so amazing. I really liked your article, it’s high time us women learn to appreciate our natural hair. — 0776085***.

Hie Yoliswa. This has been quite an interesting read. I had no idea this is how women felt about hair. There’s actually more to it than I thought. — Bongani.

Just don’t stop writing; I’ve become a serious fan. I always look forward to reading the Saturday paper because of your column. — 0738556***.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to drop me an SMS/WhatsApp on +263738991355, send an email to [email protected] or follow me on Twitter handle @YoliswaStarr.