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Craig Twist
Fashion Correspondent
It’s the first weekend after Valentines where we shared gifts and some good times with our loved ones.
This week has been a roller coaster ride, man, coming from Vals, to the great news of the Covid-19 vaccines starting to be rolled out.
It’s also with a heavy heart as we learned about the passing on of one of Zimbabwe’s lyrical maestro and one of the most loved Zimdancehall artists, Soul Musaka, affectionately known as Soul Jah Love.
May the Musaka family, friends, fans and the nation at large be comforted during these trying times.
After we combat Covid-19, it will be back to business as usual.
A lot of us will be back to our daily jobs and I hope we will have time to take all our suits back to the dry cleaners after they gathered dust in the wardrobe during this lockdown and having our crispy shirts on standby.
I have been getting a lot of emails and direct messages from my followers, saying 2020 has changed the whole business trajectory and corporate wear, with business suits now a thing of the past and how they are fading out.
I know we have been working from home and got so comfy wearing crew neck t-shirts and joggers seating in front of your computer at homes.
One friend Brighton Phiri who worked for Credsure Insurance said the issue of wearing a suit every day to work depends on the work-place.
“It is pointless wearing a suit and tie if your job does not specifically requires that. I used to feel suffocated wearing a tie all day in the summer heat of Harare and could not wait to finish work so that I could take my tie and jacket off.”
Even though he has his own consultancy firm now, Phiri leans more towards smart casual than business suits.
Another fashion enthusiastic and entrepreneur Manfree Tanyanyiwa, a founder member of investment management firm Stratton Walcott, always laughed at me whenever we did a video call while I am adorning my traditional double breasted business suit and him in a plain grey t-shirt, a pair of jeans and some dusty Adidas trainers, with his legs on top of a polished oak office desk.
“My guy I am coming from closing a mega deal right now in my t-shirt and jeans, suits are for you not us,” he said.
A few months ago, Manfree asked me to buy him suits, long coats and some Chapman and Moore dress shoes.
A poll of 2 000 British workers done by online bank First Direct found that only one in 10 employees wears a suit every day, more than a third of staff opt for jeans and only 18 percent regularly wear a tie.
Here is the thing gentlemen, suits are here to stay as far as business is conducted.
Lets be honest, if you don’t wear a suit and formal shoes simply because they are restricting and uncomfortable and you would rather wear sneakers, its because you invest in poor quality formal wear.
The most comfortable shoes I have ever worn were dress shoes, some oxfords, not sneakers.
Your suit should be able to make you function normally without any restrictions and like I always say, fit is king.
The James Bond character can attest to that, you should be able to function in a suit as though you are in sportwear if you are wearing the right fit, size and knowing which suit material to wear in summer or in winter.
A good quality suit should be able to move with your body when you move and the poorly made one are stiff and restrictive like a metal jacket.
Business suits, just like uniforms, are psychological.
A suit makes you look and feel professional, it puts you in the mindset for the job whether you are working from home or in the field.
So wear it.
Online Reporter