Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Moyo
One of the first things my son Khaya owned, before he was even born, was a pair of new born Lacoste kicks. His uncle, my brother, is a sucker for fashion and always gets him the coolest things whenever he gets the chance.
My mother, the designated babysitter, has never understood why a baby needed to be in Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger or Jordan.
I kind of understand where she’s coming from. Firstly, Khaya doesn’t know he’s in designer threads. Secondly, he doesn’t really care if we are to be frank.
It seems all the more impractical now that he’s always on the move and constantly getting himself dirty. Did I mention the habit of dipping his little fingers in his food or hitting the spoon out of my hands when he has had his fill?
Meal times can be really messy, even with a bib on, so why bother with Earth Child or Polo?
Because it’s important to me that he looks good. I mean, I can’t be slaying and then have my baby in drabs. Just the other day, I took him to a street food festival.
The weather was a bit dodgy so that initially limited me to dressing him up in a sweater and sweat pants. Leaving the house with him is a whole chore because there’s so much to get packed but while I was frantically trying to get us ready to leave the house, I noticed the weather was clearing up and Khaya was suddenly underdressed.
He was in shades of grey and looking ordinary. We were going to meet other cool kids and he was dressed in THAT, I thought.
My helper couldn’t believe it when, after I got into the car, decided Khaya deserved to swag up too! If I was dressed to the nines, why shouldn’t he? I even thought to go cheesy with it and have him dress in the same colours I was in. I’ve seen a lot of mothers playing matchy matchy with their kids and it’s really cute to be honest.
So, Khaya got out of his tracksuit and into a pair of blue jeans, army green jacket and brown Polo kicks. I brushed his few hairs and made sure his face was brightly lit by some Vaseline. I was satisfied. The little person looked sharp!
For a second I felt bad that I hadn’t thought to dress him up as well as I had dressed myself up. I thought of all the mums who walk around with kids in dirty clothes and snorty noses. It’s unacceptable.
Babies are generally high maintenance but it shouldn’t take much keeping them clean and well-polished. Pack an extra set or two of clothes in case of any accidents.
Trim your baby’s nails, clean their nose, brush their hair, moisturise their skin and change their diaper as frequently as is needed.
Although I’m not a fan, I’ve seen some baby colognes in a number of baby shops in the city. By all means, use one if it works for you and your baby’s skin.
Remember to have your baby in decent looking layers in case the weather changes and you have to remove the jacket. No hanging over the shoulder necklines, holes or stains please.
Feedback from “We need a national dress A.S.A.P”
Interesting. I remember a couple of years back reading an article by Munashe Chakaonda on the same topic. I don’t know if we will ever come up with a Zimbabwean dress/look. The closest attempts I have seen are themed around the national flag and much as I love our flag and what it represents, the riot of colours doesn’t work on a dress. — Tendai
Yoyo kunjani? You have a great academic argument on national dress. Uhlupho yikuthi some ethnic groups will use their political muscle to further decimate other groups. Instead of one national dress, let’s encourage diversity. It’s happening in other countries e.g South Africa and Botswana. —+353 8736****
Hie. I’m a fashion designer based in Harare and interested in the making of our national dress if considered. — Molly
We need a national dress for our identity as Zimbabweans. We just seem lost and try to align ourselves with other cultures like the Zulu where some of our people originated from. But who are they now? —Sharon
Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @PatternStyleZw or drop me a WhatsApp message on +263774492700.
Online Reporter