adminBrenda Phiri Lifestyle Writer
They say fashion is very much predictable and that it evolves. In other words there is nothing new under the sun as far as that department is involved. The coming of the twenty first century presented over the edge fashion trends. Many countries are embracing the style through in all generations with bright colours everywhere from the hair to heels and everything in between. At the end of last year one of the country’s top clothing retail store Edgars at its annual fashion extravaganza showcased their upcoming trends.
This reporter noted that the style was mostly conservative although the colours and cuts were in line with the latest trend.
One of the managers explained the giant clothing chain’s approach which has seen them maintain dominance in the middle class market in Zimbabwe and SA.
“I feel that locals are conservative. Therefore we do not want to impose what some may call cutting edge trends in fashion because people will simply shy away from them,” she said.
So instead they go for quality and classic clothes that look good for a long time. There is no mistaking a garment from such a store with the cheap products that have flooded the clothing market.
One does not need to be well travelled to see that locals are in a world of their own when it comes to fashion.
A look at some of the trends on soapies, music videos, on the news, lifestyle events or red carpet shows that bad is the new good while taboo is the new acceptable.
Although young people normally lead the fashion brigade, traces of it drift to the older generations. That is why we saw grannies spotting Willow Smith’s hairstyle some time ago.
Rihanna has become a world fashion icon with many women wanting to dress like her. But when she appeared at a party in lingerie recently, it sent out the message that stars are stars and there is only so much that ordinary people can copy.
Back home, while there is an acceptance for the modern trends; for example, the colour blocking era that locals took ages to embrace was a hit in 2012
But at the end of the day there are advantages to being conservative.
First of all you get to define your style and you are not a slave to trends that may not suit you.
Secondly your wardrobe becomes a meaningful investment as you have items that may last forever, especially if you go for classic choices.
And thirdly, while you may not stand out as the trendiest person in the room, you will also never stand out as the joke in the room.
Online Reporter