Picture is mine
One aspect of the three basic needs of man, food, shelter and clothing that keeps experiencing transformation or changes is clothing. When I take a look at pictures taken decades ago, I realize that a lot has changed in people's outfits.
The primary purpose of an outfit is to cover one's nakedness but this comes in different formats taking the culture of the people into consideration. This is responsible for having some dressing styles being peculiar to some people. Many decades ago, you hardly find people putting on a suit in Africa whereas it was popular in the west because of the low temperature.
However, the interactions of people gives way for copying some culture like the way of dressing. Today, Africans are wearing suits though some do sweat profusely under the dress, 馃槀. This is the reason why dressing trends will keep evolving and revolving. It will come and be popular for some time, then the popularity fades away gradually while it can reappear again in future.
I have been an advocate of patronizing local products in order to strengthen the economy and this has affected the way I dress. About 80% of my dresses are locally made. They are what we referred to as native styles. Buying materials and giving them to a tailor to sew different local styles is what I do. The 20% pants and shirts were even due to my immediate past workplace. You must appear in corporate dresses.
Presently, my workplace has no restriction on any kind of dress so far it is decent and I hardly visit the 20% to select my outfit.
When it comes to picking clothes to wear, I can only plan ahead regarding the quality of the material I want to put on depending on where I would be going.
If I am going to work, I pick any dress that my hands get to in the category that is meant for my work life.
If it is on Friday that I would be going to the mosque to observe jumma prayers, I would put on a pair of dresses among the category meant for such an outing. I have some long dresses that won't make me smart enough at work and this category is meant for Friday wear.
If my outing is for a wedding, a naming ceremony or other owambe activities, I can decide to put on agbada to appear elegant.
With the above categorization of my clothes, it becomes easy for me to pick one from the category applicable to my outing. The other part of dressing that has been made easy for me from my choice is color combination. The shirts and trousers are made of the same materials in most cases and on the few instances that they are made of different materials, the tailor takes care of the proper color combination. What this implies is that every of my dresses are in pairs of either the same color or matching colors.
Another good thing for me is that such dresses hardly entirely go out of faction. I have some dresses that I spent a year without wearing and when I chose to, it still doesn't go out of fashion.
The only way that I may consider my choice affecting me is appearing odd in some outings. Imagine wearing what is popularly known as Mallam style to a party. It makes me look odd. In addressing this, I don't allow people to impose their definition of good dresses on me. I define the kind of dresses that are good for me and I maintain them.
With this, I am always filled with confidence appearing anywhere even if I am the only one putting on what I wear.
I don't have any plans to change. This is the style that gives me joy and I need to make myself happy.
