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scenes from a fashion show held recently in Congo

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Fashion talk 263
Welcome to another week of fashion escapade. Good thing is the season is upon us. Opps I am not talking about your usual seasons, summer and winter but I mean fashion shows. Yes fashion shows have begun and yours truly has more than five invites this season and you know what it means. You have to dress up for the occasion. For those who are in dark a fashion show is all about art, publicity and prestige.

For those who bow down at the altar of designer fashion, the industry is a valid reflection of society as a whole and, for that reason, as important a part of culture as, say, pop music. You’ve probably heard the saying that “fashion is art”. And that is no more a truism than at a fashion show.

By the way fashion shows are not events that designers use to showcase what you’ll be able to buy in stores the very next day. Instead, a fashion show is a chance for a designer to show off a particular aesthetic, a particular mood, a particular feel or point of view. As a result, fashion shows can tend to be more conceptual and focused on a higher level idea.

Well, the reason I had to mention this is because a lot of these shows are sprouting with the same theme, same people although somehow different locations but you could tell they are more or less the same.

Given a chance I would just organise one big show and have all those fashion buff under one roof and designers then the showcase their wares. Another issue which need clarity with the general populace about fashion shows in Zimbabwe is “can you buy the clothes you see on the catwalk?” I had a chat with one designer recently Tapfumaneyi “Coco” Munenge who said sometimes you can.

Coco last week hosted the summer-spring show together with David Mnaba. Oh boy, it was amazing and Zimbabwe we are getting there I always say this. Back to issue of fashion shows, there are certain designers who feel very strongly that what you see on the catwalk should be just what you get in a store six months down the line.

There are others who use the shows as inspiration, a high-impact, quick fix to let press and buyers into the mood of their forthcoming collection, safe in the knowledge that a great pair of black trousers is more crucially, the season’s must-have accessories are best seen in the showroom, after the main event.

Most designers do include and at least show some pieces in their collections. More basically, we all need clothes and there are now very few clothes that are purely functional.

Most of the things we wear these days may loosely be branded fashion. The sight of someone dressed in clothing from a different era entirely would seem remarkable, after all. Enough of the fashion shows, well my pick of the week is the “cornrow hairstyle” which is trending amongst local ladies.

Cornrow hairstyles are not only popular with women but of late some hip-hop musicians are donning it. I won’t say much on men and cornrows. Most people admire this style because it’s very easy to maintain. Cornrows are a unique work of art which an expert stylist creates, in Zimbabwe the trend extend further to what they call “mabuns”. With cornrows, you can instantly change your appearance and good thing they suit any occasion.

With just a few braids, your basic look can transform into an elegant look. This is also an ideal protective style especially if you don’t have enough time to style your hair every day.

After taking them down, you will be amazed by the gorgeous waves on your hair. The most popular style being used by women is braiding the front hair in cornrows and the back are done in single braids. There are a lot of designs that you can experiment by doing a trial and error.

Famous celebrities and singers have hairstylists that can make some of the best-looking cornrow designs. In Zimbabwe celebrities like Cindy Munyavi, Itai Mutinhiri, Tariro Makanga and Kuchinei Chatsama once had ‘mabuns’ in their hair-lifestyle.

With cornrows too you have to check well if the hairstyle fits you, usually they should give you the natural African girl look. If you want your cornrows to last a little bit longer then you can use synthetic hair.