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The sports presenter that jumped the broom can be mistaken for a choir director at a football match. Opps! He forgot not only the price tag but to remove the loud label which was screaming for help in the 18 area

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Fashion Talk 263
Happy weekend and what’s the word when it comes to what is in your closet. One good thing you need to know is that fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself. In Agenda, famous Miniya Chatterji wrote that fashion is not frivolous; the social, cultural, and historical transformations are reflected in changing dress forms.

Fashion is of course one of the most notable ways individuals express themselves. But it should also be fun and carefree.Anyway, how you dress speaks volumes of your appearance.

It is a fact that fashion and television go hand in hand. When you are presenting for television remember the goal is to visually captivate your audience so they will stay actively engaged in listening to your message.

Dressing for television is very different from what you might wear to a conference, church, wedding or an in-person interview.I laughed my lungs out after last weekend’s sports edition on ZBC TV news, when the presenter was dressed in a “bow-tie shirt”, sleek red tie with a matching lapel.

By the way the bow-tie shirt is famous for going to an awards show, wedding, cocktail or ball show.Gosh, for all the sections, sports for that matter, he would have got away with it, if it was the business or main news.

The issue was later taken to the social media by some fanatics who blasted the presenter for such dress sense.We always cry foul that we are not developing but some of these things need no journalism background but a sober mind considering we are now in the 21st century.

To make matters worse, he forgot to remove the suit tag on the arm.

Who still does that?
He can get away with that because everything fitted perfectly, but it was for the wrong event.Someone tweeted that: “Did the presenter forget to remove the tag, or was he coming from a wedding and forgot to remove the lapel and all?”

The challenge is you end up raising questions like, was it a borrowed suit that needs to be taken back on the mannequin.I think ZBC TV now needs a stylist not only for set but for some of the “hurriedly-dressed” presenters. For how long should we continue blaming ourselves yet we know the cause. Dressing for television is easy because first, you need to take into account the context of your televised appearance, then find out the show’s studio setting.

Remember the camera doesn’t just make you look 5kg, heavier — thanks to high-definition — but it also picks up every minute detail.That means you must pay special attention to a few wardrobe details.

The crash course version is to really focus on the fit of your garments.For ladies, the best option is a fitted sheath dress.This style flatters most body types best, prevents excess fabric from being a visual distraction to the audience and still allows room for a mic pack.

For gents, try select blazers with moderate to slim lapels when wearing a traditional suit. Colour is crucial.It should enliven your skin tone as well as complement the studio setting backdrop.

Solid-coloured, saturated blues and greens are the gold standard. Avoid white and bold prints and patterns. Keep jewellery to a minimum.Opt for a high-scoop neckline for up-close camera shots.

Tip from the fashion police officer Mr Presenter — you are allowed to watch other shows and see how they dress. Still in that sense, I was also invited to Boss Spencer Madziya’s birthday bash held at The Volt.

The event was a star-studded which ran under the theme “red and black, red carpet affair”.So what came to my mind was do people know the meaning of what is required at a party or they take it for granted. Very few celebrities managed to pull it through as some decided to be in their shaggy, teared up blue jeans, blue suits, brown coudroy jackets and neon shoes.

The list is endless and for the record I won’t say names but our local celebrities, we are watching you and try practise what you preach in your music and career so that it follows you. With those who broke the law, the event was a disaster instead of dessert.Make sure what you wear symbolises yourself.

Star of the week
Local model cum designer Ngoni Motsi is an all round creative who grew up in Gweru whose one-year-old fashion label called Chenna Nenni has so far caused a stir during some of the local fashion shows held recently.

Chenna Nenni is a ready-to-wear and bridal collection.Recently, it was part of The September Issue fashion show and has dressed Ammara Brown and Tytan’s on their hit video “Mukoko”, Miss UZ 2016, popular fashion blogger Hollywood Lee, Emilia Partrick and hip-hop queen Dice among others.

Motsi also owns and runs Zimbabwe Fashion Magazine; a magazine that shows the world what Zimbabwe has to offer in terms of fashion.Through fashion he started a charity organisation with his mother, Young Offenders Getting Empowered, YOGE, an organisation set to help young offenders in and out of prison.

He buys fabric in Zambia and Tanzania, apart from local. Asked where he draws his fashion sense, Motsi said it is derived from love of colour and basically not wanting to wear something ordinary.

“I love experimenting a lot with my clothes, which I started when I was a kid. My mom bought me a pair of Phat Farm jeans and they couldn’t fit, so I ripped the seems, but unfortunately I could no sew them back because I only realised later that an ordinary needle could not pierce an original Phat Farm jean, plus even if it could, I could not sew much.

“I’m inspired by they way people smile, dance and pose imagining they are big models at a big photo-shoot after I dress them,” he said. Motsi’s role model is US singer and fashion label host Kanye West

He said the local fashion industry can be changed if people could change their mindset towards our own local designers.“Most people prefer international labels. Unfortunately in any case a lot of them are fakes being made in China that are being sold for a cheap price in Zimbabwe, for example the Rihanna Creeper is going for $120, but you can get it for $40. But tell a client your shirt is $30 then they call it expensive when it is an original and tailor made.

“If people could appreciate us more, instead of ‘mabhero’, even on occasions, Zimbabwe’s fashion industry could change for the better,” he lamented.