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Tafadzwa Zimoyo
It’s just five days away before we say hello to August.

Yes, it will be goodbye to winter and welcome autumn-summer like season.

I know, in Zimbabwe mostly, we have two seasons namely summer and winter, not that the other two — autumn and spring don’t exist, but we rarely use those term but believe you me we have autumn and spring.

By the way, autumn is the season after winter in Zimbabwe where leaves fall from trees, although in other countries it usually comes as summer.

What we call windy in August, is autumn.

It’s also the season when the days get shorter and everything turns brown and drab, but people like it anyway, for the cocoa and cider, probably.

Again there is a question of how designers envision women, what a woman wears and the image she projects has become a political hot potato in the fashion industry.

Should I say that it is the big takeaway from the season? The best advice so far is to wear what you like and feel comfortable in.

Good thing, our autumn season is a bit different from other regions as it will be windy and sunny compared to European autumn where it is like our Winter — chilly and cold.

Autumn outfits can require quite a bit of planning and like I said before, there are a thousand colours to go for this season. Some say that deciding the outfits for this season is a difficult task because the weather is quite unpredictable during this time of the year.

Sometimes it’s quite windy but can also get hot.  People are usually in a dilemma as to what to wear in this season. It’s mostly windy, so, jackets, coats and even parkas are preferred outerwear for fall. Scarves and hats can be worn for protection if you do not want to bundle up yourself in layers but hey, winter is no longer around.

This is a great season to use accessories and cool jackets. Clothes colours are usually muted as you will find darker shades in all fall collection.

Few colours that really rock the autumn season are black, grey, burgundy, peach, fawn and brown, however, black dominates the fashion world in fall. It is the season of the skirts and you can wear anything from short to long skirts depending on how the weather unfolds each day. Another fashion statement for fall is stripes.

Among the many autumn prints, stripes stand out the most. Plaid prints are also very popular in autumn but strips are the most popular.

For gentlemen, this fall just know that the earth is changing colours hence your wardrobe too should do the same. Bear in mind that these colours should make an appearance in your August wardrobe; burgundy, burnt oranges and golds, browns, olive greens and navy are a must have.

Likewise, a shirt in summer may be worn more with smartness in mind; for autumn think of it as needing to provide one of your core layers  — so opt for a beefier flannel, wool or thick cotton over shirt.

Stripes style is not only for ladies, this is the season where Polo T-shirt should rule, just dorn one on a casual day.

My friend Anesu Mhembere, affectionately known as Minister of  White Linen said it is a good time for leather wear.

“Think edgy aviator and motorcycle jackets — if only because it’s too hot for the day and isn’t so good in the more consistently windy weather. Always carry a leather jacket as it will also add a statement to your look,” he said.

Mhembere added that it may be autumn, but don’t think that means there’s some unspoken requirement to suddenly start dressing in accordance with the great outdoors’ new colour scheme.

Style advice is always recommending an urgent rush to wear brown, dark green, ochre, reddish and “burnt” tones, as though you had some secret desire to blend into a pile of dead leaves.

“Wear whatever colours you like — God knows it’s going to get pretty drab out there soon enough,” he said.

Remember a gentlemen has no weather.

Stay fashionable and let’s get ready for autumn.