Sands Through the Hourglass

Style is both significant and frivolous because it depends on the life you lead and your purchasing power. There are individuals who regularly wear sweat tops and comfy sneakers, switching between cargos or tracksuits- and can present as luxury, elevated casual or casual wear. Some ladies are known to only wear dresses and skirts and appear as ‘traditional’ or ‘classy’. And what of the average person walking around in the city centre or at shopping malls- wearing a wide variety of tops and pairs of jeans. We couldn’t categorically say that one has style and the other doesn’t. That is because style is about having a distinctive appearance or natural inclination toward wearing specific types of garments. Unfortunately, retail and capitalism have since captured the concept to drive an ideal appearance of luxury and individualism-instigating a culture of spending and overrating brands. Fashion trends are no different as they were more of a reflection of political revolutions, capitalism, technological development and changes in social dynamics- than they were about individual preferences.

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The 80’s were marked by the wearing of bright or neon colours, oversized clothing and athletic pieces like swimming costumes, leg warmers and tights. Here in Africa, you are almost certain to find pictures of our parent’s generation wearing bold and colourful prints to parties and shoulder padded power suits for special occasions. The 90’s saw the rise of minimalistic, skin showing clothes like slip dresses and crop tops- along with baggy jeans, streetwear and denim which were popularised by genres like Hip-Hop and R&B. In South Africa, the Kwaito influence was evident with bucket hats and streetwear. And the 2000’s saw the domination of denim outfits and boho-chic which transcended races and cultures. In specific regions within Africa, Ankara prints were gaining popularity as tailors were creating pieces that blended prints with western styles signifying the ownership of culture and heritage. The current fashion trend is characterised by nostalgia (with the small shoulder bags), gender neutrality (oversized tops) and athleisure.

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All things considered, we forget how impressionable we are to celebrity culture and capitalism and can easily believe that what we desire is not influenced by external forces. And this just may be why so many people think they have style, when they are simply wearing what is on trend. So yes- the average joe who always wears jeans and a sweater top with sneakers, or women who prefer to wear dresses and headwraps have pinned down their style and it’s okay if that style is not to your liking. Ultimately, your style may not be to theirs. This week I wore my Navy Melton Coat with my White Bodysuit, Ripped Skinny Jeans, and White Sneakers, for what some may call elevated casual.

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Yours stylishly,

akoss...