Let's talk fashion! : Fashion gains and pains- pt 1

One firstly has to understand what the terms fashion and fashionable are to at least have a fundamental basis on the topic discussed. The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines fashion as a popular style of clothes,hair,etc. at a particular time or place.

 According to me, my own definition of being fashionable is the constant state of looking good. The definition of fashion infers that the style is only 'in' for a particular period and implies something that is transitory; something that would eventually change and pass away. You probably live in a cave if you do not know fashion is liquid and changes like the weather but it's normal as everything under the sun is subject to change(positive or negative), no matter how long it takes such change to manifest.


It is said you cannot put your leg in the same water twice. If cave dwellings could metamorphose into lush luxury apartments, horse driven carts to cars, definitely the clothes we put on would too. And man being one to put his best foot forward has indulged in wardrobe changes to complement the ever changing fashion scene. You cannot blame him as what was perceived as normal yesterday could turn to a fashion faux pas or even ridicule tomorrow, according to my Warri folks; "one gats keep up".

There is no denying the usefulness of good fashion as well as good fashion sense(not a skill everyone posesses). It has come to the notice of everyone(those who bother anyway)that success in whatever field reqiures not only mastery and proficiency in the skill, but reasonable to excellent fashion sense too. A classic example is seen in Lupita Nyong'o, the dark skinned beauty who stole our hearts in the iconic '12 Years A Slave'. You also live in a cave with zero internet access and no television if you do not know this astonishing woman and I'm sorry for you, I really am. Fashion and entertainment have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship and our dear Lupita capitalized on this. An industry that takes some decades to climb to the top was reached by Lupita in just 6 months thanks to her stylist Micaela Erlanger who along with Lupita engineered fashion as a crucial element in her flawlessly executed Oscar campaign. And of course, team Lupita won. We couldn't get enough of her with her consecutive stunner outfits, most especially after seeing her in that Golden Globes red Ralph Lauren caped dress.

This is also applicable in other fields. Imagine a doctor dressed in boxer shorts, flip flops and a singlet telling you he wants to perform a direct ophthalmoscopy on you so he can scope the fundus of your eye. You don't know what that procedure is, nor do you know what the fundus is, but I'm pretty sure at that moment you're not bothered about such details, all you would think of is how uncomfortable you are and how to see another properly dressed doctor who knew what he was talking about. Except of course, you live in a cave and that's the only doctor available(oh dear! I really am sorry for you.)

Same goes for a Lawyer, a Banker, an Accountant and so on. No one wants anything to do with anyone who looks scruffy, smelly or dirty. I'm sorry but it's the way of the world! Try as we may not to admit, but we all judge the unread book by its cover.

Looking good is always good business. The benefits Lupita enjoyed from having someone on her team with an excellent fashon sense cannot be emphasized enough and those who do not admit that fashion plays a crucial role in the lives of the successful are merely living in denial. If you don't know how to dress properly there are people who do, I advice you let them help you.

The crave for loking good also places high demand on purchase of clothes and other fashion accessories. This inturn implies higher supply. Fashion houses spring up here and there; the little shops at the corner of the street to the large scale high-end malls. People flock in and out, from store to store looking for which suits their fashion needs most. Everyone is in on the fashion craze, and if they are not the buyers, they are the sellers. When local individuals are encouraged to produce their local attires in better quality for sale, it encourages the survival of that culture, promotes self employment and financial empowerment, turning the country's economy to pure flowing molten gold of fashion's own silicon valley. ..

What does fashion mean to you? Has your fashion sense been influenced by the holiday? Please share with us!

Contributor: Vanessa O
Online editor: Ifu Ennada
Image credit: Style pantry

PS: Please the first readers to comment on my previous blog post should send me their numbers for a Christmas surprise.