Success is sweet! Life is more enjoyable and rewarding with its dividends.
And we all crave it. We desire the fruits of success.
At least, some of us attempt to pay the price that makes success attainable. We lay claims to doing all within our power to change our circumstances, to improve our lives.
But those who care about their today and tomorrow perpetually pursue high achievement methodically, purposefully: by doing things that make them eligible to win.
And to triumph, they learn both the game and its tricks. And execute them conscientiously and passionately.
For all endeavours, winning requires painstaking attention to the rules and demands enormous sacrifices.
It’s the same when we want to win in the style department. Fashion and style have rules of the game laced with myriad tricks that can fast-forward the journey.
Ladies and gentlemen who want to dress better in the most elegant duds they can afford are luckier than ever. The body of works available today is massive—from the internet, books, museums, magazines and in brick and mortar (as they describe physical shops today).
We can easily access invaluable literature and images that can catapult us onto the best-dressed list anywhere.
But let’s look at the most crucial that can quickly turn a lady or gentleman into a serenaded fashionista and dandy.
* Kunle Bakare
(1) The very first thing is to care about improving your dress sense and raising your game. You must be genuinely interested in dressing better.
Your passion and enthusiasm count for everything. These attributes will keep you committed to your goal of being an elegantly attired person.
The interest will see you going the extra mile and paying attention to the details that separate keen students and style leaders.
Interest and enthusiasm keep your eyes on the objective. So, don’t curb your enthusiasm.
(2) Being neat from head to toe is the very foundation of the elegant man and gorgeous lady.
No matter how beautiful your ensembles are, even if they are the most expensive, once they are rumpled and dirty, you will pass for a tramp.
It would be best if you groom yourself like a racehorse. From your skin to nails and hair, you must be well-pruned.
Your clothes must be clean and crisp, laundered and ironed. Your shoes must gleam.
(3) Clothes must fit. They must sit well on you and permit you that air of confidence that comes from being comfortable.
Not bigger or smaller than your frame, clothes must caress your body, drape gracefully.
Proportion is critical—never too big or too small, just right!
Imagine adorning the most expensive suit two sizes bigger with calf leather shoes one size smaller!
(4) They must be well made. Elegant clothes are actually like an investment because they give you enormous value if you count usage.
You can wear a well-made agbada or skirt and blouse with unobtrusive handmade embroidery in a soothing colour for a decade.
If you carefully choose the fabric and you pick an excellent tailor, the agbada or skirt and blouse will be cheaper in the long run because of how long it lasts and how many times you wear it.
Beautifully tailored garments cost money.
(5) Dress for the occasion. It’s called a dress code.
What’s appropriate for a black-tie event? What should you choose for a wedding? How about the office or the beach?
Occasions dictate the dress code. And usually, they are stated in the invitation notice or staff manual.
Those who are rated high on best-dressed lists respect dress codes.
(6) Train your eyes for elegance and beauty.
This ability will save you a lot of pains and anguish. Because once your eyes can pick out an elegant number anywhere, the mistake of purchasing gaudy garbs will end. You will begin to acquire ensembles that best represent your persona.
(7) Fashion has rules, and you must master them.
Like most things that are worthwhile, fashion has its own rules which you must learn and practice.
How do you button jackets?
Where should you hoist your formal trousers?
What belt and shoes go together?
When don’t you wear a belt?
How do you mix denim?
What colours should be in your wardrobe?
(8) Choose timeless, classic pieces over trends.
Fashion is transient, but style endures. Classic pieces will best serve you for years, and you should pick them over trends and fashionable items.
Because classic pieces made by talented craftsmen are expensive, they are necessarily not tilted to trends.
* Kunle Bakare for Omoluwabi by KB
