The Sunday News
Yoliswa Dube
A MEME of a girl who had bought an ill-fitting dress online had me in stitches just the other day.
The dress looked nothing like the original. On the girl’s body — it appeared like it had just been thrown over a metal wire.
It did absolutely nothing for her figure. It was just fabric thrust over some skin and bones.
The meme’s assertions were quite valid. Shopping for clothes online is risky business.
It’s a risk that I certainly wouldn’t want to take.
You can never know whether or not the item you’re planning to buy will fit you well.
Worse off if it’s a pair of shoes — you can neither shrink nor enlarge your feet to slide into those shoes!
The cut of the garment may not be appropriate for your body. Maybe you’ll tell yourself you can always alter it when it arrives — that’s not always a guarantee the product’s appearance will still look good.
Even with alterations, you have to be sure the tailor knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s just no fun! Getting nervous, anxious or worked up over a piece of clothing!
Save yourself the emotional stress and make sure you keep your online purchases independent of your wardrobe.
Even so now that more and more people are taking their merchandise online because an increasing number of people are consumers of the Internet.
I always see clothing shop owners on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter advertising their clothing lines but what they don’t tell you is after you pay — they’re not responsible for how the garment looks on your body.
One of the most important cardinal rules to being stylish is before you buy a piece of clothing — make sure it fits you well.
Clothes are an investment; you have to put your money where it’ll be worth your while. You’re investing in your self-image and most importantly the brand that is you.
You can’t afford to sit back and hope your clothes will fit once they arrive — it’s just unnecessary “chest pains”.
In order to be considered fashion savvy, your clothes are going to have to fit you well and this can only happen if you get into the habit of trying on clothes first before you buy them.
Don’t get me wrong — there’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking at clothes on the Internet, just don’t buy off it, look for ideas that will help you shop and put your outfits together.
Because we don’t live in a vacuum, there’s always room for research and getting inspiration from other people.
Once you walk into a clothing store, be very honest with yourself. Be aware of your body type and skin tone. These both play a large role on the general outlook of your clothes.
Don’t buy a smaller size with the hope that you’ll lose weight for it — you won’t. Buy clothes that fit you now.
Before you approach the cash counter, while you’re still in the fitting room, concentrate on how the clothing piece you’re trying on will look as part of an outfit.
Worry about its general outlook and not just the fact that you like it. My mother always says — right dress wrong body! You may like the dress but it may not necessarily look good on you.
