2012 fashion recap
The masculine touch in accessories such as watches and jackets, the envelope purses and the peplum skirt and dresses, all in bright colours, reigned this year on the women’s fashion scene. Shutterstock photo.
What you need to know:
This year, women have refused to play it safe with fashion. From clothes, bags and shoes, to hair, nails and accessories, their choises have been bolder and more unconventional.
Colour, colour and more colour
Just when we thought 2011 was colourful 2012 came along to show us that we had not seen anything yet. Be it neon pinks, blues and greens or bold tangerine, red and purple, we have seen them in everything, from denim and lace, to shoes and bags. The rule has been to stick to only three colours and some have rocked this look by following this rule while others looked like they were part of a paint factory explosion.
Fascinators and corsages
This trend of pinning fascinators in the hair and corsages on clothes started last year but people were still playing it safe by sticking to mainly flowers of the rose variety won at the occasional wedding. This year, fascinators have ranged from small hat with flowers and feathers on them and in every colour you can imagine to abstract head pieces worn on casual outfits.
Harem/MC Hammer pants
This is one of those trends that dazzles when it works and really looks awful when it does not. This fashion of pants that are tight at the waist and become tighter as they get to the knee, mid-calf or ankle depending on the length, has taught us that they do not flatter everyone. Some people have rocked harems by pairing them with small Tees or vests and a funky jacket while others looked clumsy by wearing them with large tees.
Peplum designs
This cute design that looks like a tiny skirt layered over a dress, jacket or skirt has added such a classy look to short outfits. In the spirit of being bolder, dresses and skirts have become shorter bordering on skimpy this year and the peplum style gives an outfit an extra layer of cloth giving drawing the eye away from how short it actually is.
Layered jewellery
Last year ended with a lot of fascination over chunky jewellery and this year people decided to mix it up with little pieces and it has worked. It became less chunky as we got into the year but the layers just increased with people wearing bangles or necklaces made up of more than four pieces you would not think went together –wood met metal, studs met well rounded beads. Even the wrists on watches had more than one element.
Bold prints
This year has seen women wearing more than the usual floral or African print in a skirt or dress and moved them to jackets, pants and even handbags. The prints have been bolder with larger, brighter florals mixed with abstract designsin pastels, metallic and neon colours.
Bolder hair
This year, hair has had a life of its own with more people opting for natural hair, the bob style becoming sharper and straighter bobs with people not afraid to wear the fringe up to the brows. This year rods worked for the afro look for both natural and permed hair, the shaggy hair look also worked for some people while more women are warming up to locked hair.
A bag, with a little detail
Forget ordinary bags for keeping your must-haves, this year bags have had their own statements to make. Bags have come in all shapes, sizes and colours. From cross bags which look like flowers with metallic slings to bright coloured clutch bags shaped like large envelopes, bags came out to play and it looks like they might get more creative next year.
Funky make-up
From bright coloured lipstick, eye colour and blush, to creatively painted nails, make-up has been as bold as the clothes. While some people have stuck to pastels, especially in the night, others have gone bold in the day with bright red lipstick being won for the ordinary day at the office. Nail painting has had a life of its own with people mixing up colours from finger to finger or even on the same finger… some even paid tribute to Uganda’s independence by painting the Uganda flag on their nails!
Other little somethings
Belts have been around for some time now but they became smaller this year with people wearing them mainly in bold, neon and metallic colours. Ballet pumps which have also been around became brighter and bolder in colour too, with most of them having more elaborate accents and designs, from beads and flowers, to bows and cute little animals, these flats have made it fun to wear flat shoes.
