The Cuteness Factor

4 June 2011

My friend Marie and I have a cuteness rating factor of clothes here in Dar.  We can mention, “that’s a cute dress!” as we drive down the road, and both of us know which person out of the twenty around our car we’re talking about.  There is a very basic, very practical categorical method to this madness that we have developed through experience and many hours of dripping sweat.

First, in order to be considered “cute,” an item of clothing has to be cool.  Cotton fabric is a must.  With a bit of spandex to keep its shape.  In a place where humidity is often near 120%, it’s easy to understand why breathable fabric is so important.  And good, breathable, cotton lining, considering the sun blazes through anything you wear in the first five minutes to burn your skin.

Second, any dress or clothing here has to be comfortable.  Meaning you can move and not worry about … well, anything.  As a teacher, and in a breezy city with serious cultural specifics of what’s ok and what’s not, that means well-below the knee for sure.  (Due to the necessity of walking places here, it also has to look ok with chacos or flipflops on your feet… :)

Third, it has to be, well, cute.  A stylish design.  Nice fabric and pretty colors.  Attractive.  However you’d describe something you like.

But here’s the catch.  Even if it’s a nice dress, if it looks good and fits well, but it doesn’t fulfill the first two obligations, it is automatically cut out of the running.  No questions asked. 

Yes, this might not seem fair at first.  But we’re not here to bring equal opportunity to all clothing.  We’re here to survive, and hopefully, thrive.  And sometimes, it takes drastic measures to make sure that happens.

Fabric (and examples of clothes) for the fundi...

The good news is that we have fundis here that are relatively inexpensive.  It’s fun to find good fabric, bring it down to the local tailor, give them your idea of a design, and hope that, after a few visits, it might turn out looking good!  I’ve gotten a few great dresses made this way… and others that, well, let’s just say I could have stepped off the Mayflower and fit right in with the crowd.  Just hand me a Thanksgiving basket.  Seriously.  (And that was a design I copied off a website from the States…)

But sometimes, every once in a while, we just yearn for something new.  Something that, you know, fits well.  That looks nice.  And that we’d actually dare to wear outside of the East African community.  (I say as I contemplate the fashionableness of my wardrobe in preparation for studying in Germany in less than two week's time…) 

And that’s where online shopping comes in.

As I look online for possible clothing options to order, I sometimes get frustrated by their options for searching for clothing.  While I don’t want to search through hundreds of pictures online, (think limited internet availability and paying by the MB of internet), I also don’t find their automatic searches very helpful either.

They ask:

• Would you like long sleeve, short sleeve, or spaghetti strap?  
• What kind of neck line?  
• What color?  
• What specific brand?  
• Is this for work, or for the beach?  
• Flowery or flirty?  
• Are you serious?

Really, that’s just not very helpful at all.

I want:

• length.  longer than anything you’re offering, please?
• fabric.  Cotton, with a bit of spandex to hold its shape during hand-washing and line-drying.  And good lining.  (None of this polyester stuff!)
• cost.  $15 or less.  With nondescript packaging and shipping to Africa available, please!? :)

Ok, I know that really, I’m just dreaming.  While I love finds like what I mentioned above, they are few and far between.  I’m better off going down to the local used clothing market, paying 500Tsh each for 3 pairs of trousers, and having one pair mostly fit.  Grabbing a kanga (piece of cloth) to wrap around my thighs.  Then giving the other two pairs to someone who could use them, and trying again.

The truly flattering Tanzanian method of hanging clothes with open hangers to make them look as BIG as possible!  Just what I was looking for... :)

Sometimes, I just wish there were sites online that catered to what’s REALLY important… :)