You hear block in the fashion world and you wonder what is going on here? Well if you have not heard of this word being referred to before in the fashion corridors, then welcome to my world. Block fashion as it is referred to, is a mixture of many colours which actually don’t match. When I was growing up wearing a mixture of mismatched colours was an abomination! Dare you wear yellow and green together then you would be referred to as “Mkao”.
You hear block in the fashion world and you wonder what is going on here? Well if you have not heard of this word being referred to before in the fashion corridors, then welcome to my world.
Block fashion as it is referred to, is a mixture of many colours which actually don’t match. When I was growing up wearing a mixture of mismatched colours was an abomination! Dare you wear yellow and green together then you would be referred to as "Mkao”.
This word is a shorter version of Mkamba one of the tribes in Kenya who are famous for wearing clashing colours, but then it seems like this is their time; because now it is time for mismatching in the fashion world.
Long gone are the days where we would all be dressed in very boring conservative clothing coming in dark colours like the famous blacks and greys.
My first white collar job was in a law firm, but funny enough as much as some of us were not practising law, we were all forced to dress like lawyers, the dressing code in the department of our dear learned friends then, was strictly dark colours like navy blue, black, white , grey and nothing more.
These days these learned men and women are allowed to dress in all the colours they want to.
Fashion revolution has enabled even our men to take part in it; in fact more men can now be seen in pink, yellow and even orange shirts.
My friend Patricia tells us that her sons are into yellow, green and red jeans as well-looks like the boys don’t want to be left behind in the fashion world.
In the Paris fashion week, block colours featured prominently.
A few pieces here and an extra colour there created very beautiful block of shades. Imagine a green trouser, a yellow blouse, a black half coat and deep red peep toe shoes all worn at once. Two years ago I would have said one looks like an overly decorated Christmas tree, but not anymore after seeing how block trend can be a fashion statement on its own.
Block trend does not just apply in clothes but in jewellery as well.
Just imagine a lady wearing yellow earrings, red bangles and green necklace, on top of an orange blouse and sky blue gypsy skirt? A sight to reckon I guess.
In case you have that lime green blouse, a pink jean trousers and yellow wedges and you seem not to have anything to match them with, just throw these things together and walk out through that door-in case anybody asks you what it is you are trying to do, just tell them you have gone block trend all the way!