And then we got carried away

The 21st century man is not shy to proclaim that he is proud of his roots and heritage through his attires. He is often spotted in Mandela and African print shirts, leather sandals with soles made from rubber from old tires, and lately, pants from African print material like the Kitenge.All the other outfits can pass, but it is the pants from African print material that are causing a bit of controversy. Previously, the pants were reserved for women and everyone was happy. Men wore single coloured outfits that were often dull and left multi coloured pants for the ladies. There was world peace.2014, the pants are making it hard for some people to differentiate between men and women especially when they are at a distance.As a general rule, men should only use African print fabrics for shirts and tops, when used for trousers, they are often distracting.It is only acceptable if the fabric is used to give a slight dash or as a patch but never for the entire outfit. It is trendy to have ripped jeans patched with African print fabric to give it a light touch - not when it is all over the outfit.The same goes for the African print blazers and coats that are becoming common at cocktail parties and dinners. Being figure hugging and colourful, they cause the wearer to be a little bit too fruity for his ancestors (and some current chaps) liking.International design houses like Burberry have led the way to show how to spice up outfits with African prints but rather than being appreciated, they received criticism from some quarters, accusing them of lacking respect for the fabrics.Lets us stick to attires that show that we are proud of our heritage, culture and origin, but in doing so, moderation should be observed.