GIRL ABOUT TOWN: When my dresses go with the wind

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Fashion decisions can be a delicate process, especially if, like me, you consider the weather before getting into something. Not that I’m a fashionista, but I am precise about what to wear because I love comfort and once in a while I like to feel exceptionally good.

A few weeks ago, I decided I would keep off my usual T-shirt and jeans; and besides, this unforgiving sun and unusually hot Nairobi has not given us much choice but to try to be as lightly dressed as possible.

So here I was, obeying the weather in my skater skirt, enjoying the breeze, and crossing Moi Avenue, when the lord of the winds decided to look my way just as I reached the middle of the road. And up, up, and up went my skirt, with my arms following promptly trying to bring it down and hold it together, as my handbag threatened to fall off my shoulder and I struggled not to drop a newspaper and a lunch bag I was carrying. For the first time, I felt like an injured animal trying to limp across while carrying precious cargo and running away from prying eyes.

For a moment, I forgot all about holding my purse to my side and the object of interest was now keeping my skirt down and crossing that road as quickly as possible, seeing that my dignity went with the wind. And no, my skirt wasn’t short, it was actually a midi skater skirt.

I rushed into the first matatu at my stage and I couldn’t look at anyone. I mean, what if they had seen my skirt dancing to the tune of the wind? I swore never to put on such a skirt again.

Well, that’s until last week, when I decided the Nairobi heat called for a dress week. So I went on and got my pretty dresses from ‘storage’, laid them out, and chose a dress for each day. It was a beautiful week and I felt so liberated and so comfortable. On one of the days, I chose a beautiful brown dress that has a skater-like pattern at the bottom. And once again, while crossing another road in the middle of town, lo and behold, the lord of winds decided it was time for a little fun again. Luckily, this time I wasn’t holding anything in my hands and I only had my handbag to contend with.

Why does it become windy when I am putting on dresses, but when I am in trousers there’s hardly even a breeze?

Let me just say, for the record, my mind is made up that trousers and straight skirts and dresses are the way to go. People won’t keep having a free show from me. No. I refuse to be used to teach anatomy.

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