African inspired clothing

Since Julie Taymor brought The Lion King to the stage over a decade ago, there has been a surge in Afrocentric exoticism.

 The Box Office has Avatar and its Na’vi tribe Broadway. Fela (the musical celebrating Nigerian musician Fela Kuti and fashion) also brings out the continent’s colourful patterns, raffia weaves and wooden beads. The message is loud and clear: hakuna matata.

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High dress splits

This year, the mid-thigh split dress is out. Their replacement? Long slit skirts or maxi dresses in light and flowing fabrics that give a not-so-subtle hint of leg as one walks or struts along.

In fact, they give more than a hint of leg. They show off the whole leg with the split reaching the top of the thigh. For an even greater visual impact, the split will pass the top of the thigh and reach the hip. There may be a single side split, a centre split, or dual side splits with a panel of fabric that falls along the middle section.

Patterned printed pants

As one of this year’s spring fashion trends, printed and patterned pants are bringing a whole range of new wardrobe options. They may be stripes, floral, graphic prints or abstract shapes of various colours.