The Bling Babe or Guy – by Adebisi Blaque

Dear Reader,

This piece is about the bling babe or guy.

You are probably wondering what I am unto😝. Well it’s not far from your idea of what I mean really.

We all at some point have met that female or male who is always looking sharp, well-groomed and on point. Do you at least admire him or her?

Perhaps his or her style is a reference for you at times. Well, I am writing this piece with the intention to make you, the reader, also discover your shine.

It may sound superficial but a lot about self-confidence can be attributed to your ability to appear well.

How do you walk into a room and own your space even when you don’t have a tenth of what those you are about to connect with possess?

I am not going to go on about self-confidence and self-esteem because you have probably heard a lot about that already. I am just writing about what works.

Your Personal Branding–

Be intentional about the how you appear.

Being intentional means making deliberate choices to reflect what is most important to us. You need to be clear upfront what you want to achieve and how you want to be perceived; beauty and brain?, gentlemanly?, respectable? etc. You don’t appear in important places or events by mistake.

If you want to appear all fresh at the office, why not go with a shirt for the road (especially if you are going by public transport) and a neat shirt you will change to when you get to work. I was once in a situation where the zip of my dress gave way on my way to work and a guy in the same vehicle asked if I didn’t mind wearing his shirt over my dress.

I was wowed and wondered if my irresistible charm was working for me. But then started to think about what he would wear when I took his shirt.

Well, he told me the shirt he wears at work was in his bag.

Now, I thought that was gentlemanly to have come to my rescue. I must also acknowledge he was a very neat looking guy.

Plan

Failure is said to be the result of not planning.

“When you fail to plan, you plan to fail” 

You need to have a rollout plan for everything. Plan for every day of the week a week ahead. That way you will notice what needs mending, fixing, polishing, amendment etc. in good time.

Plan what you will wear to the office or to a function, how you want to make that presentation, how you want to receive the guests that will visit your office and the impression you want them to go with etc.

Think Long-term

The foundation of unhappiness are decisions made for short-term comfort that eventually impeded long-term goals.

Big goals require big sacrifices. You have to dig deep and discipline yourself. If you want to save money, you can’t buy everything that is in vogue or trending. It may be tedious at first, but it will pay off especially when you realize that the pride you feel will be absolutely worth it.

You can rock two white shirts as often as you want without anyone knowing it’s the same shirt. If you plan, you will certainly appear better. Manage your resources to achieve the best.

Attention to Details and Creativity

It’s more about presentation. Put in the extra touch. Have you ever walked into someone’s office or space and the ambience is different from the others within the same organization?

Even when you make a presentation to clients, is it the same old style? Bling babes and guys are creative with so many things.

I had to attend a party at the weekend and the dress code was gold, purple and black. A careful examination of my wardrobe showed I would have to make some adjustments to an existing outfit which didn’t cost me anything but a little time with a tailor I had a good relationship with.

The result? You bet it was fantastic! You can convert and put some of the things you already have to better use; once in a while give that jotter or penholder in the office an Ankara or Adire cover, convert the iro and buba to skirt and blouse, part of the aso-ebi can make you a nice pair of shorts you can wear as a guy. Guess what? These makeovers are usually achieved by the local tailor, craftsman etc. Just ask for help.

There’s only one version of you, so being proud of anything that makes you stand out is very important.

Adebisi writes from Lagos.