Are you wearing red on Valentine’s Day?

By Yoliswa Dube

I doubt I will. Red is such a beautifully rich colour but I don’t think I’ll be in red on Valentine’s Day this Tuesday.

The reason is quite simple – I think it’s pretty cheesy. I don’t think I need to wear red on Valentine’s Day to celebrate love or as an expression of love.

If I’m in blue or yellow, does that make me less in love or mean I’m protesting against St Valentine? It surely doesn’t.

But, I know there’s someone out there somewhere who’s been planning they’re Valentine’s Day outfit for days and that’s really okay.

They’ve probably even bought a pair of red shoes to go with the red dress and the red Alice band. If they could, they would probably get a red watch, red earrings and red underwear.

Maybe someone has already planned that out and it’s really fine.

We’re different and diversity is what makes the world a more interesting place. But if you’re going to be in red this Valentine’s Day, at least do it right. Too much red could be a buzz kill.

It actually could be blinding – you’ll look like a red mess and you won’t want to look at your Valentine’s Day pictures for a long time to come.

Pattern And Style 2 11 feb 2017 Red can be overwhelming so striking a balance with a second colour or pattern is extremely important.

If you decide to wear a red dress or jumpsuit, eliminate red shoes from the equation. Instead, if you have an animal print, polkadot, black, gold or beige pair – wear those.

The shoes will do a good job neutralizing the red and giving you a more polished look. The alternate colour will balance out everything and you won’t look like Father Christmas or one of his elves.

If you have a red shirt or blazer in mind, pair them with black and you’ll look super chic.

A black skirt or pants will make a good base which would do well with either black or red shoes.

Depending on how confident you are, a pair of red heels really wouldn’t hurt. I somehow feel no man should own a red shirt. It’s a bit too much. But if you do and plan on wearing it this Valentine’s, pair it with black or denim.

Denim is a sleek way of balancing out your reds. You could decide to wear denim on denim with red heels or chucks.

Another classy way of wearing red is by pairing black and white with red shoes.

Your black and white combination could be of a black skirt or pants with a white shirt or a white shirt over a black and white patterned skirt.

The red shoes will give the outfit a healthy pop of colour.

And that’s all you really want – a pop of colour that will show us you’re not trying too hard and tell us you know exactly what you’re doing.

Nothing sucks like looking like you’re trying too hard.

As if you’re desperate to be crowned some slay queen of some sort.

All white can also be beautifully accessorised with red shoes but this would be more of an evening look.

It would be too much for day time unless you’re going to a party whose invitation says ‘Dress to Kill’.

The red and white combo can be really overwhelming – it would be in your best interest to save it for a night out on the town.

If you’re into Afrocentric jewellery and you happen to have it in red, wearing it on all black would be super chic. This will allow your jewellery to shine while the black brings elegance to your look.

Red T-shirts are the easiest.

Simply pair them with black, grey, white or blue denim and you’re good to go. Because it’s denim, no one will really care about the colour of your shoes unless they’re hot pink, green, orange or yellow.

Just make sure whatever colour sneaks you choose don’t compete with your red T-shirt.

After the Valentine’s Day styling, I really hope at the very least you get those flowers and chocolates you’ve been having chest pains over for most of January.

Keep wearing flat shoes and your back and feet will be happy. The Chronicle