There is a very thin line between looking sexy and appealing and looking cheap and easy.
To some extent showing your décolletage is considered inappropriate. Jenifer Lopez first made the trend a red carpet look many years ago to mixed reaction. Did JLo pull it off? No one can say yet.
In short décolletages are meant to help direct attention to your chest area in the right way and if this is so your chest area needs to be worth showing off.
There are décolletages that are just too much! And if daring to go the décolletage way, you better have the confidence to go with it and you have to do it stylishly. It is very possible to come out looking trashy when attempting this.
Imagine wearing a very low décolletage garment and all you do the whole time is fidget and struggle with your top trying to cover up. You’ll just look wrong.
Africans are a very conservative lot and not many would dare attempt the “JLo décolletage”. But if you are the gutsy type and must do the necessary:
*Make sure your body is in tip top shape.
*The occasion/event really matters, you can’t go exposing your cleavage to the whole of Nigeria during the day… you might be forced to face the mob. A night, casual event would be most appropriate.
The attention and care you give to your face is the same that should go to your chest area. You know the chest has sensitive skin which also gets sun burns, wrinkles and is prone to pimples…so that extra care should be given.
Genevieve at AMVCA …
*Your garment’s décolletage needs to fit just right. Not big, not small, just right!
*Keep the rest of your look low key. If the attention is on your décolletage, cover up the rest of your body.
*At no point should you have any chest hairs!
*Your cleavage being one of your best assets should have everything to do with you exposing it in the first place.
If you don’t have what it takes, then don’t even attempt. But the question is …are you for or against the décolletage?
Who wore it better?
Funke Akindele, Karen Igho and Genevieve Nnaji may have worn different dresses to the African magic Awards last weekend, but all three dresses were fundamentally the same. And though Funke wore cream, Genevieve white and Karen black, they were all to change red carpet history in Nollywood forever with the Décolletage trend. But who wore it better?
Pros.
Funke
Funke’s dress was really classy, with intricate gold detailing. Her hair was well done in a chignon style that totally fit the dress. Her make up was not the best, but not worse than usual, and at least she was conscious of picking her red clutch with her red lipstick.
Genevieve
Though her figure has been the butt of jokes, but the truth is Genevieve is blessed with an ageless hourglass figure which remains perpetually graceful, and the saving grace on her bad style days
Karen
The Big Brother winner wore a black dress that looked as though she got it from a yard sale, but she filled it up in the right places and her hair and make up and accessories were completely appropriate.
Cons
Funke
Though it showed off her toned body, there were no special assets wearing the particular dress could flatter to advantage. Her lace wig gave her an Egyptian mummy look and this combined with the unnecessary length of the dress made it a less than fabulous style
Genevieve
With this outing, Genevieve ought to have fired her stylist. Her décolletage look was a total mess, with the choir mistress sleeves and flat-ish chest. Her hair was also far too casual for the look and her make up too understated.
Karen
With an impossible cleavage area, Karen seems set to rock the look better than anyone else, but her frame is rather too short for this kind of long dress. Her black dress also looks too contrived and rather unsleek.
Winner
Funke. Funke’s dress is classy with the right embellishments. Her cleavage was taken care of in an appropriate way and she was careful to place attention exactly where she needed it: on her chest. Her accessories are alright, at least much better than the other two.
Vanguard Nigeria