BY NORA TAPLIN

In print | January 25, 2007

Many Swarthmore students can boast of all sorts of new and exciting hobbies and interests developed while studying abroad. I stuck to my old hobby, shopping, but found that it was a totally different experience in Ghana.

Ghanaians refer to all traditional clothing as “cloth” because traditional African print cloth is the essential aspect of their national dress. For women, traditional dress is called “kaba” and “slit,” a top and a matching long skirt.

Kaba can take an infinite number of forms. The only true requirement is a well-fitted skirt designed to show off curves. Ghanaian women regularly have kaba and contemporary clothes tailor-made by a seamstress. Women are celebrated for their ingenuity and daring in coming up with new takes on the age-old style and wearing them with the utmost confidence.

Ghanaian women don’t only wear African clothing well. University women regularly attend class in the highest heels and the tightest jeans or the cutest sundresses and sandals. Currently, there is a considerable amount of controversy in Ghana about the rising popularity of Western clothes. Many Ghanaians believe that the influx of Western clothing hurts the local textile and fashion industry and even undermines African values. The Ghanaian fashion industry is fighting to survive by creating new, exciting styles that draw on African tradition, but fit into a modern lifestyle and globalized aesthetic.

After becoming well-versed in the intricacies of making Kaba and less traditional clothing items, I went to my favorite seamstress with three yards of a bold metallic animal print cloth from Woodin (a Ghanaian/Cote d’Ivoire fabric and clothing retail store). I was terribly excited about the drop-waist mini-dress with a two-tiered flared skirt I had planned. I imagined it being sleek and modern with a sassy cut and distinctly African with its bold animal print.

I was disappointed when I tried on the final product and it was way too short. We had a miscommunication and she had made a tunic length top instead of a miniskirt. It was clearly meant to be paired with the incredibly popular skinny jean.

At the time I owned two pairs of jeans: One sailor pant style and one pair of huge bell-bottoms. I didn’t think that jeans, especially skinny jeans, were meant for women with rounder body types. Four months in Africa taught me to look at jeans a little differently. I saw beautiful, voluptuous black women sporting tiny fitted jeans all the time. Maybe a better term for a jean that fits my Ghanaian friends and me would be a “curvy” jean.

I found the perfect pair of curvy jeans for my dress-turned-tunic at Woodin. The jeans had gold and silver paint strokes on them, perfect for my new top. While slightly boot-cut, they were straight enough not to look out of place this winter. They sit a little higher than I am used to and have a nice amount of room in the back.

Upon my return to the United States, I found some other even skinnier jean styles that would look great on more voluptuous women. Personally, I am a big fan of the cigarette leg jeans (cut totally straight and narrow from the knee down). With a lot of stretch, their long, sleek silhouette can be more flattering than the old familiar wide boot cuts.

So, the skinny jean doesn’t have to be the bane of not-so-skinny women. In fact, there is something delightfully subversive about turning the trend on its head and using a so-called “skinny” jean to show off a beautifully full figure.

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