Encomium
BEING a lady can be serious business, lots of fun and at the same time expensive, as every young lady wants to be seen as fashionable, beautiful and classy.
Many ladies have the perception that one has to break the bank to look presentable, and this is one of the biggest misconceptions about fashion. You can look presentable on your own budget without necessarily running into debt, but of course, you love the finer things of life and can afford them, you can, by all means go ahead and spoil yourself.
Unlike men, women have needs that they tend to, and with the state of the economy the cost of fashion items are gradually sky rocketing.
The cost of being a well presentable lady is usually determined according to their social status, taste, personality, occupation, clique and attitude.
The fashion hustle begins when a lady realizes that she has to dress well in order to be noticed. We would be looking at a head to toe analysis between a middle class and an average lady.
To have a regular hairdo, a middle class lady pays between N50,000 and N60,000 for a weave-on, while an average person pays between N10,000 to N15,000, and it would cost about N5,000 and N2,000 respectively to have them fixed.
Makeup is an important aspect that every lady has to include in her day to day dealings. An average lady’s makeup kit should contain powder, brown pencils, concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mini brush set, etc and all of these could be estimated at N12,000. A middle class lady would have more makeup items like bronzer, proper brush set, eyelash, face primer, etc., all of these coming at about N30,000.
Handbags are major fashion accessories that every lady would not do without on a day to day basis. A middle class lady could spend between N20,000 and N25,000 on an average arm candy, while the average lady could spend between N10,000 and N15,000 on her handbag.
For shoes, a middle class lady would spend between N20,000 and N35,000 on a pair of heels and about N3,000 to N5,000 on a pair of slippers or sandals, while the average lady would spend up to N15,000 on a pair of heels and between N1,500 and N3,000 on a pair of slippers or sandals.
Looking at complete outfits, a top/shirt and skirt for a middle class lady could cost about N12,000 while that of an average lady would cost N6,000. A pair of work pants and shirt for a middle class lady costs about N15,000, while that of an average lady would go for about N8,000.
For days when one chooses to go casual and wants to stay in a pair of denim trousers and a simple top, a pair of jeans for an average lady costs between N2,000 and N3,000, while that of a middle class babe goes for about N5,000 or N7,500.
Party dresses are essentials too, as every day is not always about work. There are days to party and have fun. On such days, a middle class lady could rock a dress costing between N15,000 and N25,000 depending on the occasion, while that of an average babe would be between N6,000 and N10,000.
No outfit is complete without accessories. The accessories could range from neck accessories (neck pieces), leg chains, earrings, rings, broaches to wrist watches, etc., and an average lady could spend up to N10,000 to get most of these, while a middle class lady would spend about N35,000 on them.
Every lady loves to smell nice, though there are different brands at different prices but a middle class lady would spend between N15,000 and N35,000 on a great cologne, while an average babe would spend between N5,000 and N10,000.
AVERAGE MIDDLE CLASS
Weave N35,000 N60,000
Weave fixing N2,000 N5,000
Makeup N12,000 N30,000
Handbag N15,000 N25,000
Shoes N15,000 N35,000
Flat sandals/slippers N3,000 N5,000
Work pants and shirt N8,000 N15,000
Top/shirt and skirt N6,000 N12,000
Pair of jeans N3,000 N7,500
Party dress N10,000 N25,000
Accessories N10,000 N35,000
Perfume N10,000 N35,000
TOTAL N109,000 N309,500
-TINUOLA JOSEPH
