What Not to Wear in Ghana: 8 Tips to Keep up with Accra Fashion by Emily Topping

It’s one of the first things I noticed in Accra, Ghana: the locals like to dress up. Women wear colorful, knee-length dresses in African prints, their hair pulled off their necks and tied up in kente cloth. Men don sharp suits and perfectly carved haircuts. Even when they play it casual, Ghanaian fashion is something to behold.

As an American–from a country where pajamas in public are not only accepted but encouraged through new atrocities like “pajama jeans”– this might be a little intimidating. But don’t worry, I have a few helpful tips to help you understand fashion in Ghana.

1. Bring a second pair of shoes. During my first week at work, I was baffled by how my female co-workers managed to run around the office all day in towering, spindly heels. Then, I took a glance under their desks and realized it was all an illusion. These ingenious women wear their most professional heels in the morning, just long enough for everyone in the office to see, then swap them out for fuzzy slippers when no one’s watching.
2. Unless you’re a man. For reasons I can not explain, it is totally fine for men to come into the office wearing flip-flops and socks. They don’t even pretend to wear heels first.
3. Bring deodorant too. Okay, this might be more of a hygiene tip than fashion–but the massive sweat stains I was managing to acquire by 8 a.m. definitely did not help my outfits. I found myself peeking looks at my coworkers’ underarms, even pulling classic tricks like, “Hey guys, let’s all raise our hands in unison, just for fun!” in order to tell if it was just me. Not only was it just me, but my boss had to pull me aside and ask if I was getting some weird kind of gratification from looking at armpits. Save yourself the embarrassment, and just bring extra deodorant.
4. Don’t wear daisy dukes in public. I’m not sure why, but upper legs are considered more sexual than other parts of the body in Ghana. My friend Sophia made the mistake of wearing athletic shorts to dinner the other night, and a 12-year-old boy called out to her, “In this country that means you’re a prostitute!” while pointing to his own bare thigh. If you’ve ever been laughed at by a group of 12 year-old-boys, you will understand how traumatizing this experience was.
5. Make sure your clothes are durable. The other day, I was sent on assignment to take photos of Nancy Pelosi’s address to the Ghanaian Parliament. Naturally, I dressed to the nines in a lovely, (appropriate) red dress and heels. Then, naturally, when I bent over the railing of the parliament chamber to get a better shot of the speaker, my dressed ripped right along the butt seam. I had to fish out a ratty denim jacket from my bag and tie it around my waist. I looked like a confused woman of the night who had been picked up by a benevolent trucker and wrapped in his coat. If I had just spent more than $12.99 on a dress from Forever 21, this never would have happened!
6. Don’t take branding too seriously. You will notice dozens of road-side stands packed with sandals, handbags, and fanny-packs by such high-end brands as Gucci and Balenciaga. And for incredibly cheap prices! It turns out, not all of these products are genuine. I know, I was sad too. I finally came to terms with this fact when I noticed the girl selling me mango yesterday was wearing “Abibas” sandals. I am more than 60% confident in my ability to differentiate between the letters “b” and “d,” so I think this might have not been a genuine product.
7. Not everyone is a real music fan. In the U.S. it is considered a bit of a faux-pas to wear a band shirt if you don’t actually listen to their music. So the other day, when I saw a grown man wearing a “One Direction” t-shirt, I was incredibly excited. A real fan, all the way out here in Western Africa! Had this man also wasted two years of his pre-teen youth locked in his bedroom, memorizing Harry Styles facts?! Awesome! It turns out, the man “had no idea” who One Direction was, and also wanted me to “stop screaming and grabbing my arms please, you’re scaring me.” He probably just got the shirt second-hand somewhere. Whatever, it goes to show there are music posers in every country.
8. You can get some great deals in the local markets. There are amazingly talented jewelers, tailors, and artists in Ghana, and they sell their products to tourists. The trick is to go to the local craft fairs to get the best deals and don’t be afraid to bargain down. I admit, when the first man selling bracelets called out to me, “Hey, pretty lady! For everyone else this bracelet is six hundred dollars…but, for you…twenty” I was swooning. I considered not only buying the bracelet but running away with him. Alas, then I heard him call the next girl walking by “a pretty lady,” and I realized I wasn’t special. At least I had the comfort of six new bracelets to keep me company.

Clearly, my six weeks in Ghana have turned me into a bit of an expert on Ghanaian culture and fashion. I am starting to feel comfortable with the trends and way of life here. Now, if only they made pajama jeans in African kente cloth.