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Fashion No-No’s for Any Body Shape

No one person’s body is the exact same as someone else’s despite what we see on television. Clothes will naturally hand differently and look differently on each individual person. Here are some ideas to keep in mind when shopping for clothes that a woman of any shape or size should stay away from.

The best advice that any woman can get is to know what your trouble areas are and what areas to play up. Just because you are well-endowed doesn’t exactly mean you need them spilling out to draw the eye to that area if your middle is a little larger. In some cases this may accentuate your middle. The point is to know your bodies good and bad areas before you buy the clothes.

Stay away from horizontal stripes. Even if you are very slim horizontal stripes can make your body look wider in spots you may not want to accentuate. Perhaps not through your middle but maybe through your shoulders and this can make the body proportions look off. If you are a larger woman the horizontal stripes are a no-no. Your body’s widest areas will look wider.

Biking in the Little Black Dress 

Image by richardmasoner via Flickr

If you want to keep updated in fashion, consider the new Direct TV packages that offer a good amount of fashion-related channels and shows where you can do research from. Every woman has the standard black dress or pant suit in their closet, if not these two items then at least some stand-by black outfit. This is a must-have in any woman’s closet. The trick here is to break up the color. An all-black outfit is boring on any woman. Take the little black dress for example; you can pair this with colored pumps and matching bag or shawl.

 

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Fall Fashion Tips to Plan for Now

A fashion shoot of outfits found at a "Ta...

Image via Wikipedia

As you begin preparing for the fall season, it is a good idea to consider fashion. What will be in and what will be out? How will you know what to wear so that you always look great? Knowing what to expect can help you to ensure you always look great when you step out of the door this season.

Fashion Trends to Look for This Fall

The following are a few fashion tips to help you look good all season long. Of course, the underlying goal here is that you should feel great, too. The following are some trends to follow through the year.

  • Stylish dresses will include numerous cuts. They will have a girly flare to them as well. You will want to mix it up with shorter skirts and longer ones. Even floor length will be a part of the trend, with lots of color.
  • Layering will still be popular this season as well. You can expect to see more options here too, with jackets and leggings being a big role.
  • There is also a trend towards the eco friendly products as well. You will find a variety of clothing in bamboo and organic cottons. This is a fantastic way to show your support to the planet.

These fall fashion tips are just the start of what this season will offer. You will find a vibrant array of colors to enjoy and plenty of unique clothing cuts to make your look all you. Of course, you should choose what works for you and your body.

 

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The Tidal Patterns of Fashion

Young girl dressed in hippie fashions of 1969 

Image via Wikipedia

While the world of fashion is one that is often seen as an unregulated mass of denim, satin, ribbons and lace. In all actuality, though, there are rhythyms and patterns, influences that always reign supreme and dictate what is hot and what is not. Two things to always remember:

 

Fashion Theme #1: Whatever was cool when today’s 20-somethings were born, is cool again.

The late ’90s saw a surge in puffy vests, bell-bottom jeans, hippie smocks, and ridiculously tall shoes, the trademark designs of the dying disco age 20 years earlier. Currently, everybody wants to be seen in black horn-rimmed classes, vests, suitcoats, formal dresses and the “nice-clothes-worn-badly” motif of the ’80s. Belt buckles salute old-school Nintendos, and tape players are making a comeback a la retro electronics. The fashion world caters to the rising generation. Think of it; an entire industry turns on the desires of 15-25 year-olds.

Fashion Theme #2: If It Was Cool Before, It Will Be Cool Again.

It’s humorous every time the current generations reinvents the fashion wheel and thinks they have discovered a new fashion; haircuts from the 1920′s have been revived again and again, most noteably in the 1960s and early 200s. Odds are, if you have an awesome dress or shirt from your childhood, as stated in Theme #1, you’ll have a chance to wear it again in a decade or so. Moustaches, the rave in the ’80s and taboo in the ’90s, are unfortunately making a comback.

Fashion is fickle, but predictably so. If it went around, it will come back by again, and in the mean time, everyone will look fabulous.

 

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Taking Care of Your Car

In our modern world, vehicles are essential, and therefore require maintenance. A car must be well cared for, inside and out, and keeping a car in good condition can help it last or preserve its retail value if you wish to sell it later on. The most important components of a car that are mandatory to its running properly are the engine, battery, gasoline, oil, and breaks. These constituents must be frequently checked on in order for your car to function properly. The best method of caring for these components is a brief check whenever you are ready to drive your car, and periodical checkups with mechanics to ensure that all is running how it should.

However, don’t spend so much time maintaining the workings of your car that you neglect the exterior. The outside appearance of a car is often what most determines its value in the car market. If your car needs upkeep, consider car refinancing to save some money and use it to keep the car in optimal condition.

Frequent car washes are important because they can prevent rust and abrasion from caked-on driving dust. Also remember to vacuum the interior. Some car owners even brush the fabric on their seats to keep it looking new. If you frequently park your car outside, consider a wax to shield it from damaging UV rays. People remember sun block for their own skin, but often neglect the paint jobs on their car—don’t forget it works the same way and can prevent premature fading!

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Finding Accessories for American Girl Dolls

Girls love to accessorize, whether it’s with the latest shoes, hairstyles or outfits. Even though it might not seem like it, the lessons learned playing dress up while growing up would serve kids throughout the rest of their lives. One of the best ways to teach girls how to present themselves is to give them dolls, like the American Girl doll series, to accessorize.

The American Girl doll series celebrates American history by presenting dolls that celebrate different eras. The back-stories teach the children about history from colonial times to modern American in an interesting and informative way. One of the best features of the dolls are the accessories. Girls can pick out different outfits based on the seasons. For example, the dolls can wear flip-flops in the summer and boots in the winter.

One of the lessons of the American Girl dolls series is how fashion has changed by era. Each doll wears clothes that were popular in her time, from hoop shirts during the Civil War to the popular fashions of today. Every doll has a full line of clothes and other accessories, including doll shoes and hair ties. Girls will love seeking out different outfits for their dolls and spending time decorating their hair or picking out an outfit for different occasions.

To find accessories for American Girl dolls, look online. Outfits that are no longer being made are still for sale in secondary markets. Parents and children might find the best deals for accessorizing American Girl dolls through online shopping. If your little girl likes to dress up her doll, consider this doll series.

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Popular Costumes for Pets 2011 Edition

Pet owners all over the world love to spoil and pamper their pets, but this year, dressing their pets up in costumes will be the top pet trend. Whether it is dressing up your dog for Halloween or a special event, pet costumes are the most popular pet accessory for the year 2011.

As with all fashion trends, even pet related, there are certain types of pet costumes that will have a higher demand than others. If you are considering dressing your pet up this year, check out some of the most popular and best-selling pet costumes for 2011.

Tuxedos

Tuxedos are great pet attire for weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, black-tie events, or even incorporated into a Halloween costume such as a James Bond theme. The ability to use this costume for multiple events makes it a very popular choice.

Bunny

Bunny costumes can be used for Easter, spring events or Halloween. Nothing is considered cuter than seeing a small dog or cat dressed up in a cute, white, floppy-eared bunny suit.

Cheerleader

Every girl wants to be a cheerleader and the same is true for every female dog/cat. Pet cheerleading costumes are popular because of the accessories and ability to use the costume for Halloween or sporting events.

Police/Fireman

There is just something about a dog in uniform that makes pet lovers swoon, which is why the police/fireman costume is popular this year.

All these 2011 popular pet costumes can be found at online pet costume shops, specialty pet stores or party supply stores.

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Engagement Rings: Does “Cut” Mean the Stone is Actually Supposed to be Able to Cut Something?

No, it doesn’t, although it is still a popular belief that a true diamond will scratch or cut glass. Don’t try this, however, because doing this can damage the stone. “Cut” actually refers to the proportions of any gemstone, not just a diamond. They include the depth and width of the stone, as well as the appearance of all of the gemstone’s surfaces (these are also referred to as “facets.)

Depth and Width

These are exactly what the words suggest—how deep the stone is and how wide it is. You want the depth and width to be in as equal proportions as possible, so that one doesn’t overshadow the other. In other words, engagement rings with stones that have very shallow depths but aren’t very wide are not going to be as attractive as those where the depth and width complement each other.

Facets

Again, this is a fancy name for the surfaces of the stone. Gemstones used in engagement rings or other pieces of jewelry should have a symmetrical appearance on their surfaces. They should not be “lopsided” or be so jarringly different that this is immediately evident.

In addition, gemstones used in engagement rings should be free of nicks, chips, or scratches, especially on the crown (the top part of the stone.) Any of these flaws means that poor workmanship was used in the cutting, polishing, and setting of the stones, and may also indicate that the stone itself is of very poor quality.

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Why Western Bridal Clothing has Tremendous Appeal in Eastern Societies?

The iconic image of British Royal couple Princess Diana Spencer and her Groom, Prince Charles of Wales is deeply etched in the memory of many people across the globe. The princess wore a traditional Western Bridal clothing with white color and flowing graceful patterns. The extremely pretty wedding dress took painstaking weeks to make and fit elegantly to the Princess’s long and slender physique.

Many traditional eastern societies have adopted these rich white bridal gowns for a variety of reasons. White is almost a universal symbol of peace, purity and calmness. White color means peace, purity, knowledge and wisdom in Indian culture and is represented by the word “Saatwic” which means pure, calm and wholesome. White color also represents the Indian Goddess of Knowledge and Purity “Saraswati” and it is also symbolic of peace in family life.

In other eastern societies like Japan, Korea and China, white color has the same significance. The white bridal gowns and white color’s prominence in eastern societies has now taken deep roots and is fairly common place these days. In Japan for example, the society follows a fusion of Buddhism and Shintoism, but the wedding ceremony is performed with Bride in a flowing white gown which looks similar to what Princess Diana had worn during her wedding.

Japan is a economic and cultural power in Asia and is second only to China in influence. Therefore, many South East Asians, and even other Asian countries who observe Japanese cultural events and life are deeply influenced by the fashion in wedding dresses.

China too has seen the upsurge in Western bridal dresses and gowns, but it seems to be not so pervasive and deep rooted at the moment. Western bridal dresses and gowns are least influential in Indian Subcontinent and Islamic World where there are strong native cultural imprints and regulations on what the appropriate bridal dress should be.

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Does Indian Fashion Have the Capacity to Across the Globe?

India is known for its unique and expressive clothing with rich colors, shapes, tapestries and exotic design. Indian female clothing such as Sari, the long single piece garment worn around the body, Salwar Kameez, the two piece clothing to cover upper and lower body is almost universally recognized. But outside India, it is worn mostly by the Indian and Indianized diaspora.

These East Indian oriented dresses are not worn at all in vast regions like China, Europe, Americas and Africa and have not been accepted as a day to day clothing style in these regions.

Indian fashion designers have spread their wings across the globe and many famous names such as Saloni Lodha have tried to introduce Indian colors and shapes by fusing them with Western style clothing. Fusion themes have worked better than startlingly exotic and purely Indian clothing which might look odd and even goofy in a Western setting.

Designers like Saloni Lodha have worked for top fashion conglomerates and her work has been prominently depicted in fashion magazines such as Vogue.

Western dresses have a rich variety of colors, shapes and designs, and Indian colors and fashion sense have made them even richer. It is almost certain that as Indian Subcontinent’s population rapidly multiplies, and the region becomes more prosperous, fashion designers of Indian extraction will introduce and impose their fashion sense and talented designs on conventional Western clothing and this might transform the way the World wears its clothes.

At a very minimum, there could be a fusion fashion style which could emerge from Western and Indian fashion designers working together to bring elements of Eastern and Western style in harmony and combining them into one.

Saloni Lodha who works in Europe, is a good example of this emerging fusion. As the portfolio and leverage of such International designers becomes more accepted and common place, we might see a more universal style of clothing, some changes in traditional Western clothing, particularly in color combinations that might enrich the global fashion sense.

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