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Power Colors – New and Old

 

 

Everyone has heard of the basic colors that should be worn at work – the power colors. The new buzz is that some new bold hues are making their way to the boardroom, government offices and courtrooms. This selection will supply a combined class of work colors.

Colouring pencils 

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

Black

 

This color is one of the signature looks for anyone that has a desk or cubicle. The popularity of this color is not because it appears to slim the wearer, but because they feel more empowered when wearing it. This color is synonymous with prestige and wealth.

 

Red

 

This intense color stands out and anyone who wears it must be confident. A tie, pair of shoes or other accessory is just the right amount of this hue; too much exposure leads to others feeling confrontational or insecure. A little goes a long way for this power color.

 

 

Purple

 

 

This color of power and wealth has become more common in the business world. Purple worn the right way can evoke an air of sophistication that is not overt. This new bold color is less intimidating as red.

 

Brown

3 Brown Boiled Chicken Eggs 

Image by epSos.de via Flickr

 

 

 

This old-standby color symbolizes stability, which is useful in the working world. One reason for the attraction to brown is because it is easily found in nature. Brown is a safe color that can be matched with brighter hues. This color can be used to tame a wild pattern.

 

 

The colors above are a modern take on work attire. Styles change often which reflects the new crop of colors making their way to the ‘power’ category.

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Today’s Style Mash-ups Reminiscent of Paper Doll Cutouts

Paper doll with clothes

Image via Wikipedia

Mothers and grandmothers will remember playing with paper doll cutouts. For some, these were the alternative to the expensive Barbie dolls, clothing, and accessories of the time. For others, it was a fun way to play dress up using separates to make outfits by interchanging cut out clothing.

The diversity in looks today, gives big girls the chance to play cutouts with their wardrobe for the perfect mash-ups. There are an infinite number of ways to swap items of clothing to create outfits for different times and special occasions.

For Business

In the 1960′s, women everywhere were returning to work as part of their newly found freedom in the women’s liberation movement. However, many women dressed in their Sunday best in order to ensure that they competed with men, to look like they were serious about doing business.

Today, wearing a simple short jacket on top of a simple black dress with a thick silver belt gives the look of professionalism without spending money on an expensive business suit.

Additionally, wearing A-line skirts in solid colors with a ruffled floral or print blouse and black beads is a classic for the office and the business lunch.

For the Party

The same jacket worn on top of a silky sundress with metallic or golden shoes is formal enough for a business party, yet hip enough for a casual get-together with close friends.

For outdoor summer barbecues, day or evening, wear the same sundress, comfortable-fitting sandals, topped off with a burlap beach bag tied with a colorful scarf instead of a clasp.

Finally, get creative and experiment with accessories and jewelry to accentuate styles.

Filed Under: Accessories, Mature Styles Tagged With: , ,

Online Shopping Basics

When you begin to get the idea that online shopping is the best way to shop, there are a few basics to remember. Things like security of the Internet, using coupon codes and reading the fine print of the shopping offers should be considered.

Security is a big issue when using the Internet and purchasing anything from fashion clothing to simple accessories. Secure shopping is easily identified by ensuring that the checkout page starts with the “https” and not “http.” The “https” web identifier means it’s secure and you can be confident that your purchase information will remain safe.

Coupons and coupon codes are also part of the online shopping basics that you will find on places like offers.com. It is a terrific place to find the coupons and codes with the highest percentage of savings on the Internet. When you want to find seasonal fashion items, for example, simply type that into the search feature and a listing will appear of the available items from various shops, retail stores and boutiques. When you are finished with the details of the purchase, just enter the coupon code that is provided and you will be granted the discount.

Finding great online deals is easy when you shop because all of the fine print is completely visible. Just below the offer will be listed the conditions of the offer. There are categories for you to specify exactly what you are looking for and many special deals to be found there. Children and teen fashions, as well as adult and elderly styles are included in the categories, which makes it a great place for deals.

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Fashion Accessorizing Your Doll

1995 was a good year for the Pleasant Company; that was the year they introduced little girls to their 18-inch dolls called the My American Girl.

The My American Girl doll is a unique and contemporary doll that a little girl can easily customize. This personalization allows the girl to create a doll that looks just like her with over 40 different combinations of skin tone, eye color, hair color, and hairstyle.

The personalization doesn’t stop there. It continues with a variety of special extras including glasses, braces, and even earrings.  To express the little girl’s favorite activities and interests, outfits, accessories, and even designer looking doll shoes are available through specialized stores, boutiques, and online venders.

What can be more fun for a girl then not only purchasing clothing and accessories for herself, but she can find matching accessories for her doll including:

  • Hair ties, ribbons, and bows
  • Sunglasses
  • Jewelry
  • Sandals, boots, and slippers
  • Dresses, bathing suits, pajamas, and short sets
  • Doll care kits
  • Sleeping bags, doll totes, and backpacks

The My American Girl doll line also includes pets such as Pepper the dog, Praline the cat, and Palomino the horse with accessories.

With the popularity of the My American Girl doll, little girls everywhere are having American Girl fashion themed parties. These events include:

  • Fashion shows and pageants for girls and their dolls
  • Pajama /slumber parties
  • Jewelry and hair accessory making parties

The My American Girls dolls have become collectable items, but because they are made of a soft cloth body with movable head and limbs made of vinyl, little girls love to play with them.

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The Way to Make Shopping Fun

When planning a day of shopping, it’s good to have an actual plan. Many people go out with an idea of what they want, but they aren’t sure where to go about getting it. There are plenty of big department stores and smaller boutiques, but knowing which places have the things that you want can save you a tremendous amount of time.

This is why the use of search engines, such as Canada 411, make going shopping so much easier. For instance, there are a number of ways you can find out everything you need to know about your shopping days and more. You can learn which stores have designer brands and what their inventory looks like. You can also search for stores where the merchandise is second hand. Whatever it is you are looking for it’s all in the search engine.

Another idea that makes the engine useful is that there are plenty of people who consult it for information about wedding dresses. It’s so hard to find a place that is both affordable and high quality, but by doing a simple search you can find exactly the kind of place you are looking for and it shall make shopping for that special dress easy and efficient.

The search can be broken up by keywords or even searched by category. There is nothing that you cannot do. It’s one of the reasons that the site is one of the most popular search places. So if you are looking to make your shopping headache free and fun, you might want to consider looking online before you head out for the day.

Filed Under: Accessories, Seasonal Styles Tagged With: , , ,

Heavy Metal Fashions

Heavy metal music has always had its own fashion statement. Obviously it is the bands that dictate the fashion in metal, but the fans are the ones that keep the fashions going. Let’s take a look at the popular fashion trends in heavy metal music throughout its history. We may even be able to pin down the people responsible for some of the more prominent heavy metal fashions of all time.

1) Early Years – 1970’s

When heavy metal first started to hit the forefront, bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were popular. A little later on, groups such as Motorhead appeared. In each case, metal fashions were not very consistent. Zeppelin fans wore dark clothing with strange symbols on it, while Sabbath and Motorhead fans simply wore a pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt. Bands like Kiss and Alice Cooper came along and added clown-like make up and costumes. Metal fans suddenly found themselves dressing in black leather jackets with fringe on them and black cowboy boots.

2) Judas Priest and the Leather Revolution

Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford is single-handedly responsible for the first real fashion trend in heavy metal. Halford decided to start wearing black leather chaps and bracelets with studs on them. Instantly, this look caught on. Soon bands, and fans, were taking the leather look to new levels. Guitarist Kerry King of Slayer created a metal bracelet with nails sticking out of it and fans started wearing leather jackets lined with rhinestones and studs. It was a fashion revolution, and it was all thanks to Rob Halford.

3) Spandex

To many metal heads, spandex is a dirty word. That skin-tight material that was being worn by 1980’s hair metal bands did not seem so heavy metal to fans. But when bands like Iron Maiden started embracing spandex, it soon spread out to the entire metal world. Spandex and hair spray became the metal wardrobe for the 1980’s and the first part of the 1990’s.

Heavy metal comes with its own music and its own fashions. As the bands change their look, so do the fans. With such a loyal fan base, it is no wonder that heavy metal fashions tend to catch on so quickly.

Filed Under: Accessories, Teen Fashion Tagged With: , ,

How Entertainment Influences Fashion

You can always look to television and movies to inspire the fashion trends for the coming year. When the first “Twilight” movie came out, many teenagers started dressing in button-down shirts and all dark clothing. It helped to make the “goth” look more accessible. A look at the more influential movies in the past that have created their own fashion trend can help us to see future fashion statements coming. Here is a list of a few movies that sparked a whole new way of dressing. Maybe we can see the fashions coming if we learn to recognize the trends of the past.

1) “Clerks” (1994)

When the first “Clerks” movie came out in 1994, the characters of Jay, Silent Bob and Randal all wore the backwards baseball hats and open flannel shirts over a t-shirt. It was a subtle suggestion by a decently popular movie, but it is a fashion statement that took off on college campuses all over the United States. It pulled college students out of the new wave era of strange haircuts and flipped up collars into the grunge fashion phase.

2) “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985)

By the time Madonna hit the big screen with “Desperately Seeking Susan” in 1985, her fashion statement of a ballet dress, dark paisley jacket and big jewelry was already catching on. When the movie took off, so did the fashion.

3) “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955)

This movie is the genesis of the 1950’s teenage fashion statement of a white t-shirt under a dark jacket. James Dean’s jacket was not a leather jacket; it would take Marlon Brando to add the leather. But this movie wound up being so influential that it sparked a fashion trend that is still used decades after its release.

4) “Purple Rain” (1984)

Prince’s look of a white ruffled shirt under a shimmering purple jacket was so popular that it even made its way to the “Seinfeld” sitcom. This was the male version of the “Desperately Seeking Susan” fashion trend and, just like the “Clerks” look that came after it, this was very popular on college campuses around the country.

Movies and television have a huge influence on fashion. The next time you see a movie and wonder why someone would wear those fashions, remember that you may be seeing the next big fashion trend.

Filed Under: Accessories, Mature Styles Tagged With: , ,

The Perfect Way to Budget for Fashion

Have you wanted to get that new pair of dancing shoes? How about that perfect accessory that you have had your eyes on – whether it is in the store or on the Internet? While most have desired to head to the store for that next fashion piece, it isn’t always feasible.

For some people that don’t have a credit card, there are options available. It is actually preferable for many not to use a credit card. Not only can you overspend when you shop with a credit card, but you can hurt your long-term finances with the interest charges that will accrue.

The Reach Card is a prepaid credit card that can eliminate any thoughts of needing a credit card. You don’t even need to have a checking account to use it. It is a safe and secure way to shop, perfect for shopping online or at your favorite mall.

The card is used just as you would a checking account, and it can be set up without one, if preferable. You can transfer money to the prepaid credit card that you would like to spend. This is perfect not only for supporting your shopping habit, but budgeting it, as well. For individuals with or without a credit card, a Reach Card is a great option.

With no liability on the prepaid credit card, you can shop securely online and in the stores. You also can’t overlook how safe the Reach Card is on your finances, as you are only spending the money that you transfer, and not what is linked to your credit.

Consider the prepaid credit card to help you shop for fashion. Typical credit cards can overextend your finances and give you high interest rates. With or without a checking account, you can be on your way to shopping online and in the stores safely and easily.

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Teen Celebrities Set the Trend for Teen Fashions

Teen role models have always set the trend for how teens dress. It seems like there is someone for them to emulate in every era. In the 80′s, it was Madonna. The 90′s saw Britney Spears rise in ascendancy. And the first decade of the 21st century saw Hannah Montana bring her own fashion sense to teens. But while Madonna gave a style for teens to emulate, she never had a clothing line for teens to buy. Then along came Hannah.

Hannah Montana, nee Miley Cyrus, joined up with Max Azria to create a line of clothing that is found at Walmart. Very stylish with lots of glitz, the clothes are priced at levels that are accessible to her teen fans. The clothing range covers everything from t-shirts to bathing suits, leaving almost no clothing item untouched. The key to the success of the line is that it was initiated while the TV series was still ongoing, keeping the character fresh in the eyes of her fans.

Britney Spears recently released a line of teen clothing through Candies, available at Kohl’s. The success of her line is questionable as she no longer appeals to the teens. All of her fans have grown up with her and are long past the teen years. Instead of trying to trade on her prior fame as a teen idol, she should have aimed towards fans that are closer to her age.

As one teen star fades, another will rise to take their place. Never fear, Disney is already busy creating a fashion line for their next up and coming starlet.

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Fashion Rules That Are Made to be Broken

There are several rules of fashion that are pounded into our heads so often we are almost terrified to try to correct or change them. However, like any rules, fashion rules are made to be broken. Still, even when breaking the rules, there is always a right and a wrong way to break a fashion rule.

One of the most commonly quoted rules is that you cannot wear white after Labor Day. Given that Labor Day is somewhere in the fall, and supposedly you are not allowed to white again until spring collections start to make their appearance somewhere in April. That is a very long time to outlaw one particular color. And, if you think about it, what the rule really means is that you are not supposed to wear large amounts of white, like white pants or a white dress. Which seems even more ridiculous as now we are discriminating against certain garments. Wearing white during the winter, when done correctly cannot only be stylish but beautiful. Wearing a white trench coat will make a statement and look stunning against a snowy backdrop. You could also wear a white sweater dress in the winter. Not only will you look fabulous, but you will stand out and prove that the rule is silly and should be broken.

Another rule that we hear all the time is to not wear brown with black. What the rule really means is to not wear dark brown with black, as we wear khaki with black all the time and no one ever says not to. Also, if you were to really think about it there are several animals that have a black and white spots in nature. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to wear black and brown together as long as you do it in the right way. When wearing the colors together make sure that it looks like you are doing it with purpose. Wear a brown vest with a black top or wear a great brown belt with a black blouse.

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