It’s All About the Jeans; A Staple of Fashion

Skinny jeans, boot cut jeans, flares, acid washed denim. All find their way into our closets at one point or another. This versatile garment takes us to work, school and home. What is not to like?

The latest trend in cut is the skinny jean. Adopted by the hipsters, now anyone who is stick-thin is wearing them. A flash-back to the grunge styles of the early 90′s, this cut seems to be sticking around for a while. Be forewarned – not everyone can get away with wearing these jeans as they will reveal every last bulge.

Fashion is all about extremes, meaning that the next trend in jeans will be a wide leg. Although the boot cut and flare was popular for a long time, chances are that the cut will start wide at the top of the thigh and stay wide down to the ankle. Although the resurgence of the 1970′s in fashion will most likely give us a re-do of the wide legged flare and bell bottoms. Time to break out the platform shoes and the disco balls!

There are those who follow the crowd, and there are those who prefer to break away. Fortunately for the break-aways, they will always be able to find a cut of jean to satisfy them. It used to be that there was almost no choice for those who did not want to wear the latest fashions, so the wearer got stuck. Nowadays there are so many companies and clothing stores selling jeans. It provides a wide variety for the customer so no one gets stuck anymore.

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

So You Want to Be a Fashion Stylist?

Are other people always complimenting you on your sense of style and fashion? If so, you could be the perfect candidate for the fashion style business. The fashion business is exciting, challenging, and is always looking for creative people with an eye for what sells, and what will sell in the future.

If you believe you already have what it takes, or you want to learn what it takes to become a fashion stylist, you should look into taking accredited online degrees in the fashion industry. If you are creative and possess the desire to work with people, you can also choose a career in the merchandising or advertising ends of the fashion business. If you are good with people, working as a retail fashion supervisor may be just the right position.

The options are endless in the fashion design world. You may choose to work in general areas such as men’s fashions, or women and children’s or in specific areas such as designs for teens. The graphic design field is the latest trend in avant-garde fashion designing.

Along with courses or degrees in fashion styling and design, taking a course in accounting, marketing, or online marketing will help you to remain current in the world of electronic shopping. Fashion stylists are not limited to the clothing industry.

You may decide to branch out into home design, or the interior decorating field. Some courses in fashion design are also essential for a successful career in home fashion design. The history of fashion trends proves that there will always be a demand for fashion stylists because their creativity and imagination knows no bounds.

Filed Under: Seasonal Styles, Teen Fashion Tagged With: , ,

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.

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

The Changing Colors of Age

Child in Tiger face paint

Image via Wikipedia

When a person is very young, their color choices tend to be brighter and more simple. They also have more of a tendency to want to display something based on association with someone they consider better than themselves. While the desire for belonging through association doesn’t go anywhere with age, it does become far more subtle, and the color scheme becomes far more subdued as a person ages. These changes are for a very good purpose.

Believe it or not, one of the principal reasons for a child’s desire for bright coloration goes beyond mere social status. There is a genuinely beneficial psychological reason for children to want to be highly visible. In our prehistoric past, if a child was too difficult to see, they would be a far more likely target for predators, as their family members would be less capable of keeping track of them. While no child today could tell you this consciously, this once-rational fear is the same reason why children often fear monsters under their beds and in their closets.

However, an adult no longer has such a need for high visibility. For adults, being muted down in their outward color scheme indicates a higher degree of personal maturity and a readiness to mate. This in turn has become a more and more deeply ingrained social custom, with only rare occasions where bright colors become popular adornments for fully grown individuals. And while the desire for a large logo or image of a particular character or other association is highly valued among most children, adults also carry their desire for subtlety through smaller, discrete brand labeling.

Filed Under: Mature Styles, Teen Fashion Tagged With: , ,

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.

Filed Under: Accessories Tagged With: , ,

Fashion Faux Pas: How to Avoid Blunders

Avoiding Fashion Dilemmas

Wearing decent clothing doesn’t have to equate with who someone is as a person, but it may help outsiders get a glimpse of what people might be like artistically, professionally or spiritually. Dressing to gain the respect of others should be on the to-do list for many occasions. People who desire a new career might have completely flawless interviewing skills and flub on the appropriate attire. This may be enough to dissuade the human resources department from filling the position. Women may have painted fingernails in soft, neutral tones. Clothing should appear the same way. Heavy perfumes or colognes should be avoided.

Weddings are deemed to be one of the initial events of independent, post-collegiate life. Attire for the bride and groom are usually somewhat standard and elegant in appearance, but it often leaves guests wondering what fashion should be worn. It’s typically acceptable for men to sport a pressed suit complete with a tie and cufflinks. Women are usually encouraged to wear skirts, dresses or slacks to such an event. Colors can vary, but if they are too bright in nature, it’s best to avoid them since attention should be paid to the new couple.

Parties entitle guests to express themselves with clothes more freely, although there are still some things to keep in mind. While it’s okay to be relaxed, it’s important not to be the bag lady’s twin. When people don’t have money and are limited to what they have, that’s one thing. We shouldn’t place judgment for it. Men or women wanting to wear button-down shirts with slacks will not be frowned upon.

Filed Under: Seasonal Styles, Teen Fashion Tagged With: , ,

Halloween Celebrations: Pets and Patterns

Halloween is for children: this is the assumption, and seasonal fashions therefore reflect a distinctly human style.

For a true family celebration, however, some designers are now offering pet costumes. Dogs, cats, and more pets can join their owners and create holiday fun.

Consider these top 2011 choices:

The Dapper Dog

Dress your pup like the gentleman he is. The Dapper Dog features a tuxedo jacket (which fits easily across the front paws and chest), a tiny top hat, and a bow-tie. The look is dashing.

Wedded Bliss

No marriage is needed to wear a veil. Halloween is reason enough. Let your dog adorn a gown this season. This costume is unique, draping itself in front of your pet (attached by a collar against the neck) and offering white lace and a bouquet.

Cheering for Halloween

The search for candy deserves celebrating . . . and style. Allow your dog to indulge in school spirit with a cheerleading costume. It comes with an easy to pull on sweater and attached pom-poms.

Rabbit Season

Halloween is defined by surrealism, and nothing will seem more strange (or delightful) than the Bunny Costume. Give your pet the power of transformation. A pink suit stretches across the shoulders and all four paws; and two massive ears wait at the top, allowing any dog to become a rabbit for the evening.

All pet costumes can be easily found, with options available online, at speciality shops or even department stores. Compare all prices to discover your best choices and be certain to understand the size your pet needs. Fashion becomes tedious when it lacks the proper fit.

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

Be Your Own Designer!

Ho Ngoc Ha - 04/2011

Image by vikhoa via Flickr

Shows like Project Runway and Bravo’s “The Fashion Show” have thrown the process of fashion designing into the spotlight. We love to see the designers crash and burn and we love to see them succeed. But we also learn from watching them. We learn how they work, how they turn their inspiration into art, and, most of all, we learn to think, “Hey…that could be me!”

For many years fashion designers have been these unknowable entities whose clothes magically showed up in stores fully formed. Not so anymore. We have been let in on the process, and we are fascinated.

You don’t need to have your own brand to design your own clothes anymore. All you need is some fabric and a vision. It is a democratic art. Suddenly that girl in class who makes her own clothesis not an object of fun—she is cool.

Mass production getting you down? Are you tired of showing up at school only to find you are wearing the exact same dress as Suzie Smith? Why not try making your own clothes? Designing your own fashion is the only way to truly express your uniqueness through what you wear.

You are never too young or too old to start designing. But where to start? Well, if you are really serious about making a career for yourself, you should try getting into fashion school. But first, play around on your own. Practice sewing. Find out what you like and how to make it. Check out fashion blogs. Or start your own!

Filed Under: Seasonal Styles, Teen Fashion Tagged With: , ,

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: , , ,
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