Designer Fashion for a Quarter of the Price
November 12, 2007 | 3 Comments
Robert Cavalli is now selling his products at H&M. For those who don’t know Cavalli’s work, he is THE fashion designer - he’s like a really hot rockstar, but instead of singing, he designs clothes. “His clothes have been on the hottest bodies in Hollywood,” including Kate Hudson, whose dress is pictured below.
Halle Berry says that Rober Cavalli is “One of my personal favorite, always very sexy, always very on the end, always changes before other designers change, always a designer I will wear.” And now, his clothing is available to more than just the rich and famous.
Even though Kate paid close to $1000 for the dress, a similar design is available at H&M for only $350 - and that is the highest price product in the Cavalli line. Cavalli has 25 products for women, and 20 for men available at H&M, and that includes both lingerie and accessories. The products are only available in 200 stores, only 10 of them in the United States, but they are also available online at www.hm.com.
The collection includes some very beautiful animal print dresses, and even though I’m not necessarily a fan of them, they are very fashionable. The collection also includes corsets, and on the November 12, 2007’s show of “The View,” all of the hosts wore some of this fashion, featuring vests, jackets, pants, some pretty dresses, gorgeous shoes, necklaces and earrings. The pieces ranged from $5 to $200, and some of the ensembles sold for under $75 for everything.
The men’s collection includes men’s “basics” like a brown jacket, a brown v-neck shirt, a jacket and trousers, with a skinny cut on the pants, and even a black trench coat.
Cavalli’s jewelry is his signature gold, with a lizard-snake motif that is reflected in both the men’s and women’s designs.
Clean Up The Look
November 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Deny it all you want, but first impressions are key. You may think it doesn’t matter what you look like or what you wear because you’re married, dating, or at work, but it does. People do judge others simply based on appearance, and some people take time to get past that first impression. So, making the first impression the right impression is essential.
However, male fashion is a little bit tricky. Even so, here are a few tips to looking better.
1) Pants. Pants should fit, and a belt is a good idea. Baggy pants are way out. I don’t care if you’re 12 or if you’re 60, please wear pants that fit. No one wants to see your undergarments. And along the same line, a belt helps, too, especially if you’re at a nice occasion, or if your shirt is tucked into your pants. Even if you don’t need it to keep your pants up, the belt does two things: a) it completes the outfit, tying your pants (jeans, khakis, whatever) together with your shirt, making it look dressier, and b) it emphasizes the narrow part of your waist, especially good if you’re broader.
2) Shoes. Buy a pair of dress shoes - black and brown, if you can. I know sneakers are comfortable, but they’re just not made for every occasion. If you are wearing a suit - a wedding, church, Christmas, whatever the occasion - you need to be wearing dress shoes. Likewise, if are in something semi-formal (dark khakis with a nice polo shirt), your shoes can make the difference between a good outfit and a bad outfit. By all means, wear your tennis shoes with jeans, with your family, or for casual occasions, but have a nice pair of dress shoes like the ones pictured below, which are available for only $100 and come in black, brown, and burgundy.
3. Your hair. By all means, use hair product, cut your hair short and do whatever you want with it, but don’t use so much hair product where you’re like one of my friends. I could drop a book on his head and his hair wouldn’t move. And his hair was crusty and white. Not only is this bad for your hair, but it looks horrible - there’s a reason he didn’t have a girlfriend. Styling products should be used in moderation.
4. Shirts. T-shirts shouldn’t be warn on a date, at least not a first date, unless they’re the classic crew neck tee. Likewise, polo shirts are also really nice, but undo that top button. Long-sleeved dress shirts are hot, especially in solid colors. Paired with a pair of jeans or khakis, dress shirts or polos are perfect for any occasion - formal or casual. Just make sure it fits.
Finding the Right Kids’ Clothes
November 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
We know kids - especially girls - are growing up a little too quick these days. I mean it. Picture this: eight-year-olds in mini-skirts and skin-tight shirts, trying to look grown up and sexy. What is that’s causing them to grow up so quickly?
1. Friends, especially those with older siblings. Girls see the way others are dressed, and they want to look that way, too. Girls want to look older. Until they hit somewhere between 21 and 30 that is, when there’s a frantic desire to look younger. Children see what’s cool, and what’s hot, and they want that, too.
2. Teen/adult/celebrity “role models.” Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens… really, anyone in the spotlight. They’re “cool” and pretty, and everyone wants to be cool - and pretty.
3. Toys. Once upon a time, there were Barbies. Now there are Bratz. Barbie had goals and careers. The only thing Bratz are set to do is climb a stripper’s pole. And that’s a toy being marketed to children. Girls see what Bratz are wearing, and that’s what they want to wear, too.
Here are some tips to helping your kids look cute, “cool”, and fashionable without breaking the budget or having other parents ban her from their house.
1. Dresses and skirts are fine, but try to keep them about knee length, or have them layer it with leggings. Leggings and layers are “in.” Try Children’s Place or Gap Kids, which have dresses, including “Sweater Dresses,” which are perfect for leggings for only $20-30.
2. Denim is everywhere. Children’s Place has jeans for $15 for girls and boys, and Navy Pier has some nice jeans, too. Make sure they’re not baggy or skintight, and that they don’t drag on the ground.
3. Khakis are a good addition to any wardrobe, because they can be worn for semi-formal occasions, too. (Dark khakis are in, light khakis are waaaay out, and colored khakis could be fun, too.) Try Children’s place.
4. Cute tops and sweaters. Again, layering is in, and long shirts, with pastels and prints and then, long shirts can be over and under the shorter shirts. Navy Pier, and Gap Kids are good places to look. Don’t forget sweaters!
Slimmin’ Down Without Losing a Pound
November 7, 2007 | 3 Comments
While fad diets speed by without any warning, it’s hard to figure out which diets are healthy, affordable, and most importantly - actually worth the time and effort. Here’s a nice loud “cheers” to those who are blessed with a good figure, good genes, or good eating and exercising habits.
For the rest of us, we’re always looking for tips to look slimmer while we’re trying to actually get slimmer. Want to know the good news? It’s simply a matter of what you wear. Here are some simple style tips, so you can look lighter - and feel better, too.
1) Wear dark colors or stick to monochromatic color schemes. Then, you can dress it up with some nice accessories - a colorful purse, a gorgeous necklace, a colorful and unbuttoned blouse, etc. Throwing in the blouse gives you some color so that you don’t feel dull and boring, and you can still wear bright colors you like. Also, wearing a pencil skirt that ends below the knees lengthens out your legs so they look much longer - and you look much lighter. Be sure it doesn’t end in the middle of the hips. This style doesn’t look good on anyone - even uber-skinny supermodels - and anyone who says otherwise is lying.
2) Wear tailored outfits. Clothes that accentuate your shape and follow your natural waistline will make you look much slimmer, especially if you add a bent - showing just how slim your waist is, and accentuates that slimness. The belt also draws in other’s eyes. Wearing big, baggy clothes doesn’t make you look better. My super-skinny sister does me a favor by wearing baggy clothes that don’t do anything for her, and as a result, we look about the same size, even though she’s much smaller than I am.
3) Don’t wear skinny jeans. They might be called “skinny” but it’s a misnomer. A better choice is a dark jean that makes you look slimmer. And don’t wear them too high, and don’t let them drag on the ground. In other words: buy pants that fit, and not pants that “are a little tight, but then I can wear them after I lose four or five pounds.”
Beyond those tips, all I can tell you is to wear something you like. If you don’t like it, it shows, and your discomfort and your dislike of what you’re wearing and your dislike of it will show, making you look worse. Wear something you love. Also, good posture - stomach in, shoulders back - makes you look slimmer and taller, too (and it’s also good on your back!).
Fashion Must-Have: The Trench Coat
November 6, 2007 | 4 Comments
With winter coming on quickly, finding the perfect winter coat is becoming more and more important. And this season’s fashionable coat is the trench. These jackets are lightweight, often come with a waist-accentuating tie belt, and double-breasted, often with an empire waist.
How do you pick a coat - in particular trench coat? A coat should be an accessory of sorts, adding to your everyday clothing, not taking away from it, and it should be something you like and think you look good in. The coat is the first thing people will see of you for the winter months.
The first step is to think about your normal wear. Do you like the layered look? If so, you’re gonna want a coat that has plenty of room to wear comfortably over your clothing. Do you head home or go out after work? If you go out, you’re going to need a coat that serves both purposes. You don’t want to feel like you need to leave your coat in the car. What’s your shape like? A straight cut should streamline a curvy figure, and a flared look will give curves to an otherwise-straight figure. Which fabric? Cashmere is almost too shear to be worth the purchase, as it wears down quickly. Something with wool is stronger, and wears very well. And waterproof material, especially a waterproof trench, is a great buy. Wool will add a bit of warmth, making it an even better buy.
The last consideration is what I would consider the most important: color. With popular colors reverting to 80’s-like colors of ochre, yellow and teal, it’s probably best to choose something a little more variable - a color that’ll stay fashionable, and won’t make you sick every time you see it on the hanger. Early fall’s color was white, but late fall, and early winter suggests a red. Shades of black, brown and gray, are also a good purchase. Choosing a color that flatters your skintone is always wise, but if you fall in love with a trench coat that doesn’t, you can always throw on a scarf, or something that will.
Like with anything else in this world, Trench coats come in a wide variety of prices.
The black and red trench coats pictured above are available at Overstock.com for only $50 a piece. Though they’re short, I love the single row of buttons, matching the color of the jacket.
This black all-weather pleated trench coat is available at Nordstrom’s for only $148. The tie around emphasizes the waist, but I’m not a big fan of the zipper.
This Trina Turk Sterling Red Trench is available at Nordstrom’s for only $237. I love the big, bright silver buttons and the red tie around the middle. Again, the tie flatters the waist and the buttons are just pretty. This jacket is also available in black.
I think this trench is just gorgeous. The lambswool will help it wear longer, and the tie, the buttons and the color are just gorgeous - although white’s not necessarily recommendable. This jacket is only available online at “La Redoute” for $199.
The Little Seed Children’s Specialty Store
November 6, 2007 | 3 Comments
When it comes to kids, there are always things to worry about: toxins, allergies, and what to do about them. Former Child star, Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye), has opened a children’s store, “The Little Seed” that specializes in “green,” or eco-friendly products. She had a hard time finding a store that carried organic, non-toxic items she knew were safe for her children and the environment, so she decided to make sure others wouldn’t have the same problem.
Frye and two of her friends, Paige Tolmach and Beth Birkett opened the store. All three women have children of their own, and Tolmach explains their inspiration on their website (www.thelittleseed.com):
“After spending months on the web researching and buying non-toxic and organic products that wouldn’t irritate our babies’ skin, we realized that the search to find these items was shockingly difficult.”
“The Little Seed” environmentally safe and non-toxic paint, and recycled bags. Products include organic crayons and paints for crafts, non-toxic wooden toys, Kate Quinn, Fauna and Speesees Organic Baby Clothes, organic wool blankets and baby clothes, organic body products, and Jennifer Myer jewelry. These products guarantee safety for your child and the environment. And as Frye said, “It’s an opportunity to make the planet a little greener.”
Heidi Klum’s Makeup Collection
November 5, 2007 | 1 Comment
Victoria Secret Model Heidi Klum recently launched “The Heidi Klum Collection for Very Sexy Makeup.” She developed the product with Victoria Hayes, the Victoria Secret Makeup Artist. “I like to develop products, period,” said Klum. “I just have the most fun in creating things and doing things… We really wanted to develop something that I love personally, but that I can see in all different women that makes them more beautiful and sexy.”
The makeup collection contains several pieces, all of which have Klum’s beautiful smile on it. The lip gloss, which Klum loves (but then who can blame her, it is her collection), is called “Hot Cocoa,” and is a nude with a slight chocolate taste, on sale for $12 at Victoria Secret.
The eyeshadow, “Beautiful,” contains four colors. Multiple colors make eyeshadow great because it adds definition and color, and these four colors work well together, so whether it’s a night out on the town or a day at the desk, this is a great addition to your makeup collection. This piece can be purchased at Victoria Secret for only $18.
The lipstick in the collection is named after Klum, because “Heidi” is a copy of Klum’s incredibly pink lips. It also has sparkles thrown in - because Klum likes sparkles. Also available at Victoria Secret, the lipstick is only $12.
The last piece in the collection is a $10 glitter eyeliner.
This collection may not have something for everyone, but the prices are affordable, and a lot of it does look really good. In any case, it’s definitely worth a look. And the hot cocoa gloss is definitely going to find it’s way into my purse!