May 18, 2012

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Clothes For Teenagers

Shopping for clothing in Metro Washington DC

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Shopping for your teenager can be a hair-raising (make that “hair-pulling”) experience. Whether you have you a teen daughter or a teen son, clothing style is just something on which parents and kids rarely agree. Figuring what to buy for your child can be difficult, but it is certainly not impossible. Take a good look at your teenager’s way of dressing when they have had no input from anyone else—particularly other adults. Take clues from the way their friends dress as well. Of course, the easiest way of all is just to take your child shopping with you as you are guaranteed to find something that will work.

Kids tend to try to find their personality though the clothing that they wear. Once they think they may have found out something about themselves, that signature style will yet again change. All this clothes shopping and mind changing can get a little crazy, but you can keep up by making sure the pieces they buy are interchangeable—just in case they change their minds next week. Watch not only what, but how your kids wear their clothes. Try to purchase items that will wear the same way and keep the color palette similar to what they typically wear.

The best way to have a successful shopping trip for your teenager is to let them shop with you. Whether you go to the store or shop online, your child can be there to make the final decision on what they deem an approved article of clothing. If shopping without your teen is necessary, at the very least keep your receipt. Try to remember that your kid is in the process of evolving and their clothing choices—while often a little… unique—are very important to them.

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Shopping During Hard Times

Window shopping at Eaton's department store. (...

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Shopping is ranked among one of the most loved pastimes—particularly among women. Due to the downturn in the economy that began in late 2007, shopping rates started to decrease and then in turn, surge. Shopping is one of those activities that give many people a feeling of happiness and even euphoria. This explains why, even in economically tough times, a person would still feel the urge to go shopping. The benefit of shopping during low points in the economy is that many stores present discounts, coupons, and other promotional offers.  This draws in customers and helps the store rid of their inventory; it also helps the consumer stay within their budget thanks to lowered pricing.

In addition to in-store offers, there are other ways to get great deals when you shop. Many online stores offer coupon codes allowing you to save a lot of money. Various websites present coupon code lists for thousands of online stores. These coupon codes will often save a consumer between five and fifty percent off of the retail price. In addition, many online retailers offer free shipping to customers who spend a specific amount of money (often $50 or more). Beyond coupon sites, consumers can also sign up to receive emails when stores of their choosing have sales. This is a great way to watch for discounts on must have items such as bedding, appliances and wardrobe essentials. Many stores, whether online or right in your city, will match the lowest price of another store on a like-item.

Planning ahead can really help you save a significant amount of cash when it comes to shopping. To make sure you are getting the best deals possible, sign up for your favorite store’s newsletters, always shop around prior to purchasing, and use coupons whenever possible. Shopping does not have to be financially draining. You can find your favorites items at a price you can afford and leave with feelings of euphoria, not only about the shopping experience, but also the remaining cash in your purse.

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Changing Fashion Trends Leaving You in the Dust?

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 19: Charlotte Daws...

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Keeping up with current fashion trends is about as easy as treading water during a tsunami. The styles are ever changing course and as quickly as one wave comes in, another rises over top. Sometimes it is best to stick to the tried and true styles that never seem to go out. Boot-cut jeans, fitted cotton tees and that little black dress never seem to lose the fashion war. There are ways to keep up with fashion trends without bowing down to the black hole of consumer spending though.

When a new “must-have” comes out, take a good look at it. Usually you will have an initial reaction; you love it, or you hate it. Try not to act on this though. Humans don’t take kindly to change and often something new will give them immediate thoughts of “NO WAY!”

When a new trend emerges, try it on. See if it fits your body. Try to imagine wearing the item to the office, out to supper with your significant other, or on a girls only weekend. Can you picture it? If so, can you picture wearing the item six months down the road? How about next year at this time? Could it be paired with any other items in your wardrobe? If you’ve answered no to these questions, put the item back. If you’ve answered yes to one or two and the piece is inexpensive compared to your budget, consider it a bit longer. If you’ve answered yes to all the questions, go ahead and buy it. It might just turn out to be a new classic! If it’s just not your thing, skip it and save your money for a cute pair of shoes or a new handbag.

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Work-Wear Without the Work

Advances in fashion design over the years have made work wardrobes easier to afford and maintain. Many of today’s pieces are multi-functional and can be cleaned at home. Years ago, pieces were made to be paired and rarely went with anything else. Most items were dry clean only or had to be ironed prior to wear. Thankfully the essentials can now be purchased at a reasonable price as well. With tight budgets abounding, the more wear you can get out of a single piece, the better.

When shopping for work wear, be sure to look for hand washable, no iron suit sets. You will usually find these as a 4 piece solid color set consisting of pants, a skirt, a jacket and a vest. Purchase one in black—always a classic—and another in either navy or brown since both work well with other colors. Try to buy different skirt or pant styles with each set so you have some variation. Button down or fitted tops will wear easy with these suits. Sweaters will also work well with both the skirts and the pants.

Take time on Sunday evening to plan your outfits for each day of the week. Group together the items you plan to wear and add your accessories as well. Lay everything out the night before (just as you have your kids do). This will save you time on a hectic morning. Since you are using neutral base colors, you should have numerous colors of tops to fit your mood. Solid colored tops will present a dramatic look while prints and neutrals within the same color range as the suit will look more relaxed.

This advice may sound basic to some, but women all over struggle each day to find something decent to wear to work. There are plenty of options available that can make dressing for work simple and inexpensive. Use the options to your advantage!

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What to Wear – And What to Avoid

Houten badpakken / Wooden bathing suits

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There has been a lot of talk lately about clothing—particularly what is proper and what is not. Who remembers the nationwide news story about a particular entertainment star’s dress during a court session? Whether you are going to school, court, work, a fancy restaurant or just a hometown baseball game, you need to be aware of your appearance.

Do:

  • Make sure your bare essentials are covered up! You might not be a celebrity or politician, but who really needs a bad beach moment coming back on them later in life?
  • Wear a business suit to a job interview unless you are 100% sure that the entire employed party wears jeans and flip-flops every day. Court dates call for business suits as well—at the very least a pair of dark slacks and a button down shirt.
  • If the invitation calls for casual, jeans or a cute skirt with a cap sleeve top is perfectly appropriate. Hot pink mini with an armful of bangle bracelets and hoop earrings? Not so much…

Don’t:

  • Wear something that you would be embarrassed to wear in front of your Dad.
  • Ever wear a tight dress in white, beige, pale yellow, ivory, or any other color that you can easily see through when you hold it up to your bathroom light.
  • Buy clothes that don’t fit. Quality control and size standards vary among companies. Buy an item according to the way it fits, not the number on the tag.

If you are really having trouble with your choice of attire, consult both a trusted friend and a trustworthy relative. Ask for honest suggestions and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find out about your own style.

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Bold Styles In Footwear Appear on Premier Runways

Shoe trends are getting wilder not tamer as the newest styles are revealed in New York, Paris and Milan. Suede, leather, denim and even lace come in every color, print and texture imaginable. Whatever your outfit, there is sure to be the perfect shoe to match.

Finding an outfit to match the shoes might be a problem, since patterns stand out enough to overshadow all but the savviest duds.

High, high heels are in, and pink and black are big. While chunky is going out and pointed isn’t totally back in yet, small rounded toes are prevalent.

Most of the new designs are in bright colors and bold patterns. Many combine two or even three styles in one shoe, making for a fun visual display.

Boots are also in vogue, the higher the better. High heel boots in leather and all colors work well with leggings and skirts.

Hats and handbags to match can help pull the look together. Open toes and heels add a little sexy to some of the more casual styles. Strappy is still in for dress and casual shoes.

Animal prints are still in style, also available in bright, bold colors. The finest designers are incorporating unusual heel styles to distinguish this year’s selection. Many new designers are making their mark, some with styles as fresh and innovative as the old standbys.

Metals and the metallic look is also popular. Contrasted with black or other dark colors they are both striking and easy to match. Emerald also stood out in many collections.

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Investment Dressing Never Goes Out of Style

If you are ready for a new suit worthy of the war room, the poor economy may be your new best friend. Investment dressing hasn’t been mentioned since the last economic recession, but it’s back for now.

New trends are toward the grown up style, not just fancy kids clothes anymore. Career minded women near midlife spend far more on clothing than any other demographic group. Since they’ve been moving up the professional ladder, it’s time they got more attention in the clothing departments.

Investment dressing is building an easily mixed and matched wardrobe based on a few base pieces – a jacket or slacks for instance – and making sure everything else you buy will match at least a few of those pieces. Instead of the trends that are in today and out tomorrow, investment dressing involves timeless pieces that fit well and are bought for quality, not just style.

These items last longer and can be worn to work, special occasions or an evening out. Their long lasting value makes them truly an investment.

Investment dressing is built on a tailored style. Build the wardrobe on fundamental colors, fabrics and styles that will fit together easily. Investment dressers refer to the cost per wear of each item of clothing they purchase. Cost per wear is based on how many items you already own will match it, how many times you will wear it each year and how many years it will last.

Investment dressing is perfectly suited for the plan ahead, ready for anything mature female. It may not be well suited for your teenage daughter.

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Madonna and Daughter Launch Material Girl Clothing Line

Material Girl

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Madonna has done it again. With daughter Lourdes, she has launched a new clothing line “Material Girl.” Available at Macy’s, Material Girl aims for juniors and the tween fashion divas, ages 7-14.

Tight leggings, short shirts and fabrics of every color and print are the baseline for this style. Choosing a look that your kid adores and isn’t too revealing might be a challenge, but layering can keep the modesty in the style.

Scarves and jackets work with the layered look. Madonna said Lourdes was not just the inspiration for the clothing line, but actively works with the designs. Lourdes is blogging about the new clothing line herself.

Neither Madonna nor Lourdes will model the line. Leather and lace from the 80’s, along with high boots and heels compliment the look. Dressing like you didn’t plan it is Madonna’s goal for Material Girl outfits.

For those who well remember the 80’s, Material Girl clothes are more like Like A Virgin clothes. Lourdes is very interested in fashion and style, and has strong opinions about it. She Expresses Herself in her blogs.

While Madonna admits to having input on her daughter’s school outfits, she said she gave Lourdes free reign when it came to the clothing line. Material Girl accessories complete the look. Look for long, dropping earrings in a variety of colors.

Heavy makeup, especially eye shadow, was another hallmark of the Madonna’s 80’s look. Mini dresses and t-shirts round out the line.

History has shown that what Madonna says is in is in. The Material Girl collection has received good reviews, and is sure to be a huge success.

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Learning About Hip-Hop Fashion

Iraqi Hip Hop dancers and Michael Parks Master...

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Hip-hop clothing has been around for nearly 30 years. In the beginning, artists would select specific brands of clothing they liked and could constantly be seen in that same clothing. It didn’t take long before the people who enjoyed their music wanted to emulate their style and began buying the same lines of clothing. Starting in larger more populated cities with a larger urban community, these trends would eventually push out to supporters all over the nation and even in other countries where the artist’s music was popular. Before long, companies began to take notice of this trend.

Soon manufacturers were making shoes just for rappers and other hip hop icons. In their lyrics, musicians would oftentimes talk about the labels they wore, a trend that is still common in today’s music. Further down the road, some of the rappers and hip-hop icons that created these styles would launch their own clothing lines. Marketed to the same segment of people that listened to their music, rappers and hip-hop artists would extend their clothing lines into many markets, including seasonal clothing, accessories, audio visual equipment, and even premium vodkas and other luxury items.

Today, these clothing lines are more popular than ever and have built an industry that is worth billions of dollars. Rappers like Jay-Z have created popular lines of clothing under the Rocawear brand name, which produced revenues in excess of 700 million dollars in 2007. His line of clothing, founded in 1999, includes accessories, footwear, jeans, pants, shorts, shirts, outerwear, lounge-wear, hoodies and sweaters for men, and a line for women including tops, bottoms, dresses, intimates, footwear, and more. Rocawear has also expanded to offer children’s clothing as well. This line of clothing is an example of a brand that creates a lifestyle around it, one that Jay-Z has called “Roc4Life.”

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Top Benefits of Office Dress Codes

Office dress codes are often despised by their employees. The office may be business causal or require an actual uniform. No matter what the restrictions are, there are ways to use the rules to your benefit. Here are the top benefits of complying with office dress codes.

Work Uniforms

Many uniforms are based on wearing a company shirt and supplying your own pants or shirt of an agreed upon color. One easy way to stand out a bit from the other employees is to wear better quality pants or skirts. Ironing or having the uniforms pressed at a cleaners help to make you look professional throughout the day.

Budget Friendly

Wearing a uniform to work helps to cut down on the expenses associated with having a job. Employers do not reimburse their workers for clothing. Many busy professionals are constantly purchasing new clothes. Some of these items may be trendy or they simply wanted to wear something different.

Over time shopping on a whim for work clothing may result in a lot of clothing that is no longer in style. If the quality of the fabric was not great, the clothes may not look good enough to wear to work anymore. Uniforms do keep costs down, by not having to buy clothes as often.

Saves Time

There is no need to worry about what will be worn to work for the week. It is easy to prepare multiple uniforms for the week. Extra time in the mornings can be used to eat breakfast with your significant other, family, or to meet a friend in a local cafe.

Wearing uniforms at work, is usually requested from the employer. Some employers feels that it cuts out some of the distractions in the office. Upper management may take notice of consistently seeing your uniform outshine your coworkers. Use these tips to benefit from following a work dress code.

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