FashBlog.com

By Melissa A. Popp

One of the most important things to have when you move into a college dorm is shower shoes. It's on every list you can find out there that tells you what you should bring to college with you. However, it's quite possibly the most important item on these lists, and anybody who's ever lived in a dormitory "college or elsewhere" will tell you not to forget your shower shoes. You won't want to shower without them; you don't shower without them.

Why do you need shower shoes? It's simple. When you live in a community setting like a dorm, you will be using the same shower with ten, 20, 30 or more people during your stay. The showers, in some cases, might not be cleaned every day and because of this you're advised to wear shower shoes in order to keep yourself from coming into contact with dirt, germs or something like Athlete's Foot. Shower shoes are the one sure fire way to help prevent your feet from coming into contact with something that might cause you harm.

When you live in a college dormitory many kids aren't used to thinking about others. It doesn't mean they were brought up that way; they're just not used to living with that many other people and having to take a few steps behind before they take a few steps forward. When it comes to cleaning, many colleges employ housekeepers to take care of all things related to keeping the place germfree, but this still doesn't mean everything is clean all the time. They come once a day, sometimes twice depending on how big the dorm is, and that's it. You're on your own for the rest of the day, and if that means someone soils the shower right after they clean it, well, you just have to live with it.

Another thing to keep in mind is that many college students, especially those during their freshmen year, like to get in over their heads. They engage in things they shouldn't be doing, such as drinking and doing drugs, often time the side effects of such activities end up with them throwing up or defecating in the shower, toilet or other areas of the dormitory. More often then not, when trying to sober up, these unpleasant moments take place in the shower. While most will try to clean up what they can, sometimes they just leave it there, because they don't want anybody to know they did it or that they were the ones drinking alcohol or smoking pot. If this is the case, eventually it will wash away, but if you have to shower, you have to shower, and sometimes you just don't know what's still residing in the shower even though you can't see it.

These are just some of the many reasons why wearing shower shoes is a good idea when taking a shower. Sometimes, though, students end up always wearing their shower shoes to the bathroom, which is an even better idea. These shower shoes are cheap, durable and often you just throw them out as they get too old to wear around the dorm. By making sure you have these when you head off to college, you'll save yourself the hassle of ruining a good pair of shoes, which I had to do my first night at school for forgetting to buy them before I moved into my new home.

Dressing your little ones can be lots of fun, but high end stores and boutiques can get to be quite expensive. If you're looking to find trendy clothes for your kids on a budget, try these tips:

-- Don't miss out on the end of season sales. End of season sales are great; the only problem is, the always occur at the end of the season, meaning you won't get much use out of new summer clothes if fall is approaching. Not to worry-- try buying clothes for next year at this year's end of season sales. End of season clearance items are often marked down several times over, so don't miss out. If your child is a wearing a 2T this summer, it's a fairly safe bet that he or she will be in a 3T by next summer. Stock up on cheap clothes in the next size up and you'll have tons of new stuff for your kids next year at this time! Some of the best end of season sales occur after Christmas (in January and February) and at the end of the summer.

-- Ebay all the way. If you haven't shopped for kids clothes on EBay, you don't know what you're missing. Ebay is a popular online auction site-- learn the ropes and you can get some phenomenal deals. Smart Ebay sellers snatch up lots of inexpensive, name brand clothes and list them for sale. You can find new and used clothes on Ebay-- if you're squeamish about purchasing used or gently worn clothing for your kids, just log onto Ebay and type in "NWT" in the search bar. "NWT" means "new with tags"-- this way only brand new, unworn items will come up in your search. You can also type in specific brand names in the search bar-- popular searches for toddler clothes include "Gymboree", "Baby Gap" or "TCP" (The Children's Place). Don't like the idea of waiting for an auction to end? Search for "BIN" or "Buy It Now" items-- these items will have a set price for which you can purchase the item instantly. Fancy little girl's holiday and party dresses are a good item to look for on Ebay-- they have usually only been worn once and are generally in good condition. If you've never used Ebay, it's easy to sign up. Some tips: Always be sure to check the seller's feedback rating before you place a bid-- if a seller has negative feedback listed, reconsider making an offer. Also, be certain to check the seller's shipping policies and prices-- some sellers list the selling price of their items low, but then try to make up for it with whopping shipping prices. Always read the fine print in any Ebay auction you bid on-- honest sellers will list flaws in clothing items; also check to see if they offer a return policy.

-- Check consignment shops. Consignment shops deal primarily with clothing that has been previously worn, but the clothing items are usually in extremely good condition. Most consignment shops check over the clothing with a fine tooth comb before accepting them from sellers-- even placing them under a bright light to check for spots and stains. You can find some good deals on trendy toddler clothing by checking consignment shops regularly-- most have new clothes coming in on any given day.

-- Swap with a neighbor. Consider swapping your kid's clothes with a neighbor. Most people would rather give clothes away to someone they know then to a stranger.

-- Keep your eye out for price adjustments. Go ahead and shop at those trendy stores at the mall, but keep your receipts and check back in 2 weeks to see if the items have gone on sale. Baby Gap, for example, offers one time price adjustments on any items that go on sale within 2 weeks of your purchase. So if that $30 windbreaker gets marked down to $14.99, you'll pocket the difference!

-- Check discount stores and outlets for deals. Discount stores like Target have really cute kid's clothes and the prices are reasonable. Check out Walmart's "Mary Kate and Ashley" line for trendy outfits designed by those famous Olsen twins. Kohl's department store often marks down popular kids brands like OshKosh B'Gosh and Carter's. If you live near outlet stores, check them out for great prices on discontinued clothing items.

By Melissa A. Popp

Ask someone what a "wife beater" is and chances are they will flinch. After all, who names an article of clothing a wife beater? Well, after years of being called a wife beater, the term has evolved to the politically correct form of "undershirt." Yes, a wife beater is a type of undershirt that men typically wear under their t-shirts or dress shirts in order to collect sweat and perspiration.

Wife beater is such a common term, it's even being considered for lexicon status in the Oxford dictionary. So, tell me, how can a word in the Oxford dictionary – the epitome of the English language – be bad? Well, the "f" word is in the Oxford dictionary, too…

Officially, wife beater is slang. It refers to a ribbed cotton sleeveless undershirt that is typically white, though they can be found in a variety of colors now. Sometimes this style of shirt is also called an "A-shirt" in the clothing industry. They are lightweight, easily torn and stain beyond cleaning. While mostly attributed to men, more notably "thugs" and other gangster-related persons, the wife beater has grown in popularity to include women who either wear the men's version or purchase specifically fit undershirts for themselves. The term itself developed in the 1960s in New York areas such as Queens and Brooklyn for a very specific set of people as not everyone was "fit" for wearing a "wife beater." The term was very literal in both what it represents and who wears it around this time and in this place.

Eventually, the term resurfaced around 1996, the year of its first written use. This was around the same time that Hanes' A-shirt (also a type of undershirt) began circulating and gaining popularity. During this time, it developed into an almost joke of a term, with male teens wearing it, looking in the mirror and laughing at themselves while thinking they looked like a Redneck wife beater. Thus the term emerges as a way to make fun of what a person looks like in the undershirt style.

There's a lot of fuss over the term wife beater. After all, when you hear the term, the first thing one thinks of is a man beating their wife, which in all honesty, is where the conventional dislike for the word stems from the media. What started out as an innocent fad has turned into a very heated topic amongst feminists and other philosophers. The one place it hasn't been much of a debate has been the fashion industry, which tends to avoid the controversy, by simply selling the undershirt as just that: An undershirt.

How did the wife beater get such a notorious image? It's simple. Men who beat their wives wore them during several highly intense cases that were related to Americans through all forms of television, newspaper and magazine stories. This type of negativity was enough to have the term "wife beater" is completely politically incorrect when referring to an undershirt.

Many domestic abuse support groups have even gone so far as to suggest that the undershirt is the shirt of choice for wife beaters, furthering the image that the shirt is for the bad guy who is willing to hurt others for whatever reason. Many groups have vocally come out and showered their distaste for the wife beater in various media outlets going so far as to call out companies who purposefully market these shirts to demographics that are more prone to domestic abuse.

Sickeningly, many companies who make a mockery of issues such as domestic abuse have created wife beaters and other types of shirts supporting such abuse. These shirts are adorned with criminals in jail for beating their wives or loved ones, as well as sexual predators and celebrities associated with such abuse. Some companies even produce an undershirt with the term "wife beater" emblazoned on it just for men to show off that they aren't "afraid" to wear such a shirt.

Just try calling an undershirt a wife beater around someone, whether you know it or not, that has been beaten. They will speak up. Trust me, I know from experience. In fact, let me tell you a story about my experience with the term wife beater and why I will never use it in public ever again and why I encourage others to do the same.

My senior year of high school, I began wearing wife beaters as a way to either stop anyone from being able to see through a light t-shirt or as a compliment to my overalls. (Yes, I wear overalls, at twenty years of age. You can stop laughing now.) I was on my way to my journalism class, which was right after lunch, and it was really hot that day in the building. So, I stripped down to just my jeans and my wife beater, knowing that my journalism teacher would have no problem with it, so long as no administrators or principals walked in, to which I could quickly put on a sweater or my other shirt, which I still had with me in my backpack.

On the way to the class, I ran into some friends and talked to them, taking my time to get to class. My journalism teacher always stood outside the door and greeted students as they came into her class; she was very friendly, very intelligent and a very good teacher. However, when I made it to the door, she asked me why I was wearing my undershirt and I replied, "You mean my wife beater?"

I was so used to calling it a wife beater, whether it is with my friends or asking my parents to buy them for me, that it just came out. I didn't realize at the time the demeaning aspect of calling my undershirt that, it's just what I called it, and I didn't think twice saying it out loud in public around people who quite possible could've been beaten by husbands.

Luck would have it that my journalism teacher was one of those wives, now divorced. She immediately corrected me, very haughtily, which I kind of shrugged off and just went on through my day. It wasn't until I began to get to know who better that I learned her ex-husband had physically and emotionally abused her. I then understand the value of ditching the offensive terminology for the less offensive undershirt, which in all honesty, is far more accurate when it comes to what to call it. After all, it is an undershirt, a shirt can't beat a wife; so, why on earth call it a wife beater, right?

While a big proponent of free speech, there are some words I just won't use, and this is one of them. It's much different looking at the word, knowing what it means, but still using it than it is when you say the word and know somebody who lives or has lived it. Thus, I choose to exercise my free speech not to use this word at all anymore, unless doing something of this nature, such as writing about it. That is my choice, and I stick by it, as I like to think it's the right thing to do after that confrontation with my journalism teacher who also happened to evolve into my mentor and inspiration.

I encourage others not to use the terminology as it is associated with domestic abuse, and for anybody who knows anyone who has suffered those difficult times, they know that even brief mentions of potential abuse are enough to send these people over the wall into places they thought they climbed over. I learned from first hand experience that you can't just go with something, because it is popular, instead, you have to weigh what the greater good is in response to what is the current trend for the moment. Relationships you built will last lifetimes, but trends always die, no matter how popular they may seem and the term wife beater is one such trend.

While most linguists would argue that the term "wife beater" is going to be around for awhile, others disagree, especially if the negative connotation of the world is stigmatized further by those who can't stand the two words together for what it stands for when said. Sometimes even the most inappropriate words become part of the lexicon for years, decades and even centuries all because so many disassociate themselves with the true nature of these words and the true nature of the hurt behind them.

One such word, for example, is the "f" word, which isn't even acceptable in print anymore much less in public. Words such as the "f" word gather popularity, change in meaning rapidly, and become so commonplace that many people forget the derogatory nature of the word; such is the way with wife beater.

Unfortunately, this is just the way languages works, and sometimes not even the most popular slang words stay around for the long run. Other slang words have also seen this type of popularity shift. Wife beater is no different, as both the word and the meaning, should have been long since dead.

By Melissa A. Popp

Let's face it. We've all seen those pink jerseys. Whether they've been for the Eagles, the Chargers or the Patriots, we've all seen some of the most feminine football fans wearing those pink jerseys emblazoned with their favorite player's name and number. This is a very light pink color which means it captures the eyes immediately. This alone is enough to spark interest and debate over the subject: Are these notorious pink jerseys really necessary?

Those pink jerseys have a dual meaning: One is to appeal to female fans and the other is punishing male athletes. We'll deal with each equally as both have brought up strong reactions from both sides of those who are involved directly, those who wear them and those who just don't see what the big deal is about them. This is a fashion trend in full swing and as such it has brought out much attention from fans, media and dissenters alike.

Let's start with pink jerseys in relation to female fans. This is the primary reason why pink jerseys were created by professional sports leagues, marketed and sold like hot cakes.

It's no surprise that sports jerseys are geared towards men. Dark colors, masculine images and names, as well as the way they are cut and fit, make jerseys something undesirable to most women. They don't want to wear a man's jersey, they want to wear a women's jersey that fits her curves and shape. Most men's jerseys are big, bulky and don't sit right on a woman, which discourages them from showing their support for their favorite team by buying and wearing a jersey.

Thus, such big name sporting leagues like the National Football League and Major League Baseball came up with the idea of designing a women's jersey for women to increase their support for their favorite teams. These jerseys are designed to fit a woman's figure, come in much smaller sizes than a man's jersey and are pink with specific lettering color depending on the colors of their favorite team. For the most part, at least recently, some stores have been offering custom pink jerseys but overall, you can generally just buy very specific – high profile – players from team-related stores.

Once the pink phenomenon hit stores, many girls, especially around the college age began to sport the jerseys around campuses and elsewhere. Most notably, Philadelphia Eagles fans this past Super Bowl, found many female fans attending the game with their pink jersey as well as parties all around the country sporting Terrell Owens or Donovan McNabb pink jerseys. The Eagles went so far as even to produce a pink hat for their team so women could also accessorize their jersey further while wearing it.

Other teams jumped on board and also began offering the pink jerseys for women's fans, and they have been snatched up by diehard football, baseball and basketball fans all across America. It's yet to be seen how far reaching these jerseys are in the international community, as it's highly improbable that soccer fans across the globe will ditch their team colors for pink, even the most feminine among them.

Most girls who wear these jerseys are fanatics on a particular player, which is why sporting leagues cater to certain players, providing fans with the jerseys they want as opposed to opening up the field for all to buy a jersey of their choice. When it comes to marketing, it's genius, because this has brought many girl fans out of the woodwork who you wouldn't normally think supported a professional sports team, especially when it comes to football, and the players that play on those teams. This has given girls, of all ages, the chance to show their support while wearing a color more suited to what they would rather wear.

Keep in mind, though, that not all girls will wear the pink jerseys. Even though they are marketed to girls of all ages, this does not mean that all women are snatching up the jerseys as we speak, instead, it's just opened the door up to women who are less inclined to put up with the "manliness" of regular sporting jerseys. One sport you will see this prevalent in is soccer where women supporters will gladly put on a man's jersey to show their support for a team, nation or player, because of the culture and tradition surrounding the sport. Instead of besmirching their team with a pink jersey, they would rather proudly wear their team's colors of choice to chant and celebrate when they play on the pitch.

Now, let's move on to pink jerseys being used to punish male athletes. This has drawn mass media attention in the United States as teams use them as negative reinforcement for poor performance on the field.

One of the most talked about sports stories of the season revolves around the University of Arkansas' choice to use pink jerseys to punish football players who either weren't up to conditioning, weren't practicing hard enough on the field or who were just goofing off during training. This has sparked a national debate as many breast cancer activists complained that it was demeaning to force someone to wear pink when many associate the color with breast cancer support.

While the Arkansas head coach, Houston Nutt, told the media that he came to the conclusion to stop using the pink jerseys on his own, many are skeptical of his claim. The weeks leading up to him putting a stop the practice, many cancer-related charities, support groups and survivors complained to both the university and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to step in and do something about the hideous display of a color that brings hope to many breast cancer patients and survivors.

However, the NCAA dodged the bullet and refused to both comment and act, as it was a matter of public relations for the Arkansas team as well as a stamp of approval over political correctness. After all, pink is just a color, a color associated with girls, which is why it was used as a "punishment" in the first place for these men of men on their football team. So, the NCAA stepped aside to let Arkansas, and any other team, develop their own policy, which they are well within their right do so. The NCAA regularly avoids conflict if it's one or two teams, so this is common practice, and shouldn't reflect on the inability of the NCAA to do its job of regulating college athletics across the country.

On the flip side of the coin, many Razorback fans complained to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation about their objection to the use of pink jerseys on the football field. They withdrew support for the charity and threatened not to participate in their local Race for the Cure event that was coming up. The local Komen chapter refused to budge, as did the national chapter, and eventually the team gave up the practice of using pink jerseys as a detriment to poor behavior. Other reports say that the Komen chapter didn’t complain one bit, that it was disgruntle fans that didn't support the Razorback and other feminist-related groups. Either way, Coach Nutt decided to put an end to a practice his Defense Coach put into practice and ending the controversy over a simple way to get players in line.

No offense was meant by the jerseys, he related to the media when making the announcement. Since many Arkansas students take place in the annual Race for the Cure event, nobody thought that controversy would develop from such a hazing procedure that many teams put into place during training and games. It just so happens that not all teams use pink jerseys to show their distaste with playing or failing on the field. This type of negative reinforcement is what upset many cancer patients and supporters of those patients, because by using it in a negative light, it's associated with the negativity of cancer, specifically breast cancer among women.

Now, keep in mind, pink jerseys are most likely used elsewhere for positive and negative reinforcement on the sporting field in many different sports. It just so happens when a big name team gets "caught" using them does a media backlash occur. It all comes down to the current climate of women's thoughts on the matter as well as just how the jerseys are being used in positive and negative reinforcement scenarios.

These pink jerseys have caused a lot of controversy as well as been helpful for sporting leagues. When it comes to fashion trends, there are always positive and negative aspects, and when it comes to something as high profile as sports, even the diehard fan will admit that the pink jerseys aren't all that bad. It all comes down to individual taste, desire and willingness to indulge in pop culture's acceptance that women do watch professional sports with as much fervor as men do when they support their favorite team from the local bar, their local dorm room or even from the stands.

By Melissa A. Popp

Just saying the word "Hanes" brings various visions to mind. T-shirts, undershirts, underwear and a plethora of other clothing; Hanes is one of the most recognizable clothing lines in the world, and they don't even do fancy, like Armani or Gucci, which are equally recognizable. Instead, Hanes focuses on the basics, that every man, woman and child needs in their everyday lives, and they've made a fortune off of the common t-shirt.

When it comes down to it just what makes Hanes so popular? In all honesty, it's the simplicity. Think about it: Hanes t-shirts are comfortable, solid colors and come with or without pockets. How much simpler can it get? There's no frills, no perks and no price gouging. A Hanes t-shirt is worth exactly how much you pay for it, and you won't be paying an arm and a leg for a t-shirt.

As said before, Hanes doesn't just deal with t-shirts; they also make socks, undershirts, underwear and bras. Only in recent years have they begun to make pajama sets of the same lightweight material they make their other products. Also, in the last five years, they've become to shy away from solid colors, such as red and blue, but also include pastels and simple patterns like flowers or stripes. This evolution comes from where the clothing market has shifted from solid colors being in to where pastels are the new hot fashion trend that people of all ages want to wear. Of course, for the most part, pastels are primarily women's clothing while men stick with the solid, darker, colors to adorn their bodies.

With ad campaigns fueled by the likes of Michael Jordan, who currently is their primary endorsee of the tagless undershirt, to Matthew Perry, Hanes attracts all sorts of customers to wear their products. Marisa Tomei and Damon Wayons have also signed on as sponsors for Hanes.

Even Mira Sorvino has jumped on board to help model Hanes' "Go Red" campaign. Hanes has teamed up with Macys and the American Heart Association to get the word out about women and heart disease. Since heart disease is statistically the number one killer for women over the age of 25, it's no wonder such a large corporation would use its power to educate women of the risks before it's too late. What better way to support women and the fight against heart disease than to buy a Hanes t-shirt?

Hanes is so comfortable, so affordable and so stylish, that most Americans will likely have worn at least one Hanes product in their lifetime. That fact alone can't be said for many other clothing companies that are either out of the price range of more than half of America or specialty clothing stores that don't appeal to the majority of citizens in the country. Hanes is worn by everybody, because it's made for everybody.

Hanes is so popular it was even featured on the April 28, 2005 episode of the NBC hit The Apprentice. Both teams, Magna and Net Worth, designed a commemorative logo for the fiftieth anniversary of Hanes. They enlisted the help of two artists to help them design the shirts: Romero Britto and Burton Morris. In the end, Magna won the task with their t-shirt designed by Britto and now both shirts can be purchased for well below the price they sold at on the show at WalMart (www.walmart.com).

Hanes products can be bought in almost any store that sells clothes as well as on their web site (www.hanes.com).

Written by James Fohl
April 28th, 2005

Recently while on an all day shopping adventure with my girlfriend , I found myself stumbling into a Dickies outlet store with the ultimate goal of locating a pair of 32 x 34 carpenter jeans for work. While I have remembered seeing Dickies all of my life in the small hardware stores, and in some retail stores such as K-Mart while growing up, I never saw a whole store dedicated to Dickies clothing. But then again, I always thought the Dickies clothing brand was for the blue collar workers of America, and the entire Dickies line consisted only of work pants, work shirts, and a couple essential blue collar accessories such as suspenders and belts.

Boy was I surprised when I walked into Dickies and saw pink blue jeans, a barrage of small purses with the Dickies logo stapled onto them, guitar straps, skirts, and a bunch of other clothing accessories totally opposite to Dickies initial products. Apparently Dickies has really exploded from the blue collar workman's supply company it had once been, to a teenager fashion paradise. Sure the store had some carpenter jeans and work shirts; a whole one clothing rack. About ninety-eight percent of the store was devoted to teenager fashions; from pink blue jeans to black and white checkered purses, I was really surprised.

I went to the carpenter jean rack, because really that was the sole purpose of my visit to the store. I remembered the last pair of Dickies jeans I bought were only seventeen dollars, and this was about a year ago at a local hardware store which should be expensive, since it was a locally own shop. I was astonished when I looked at the pricetag and saw thirty three dollars. I quickly grabbed my girlfriend's hand and left the store in total disgrace.

On the drive home from the mall, I went into the same hardware store I had purchased the Dickies a year ago. There they sat, next to a rack of Dickies work shirts and a pile of Dickies belts. I quickly went throughout the pile of jeans before I found my size, and quickly looked at the pricetag. The price of the pair of jeans was eighteen dollars; a dollar higher than last year, yet still fifteen bucks cheaper than the Dickies store. I took the pair of jeans to the register, along with a seven dollar belt and left a happy man ready to work.

I now understand why Dickies has opened stores with all kinds of teenager clothing, at ridiculous prices. They realize that if kids wish to spend outrageous amounts of money for clothing, then let them. They can have massive amounts of profits, while still providing the blue collar workers with high quality, durable workwear at very affordable prices.

Dickies makes really durable clothing. Seriously, although they are not the most comfortable clothes, they still outlast almost every other brand on the market. While I can see why the company has exploded into retail outlets, I really hope hard working Americans looking for cheap workwear do not go into the Dickies stores and see the outrageous prices and give up on Dickies.

The mini skirt really is an amazing item in any women's clothing. It is something that you will hardly miss in any woman's wardrobe. And yet if the mini was a guy who had to have a nick name, there is only one nick name that would really fit, and that is "the come back kid."

Why the come back kid? Well for the uninformed the mini has made just too many amazing come backs, such that were a biography to be written (I am almost sure one has already been written) it would be much more interesting and captivating than most biographies of real human beings that I have read. And believe me, I have read many.

From the liberating (or is it swinging) sixties, to the nineties and on to the present new millennium, the mini skirt has come, and then gone as if forever, only to suddenly re-emerge bigger (opps I meant smaller. shorter) and better than before.

But there is a side of the mini skirt piece of clothing that has hardly been discussed. It is not too difficult to guess why nobody wants to discuss it. There is a real and justified fear of offending lots of people. But then the truth does that lots of times. Does it not? So let us just go ahead and discuss it. My apologies to anybody that I may offend but my view has always been that knowledge is priceless even when it may offend.

What do men feel and think when they see a pretty woman in a mini skirt? If you are a woman and you think that the answer to this question is obvious, please read on, you are in for a few surprises. Of the nasty kind, I dare add.

I remember the time when I used to feel good at the stares my wife got when she was in a nice mini skirt that really showed off her shapely legs nicely. I would walk right next to her, holding her hands.

"Eat out your hearts out folks, she's mine, and mine alone," I would say to myself.

The whole episode really gave me a kick. Especially looking at some of the guys who literally had saliva dripping from the sides of their wide open mouths as they stared, their eyes almost popping clean out of their sockets.

Alas, that was 25 years ago and although my wife's legs are still in great shape (believe me she would get exactly the same reaction today), she no longer dresses the way she used to in those days. Let us just say that we have both learnt a lot about this life and provocative clothes for women and what they really mean.

A lot of the stuff we now know is best left out of this article. But let us start with one truth.

Women's clothes evoke certain feelings in men. I often wonder if women are fully aware of the exact nature and magnitude of these feelings. Many times most of them barely see beyond the vague comments and what they think they already know.

Pardon me for being blunt, but I do not know any other way of saying this. When a man looks at a woman provocatively dressed, or dressed in some mini skirt that leaves very little to the imagination, there is only one thought going through their minds at that moment. And that is Sex. They do not think that the woman is pretty or has nice girls that are better than those of so and so. And neither are they interested in that at this point in time. The animal instincts in them just takes over and viciously crowds everything else out.

I have a feeling that most women do not fully realize this for the simple reason that most men close to them never tell them the truth. Or rather they do not tell it bluntly enough, so that it is fully understood with all the implications that go with it.

Let us examine some of the comments that a nice lady dressed in this manner will quite often get.

"Oh you look sexy." Is a common comment. In modern English that means that they look attractive and desirable. That's exactly what every clothes designer on the planet tries to do with their clothes for women and therefore this is the sort of comment that will hardly sound of any alarms.

"You look ravishing." I sincerely wonder what exactly that means and I wonder how women take such a comment with a straight face in this day and age of women's lib.

"You look gorgeous." Now I will not bother to make any comment about this one. It is just totally off the mark and yet it could be the most common in such situations. How sad.

All in all these comments say nothing about what is really going in the man's brains.

It is true that women are very much aware of the sexual thing in men when they dress like this and many times they deliberately provoke it because it comes naturally to some of them to do so (no offence intended). Women were created to turn heads, just like men were created to scratch certain unmentionable parts of their bodies at the most inappropriate time. Or in the most unhygienic and unhealthy way.

But the more worrying factor here is that more often than not, women do not realize that men hardly have the ability to admire nice legs without thinking about sex, like women can easily and effortlessly do. Women actually forget that men are very different from them.

There is a bunch of old fashioned folks who claim that provocative dressing encourages and often triggers violent rape. I do not believe that I am old fashioned, but the truth is that after years of experience and of witnessing and hearing about dozens of incidents, I have no option but to agree with this view.

The proof comes from the way men think and are turned on. Why is it that we all forget too often the fact that men are very different from woman in their thinking? A husband having a shower will easily get turned on seeing his naked wife troop by, even on a hectic morning when both are trying to get to work on time. That would hardly ever happen to a woman.

Now just think of a man in a situation where a woman troops by fully dressed but so revealingly so that the guy can easily undress her right there in his mind? Naturally his animal instincts will completely take over and if the situation is such that they think that they may just be able to get away with rape, then most men would not think twice about it. They would let the animal in them completely take over.

Sorry, but that is the truth, blunt as it is.

But maybe it will make you feel better to know that I am still fighting a battle with my 23 year old daughter to stop wearing dresses that are short enough to pass for mini skirts.

Written by James Fohl

With summer coming quicker than a sports car in the passing lane of a highway, all the retail stores that sell shoes are getting in boxes and boxes of flip flops.

Coming in every color of the rainbow, as well as a barrage of patterns, designs, and even logos and cartoon characters, flip flops have really become popular in the past decade.

And why shouldn't they? Flip flops are perhaps the greatest fashion accessory for summertime. From wearing a pair while you walk along the hot sand at the beach, to just wearing a pair while you walk around your pool's deck, flip flops provide the necessary protection your feet need and still give you the ability to easily slide them off and back on.

While flip flops are not really all that durable in a manner such as sandals are, most of them are really cheap. If you go into any Wal-Mart you will find literally thousands of different styles, and most are priced fewer than five dollars. A real bargain for the overall usefulness that flip flops will provide.

Most flip flops are pretty cheap, as mentioned above with the whole Wal-Mart example. Some stores, such as American Eagle charge ridiculous prices for flip flops that are actually far less comfortable than Wally World's three dollar special. Twenty-five dollars for a pair of plastic flip flops with a little logo on them is not my cup of tea; especially whenever that little logo rubs off after wearing the flip flops for less than a week.

Flip flops are known as jandals in New Zealand, and over in Hawaii people refer to them as slippers. Flip flops are different when compared with sandals for a variety of smaller reasons, but primarily due to the fact that flip flops do not have a backing that wraps around the back of the users foot.

While in America, flip flops are pretty much known only as a fashion accessory, they are the choice of footwear in most developing countries due to the fact that they offer sole protection for less than a dollar a pair. Even with such a low cost, street vendors exist in developing countries that offer repair services for broken flip flops. Now perhaps this is due to the fact that some people really do not wish to dispose of their favorite pair of flip flops, but still it displays just how dark some parts of the world really are.

Nonetheless, flip flops have invaded America. While just ten years ago, flip flops could be found in only a few select colors, and composed of rubber, today literally millions of different variations exist that are composed of many more comfortable materials.

With such cheap shoes as flip flops existing, any one can build a pretty large collection of shoes. The only downsides to flip flops are the fact that you only have the ability to wear one pair of flip flops at a time, and that flip flops can't really be worn in any other season despite summer, unless you live in a tropical region.

When I was a little girl, little girls were little girls until they were at least 11 or 12 years old. Little girls wore their hair in braids. They wore jumper dresses with tights and loafers. Little girls wore headbands and bows in their hair. If they wore shorts, they were modest and flattering. Jeans and long pants were fine, and they completely covered the undergarments, usually fitting almost all the way up to the belly button. Shirts and blouses were made in a variety of styles, even tank tops and halter tops; they covered all the private parts, including bras and bra straps or undershirts. The bottom line is that back in the 60s and 70s, little girls dressed like little girls. Sure, they were feminine, cute, and casual; they dressed for hot weather and wore swimsuits. But even in the height of the hippie movement, when openness was the only way to go, children were still children and little girls were little girls.

Today our daughters begin dressing like women at younger and younger ages. First it was just the teenagers, which is to be expected. But today, teens don't even dress like women; they dress like rock stars, scantily clad actresses, or even prostitutes. Bra straps hang out, cleavages beg to be noticed, and jeans are cut so low that the color of their panties is no mystery. Piercings, tattoos and see through fabrics abound. As if this weren't distressing enough, it doesn't stop at teens. Younger and younger girls are succumbing to this trend of sleaziness, wearing bras before they need them, just so the straps can show outside their spaghetti strap top.

Parents often claim they won't let their young daughters dress this way, but taking our daughters shopping can be a struggle. Most stores supply only items that appeal to this sense of style. Gone are tights, unless they are lacy or made to look like spider webs. Gone are jumpers and modest skirts; in their place are mini-skirts and see-throughs with panties made to match. Gone are modest tank tops; replacing them are the tube tops that girls are wearing over their bras. Whoever started this trend, or even worse, whoever didn't stop it before it started must not have a daughter. Discount stores, department stores and specialty stores at the malls abound with clothing that Britney Spears might wear at one of her concerts, but sized for an 8-year-old.

What will happen to these little girls when they are old enough to really fit the clothes? Will they continue in the skimpy attire or will they find that it isn't enough. Will they need something a bit "less" to feel older and more their age? Where does it end? And when they do ultimately become women, what then? Will they dress their daughters like that? I hardly think so.

Finally, more manufacturers are getting smart about how consumers want to buy swimsuits. After years of insisting that two-piece swimsuits be sold as sets, they are finally allowing women to mix and match the pieces by selling them as separates.

The first reason this is so important is for women who have wear different sizes on the top and bottom. In order to have a good fit, some women had to buy two swimsuits in the same style, but in different sizes. Or, they either squeezed one part of their body into a suit that was too small, in order to accommodate a good fit elsewhere, or wore a portion of their suit too baggy.

The mix and match trend has even more advantages. Prefer a halter style top and a French cut bikini bottom? No problem. Mix and match purchases allow each woman to pick the best style top and the most flattering bottom for herself. Experiment with the way different combinations look on you and create your own personal style. Try a bandeau top with a skirted bottom or a tankini top with boy shorts.

This allows you to select the amount of coverage you want and to get the best looking suit for your body shape. Some lines even have coordinating patterns, colors and prints so you can mix fabrics as well as cuts and sizes. If you have had trouble fitting in swimsuits in the past, try looking for retailers that sell these new separate style suits for a fresh approach to swimwear to get you ready to hit the beach.

By Brandi Rhoades

You have made a major change in your life. Maybe you just finished college. Maybe you went through a painful divorce. Maybe you finally lost that baby weight. Still, when you head to your closet, you find that you are not happy with anything you see there. Yuck!

There is nothing that speaks to the new you. Here are a few simple steps that will get you on the track to a new wardrobe that you can afford.

The first step is to go through everything that is there. Be honest with yourself. If you cannot remember the last time you wore something, or if you do remember that time two years ago, then toss it. Clothing that has not been worn for a year or longer is in the back of your closet for a reason. It does not fit your style, so do not keep it. Throw out anything that no longer fits, especially if you have lost weight. When you set aside these clothes, put them in two piles: charity and trash.

With the remaining clothes, you will have some decisions to make. Since you are looking to speak to the new you, let us take a closer look at those clothes. Maybe you have plenty of clothes that scream "mommy" from the days when you had toddlers. If you have outgrown that moment in your life, get rid of those clothes. Put them in the same piles as the ones you no longer wear.

Once you have a good set of remaining clothes, which may be whittled down to very few, then you will need to go back to them. If there are any pieces with missing buttons or zippers or that were always a tad bit too long, take those clothes out and fix them! Do not put it off. Sit down today and fix them, or if you are not handy with the sewing machine, put them in the car to take to be fixed. If you continue to put it off, then you will keep letting those clothes take up space.

Now, look at what is left. Take an inventory of what you have. It may indeed seem bleak, particularly if you have changed significantly. There is hope, though, to get a nice wardrobe soon. Compare what you have to what you want your wardrobe to be. Are you looking for something trendier, more chic, more bohemian? Define your new style right now. Then, head out for some shopping.

When you are getting started, you do not want to ignore second-hand boutiques. You can try true thrift stores, such as your local parish's shop, or you can visit consignment shops where you can often find name-brand clothes for little money. Start at these places if you are concerned about your budget because you can get more clothes for your buck here.

The best option when you are starting out is to pick out a few "classic" pieces, or at least classic for your style. If you are going for bohemian, you can pick up a tan broom skirt. If it is the professional look, you may want a pair of black slacks. If you are headed for trendy, try a denim skirt. Pick up some classic tops as well. You should get three or four outfits with these classic pieces.

Now that you have those outfits, get two or three not-so-classic pieces. Go ahead. You know you have had your eye on that ruffled tank top. Pick it up now.

Whew! That part's done. It is time to dress up those classic outfits so that you have a wider variety. The first step is to think about shoes. Let's say you picked up an above the knee black skirt with a plain, white blouse. You can add an orange scarf as a belt or add dangling earrings or add sexy red sandals. So you get the idea. Think accessories. Use hats, belts, earrings, necklaces, and other hot items to make these outfits stand out. You can even get other pieces of clothing to complement this classic wear. People will remember the cute bolero jacket you wore, but they will not recognize the black tank top that was under it.

Once you have dressed up these items, you should be able to stretch the three or four classic items to ten or more outfits that people will not recognize as the same clothing. Do not be afraid to mix and match within the classic pieces as well. If you bought a pair of white pants with thin black pinstripes, for example, they will look different with a black top versus a white top. Keep those changes in mind.

So, you have a new wardrobe now without spending the big bucks. Be happy. Now you can head out in clothes that flaunt the new you instead of reminding you of the old one.

I have been happily married for quite a while now. Oh how the years fly by. And yet I can remember the dress my wife was wearing on that eventful evening at about 8 pm about 20 years ago, when I proposed to her. (I even remember the song that was playing on the music system at the restaurant).

It was a flowery red dress that she did not like much herself. In fact she gave it away to somebody she did not care for much a few years after we were married. Despite the fact that she knew I liked it so much.

Red is no doubt her color although she still looks good in half a dozen other colors.
Over the years, my dear wife has not taken my advice too seriously where clothes are concerned. Recently she has started paying more attention, don't ask me why, I guess all relationships and marriages pass through these phases, and I guess that this is yet another phase our relationship / marriage is passing through.

I even remember the dress the girl friend I had immediately before my wife came along used to wear to all her successful job interviews... and dates. It was also red with black patches on the shoulder pads. But red was not that particular girls' best color. Yellow was. I think the special red dress just had some special magic that ensured success whenever she had a serious appointment.

Here I have given you enough hints as to why I broke up with that particular girl. In case you have not guessed it, she was a gold digger. Still loved her to bits although I knew marriage would never work.

Maybe I am some sort of psycho, I don't know, I just remember clothes and their colors and I attach them to incidents and times of my life.

Yeah, yeah, I can hear you complain that men are not supposed to remember such stuff. And I believe you are right, so where does that leave me? Am I some sort of psycho or abnormal man to remember colors and dresses?

Just like people listen to music and they remember a certain time in their lives and stuff they were doing then. I think of clothes and especially their color and I remember a certain time in my life and stuff that I was doing then.

But let me continue to pour out my heart since you seem to enjoy it so much.

The first girl I ever fell in love with loved the color purple. A certain light shade of it suited her very well and I still remember her shy smile. I never said a word to her, ever. We were both in the fifth grade.

The next girl I lost my marbles over didn't know how to dress, but the color she looked best in was no doubt cyan. (That's a certain shade of light blue).

The woman whom I loved most in my entire life but lost forever when she sailed (oops I mean jetted out) to a far away country and got married to somebody else, loved the color purple. And I have to agree that it suited her well.

I still remember the dress she was wearing when we said our last tearful goodbyes. Mercifully it was not that purple. It wasn’t purple at all. I say mercifully because it would have made the whole last goodbye scenario more difficult for me if you get my drift.

I think ladies should pay more attention to the colors that suite them best. They do make a huge difference. And I think the best person to ask is your spouse and a couple of guys in the office. I believe democracy will give you the truth here, although not in all cases. Plenty of folks have problems with their colors and I suspect many are partially color blind without them ever suspecting or knowing it.

Good luck all the same.

I recently saw a magazine ad declaring, "White Jeans Are Back!" I must ask, what is good about that? The whole concept of white jeans perplexes me.

First of all, jeans are meant to be rugged. They are durable and tend to hide dirt well. I remember when colored jeans were fashionable. I had a pair of black jeans, green jeans, and red jeans when I was in junior high school in the late 80s. They were a cross between slacks and jeans. To nice to be jeans, yet too durable and casual to be slacks. They were dressy jeans. White jeans, however take this to the next level. The only attribute they share with traditional jeans are that they are made of denim. They might be more durable than slacks, but they seem to attract dirt and are not meant to be worn by anyone who might want to ever sit down.

Perhaps more importantly, as with most clothing fads, white jeans do not look good on anyone but models. The models in magazines look great in their spring pastels, tight white jeans, and bare feet. But when a normal woman wears white jeans, all attention is drawn to the horrible pants. The white color tends to make your rear end seem twice as wide. And it seems as though those daring women who decide to wear them also tend to be daring in the size department. You will not see a woman wearing loose fitting white jeans. There seems to be a requirement that they be at least one size too small, which tends draws more attention to the fact that you are a unique woman wearing daring white jeans.

And of course, that unavoidable spot of dirt always stands out like a sore thumb.

Ever since the dawn of civilization, people have been fascinated by the style of other people and have tried to imitate other in the style of walking, talking, and even dressing! And the arts and competition of mimicry, mono-acting, fancy dress competition are some refined forms of this instinct!

A fancy dress is a very common feature in schools and colleges these days, and no wonder people like and enjoy watching students wearing different types of clothing depicting different facet of the life! There are institutes who organize these fancy dress competitions every year and they are a big success.

The participants of these fancy dress competitions are provided with a choice to wear any dress that might be relevant to the theme of the competition. And sometimes there are open categories and no theme whatsoever is provided, thus, leaving the participants to wear whatever comes in their mind! Boys mostly opt for the dress of a sportsperson, actor, a politician, a doctor, a professor, a soldier, a priest, a hawker, etc. Girls mostly choose a character that suits their gender like a nurse, a lady doctor, an actress, a model, a fashion designer, a teacher, a nymph, a religious woman and so on! There are number of other options that the participants can choose! But the main point of choosing a dress lies on the availability of that dress or the time available to prepare that dress by professional or by oneself. For the main motive behind the fancy dress competition is to shape the creativity of students and to give them a practical idea by performing on the stage with the actual dress on!

Sometimes, there are other things that make the part of the dress, as if the participant has chosen a tradesman, he or she might also has to depict some tools and other things that are particularly related to that trade! The art of winning a fancy dress competition lies with the idea of convincing the judges and the audience with your appearance that you are depicting your chosen character most suitably. And without doubt, the dress in the most important factor for the convincing appeal!

Sometimes I wonder of the choice of clothes that women wear in parties, and an incident flashes in my mind, which changed the view of one of my cousin, who was not that very sure about the prospective beauty of wearing a Sari in a marriage party!

It was my elder cousin's marriage day, and everybody was conscious about the dress that he or she may be wearing for the party. My younger maternal cousin usually liked to wear traditional dress of a Punjabi girl--Salwar Kameez and Dupatta--which is just like wearing a trouser, a long shirt and having a mantilla! Though she looked cool in the dress but her mother and father wanted her to wear a Sari, because in India, the most potent dress for an occasion like this is Sari! It was a flaming red color Sari with golden border threads that was woven into it!

Though she was not willing to wear a Sari, but the enchanting appearance of the Sari made her to try that out! But wait, it was a cumbersome work to wear a Sari, and she found her unable to do it. Her friends and other aunts sensed the irony of her state and they helped her to bind it around her; for, if you are not aware of the structure of the Sari, mind that it is around five-and-half meter or six meter cloth piece that is bind around the body!

And no wonder that after a little hassle in the initial stage of her maintaining the Sari, she became the cynosure of all in the party and all the eyes were riveted on her appearance. This naturally made her a little more conscious and she started watching her own steps. This was a real treat for us cousins, and we teased her very much about this, as she gave the appearance of a woman who has worn the Sari for the first time!

Later somebody remarked that the boy from the party of bridegroom has sent a proposal of wedding her, which was actually declined; because my cousin was not that matured in her age, but looked quite matured in the Sari, and this lent a rare beauty to her! She realized that the glare, elegance, and charm of the Sari can not be matched by any other dress, and she started wearing Sari for other function also, for, she was convinced that for women, Sari is the best dress in India!

When you hear the phrase "work uniform," do you automatically think of fast food restaurant employees with their paper hats or Wal-Mart greeters with their blue smocks? Or maybe you immediately think of the full jumpsuits that many auto mechanics or landscapers favor? Those are the kinds of jobs that we traditionally associate with uniforms, which makes sense since people in those positions are highly visible to customers. But there are also plenty of companies out there that require uniforms for everyone, from the machine operators to the office staff, and even the top executives.

I worked as a mid-level manager at a large company for many years. At a different company, I would certainly have had to wear proper business attire. But everyone at this particular company had to wear uniforms. It was my first experience with uniforms (outside of sports), and I have to say that I really like the idea. While some of you may bristle at the thought of such a major constraint to your wardrobe, there are actually many benefits that come with having to wear a uniform to work. For example, work uniforms allow you to:

1. Save Money
I had a friend who worked at the Gap while we were in high school. She worked three nights a week and on weekends, but never seemed to have any money to go out to lunch or to the movies. I asked her what she was spending her paychecks on. "Well, the store policy is that we have to wear Gap clothes when we are working," she complained. "I don't have a lot of Gap stuff, so I have to use most of my paycheck to buy their clothes!"

That's perhaps an extreme example, but there is some underlying truth to the scenario. The biggest clothing expense for adults is most likely their business wardrobe. Suits, dresses, slacks, blouses, blazers, and ties are all very expensive, but also very necessary in most office environments. Even if you work somewhere that has followed the "business casual" movement, you will still have to shell out quite a bit of money for appropriate attire. Clothes don't last very long before either wearing out or simply looking outdated, which means you will have to replace a good portion of your work wardrobe every few seasons or so. And don't forget dry cleaning costs, which can really add up after a while. With a work uniform, even if it just consists of a company shirt or blouse rather than a whole outfit, you wouldn't have to worry about most of these costs.

2. Save Time
I'm sure we've all had those mornings. You know the ones. You wake up late, scramble out of bed and into the shower, then panic because you can't decide what to wear, or even worse, don't have anything clean to wear. With work uniforms, you will never have to spend time trying to pick out the day's outfit. Think of how much time this will save you each morning. You can sleep an extra 15 minutes every day! Depending on how many uniforms you have, you probably won't be stuck without anything clean to wear, either. The company I worked for started each employee off with two shirts. Then we could purchase as many additional shirts as we wanted for $7 each. I had a total of eight uniform shirts, so I could go a pretty long time without having to worry about doing laundry.

3. Get More Accomplished
I don't know about your office, but a friend of mine worked in a place that had a pretty active rumor mill and gossip group among the staff. She said that she would sometimes accidentally walk in on a bunch of women who gathered in the restroom to make malicious comments about the way others were dressed. I guess there was one young woman in particular that liked to show off her figure. It was just the usual combination of jealousy and pettiness that fueled these gatherings, but the bottom line is that work wasn't getting done. If everyone in that office had to wear the same uniforms, it would be one less thing for people to waste time on. Granted, those who love to gossip would in all likelihood just move on and find other things to criticize, such as hair or makeup, but at least there wouldn't be anything to say about clothes.

4. Be on Equal Footing
Finally, I think it's important to mention that uniforms bring everyone to a certain level of equality. When wearing regular business clothes, it's easy to note differences among the staff. The guy who wears Armani suits is probably making just a bit more money than the guy who buys his suits off the rack at J.C. Penney. These kinds of differences can bring unnecessary tension or resentment into the workplace. Uniforms help eliminate some of these more obvious disparities.

All of us know very well that there are three basic needs of a person--food, shelter, and clothes! Man has shown marvelous courage, enduringness, and struggle in the achievement of these life-supporting pillars. Now-a-days, these basic spheres have taken shape of comforts and luxuries as well! If we take one aspect out of these namely, clothing, there are many things that we have to take care of while manufacturing the cloth according to the needs and requirements of the people who are the prospective wearer of this! And after doing all these things, there comes the need of keeping these clothes intact and in good condition. Ironing these clothes is one of these options that are very helpful in keeping the clothes in a fine condition.
Apart from keeping them well, in the society pressed clothes also help to maintain the dignity of your personality!

And you don't have to run to the shop for doing that; and mind you, ironing one's own clothes is a very good activity. If you are interested in doing this, you will be saving a good amount of money and at the same time will be spending your time for some useful work! Ironing is not that very difficult and almost anybody can do it in the home. Ironing of clothes is one of the main activities in all houses in India. We can use electric press, which is connected to the plug and is left to get hot. Then some water is sprinkled on the clothes, and one of the clothes is spread out on the floor; however, a wooden table or a wooden bed can also be used according to the availability of the furniture and shortage of floor-space!

The press is placed on the cloth and moved on it till it gets pressed--the idea of getting pressed is meant with the removal of wrinkles on the cloth! And it is very clear that if you know how to do a good ironing, you will almost render a new look to your clothes, and perhaps people will come to ask about the purchase of that cloth!

In olden days, people used coal iron presses, and some of them still use it; and no wonder, these presses are effective whenever there is a power cut!
This said and understood there are some safety factors that we need to address here with the learning of ironing, for, it can be somewhat dangerous to our body, as almost all the electrical equipments are! Especially small children should not be allowed to come near it or handle it anyway, while it is how or is plugged! There is another precaution that you need to take care about: overheating of the press, which can actually result in burning your precious clothes, and you will end up spending more money than you thought you will be saving through ironing your clothes by yourself!

Apart from these cautions that you will have to take care, there are another thing, which depends upon the quality and the type of thread of the cloth with which it is manufactured. There are a vast variety of threads that are used for manufacturing the clothes, and cotton is one of the most popular of them. And cotton should not be ironed with a very hot press, but if you are adept in making it, you will get the best press on a cotton cloth!

Marriage parties and functions are main areas where pressed clothes are major attraction and you will find virtually nobody who has not pressed his or her clothes. Particularly, the people who are providing with some services like crockery, music, and food serving, will have special dresses for the marriage parties. Some ladies are so much conscious about the appearance of their attire that they take a little electric iron with their luggage while attending a marriage party out of their town. They switch the plug of their iron and press their attire just a few minutes before the actual time of rituals and other ceremonies that are scheduled by the family! They are more conscious about the crease of theirs that they keep on looking on themselves frequently to notice any damage done to the crease by the activity of their movement and sitting on chairs etc.

But it is clear that if you are versed in the art of ironing and know how much heat a particular cloth requires for an effective press, you will not have to do that for yourself!

I had my illusions. Every young mother does. I imagined dressing my little girls in sweet pinafores and smocked dresses, or garbing them from head to toe in those adorable little OshKosh togs, or outfitting them in a cute little boy's look - in pink. She'd always be pretty as a picture - my own little doll to dress up however I wanted. And she was adorable - big blonde curls and eyes as blue as the sky, rosy cheeks and rosebud lips, the perfect little girl look for all those cute little-girl clothes.

All that lasted just about as long as it took her to learn to say 'No like it!' When Cara was two, she had her own very definite and defined sense of style. Forget the precious smocked bodices. The minute we walked into a store, she gravitated to the racks and racks of Madonna-style lace shirts and skirts. By the time she was five, she'd mastered the Punky Brewster school of dressing - and she hasn't looked back since.

At 21, she and a friend have just launched their own line of hand-made clothing that borrows heavily from her misspent youth. It's all NoSo - put together with snap tape, safety pins and ribbons. And it sells like hotcakes on her college campus. Their line includes 'redesigns' - jeans, t-shirts, blouses, skirts and dresses that they modify with ribbons, lace and press-on sequins to create one-of-a-kind fashions. Some of NoSo's hottest looks are incredibly easy to duplicate. The next time you're looking for something with a unique style, try one of these:

Bandanna Halter Top
Everything old is new again. I used to make these back in the 70s - but with the variety of prints available in bandannas these days the look is hotter than ever. All you need is two bandannas - matching or contrasting - two safety pins, and about a yard of ribbon. Fold each bandanna in half diagonally to form a triangles. Tie the two triangles together - the knot will go at your breast-bone, and the pair of triangles will be the cups of a 'bra'. Fold the top point of each triangle over about 3/4ths of an inch and pin on the inside. Cut the ribbon in half, and pass one ribbon through each of the 'pockets' created by the top point. Pull ends of ribbon even. Tie a slip-knot just above the bandanna top to secure the ribbon.
To wear: Tie the loose ends of the halter top in the back. Tie ribbons together at back of neck.

Tie-T
This one is one of my favorites - wear it over a bathing suit, or if you're really daring, over skin.
Materials: One t-shirt, pair of scissors
Fold the t-shirt in half, matching sleeves and sides carefully. Lay folded t-shirt on a flat surface. Slash t-shirt at outer edge every 2-3 inches. Slashes should be at least 3 inches deep. Snip every other flap, creating square openings up the sides of the t-shirt to the underarm. Snip the ends of the remaining flaps, unfold t-shirt and tie each pair of snipped flaps together. The look is completely dependent on the size of the t-shirt. Try it with a fitted baby tee (make slashes smaller in that case) or an oversize wife-beater to create a bathing suit coverup.

Lace Shoulder Tee
One more to make it a trio.
You'll need: One t-shirt. 18 inches of 2-inch wide lace ribbon in a contrasting color. Tiny gold safety pins. Scissors.
Using the scissors, carefully open one shoulder of the t-shirt from collar to end of sleeve. Fold back t-shirt material one inch on each edge. Fold lace trim over to double it. Starting at neck edge, pin lace to inside of folded shoulder edge, placing pins about half an inch apart on the OUTSIDE of the t-shirt. Pin back shoulder the same way. Trim edge of ribbon even with end of sleeve. Wear and collect compliments.

I've watched Cara through 21 years of fashion statements and experimentation. This too shall pass as she flits to another plan. In the meantime, she gets the joy of watching half her class walk around campus wearing her 'creations'. And that, she says, is totally hot.

The t-shirt originated as an undershirt. The thin cotton provided an absorbent and soft layer for men to wear under their clothing. In the 1950s, the t-shirt found its way out of the underwear arena-- with a little help from James Dean and Marlon Brando -- and became an acceptable garment in its own right.

The 1960s brought an end to the non-stop white of the t-shirt in North America. As hippies tie-dyed tees into brightly colored patterns, manufacturers started creating more varied styles. The t-shirt became a garment worn by at least most young people who recognized it as the perfect partner for their favorite blue jeans.

The 1970s brought an explosion of printed and personalized t-shirts. People were using their shirts as a way to share their messages with the people around them. Rock bands grasped the t-shirt and printed logos and pictures onto them and professional sports teams soon followed when they realized the value of this inexpensive to manufacture licensed clothing.

By the 1980s, the t-shirt had worked its way into the wardrobe of nearly every age group in the United States. Sold in a variety of styles and a rainbow of colors, with and without pockets, the t-shirt was the ubiquitous clothing of the masses. Free t-shirts were the corporate giveaway of choice and the fitness craze only fueled the fire for t-shirts.

Today, the t-shirt shows no signs of fading. Mass market apparel stores and haute designers alike carry t-shirts. While cotton is still the most popular, they can be found in nearly every fabric imaginable. Sleeve lengths, necklines and cuts vary, but the t-shirt is still the comfort shirt of men, women and children. While solid color tees are the most common, printed ones now range from having simple messages to works of art. Custom printing techniques have advanced dramatically so artists can upload their own digital works to a print-on-demand house and market t-shirts to clients and strangers on the Internet in a matter of seconds. Surely, the t-shirt will not go away now.

In the 1970s, when I was in grade school, if I tagged along with my mom to the local gym while she did her stretches, I hardly noticed the attire. All the women wore long t-shirts, baggy shorts or maybe sweat pants. When I participated in field day at school, we often ran the 50-yard dash or did the long jump in bell bottoms.

Then the 80s happened. In high school I joined a gym with a friend to do aerobics, weight lifting, and mainly, to visit the tanning booth. We showed up in gym shorts and t-shirts for our first aerobics class, but we were way underdressed. All the women had big hair and were dressed in skimpy neon thong leotards with equally neon tights or stirrup pants. Make-up and jewelry were required. So we conformed and bought the ridiculous tight, colorful garb and did our aerobics in far less comfort, but with a lot more looks from the guys.

In the 90s when I was having babies, I discovered all-women’s gyms where I saw clones of my mother and her friends from the 70s, in long t-shirts and baggy sweats. It was very freeing and comfortable. Once in a while a skimpy young thing in tight neon still wondered in, but she never stayed long.

Today, there has been a wonderful new invention called “wicking material.” Wicking material “wicks” moisture away from your skin and causes it to evaporate almost immediately. From ultra-thin tank tops to t-shirts to fleeces and warm winter wear, wicking products are a must for anyone wanting to exercise these days. Just about any type of clothing needed for exercise is available; even socks and hats. Gone are the thongs and heavy tights. Modern women that we are, we get sleek pants, thin fitted shirts, and snug but thin micro fleece; and we get it all in every color of the rainbow. We look good.

Now I can go to the gym and do the treadmill for 30 minutes without having my cotton t-shirt stick to my back. I can jog down a wintry street or go skiing without having to throw off my sweaty gloves or leave my jacket unzipped. I can even wear neon if I so choose. Make-up and jewelry are optional.

I'm planning a trip to Alaska in September and I'm wondering which clothes would be right. I've never been to Alaska before, but I have an idea of what it will be like- cold! Many people tell me that it gets pretty hot there, but I always say, "I think we'll be looking at glaciers, and I believe ice is always cold. If we go on the water, the wind will make me cold. I think it will be cold." With that in mind, I am considering taking these outfits:

A Parka: I don't like to be cold, so I bought a parka. It's called a 3-in-1 and has an outer shell with a hood that zips into the collar and a lining, which is really a separate reversible jacket that can be taken out and worn on its own. I've worn the zip-out jacket a couple of times, and it's fleece on one side and nylon on the other. Wearing the fleece part next to my body makes it much warmer, but wearing the fleece side out makes it much more attractive. What a dilemma! If I zip it back into the coat, I'll wear the fleece side in and be warm. I'd rather drag the shell around with me everywhere than be cold one minute.

Ski Pants: I have a pair of black ski pants that I think would be a good idea. They're warm and waterproof, and they match my parka. What more can I say?

Hiking Boots: I got a pair of Sketchers hiking boots, brown suede with furry linings. They're very warm and have good non-slip bottoms, although I've certainly tracked in a lot of dirt wearing them around so far. I love to wear this type of boot, and I think they'll work well for hiking and climbing mountains, etc. The only problem I see with the hiking boots is that they don't match my ski pants and parka.

Layers: I plan to take shirts I can layer, cause I don't like to be cold and I don't like to be hot either. I'm going to take some T-shirts and some long-sleeved shirts to go over them, plus some sweaters. Sometimes there are big mosquitoes in Alaska, and I want to be wearing long sleeves if they come.

Rain Gear: I know it may rain while I'm in Alaska, but I don't want to take a lot of bulky rain gear. I've decided to take several of those dollar ponchos I've seen at the discount stores, the ones that fold up into a tiny square. If it starts raining, I'll whip out the poncho, wear it until the rain stops and then toss it. Next day, I'll have another poncho ready to go.

Gloves: I'll take some gloves so my hands won't freeze. I'm trying to decide between leather and cloth but haven't been able to so far. I'll definitely take gloves though- probably leather.

Jeans: I'll surely take some jeans cause I plan to do a lot of outdoor activities and I think jeans would work best then. I know that jeans do get cold if they get wet and are hard to dry out, but for days when it's not raining jeans should be fine.

A Dressy Outfit: Will I go somewhere that requires dressing up? I don't know, but I would hate to be totally unprepared. I plan to pack something that doesn't take up too much space, like a slinky black pantsuit or dress. I can wear it with my hiking boots.

Dry Socks: I'm going to look for socks that stay dry. Do they make Gore-Tex socks? Probably so, but I don't know. If there are Gore-Tex socks, they're probably so expensive I'll only be able to afford one pair and will have to wear them for the whole trip. And can you even wash waterproof socks? Maybe someone will sell me some on eBay.

With all these bulky clothes, it's going to be hard to pack. I'm a terrible packer anyway; I always want to take too much and then don't wear half of the clothes I take. I'll probably have to wear the parka and hiking boots on the plane to Alaska, and maybe I can get the rest of the stuff in a suitcase. I'm going to have to do some more thinking before September.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression is an experession we've heard all our lives. while it may not be fair it's also true. Wearing the proper clothing in a business situation can make a big difference in your success. It may be an indictment of how shallow we are as a society but that's the way it is.
Dressing welll is something anyone can learn. It takes a constant effort though, to keep it in the forefront of your mind. REmember that the way you are dressed makes people change the way they think about you. You want to be sure that what they think is what you want them to think.
Two major points. Make sure that what you are wearing is appropriate for the situation. If you're doing business, wear a business suit. Casual dress is appropriate for some situations of course, but being slovenly is only ok at your house when you're not entertaining. secondly, be sure that what you're wearing fits well. Pants the proper length, sleeves the proper length, and nothing that's baggy or overly tight.
Once you've got the idea about always dressing for the situation and wearing clothes that fit well you can start getting into details. These are the basics.
If you do them consisitently you'll have an edge on the others that don't pay as much attention to their appearance.
In the workplace it's especially important to dress correctly. Your attire can make the difference between promotion and upward mobility, or stagnation and perhaps being shown the door. The number one idea here is that you should dress a cut above the way you are required to dress. Underdressing is a sign to management that you may not understand what's going on or what's expected, thereby eliminating you from consideration for promotion. In addition, you should take a close look at what the top people in your organization are wearing in order to get clues as to what they'll probably be looking for in an employee. If you work in an office atmosphere, never wear jeans even if you're allowed to wear jeans.
While you're selecting your work clothes place a high emphasis on comfort. If you're going to spend major portions of your day wearing something you need it to be something comfortable. A person suffering from the clothes that they're wearing can never be as effective as a comfortable person.
In business, conservative is best. While it may be tempting to buy the latest wacky style or outrageous color, the odds are that the latest style will be passe in just a few months and an investment in the wrong clothing is money down the drain. There are certain types of business clothing that are almost timeless or can be used with small changes to appear fashionable. understated authority in dress is the rule here.
Some things to avoid. Overly narrow ties, overly wide ties, bright eyeblinding colors, tight pants, baggy pants.

I must admit, I have a lot of clothes. My clothes take up only half of our rather small bedroom closet, but I have a roll around portable closet stuffed full in the basement. And I have only worn one suit out of all the clothes stuffed in that portable closet since we moved into our house a year and a half ago. My problem is I only wear a small percentage of the clothes that I have. I need new clothes for work, but it is hard to see why when you look at my abundance of clothes. I have four main categories of clothes –the stuff I wore once, the stuff I cannot wear, the stuff I used to wear, and the stuff I wear now.

The "stuff I wore once" takes up most of my portable closet in the basement. The bulk of the space is taken up by my wedding dress and several bridesmaid dresses. I cannot decide if I should keep or sell my wedding dress. There seems to be no reason to keep it, yet it is symbolic and holds memories. I cannot just pitch it. I would have to sell it or find someone who would love it like I do. And what do you do with bridesmaid dresses? They are also a one time wear item that ends up in the back of every girl’s closet. Maybe I will get creative one of these days and make a patchwork quilt out of them like I read about in a magazine once. I also have several suits that I have worn to a handful of job interviews that I keep tucked away just in case they are needed again.

The "stuff I cannot wear" consists of the tops and jeans that are a bit too tight. But there is nothing wrong with them, so why get rid of them? After all, I will one day lose that 20 pounds and it will all fit again. It will be like having a brand new wardrobe! I also have several clothing items that I bought, worn, washed, and then could never wear again due to shrinkage. I am quite tall and many shirts have become too short for me after their first wash. Perhaps those would belong in the previous category.

The "stuff I used to wear" still gets worn every once in a while. Mostly it is flannel shirts and oversized lounge wear from my college days when grunge was cool. Once again, there is nothing wrong with them, so why get rid of them? I still wear the flannels once in a while when I am chilly in the house or when I do yard work in the spring or fall. But I would never wear these clothes in public. They just are not in style anymore. Maybe that is a good reason to get rid of them?

The "stuff I wear now" is basically business casual clothes for work. I wear them until they are worn out and need to be thrown away due to split seams, worn fabric, broken zippers, or faded color. When something is thrown away, I always seem to replace it with something similar. My work attire is boring and seems more mandatory than stylish. I would like to add more versatility to my closet, but there simply is not enough room to add more clothes to my wardrobe. Perhaps if I cleared out the old clothes and began to build a new "stuff I wear now" category I could add some more wearable and stylish clothes to my closet.

Victorian women's clothing was an offshoot of the woman's place in society. Because women were not allowed to be as large a part in the society as men and were expected to stay in the background and be unseen, their clothing tended to be very confining and restrictive.
A typical woman an in the 1800s would wear skirts that came all the way down to their ankles, gloves, and very tight corsets. They also wore hats to cover their heads and long sleeves. The only part of her body that a proper woman would show was her face and some part of her hair. To allow anyone to see any other part of her body was seen to be rude.
By the turn of the century, this situation began to change. The influence of popular women such as the Gibson Girls altered the acceptable view of what was proper and began to loosen things up.
The Gibson Girl style was fostered by Charles Dana Gibson, and featured a very restricted waist, high collars, long sleeves, and hairdos that were predominantly designed to create a pile of hair on top of the head.
Dresses were designed with the idea of producing a prominent breast area and forcing the hips back by use of a corset. The dresses were made of lighter fabric than in the late 1800s and featured fine lacework. While some colors were used, white was the preferred fabric.
Wraps were a very common accessory for women of the time. These were either long coats, or in some cases, furs. Underneath everything was the foundation of women's fashion, the corset. Made of whalebone and very restricting, these corsets emphasized the bosom while narrowing the waist to an extreme. Petticoats were worn over the corset, usually white in cooler and trimmed with various lace designs.
Other important accessories of the time were hats and gloves. The hats were usually large elaborate affairs, trimmed with bows and ribbons, veils, and flowers. Hats were expected to draw the attention of the onlooker and provide an accent to the dress.
By the time of the roaring twenties, things had changed considerably. Skirts were shorter, the materials used to make dresses were lighter and more comfortable, and women were no longer restricted to covering their arms with long sleeves year round.
This transition began years earlier, around 1910, when fashion dictates changed. Rather than the jutting bosom and tiny pinched waist, a more straightforward line emerged. Skirts no longer had to blossom out, and the waistlines were moved upward.
Simple design came to the forefront in this era, as women abandoned the more rigid dictates of fashion and experienced a freer society view of their role. Variety also began to appear, as women could choose between dresses, a mixture of skirts and blouses, and even suits, which were a jacket and skirt combination.
Underlying this fashion was a change in corset design, which was a welcome change to most women. Rather than the extremely tight and uncomfortable whalebone corset, they became lighter and longer to accent the lines of the dress.
Eveningwear of the period was a little different in that it featured a lower neckline and was usually made of a more expensive fabric such as silk.
The beginning of World War I marked a change in women's fashions because it created shortage in certain fabrics and some women's clothes were designed to mimic military uniforms. It also forced women's clothing to move from a frivolous nature to a more practical nature. In addition, because women were replacing men at work, they changed from dresses to pants.
By the 1920s major changes had begun to take hold in women's clothing, a result of changes in society's view of women in general. Women were able to move more freely in society and the clothing reflected that change. Clothing was lighter and less restrictive, and also more revealing. It also began to reflect a greater influence of young people who for the first time, began to dictate the fashion trends that were emulated by older generations.
Clothing for women in the 20s still consisted primarily of dresses. These dresses were shorter than previously and the waistline was either unmarked or at the hip. Sleeves were either shorter or the dresses were made sleeveless and as the 20s progressed the hemlines crept up to just below the knees.
Because of the design of the dresses which were looser and straighter, the feminine figure was less emphasized than in previous years, and a woman with a round full figure was not as fashionable as a woman with a more slender figure. This resulted in a change in women's undergarments, as corsets moved from figure enhancing designs, to designs intended to flatten the bosom.
In just a few years, women's clothing had evolved from highly restrictive and concealing items to a much freer and more revealing trend. While the women's clothing fashions of the 20s may seem to be very modest in today's worlds, the change over a single lifetime was startling and indicative of the growing role of women in society.

I used to wear what is commonly known as business casual attire. Slacks, blouses and sweaters were core pieces of my wardrobe. I would also wear nice jeans, flowing skirts and the occasional dress. Then, I became a stay at home mom.

I transitioned from maternity clothes to "things that fit." So, early on I wore a lot of sweats, t-shirts, baggy overalls and shorts out of necessity. Since I wasn't really going anywhere and wanted to be comfortable, they served my purposes. Plus, I was whipping them off regularly to breast feed, anyway. Anything nice ended up with either stains from my own leaking breast milk, or the milk the baby spit back up.

The baby grew and I lost some of the weight, but I was still more comfortable in sweat pants and other super casual attire. I had a couple nice items that I wore when we went out; otherwise, I wore mommy gear. The baby started on solid food and the stains got more interesting; I gave up on white t-shirts since they didn't stay unsullied past the first wearing.

My mom took my shopping on Mother's Day, declaring I needed something nicer than the saggy, baggy clothes I had been wearing. I picked out a new pair of jeans and a couple blouses, but I couldn't see the need for the snappy pantsuits and floral skirts she flashed at me.

Finally down to my pre-baby weight, I discovered many of my previous clothes no longer fit. I weighed the same, but I was no longer shaped the same way! Still a stay at home mom, I not only didn't have a motivating reason to replace my old clothes, I didn't have the budget to do it anyway.

Three years later, I am still a stay at home mom. I am sure my daughter believes I am the human napkin, since she frequently rubs her face against me. I do freelance contract work, so I have splurged for a basic new pantsuit and a few nice skirts and blouses. But, most days still find me clad in jeans and t-shirts and I think they are just fine.