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Fashion Don’ts for Summer 2011

My 1 pair calf- and 2 pair sheepskin boots

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The fashion industry is filled with a laundry list of do’s and don’ts, and for the summer of 2011 is no exception. If you don’t want to find yourself committing a fashion crime by wearing something that is out of date or doesn’t go with an outfit, then you should follow some of these tips for the summer of 2011.

Don’t Wear Boots With Shorts

Women thing that wearing Ugg boots with their short shorts looks cool but it isn’t. The mixture of winter attire with summer attire looks a little off and is considered a major fashion don’t for the year 2011.

Don’t Wear Flip Flops Everywhere

When the heat rises people tend to think that they can wear flip flops everywhere. The problem is flip flops are an extremely casual pair of shoes that should only be reserved for quick trips, the pool and the beach. If you must wear something comfortable invest in a sturdy pair of sandals.

Don’t Wear the Casual Summer Dress to Work

If you work in a formal setting where business attire is the norm, don’t wear the casual summer dress to work. Not only does this make you stick out like a sore thumb, but it is way too casual for the workplace. Instead, try to wear an airy business casual outfit in cool colors like whites, beiges and yellows. This will give you the chance to cool down and still look good while doing it.

Committing these fashion don’ts to memory will make sure that you have a very fashionable 2011.

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Basic Items That Every Woman Has in Her Wardrobe

Cover of "Women's Wardrobe (Chic Simple)&...

Cover of Women's Wardrobe (Chic Simple)

Every woman who is building her wardrobe must be certain of a few things before she gets started. There are items in the closet that are there to act as a reflection of you. There are other things in your wardrobe that act as a reflection of who you need to be, depending on the occasion, and then you’ve got the things in your closet that are the basic staples of your wardrobe.

The Black Dress

While men should always have the black suit just in case, women should have the black dress. It’s the go-to for any occasion. It can be worn for those times when you are a last minute date to an elegant affair, or a business opportunity comes up and you must look stunning but understated.

Black Pumps

Well, if you are going to have a black dress, you might want to use black pumps. It must be complete. Most women get to wear their pumps as often as they wear Halloween costumes, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have them on hand for when the moment is right.

A Sophisticated Coat

You need something that is business and fashion all in one. What you wear says a lot about you, and having a coat that is stylish is something that every woman cannot afford to leave out of the closet. It’s great in the transitional parts of the seasons.

The women’s wardrobe should be stocked with the essentials. Having a good closet means you’ll be prepared for anything life throws at you.

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Basic Items to Add to Your Wardrobe

Shirt 1846 Britain Linen (marked in ink with J...

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Men need fashion, too. The dime store look just won’t cut it today, so here are a few fashion tips to make sure you look your best for any occasion.

For starters, buy a magazine and see what’s hot today. You’ll need a few items and accessories that indicate you are aware of the world around you. However, you don’t have to spend bundles of money to do it. There are some basics that are timeless.

Versatile Shirts

Plaid shirts with a hint of Western appeal are in, so pick up a few of those. They won’t go with everything, but they’ll be perfect for casual days and fun nights. To get the most mileage out of your shirts, add these to the inventory:

  • A solid color or neutral shirt that would look good with or without a tie
  • Basic tees without prints
  • A few shirts with long sleeves – because it’s more formal in a fast pinch

Necessary Accessories

A solid mens clothing wardrobe can be easily dressed up or down with the right accessories. This includes belts, watches and sunglasses.

  • Purchase a simple belt that allows you to change the buckle for the occasion.
  • Purchase a formal watch, a sports watch and then some fun watches for going out.
  • Purchase sunglasses for sports, style and parties. Men’s shades are much more flamboyant than they used to be.

From the Waist Down

Finally, purchase some chinos because they can go business or casual. Also, buy some good quality jeans because they’ll last longer. With these few basics, you can go a long way in revolutionizing your wardrobe.

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What Is a Sample Sale?

A sample sale in New York City 

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Sample sales, in their original format, are events where fashion designers sell samples from previewed collections before they are listed “by invitation only.” Over time, some of these sales have evolved into warehouse sales that have expanded to include household and overstock items. Sample sales are also increasingly conducted online.

One fashion commentator noting the changes, wrote that, “A sample sale is a lot like its lowbrow predecessor, the classic rummage sale.” The sales referred to market upscale goods targeted to savvy female shoppers in the 25 to 45 years old range who are looking for bargains. The value of items for sale is perceived to be high and the advertised price seems low – and as a rule they are. Still, discount events work to the sellers’ advantage because margins and discounts vary from product to product. Samples sales like this are also an excellent place for new designers on the rise to showcase their work.

Online sample sales are a new trend that has expanded traditional venues in major fashion market centers. Many of these sales are difficult to find, are held by invitation only and require a password to participate. Other sites like Offers.com are open to the public and feature bargains on a variety of items from major retailers at significantly below retail and discount store prices.  However, inventories at online sales sites are often limited and it is not unusual for popular items to sell out within minutes, so get to it quickly!

Regardless of the venue – showroom, in-house, or online – sample sales provide buyers with real savings opportunities on-top-of-the-line merchandise.

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1940′s Women and Fashion: Fashion at Work

A picture of women's legs in pantyhose 

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During World War II, nylon was rationed so most women weren’t able to afford stockings. Instead of giving up the current fashion style of tights, they went so far as to use leg creams and eyebrow pencils to paints on fake ones!

Women of the 1940′s were both devoted to their fashion and the new jobs that were becoming available with the absence of men. While women begin to work as mechanics and do other grimy jobs, they maintained their regal fashion sense. Under their work hair scarves, they curled their hair for the evening.

Most modern day women are devoted to one or the other, when they could easily do both. Working as an accountant or a construction worker doesn’t mean you have to neglect your fashion sense – you just have to adapt it. Here are a few examples.

If you work in a job that requires that you have to dress in stiff white blouses and black slacks, you can add a touch of fashion through your makeup and jewelry. Use extra color in your make up or wear subtle jewelry that adds a sparkle to your complexion.

If you are in a job that encourages bright attire (like orange traffic coats), try using blacks, whites and grays in your makeup and jewelry. The contrast of less color will make you stand out against your loud outfit. Delicate stud earrings are also good for working women – they won’t get caught on anything!

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3 Ways Retailers Promote Sales

Promoting sales is one of the most important aspects of growing the profits for retailers. There are many ways to accomplish this and three of the best ways are listed below.

The first avenue that many retailers take to promote sales is to advertise through the newspapers with weekly circulars. An additional color flyer that is inserted into the regular paper is also very advantageous for promoting more sales and gaining new customers. Grand opening sales are common with those retailers in the initial stages of business. With a new retail store that is newly opened, the glossy flyers are wonderful promotion ideas. Discounts can be listed and even printed coupons for new customers whom have never been there before are good ways to get sales.

Sometimes, a fashion retailer will send out postcards that advertise sales or include coupons for certain percentages off when shopping in their store. Retailers that have a current customer base within their computer systems can send special deals to their loyal customers whenever they need to boost sales. Buy one, get one free offers are great promotions as well. This encourages customers to come to the retailer’s business to begin with and chances are good that they will make more purchases than only the ones listed on the postcards.

Retailers that sell fashion clothing may often publish flyers or magazines that introduce the best and worst dressed celebrities, fashion dos and don’ts, as well as advice for mixing patterns and solid colors with your accessories. The magazine can have coupons throughout and can also incorporate the inserts among the specials.

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What are the Latest Fashion Trends for Men Who Love Shorts?

When warmer weather approaches, people prepare to hit the beach, golf course, and other outdoor venues. This time of year, everyone is interested in following the latest trends. They want to know what kinds of clothing, colors, and styles are popular.

There are many places where you can go to find out what’s hot this season and what’s not. You can get specific advice on what clothing is best suited for the office, going out on a date, hanging with friends, or running errands. For men, what are some of the latest trends in mens shorts?

The latest trends in shorts for guys are board shorts and cargo shorts. Surfers in various parts of the country wear board shorts. Board shorts are designed to fit within your budget. They come in many different colors and fabrics. Most men seem to like board shorts because they’re comfortable and dry quickly.

If you’re interested in following the latest trends in shorts, shoes, or accessories, check out the style networks on cable and satellite television. Many of these networks also provide trend watches online. These resources show what’s hot on runways and among celebrities. Men’s fashion magazines also showcase great styles. And, you can always walk on the beach or hit the links to find out what everyone else is wearing.

This year, designers who specialize in men’s clothing are saying that lighter shades of blue and khaki are the most popular colors for shorts. At the end of the day, the best way to find out what works for you is try on some outfits and don’t be afraid to experiment.

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Fashion trends we hope won’t resurface

MC Hammer doll, by allygirl520 (Flickr) http:/...

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Every style era produces its timeless classics (think the Chanel suit or Levis 501 jeans) and its outrageous failures (Hammer pants, anyone?). And more often than not, we’re most impressionable to fashion trends in our late teens and early 20s, when we’re eager to appear hip and may have cash from that first job burning a hole in our pockets.

But fast-forward a couple of decades, and those spiffy duds may still be hanging in the back of your closet, patiently waiting for the wheel of style to roll around and make them retro-popular again. Unless your kids beg to use them for Halloween or Spirit Week at school, here are a few fads we hope will stay hidden in that closet forever:

• Wired-hem skirts. Someone stretched some neon pink Spandex over a wire ring and came up with a nifty garment straight out of Judy Jetson’s wardrobe. MTV personalities and B-list starlets wore them for a few wacky months in the late 1980s.

• Pleated and tapered jeans. Once bell bottoms went OUT in the early ’80s, woe to the high schooler who didn’t wear her acid-washed denim fitted at the ankle and poofy at the hips. Can you think of a less flattering shape for an already insecure teen?

• Midriff-baring shirts. This recent trend (mid-2000s) looked damn good on about 5% of the population. The rest of us suffered from the garment industry’s perceived demand for shortie Ts, and for a while, you couldn’t buy a shirt that covered your waist. And all of us suffered from having to stare at tummy pooches and muffin tops.

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How To Deal With Clashing Colors

It is inevitable when you are getting dressed in the dark. You grab two colors that look similar but in the light reveal, a clash. Short of a complete wardrobe change, there are some ways to fix the little problem of clashing colors. Throw in a confident attitude and there is a very good chance you can pull the outfit off. Even if things don’t work out exactly as planned, you can always laugh it off as a bad fashion day. Just make sure to confiscate all the pictures taken that day.

Accessories are part of the solution. Choose one a scarf, belt or sash that contains both clashing colors. Accessories can cover up a multitude of bad choices. The trick is to show a valid relationship between the two colors. It helps if the other colors are as bright and offer up a welcome distraction. The accessories should be placed in a strategic location. Mainly where the two colors connect. The idea is to provide a logical reason why both colors have a place in your outfit. You might want to think of using the sash as a belt.

The second is to use a very neutral color such as black, white, deep blues or greens to separate the colors. You want to avoid colors that are similar in nature such as using a beige with a bright yellow and green combination. The main reason is that beige emphasizes the colors instead of muting them as a deeper color would. White is one of those colors that makes sense with neon.

The whole idea surrounding the fix to a clashing color scheme is to create a break between the two colors. This is so that the eyes don’t create an obvious comparison between the two different colors. By using accessories that have both colors or using a very neutral color, you can create that break without resorting to an entire wardrobe change.

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Traits In Common For Fashion Don’ts

Kristin Chenoweth (holding her dog, Madeline K...

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There are shared traits among the fashion don’ts that grace all of the red carpets. On first glance, these outfits always garnish “What was their stylist thinking?” From the moment the walk is started, these outfits practically scream not to be worn under these circumstances. It is too late to change after those first steps. Most celebrities just grin and bear it. After all, it is not so uncommon to have a fashion misstep during big events.

One common trait is the improper fit of the dress or outfit. An improper fit often translates to holes in the wrong spot, unflattering bulges, and strange shape formations. Sometimes, the fit inadvertently leads to revealing information best left in private. It works both ways. The fit can be way too tight revealing an imperfect body or can be way too loose. This can add weight to the celebrity along with mention of weight gain. Both garnish negative publicity for the celebrity.

Another common trait is that these dresses or costumes are out of proportion to the individual’s body. Proportion is about where things fall on the body such as the waistline, breast band, and hem line. Each out of proportion flaw presents a potential minefield for the celebrity. The dress might be a fashion do but if the proportions are off it turns completely into a fashion don’t and will make the list.

Finally, a shared trait is having too much. There is such a thing as too many feathers, too much beading, and too much lace. Overdoing something that is supposed to be an accent is the downfall of many potential do’s. Even the best can get caught up in the trap of just a little more here and a little more there.

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