Having a shirt tailored to your own special needs allows you to choose the design of your choice in the fabric you want. It could be domestic or imported fabric in fine cotton or silk, or may be oxford or twill. Plain, stripes, solids or prints, the preference is yours alone. The shirt could be a button-down, long, short, single, double-button closure with a monogram on the collar cuff and pocket for that distinctive touch. Each person prefers a different cuff style - be it classic, angled or for cufflinks. Pockets are a matter of choice too. Maybe you want a breast pocket, but maybe you don’t and prefer hand set pockets, the choice remains entirely yours. Maybe you want to stand out as unique and have contrast trim on your shirt or want stripes running down the side. No more extra long sleeves to be altered or sagging collars. The measurements for your neck, sleeves, body, tail, chest, coat, height, weight, waist, and inseam will all be taken individually to ensure that you get the right fit.

The best part is that you can look your best exactly how you want to and make the shirt in such a way that it complements the rest of your wardrobe. Custom shirts will give you the feeling of luxury and the satisfaction of having a shirt that has had the full attention of the tailor and is not another one just off the rack.

Babies grow at an incredible rate so one doesn’t have to worry much about clothes being worn out, they tend to be outgrown and still in beautiful condition. This is great if you are possibly going to have more children or have someone with a smaller baby to pass clothes on to. Definitely a money saver if you are on the receiving end of another parents generosity. Toddlers are wonderful little people who you can still dress to look cute – until they suddenly start to become independent and pick their own clothes. When they are at this stage you can forget looking stylish and fashionable, toddlers tend not to have any colour co-ordination or dress sense – be warned! Early school years can be really simple, as most of the time the child will spend wearing a school uniform. Clothing your child is easier though it can be expensive depending on where you buy the uniform. Most of us buy at least a size bigger blazer or trousers so that the child ‘can grow into them’, this can cause embarrassment to our children. Be diplomatic and not too enthusiastic about your child’s growing abilities.

The wonderful teenage years! – A clothing nightmare. Just when you thought that purchasing a school uniform was simple you find out to the contrary. Your teenager suddenly must have designer named shoes, trainers, trousers – whatever they wear has to have the latest logo emblazoned on the front or back. Buying labels and sewing them on won’t work, teenagers may be difficult but they are not easily fooled. At the end of the day, buy what you can afford, make sure the clothes are reasonable hard wearing and put together properly. Dressing smaller children should be practical, it seems silly putting a pretty dress on a crawling baby as they will probably come to a stand still if they keep putting their knees onto the dress! As to dressing teenagers, well that is another matter, birthdays and Christmas come in handy for purchasing expensive clothes or trainers as presents, this can often be a good compromise. Trends chop and change like the wind for teenagers so while your child is small enjoy dressing them up in colourful tasteful clothes that you have chosen, they at least won’t worry about losing their street cred!

There are a variety of reasons why people are bringing back old school fashion. First of all, this fascination with the past has started with television. Do you realize that the people who are bringing back old school fashion are the ones who grew up watching reruns of such shows as Happy Days? We are also the same generation who enjoy watching TV shows based on the past such as That 70’s Show.
Come to think of it, we have been exposed so much to old school fashion in other media. Think of the movies: we are the ones who enjoyed watching movies of old shows like Starsky and Hutch, Charlie’s Angels and other movies which have been resurrected from the old death of camp TV to the new life of the cinema. Well, the media certainly brought about the old school fashion revival. It was the spark that created the fire. The question, however, is what fuels the flames? The truth is, people like old school fashion. It looks good and helps them reconnect with a past which was not as complicated as the world today. The reason why old school fashion is constantly gaining popularity is the fact that once it was reintroduced into society, people found that they actually liked it.
Old school fashion is also very popular because of the fact that there’s just something about it that is so sexy. Old school fashion was designed to show of the beauty of the human body. Fitted shirts and pants, cool patterns and designs, these are the trademarks of a past which young people have not experienced.
Another reason why people think that old school fashion is so cool is the fact that, combined with today’s technology of comfortable fabrics, old school designs can be pretty showy and yet casual at the same time.
So why is old school fashion coming back? Well, some people would see it as a metaphor for us trying to reclaim a past that never really belonged to us. It can also be a metaphor for trying to extract the best things out of the past. You see, when old school fashion was brought into this century, we never really brought all of the bad memories with it. Old school fashion could either be a great example of recapturing the beautiful past or it could be a bad metaphor for selective amnesia. You decide.

What is organic make-up?

Organic make-up, also called natural make-up or green make-up, refers to cosmetics made the natural way. Broadly speaking, organic make-up can refer to cosmetics made in any one or a combination of two or more of the following ways:
Made from plant substances
Made from natural sources, such as minerals
Manufactured in a way so as to cause no harm to the environment and ecology, i.e. not involving processes such as testing of the cosmetics on animals
Manufactured using materials on which no pesticides have been used
Manufactured without the use of any kind of chemicals
Why go organic?

Awareness about the various kinds of chemicals used in cosmetics, as well as about the use of various processes that are harmful to the environment, is rising. With this rising awareness came the invention of a new class of cosmetics called organic make-up.

There are a few chemicals commonly used in cosmetics, which are best avoided. These can be stated as under:

Sodium laurel sulfate: It can cause skin irritation and rashes. It can also lead to irritation of the eyes and the lungs. If swallowed, it can be dangerous.
Hydrosols: Sometimes hydrosols are used in cosmetics, but the water in them might not be purified properly. This leads to the entry of a number of harmful chemicals.
Aluminium: It is found in most anti-perspirants, and is believed to cause Alzheimers disease.
Artificial colours: They sometimes contain substances derived from coal tar, which can cause health risks to patients of eczema and asthma. They might also create health complications for people who are allergic to Aspirin. Such substances are also believed to cause juvenile hyperactivity, headaches, blurriness of vision and itchiness as well as watering of the nose and eyes.
Formaldehydes: Formaldehydes are used in cosmetics as preservatives. They are known to create skin irritation as well as contact dermatitis.
Fragrances: Artificial fragrances, like artificial colours, could be harmful to health. They have been known to cause skin rashes and irritation, hyperpigmentation as well as dizziness.
Benzoates: Benzoates are used for the purpose of preservation of cosmetics. They cause mouth numbness and gastric irritation. Also, they are known to aggravate the condition of asthma patients.
Essential oils: Some essential oils used in cosmetics cause adverse effects on health. For instance, rosemary is not advisable for use in case of epilepsy patients. Similarly, the use of sage should be avoided by pregnant women.
Dibutyl phthalate: This substance, widely used in cosmetics to aid absorption of other ingredients, is known to cause birth defects. In males, it has been known to cause damage to the reproductive system.
DEA, MEA, TEA: These substances used in cosmetics are known to cause allergies, eye irritation, as well as dryness of the hair and skin.
Tallow: Tallow is a product derived from animals, and often used in cosmetics. Over and above being unsuitable for vegetarians, it can also lead to irritation of the skin.
Toluene: Toluene is largely used in nail polish removers and some other nail-related products. It is known to cause problems such as tiredness, weakness, nausea, appetite loss and even confusion. It might also affect the nervous system adversely.
Keratolytic chemicals: These chemicals are known to wear away the outermost layers of the skin, rendering the skin open to damage by the sun and other irritants. It also leads to thickening and deadening of the skin.

Celtic jewelry is attractive, strong and fashionable , hand crafted Celtic designs embody quality and workmanship that is typical of Anixi silver jewellery. Celtic Jewellery make perfect gifts for graduation, Birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentines Day or as a Groomsman gift for that special occasion you wish to commemorate.

Another excellent method of enhancing the physical appearance is to choose customized or tailored clothes. Selecting clothes that will suit your body figure will reflect how comfortable they are when you wear it and it will show the confidence of wearing business attire. Tight clothes are not proper for business meetings.

Sheer blouses are great pieces of fabrics that can add style to the business attire. See through ones may appear to be unprofessional. The top used to hide the blouse should match the blouse underneath.

Designers have recognized the larger market of plus-sized consumers that they have made designs specifically for this niche market.  Great Fashion Finds While some people believe that fashion magazines have the tendency to distort the readers’ self-image by presenting glamorous and beautiful models on their covers and pages, people have a big use for fashion magazines because, in them, you will find clothes that could actually look good on your body type. You will also learn how to mix and match whatever you have in your collection to achieve a whole new look. Sometimes, too, knockoffs of designer clothes are featured for the price-conscious consumer.
The more evolved fashion magazine, in fact, features outlet stores and retail shops where you can find great buys without costing more than you can afford. Others also feature the regular working class donning designer apparel to emphasize that everybody can and should wear whatever they feel comfortable in.

In fact, in one ad campaign, a certain designer almost always features her staff as models of her clothes to prove this point. This extends her reach to everyone, not just the runway models and Hollywood celebrities.

Building Awareness
As more and more people recognize the dangers of wanting to be thin in the belief that thinner people look better, fashion magazines also build awareness on eating disorders and other such diseases that may result from crash diets and starving yourself to achieve what you consider your ideal weight. Publishers have become more responsible in making their readers aware of being healthy no matter what your size is. This is one major factor why consumers no longer scoff at the thought of anyone consulting a fashion magazine for whatever reason. In some magazines, you will also find advice corners where readers can post their questions from achieving a great look for whatever occasion, to finding the best clothes within their budget to health concerns, even. Bottom line is that the evolution of fashion magazines have made them not only more enjoyable to read but, more importantly, more informative for the readers. While it is true that models may still look more perfect than you, bear in mind that the pictures have undergone enhancement via computer technology so, sometimes, what you see is already the improved version.

The natural choice these days is an online wedding gift list.

It’s the accessibility and flexibility of online wedding gift lists that make them so popular with couples. Most people have access to the internet these days, so access to your wedding gift list shouldn’t be a problem. People can look at them anytime 24/7, they can see what is available at any point and it can be really easy to process the transaction. So what are the benefits of online wedding gift lists? And what should your wedding gift list do for you? It’s time to put none other than John Lewis to the test. We spoke to them to see what they can do.

The traditional online wedding gift list

The John Lewis wedding gift list gives users access to their huge range of items - list holders will be able to choose wedding gifts from nearly 350,000 lines. If it’s household items you’re after, much like Debenhams, a store like John Lewis has a lot to offer if you’re willing to pay that little extra.

We dug a little deeper and here are a few features of their wedding gift list service:

- Couples are able to register and compile their wedding gift list on-line

- The service is free of charge with no extra costs to list holders or guests

- When you set up your wedding gift list, brides and grooms will be given inserts to include in their invitations detailing information about the list

- Guests can purchase the wedding gift online, in-store or by phone

- List holders can receive regular updates and also view progress of their wedding gift list online

Lunch hour ‘Listers’

So what about the fun part - choosing your wedding gifts - what if you’re really busy?

Planning the wedding needs to be as straightforward as possible for the “Executive” bride-to-be. However, those who rely on their lunch hour to make key decisions about their big day and beyond can be reassured by research from John Lewis which shows that a dream wedding gift list can be compiled in as little as 45 minutes.

The average couple spends four hours compiling a wedding gift list with the hand-held scanner that is provided for brides and grooms who register with a John Lewis Gift List. However, advisors on the shop floor see many couples take less time because they have either lived together or own their own homes.

Kerry McCulloch, Head of Gift List at John Lewis, reckons: “Those who already have their basics can take less time assembling the kit they need for married life. This gives our “Executive” Brides a chance to go straight for the luxury and fun items they really want.

“Most of our ‘Lunch Hour Listers’ don’t get a chance to buy a sandwich on a normal working day let alone plan their wedding, however we have now made it convenient and easy to compile a wedding gift list in a lunch hour!”

Top tips for compiling your wedding gift list:

- Be prepared: Why not register your wedding gift list on-line, surf the website for ideas or make a wish list before you arrive in the shop - are you desperate to upgrade the scratched saucepans to top of the range cookware or your clapped out TV to a flat screen? Or perhaps you have always dreamed of that top of the range BBQ set for the summer?

- Bring your fiancé: If you are both in work mode and/ or on a deadline, you’ll both be set to make quick and effective decisions that would normally seem impossible on a weekend

- Grab a scanner: Zapping in codes to scan your kit for domestic bliss is quick and hugely satisfying. Many brides have used this device to keep grooms “busy” during the selection process!

- Ask for help: If you know what you want before you hit the shops ask staff to help you to navigate in the relevant department

- Enjoy yourself: Remember - it’s your wedding! A limited time frame will let you enjoy being impulsive. For you wedding gift list - snorkel sets, pogo sticks and champagne buckets are all within your reach as a ‘Lunch Hour Lister’, if you want!

While there are many people who celebrate this colorful and expensive holiday, there are others who celebrate Valentine’s Day alone. I empathize with them. I too have not had the company with which to celebrate this very romantic holiday. But some even have been so bitter, they refuse to take part, they refuse to believe in love in any way, shape or form. I could easily be just as miserable, but I choose to keep my chin up.

Christian Dior humoured post-war fashionistas with delicate clutches at a time when anything practical smacked of darned stockings and ration books. But by the 1950s the determined housewife was enlarging her bag to extend her domestic efficiency, making room for cheque books, car keys, laundry-slips and diaries. When working women in the Eighties discovered that they couldn’t fit their bulging cosmetics cases into a flat briefcase, they incorporated office papers into their handbags. Now handbags are more like pieces of operative luggage. Strength, resilience, ample space and multiple pockets are all crucial. The average weight of handbags in the UK has reached a back-breaking 3½lbs (1.6kg). Beside the basics — diary, phone, cosmetics, sanitary products, haircare, “handbag-sized” magazines, book, road map, iPod, car stereo, nipple pads, Mace or rape alarm, packed lunch, flask of coffee, water — recent additions include Bibles, crystals, self-help books and embroidery or tapestry sets, which are making a comeback as working women look for something non-electronic to help them to pass time while in transit. Yet, despite the odd vibrator, set of lacy underwear or knife, it is not the individual items that attract attention, it is the sheer number of them.

“You would be amazed at how many women carry an entire change of clothes and an overnight kit, even though they’re not staying overnight anywhere,” explains one guard at an office in Central London. “Or they’ll have a full-size bottle of hairspray, hair straighteners and an electric toothbrush. A bottle opener and tin opener are also popular.” Most items crammed into bags in the UK are simply things to make the long days more bearable. Heels to change into for work, trainers and a sweater for the train; energy bars for women who have no time for a lunch break; cigarettes and even miniature bottles of spirits are panacea for an otherwise dull day at the office. Then there are the pills. At Burberry, the security guard’s eyes glaze over when I mention medication. “Pain-killers, antidepressants, back creams, bandages for knees, plasters for rubbing shoes,” he confides. No wonder it takes more than six days to replace the contents of a handbag if it is lost or stolen. Although the average worth of a handbag and its contents lies at £550, home insurance companies are advising that many exceed their claims limit, reaching a value of more than £1,000. Feeding off the terror of women all over Britain, Sheilas’ Wheels and Diamond car insurers both have policies specifically for handbag insurance, and NatWest has added handbag cover to its Advantage Premiere insurance benefits. “Just in case” seems to be a theme. It’s what has given rise to the oversized hobo handbag currently inspiring top designers — complemented by copper hardware, zips, chains and padlocks. Are Marc Jacobs’s Stam, Chloé’s Paddington and Fendi’s Spy bag answering our prayers or are they simply feeding off our neuroses? It is difficult to believe that the handbag was originally a sign of emancipation. In the 1920s, flappers deciding to go out without a chaperone first started carrying a small bag. Inside would be a few select, Art Decoinspired pieces; a pillbox, a mirror, a purse, a watch, a cigarette case. Margaret Thatcher managed to turn her handbag into an international symbol of authority. So is the handbag an icon of power and emancipation, or a fashion item gone too far? “It’s both,” laughs the feminist critic Lillian Robinson. “The handbag shows that our lives have moved on, that we have more opportunities. Yet our responsibilities have not been equally shared. It’s called the Wonder Woman complex. We need to do everything — have kids, a career, look after the parents, deal with finances and housekeeping. We need to be on call all the time.” And because of the handbag, we have to do it one-handed.Robinson, principal at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute in Montreal, Canada, challenges me to count the pockets on a professional male wearing a coat and a suit. There are up to 20, compared to six on the female equivalent — and even they don’t pass Robinson’ s test. “Serious pockets — the type that can actually contain anything — get in the way of tailoring,” she explains. “Women are expected to have clothes that show off their bodies. Because of this, we are lumbered with the handbag.” In the name of research, I approach a statuesque young man stepping out of Vogue House, wearing skin-tight jeans and a simple T-shirt seemingly free of any functional pockets. “Where, if you don’t mind me asking, do you keep your wallet and phone?” He points to a demure blonde in his shadows, straining under the weight of one familiar Fendi Spy. “My girlfriend has them in her handbag.”

Author : Tamara Kaminsky