Would You Wear Your Car?
In a world where fashion brands have become an ultimate way of making a statement and expressing one?s lifestyle, cars and their logos are having a similar impact. Fans are not only driving their favorite cars, but are passionately showing off their logos on t-shirts, caps, bags, mobiles, key-chains, and even umbrellas! For a long time, the concept has been seen as a man?s idea of fashion, a sporty look just for car lovers. Yet recently the trend has caught up with all fashion-conscious people. Ladies are now tempted to wear the logos, perhaps to show their sense of adventure and risk-taking, or simply to show the support they have for a certain car.
Almost every car in the industry has created a unique line of products. It?s also becoming a fashionable look; wearing a fiery red Ferrari cap on the beach looks ?hot? nowadays, while sporting a BMW bag on a casual outing or trip looks polished and trendy.
Most recently, Porsche Design revealed a sleek collection in nothing but pure white- a classic summer color. From a Laptop case, shake pen and cufflinks to a cell phone and sunglasses, the luxury brand, inaugurated by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche in 1972 has since been creating splendid kitchen items, electronic, eyewear, sportswear, luggage and accessories all marked by what they proudly claim is ?the engineering of performance?.
But Porsche isn?t the only company that realized their fans? eagerness to show off their cars in every way. Ford has their own range of apparel, bags, hats, ?beanies?, clocks and baby wear; a selection that is as sporty and practical as the car itself. Maintaining the car?s iconic colors and style seems to be followed strictly; it is as important as displaying the car logo at least once on every product. Ford?s men and ladies collections have one thing in common: the colors. Neutral, comfy-looking fabrics in grays, white, navy and baby blue make every item suitable for the beach, sports and casual outings.
While the practical, solid, ?everyday? cars create clothing and accessories that feel the same, cars like Rolls Royce and Bentley undoubtedly have their queue of fans. An owner or not, a Bentley fan will want to get his/ her hands on anything made by Bentley, and most importantly, with a flashy Bentley logo sprawled across. Scotts is an independent, UK-based company that specializes in servicing, supplying and servicing two of the world?s top luxury cars, Rolls Royce and Bentley, and one that is also authorized to sell their exclusive collectibles. Eye-catching Bentley driving gloves, fine twill silk Rolls Royce ladies headscarf, Rolls Royce sheepskin over-rugs are some of the exquisite items listed on Scotts website, with some prices mentioned and others available only on request.
Unique dog gear designed by Land Rover-such as a dog tee, a custom dog lead, a pet travel kit and a large fleece dog bone- takes car logos to a funnier level! While the Formula One ?18cm? teddy bears sit neatly, dressed in red F1 t-shirts covered with the Vodafone, Shell and Ferrari logos, waiting to be purchased by the next fan. Each company offers different search options online; BMW allows you to browse between men and women?s clothing while F1 categorizes their items by product, teams and drivers? names. These searching methods just prove the existing hysteria surrounding this car logo obsession. The concept isn?t much different from supporting a football team or any popular fashion brand!
Although this appears to be a new and rising trend, the link between cars and accessories is a historical one. The bond has been there ever since Alfred Dunhill was inspired by cars enough to design sophisticated watches made for car-lovers like himself. In 1903 Alfred Dunhill converted his father?s saddlery business into a major empire catering for almost every requirement of the motorist. He named his accessories ?Motorities? and began his trip of creating inspirational timepieces for the motor-driven customer.
For example, the Swiss-made, limited edition ?Citytamer? is a watch designed spectacularly with a gently curved rectangular body- a shape inspired by the bonnet of a period sports car. The ?Wheel Watch? is for the vintage car lover. If your passion is old cars, you will immediately see what inspired Alfred Dunhill in this model. The watch is shaped just like the metal ?spinners? which often used to attach wire wheels to period sports cars. More modern and high-tech is the ?Carwatch?. It is said to resemble the lines of a futuristic ?concept car?, being made of either steel or an ultra-light combination of titanium and stage-2 ceramic. But the most interesting part is the front of the watch, which is highlighted by an engraved ?number plate?, an interchangeable blank designed to take the number of your choice! The feature would probably appeal to …
Why Are Our Clothes Made To Standard Sizes?
Like so much in American life, the standard clothing sizes we use today can be traced back to the Civil War. If that answer sounds glib, it isn?t meant to be. The Civil War was the pivotal event in American history, marking a transition to the modern era, and heralding changes that stood until the 1940s. It even changed the way we buy our clothes.
Antebellum Clothing Sizing
Prior to the Civil War, the overwhelming majority of clothing, for men and women, was tailor-made or home-made. There was a limited variety of mass produced, standardized clothing items, mainly jackets, coats, and undergarments, but even these were only produced in limited quantities. For the most part, clothing for men was made on an individual basis. The Civil War changed that.
Mass Producing Uniforms
During the war, the Northern and Southern armies both needed large quantities of uniforms in a hurry. The South, without a large industrial base, relied primarily on home manufacture for uniforms, and through the war Southern armies typically suffered from a shortage of clothing. The North changed garment making history forever.
It quickly became apparent that the Northern armies could not be supplied with uniforms using traditional modes of clothing production. Fortunately, the North had a well developed textile industry that could meet the challenge.
When the government began to contract with factories for mass produced uniforms, the textile manufacturers quickly realized that they could not make every uniform for a particular soldier. The only option was to standardize the soldiers? uniforms. They sent tailors to the armies, to measure the men, and saw that certain measurements, of arm length, chest size, shoulder width, waist size, and inseam length, would appear together with reliable regularity. Using this mass of measurement information, they put together the first size charts for men?s clothing.
After the War
So why didn?t the textile companies go back to the older production methods after the Civil War? The answer lies in profits, as with many things in business. Clothing manufacturers saw that the standardized sizes they had introduced significantly reduced the manufacturing cost of men?s clothing; rather than make one item for one man, they could make one size of an item, mens jackets for example, for a group of men. Suddenly, clothing was easier to produce, mass production became the staple of discount men?s clothing, and the clothing industry would never be the same again.…
How To Chose Girl Pageant Dress
What dress and accessories is appropriate for my young daughter who wants to join pageants?
Girl beauty pageants may be considered a fluff event by some, but really, girl pageants are like any competitive sport. Young children study, train and focus to win. Learning the proper ways to walk and stand, minding one?s manners, and thinking quickly under pressure is also a long process that requires focus, discipline and endurance. Just like any other sport, parents are expected to spend on pageant dresses, training, other costumes and coaches. As with any sport, a child learns to forego the desire to play to do what is required to win.
As with sports, your child will also learn to put her best foot forward in pageants. She will learn the confidence to face and talk to people. A young girl will learn how to dress and charm people. She will learn to handle pressure. She will learn how to deal with victory and defeat. Pageants may build character too, depending on the guidance of the adult.
Some people view girl pageants with distaste. Always this is due to any pageant factor taken to the extreme. Crazy costumes and make-up that make children look like skanky miniature adults may be a reason behind this. Guardians? extreme manner of pushing young girls to win may add to the distaste.
If your little girl is interested in joining pageants, families may encourage her to do so, as long as goals and values are clear to the family. Young girls like to doll up in pageant dresses, be pretty and to win. That?s a given. It is up to the parents to put balance and be vigilant to the best interest of a child?s health, values and over-all character. After all, that?s what parents want for their children, right?
The key to all this is balance. Let your daughter be the best she can be, in a manner that is most appropriate to her age and well-being. Pageants can bring out her best character, but parents should step up to provide the balance to looks and character.
Dressing for Girl Pageants
Being age-appropriate in a girl pageant does not mean your little girl has to be ugly or boring. On the contrary, young girls are bursting with natural beauty and joy. Overdoing things causes a natural beauty to be blah and icky.
Formal dresses for Girls
The styles of formal dresses for girls are classic. Whatever era, young girls always look cute and fresh in regular sleeveless with medium waist and long skirt in formal fabric. Other styles for sleeves can be cute, but long sleeves may not be comfortable for a young girl (and look dated too.) Fabrics should be beautiful but not fragile for a young girl, who may get to become fussy or restless, and may ruin too-fragile fabrics.
The color of the dress can be light or pastel. Pink is a common color for young girls, but there are a lot of other colors out there that can help express the personality of your young pageant contestant. A different color dress will also help her stand out. Happy earth colors can also be worn, as well as jewel tones, if in season (usually during the fall). Or, use earth colors and jewel tones as accessories to a light colored dress. Black is usually too severe and looks weird for a young girl.
The dress can also be embroidered or embellished, but keep embellishments tiny and tasteful to be suited to a young girl.
Shoes
Shoes should be pretty, but comfortable. Young girls can wear mary janes or flat pumps with formal embellishments. High heeled shoes are bad for the back and legs.
Hair
Girls have beautiful hair. Show it off in its natural state. Let it loose and clip with pretty bling barrette, or sweep away from the face with a pretty bling head band. Mom can also tie it up in pigtails or braids. Young girls do use pigtails and braids.
Any hairstyle that requires a gallon of hairspray is most likely too severe-looking. It is also not healthy for a young girl for her hair to be teased, tugged and pulled and laden with chemicals.
Makeup
Girls are naturally pretty. They have the best skin and lips. Using lipstick and thick foundation gives a fake look. Young girls with heavy makeup similar to adults are an eyesore. Try using lip gloss and light touch of baby powder. If you are concerned that your little one will look too pale on the stage at night, do test make up during the general rehearsal when the actual lights to be used are also tested. Make sure the make up is minimized and enhances her natural beauty. Less is more for makeup on …
Fabulous Fashion Frenzy -To Pay Or Not to Pay? Save Money Shopping Online
Most fashion conscious shoppers like to keep an eye on the trends set by the rich and famous and at one time or another wish they could have that gorgeous little designer bag that they saw on the red carpet.
The dilemma is whether to pay or not to pay hundreds or even thousands when what you really need is a new dishwasher or washing machine.
With a little care, time and searching you can get both using internet shopping!
There are millions of online shopping sites in about as many countries of the world that you can think of. With a not an awful lot of time and a bit of internet searching it is possible to find the perfect bargain.
Many internet shopping sites offer a discount on registration and many also offer incentives to recommend friends to the site promising more discount if the friends make an order. You can recommend these sites to hundreds of friends just think of the savings.
Auction sites also offer the opportunity to make substantial savings if you have the patience. It can be fun if a little nerve wracking as you watch the last few seconds tick by before winning that lovely designer item that you’ve been watching for days, or equally frustrating as at the last second someone gets a good bid in and you don’t have time to make another.
Auction sites can be dangerous if you don’t keep your head though. It is recommended that before bidding for an item, you decide on your maximum spending amount and stick to it. Auction sites usually let you put in your maximum bid amount and then make higher bids for you, up to your maximum amount, if you’re outbid on a previous amount. Don’t be tempted to go higher than your maximum amount otherwise you haven’t found a bargain.
As mentioned earlier with internet shopping you can go global, shops are international and the choices are immense. You can buy Italian leather handbags direct from Tuscany, jewellery from Europe and India. Designer clothes and perfumes from France. Many sites also offer gift wrapping and delivery to other addresses making them perfect to send unusual gifts to friends and family.
There are one or two drawbacks though. You can’t try on goods so it is worth checking out any returns policy for an internet shop and postage costs can sometimes be high.
As a rule though as long as you are careful and check-out the terms and conditions and delivery rules and regulations, there is no reason why you can’t save on most items and get your sassy and snazzy items as well as the more boring but practical ones!…