photo credits to: about.com
A mother of two beautiful girls, each uniquely different from the other, can be such a great challenge. I guess being a single parent worsens the situation. All mothers would want to buy the latest styled clothes for their girls. But looking for the budget for such can sometimes be very tricky.
We are all aware that women’s fashion can be as fast changing as the way women make decisions or choices. Thus, under limited circumstances, buying clothes is a major event in a mother’s life. So, through the years, I had developed certain rules on acquiring clothes for my girls.
Iron-free clothes
I go to great extend to convince my girls to choose iron-free clothes so we can keep our electricity bill down. Now, how do I do this? Simple! I just keep reminding them that the ironing opens chances for ruining the clothes. There would surely be creases I will not be able to iron enough. And there are the daydream burns, mobile phone call burns, and remembered-something burns as well.
Another tactic is looking at them with tired eyes and whispering, but loud enough for them to hear, how much time I’ll have to allocate ironing the dress. The ironing board, due to its long years of service, can at times have bumps which are difficult to manage when ironing women’s clothing. More time, I would lament until something works with the girls. If the first ploy does not work, the second surely will!
Hoarding and recycling
I would ask my ladies, on a quarterly basis, to give me the clothes that they have grown tired of wearing. In the guise of donating it to some charity needing women’s clothing, I would neatly fold and keep it in a box at the attic. There was a time when my eldest daughter discovered my hidden treasure.
To appease her hurt feelings of being deceived, I gave her the following reasons:
· The women’s fashion keeps coming back in cycles.
· Women’s clothing usually fit again with the dawning of modern diets.
· Shirts, trousers and pants may be remodeled or altered for certain occasions.
Bargain hunting
As much as possible, I buy clothes on bargain. I always tell the girls that the money you save can be used for accessories that can transform the clothes to be trendy. I always remind them that we should learn to spend money on what matters. As they are still in college, then education is our top priority.
I assured my girls that they can buy all the clothes they like when they finish their education and land a stable job. They have all the right to enjoy the fruits of their labour anyway. But for now, we need to be practical and live within our means.
photo credits to: arturojoesri.com
Anew trend emerging nowadays is purchasing shirts and suits online. People are starting to get hooked to this kind of shopping because it had been found to be convenient, competitively priced, wide choices and more informative. Buying stuff online also connotes a certain pride with the buyer’s market no longer limited to its country or city.
Let us consider a design for suits. Displayed suits in retail stores in malls and garment stores stand the chance of being outmoded. Of course it can be a bit frustrating, even when shopping online, if the buyer has no idea of his own preferred design. But with the assistance of well-trained sartorial staff, an album of designs can be presented to you to choose from.
In a meeting with tailors, usually held in plush hotels in the city, the element of elegance is felt. They came to your country to assist you make up your mind and take your measurements to produce that suit just for you. You don’t get this kind of service when you physically walk into a garments store!
Online businesses focus more on long term client relationship as compared to the traditional physical shopping. Strictly by appointment, meetings are conducted with the highest level of service through full attention to the client’s needs and queries. Shopping to stores will definitely pale by comparison as sales attendants entertain the client while their eyes are to the door.
Another is the feeling after the purchase. Dealing with representative of an online clothes company will give you the feeling of knowing you got the shirt or suit that you really want. While shopping at department stores may give you a feeling that you got their best shirt as highly recommended by the sales representative.
Often times, physical shopping results to the shopper buying what is on sale or the item pushed by store attendants. At the end of the day, that feeling of having come home and not really have purchased what you intended to buy can be devastating. This rarely happens with online buying as customer requirements and expectancies are of prime value.
As a person is unique, so is his preference. This is the secret of the online clothes company which made it a profitable enterprise. It will not be a surprise to know that this kind of endeavour will continue to exist for the next centuries. As they have evolved to be updated in their methods, they will continue to surmount any effect brought about by change.
photo credits to: treehugger.com
In the olden days, only the rich can afford to have made to measure suits. Tailors would come to their clients, mostly royalty, with their measuring tapes. Rich textile materials were then given to them to prepare the suit in the design suggested and approved. After a week or two, the fitting is made prior to the final suit delivery.
With the passing of the years, ready-made clothes were introduced to the market. Its purpose is to reach out to those who cannot afford made to measure suits or clothing. The market niche also proved to be bigger compared to the few rich and illustrious people.
The advancement of technology gave birth to online businesses. This further threatened the elite clothing industry. Thanks to the proactive commercial approach, this created the online tailors. Not only have they fashioned a modern trend, but they also widened their potential market as compared to the clientele of their ancestors.In reality, online tailors still observe the medieval practice of meeting their clients to get the measurements.
The benefits of engaging the services of online tailors are:
1. Perfect size – This is a guarantee when dealing with online tailors. A client is given approximately two months to avail of free revisions. This happen when there is a change in the client’s body measurements between the time the measurement was taken and the actual delivery date. This feature is not available for off-the-rack clothing bought at the malls and department stores.
2. Unique and quality style -Clothes made are based on the choice of the client as far as colour, design, fabric excellence and fit is concerned. Once again, retailed clothes do not offer this. It is a fact that such clothes are made by the dozen. And let us be honest, haven’t you experienced how difficult it is to find the right clothes at a department store rack?
3. Time, cost and effort saver – This benefit is largely due to the wonders of scientific development. Online shopping definitely save time, effort and even cost in travel and purchasing clothes. Even prior to the purchase, the budget is already considered. And when you purchase online, you save on incidental expenses of going to the mall. This includes dining out and time with friends met accidentally.
4. Comfort – Comfort is the result of a good fit of good quality styled clothes. The combination of all the factors mentioned above boil down to this simple word. In everything we purchase, this is the big “C” we all search for. What good is a stylish shirt if you can’t raise both your arms without ripping it? What good is a pair of pants if you can’t eat much without the waist bursting?
The clothing industry had truly evolved through the years. Yet, despite the changes, they had remained loyal and steadfast to their trade. So, for those who haven’t tried this traditional way of acquiring clothes, now is the best time to try it!
When we were born, gender was also given to us. And there are only two biological genders. The male and the female but as we all know, there are now 4 types of people in the world today. The male, the female, the lesbians and gays. No matter what gender he or she chooses, he still deserves to be given respect. Respect should come first from our self. People around us wont respect us if we do things that might cause us to lose our dignity. Yes, you can show everyone who you really are but always remember that respect to yourself is important.
Let’s talk about gays. We can't deny the fact that gays are discriminated in the community. They should also be given equal respect with everyone but sometimes, they do things that worsen their image to the world. Some of them flirt with other guys making the boys see them as banks they can entertain to have money. Some of them makes noise everywhere making the people around annoyed and making them look as attention seekers, some of them cross dress. Cross dressing is an act of wearing the clothes of the opposite sex. Most of the men who cross dress describe it as an outlet of stress, and they tend to want to rest up more during times of tension at work, at home or anywhere they are. Maybe it has a psychological effect on people who do this, but some men use miniskirts and spaghetti strapped tops which doesn’t look good because it already makes them look as if they don’t have respect for themselves then it triggers the guys that see them play tricks on them putting them in shame. Respect should come from within. You yourself should know the kind of clothes you should wear specifically style.
Accept what and who you are, put limits in all the choices you do. You can't make everybody like you but at least you can make them have respect for you. Respect is one of the scarce things in the world today but who knows? If everybody will work hand in hand, we can have a better and happier world for all the people. A world where everybody enjoys his or her freedom to express himself without being judged or being stepped upon. Isn’t that wonderful? The offspring of today’s generation won't have to feel or experience the discrimination we have today. so together as one world, let us allow respect to cover the entire universe making the world a better place to live in.
 Something defined as a feeling of being romantically or sexually attracted to someone and that is the so called love. Everybody deserves to have the right of having their own definition of the word. Love is not just a feeling. It's a force that attracts or pushes you to do things you never thought you’d do, it makes you say words you never thought you’d say, it makes you see things you never thought exists. Love can start from the first hello, from the first date, from the first touch, from the first smile shared or it can start from the very first look at each other’s eyes or sometimes you just won't know when it starts. You won't know why, you won't know how .All you know is that every little thing between you counts, the corniest jokes, the simplest surprises, the stupid talks and the pointless arguments. You won't mind the doubts, the buts and ifs you have, the negative questions behind your mind because the only thing that matters is that you love each other and you’re willing to perfectly accept the imperfect person you’re sharing the relationship with. You might not have the same taste with him when it comes to the style of what you’re wearing, you won't also have the same taste of movies, neither would you love the same genre of songs. He has a closet full of dark colored t-shirts while what you have are colourful ones. He might want to watch action movies while you want to watch the romantic ones. He listens to the rock music where the all the artists do is shout while you appreciate slow and relaxing songs. Yes differences will always be there. We will never find someone who has the exact wants as we have. We all have our own unique set of hobbies and our own set of things that make us happy. But maybe love has its magic that makes two different people become a perfect couple. True love indeed is really not just a word or a feeling. It does amazing things that makes your world more meaningful and makes life worth living for. It gives you the happiness you never had and it gives you the courage to fight for what you feel inside no matter what it takes as long as you know, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’ll simply know you’re in love when the set of t-shirts, kinds of movies and genre of songs won't really matter. The only important thing is that you’re together and nothing can break your bond.
 The day you and your groom have been waiting for came…your wedding day. For months you have prepared for this day from the set design, flower arrangement, food caterer and your wedding outfits. You’ve spent a fortune just for the event to be perfect for you, your partner and your lovely guests. But just like any production event, a wedding mishap is inevitable and you have to be prepared for it. That includes a wardrobe malfunction disaster. To be able to smoothly deal with this on your wedding day, prepare a fashion emergency kit weeks before your wedding day. 1. Stain removing wipes. I am pretty sure that this is going to be useful. A spill of wine or salad dressing might just come in contact with your perfect white dress or your groom’s white tuxedo. Just get a sheet of stain removing wipes and slightly dab on to the material until the stain fades. If you cannot clearly see the stain, like on the neckline, ask someone to do it for you to refrain from spreading the mark. 2. Chalk and loose powder. For excess stain, use a chalk or loose powder to conceal marks. Harder to remove stains like pen ink stains can be easily covered by putting chalk mark over it. This lasts longer than applying powder. 3. Tissue paper, cotton swabs, and clean cloth. It is better to use a clean cloth in removing stains on fabrics. Use cotton and tissue for cleaning make-up smudges and cleaning other wardrobe items such as shoes or hand bag. 4. Rubbing alcohol. To remove odor from food stains, slightly dab cloth with rubbing alcohol on fabrics. 5. Sewing kit. This includes needle and thread, mini-scissors, extra buttons, snaps. Make sure you have available threads with the same colors as your gown and your groom’s three piece suit. If you do not know basic stitching, ask your bridesmaids before the wedding so you know your go-to person just in case. 6. Safety pins in various sizes. This fastens just about anything with fabric but try not to expose a side of the safety pin. Try to have it in different colors like silver, gold. Use colored nail polish to coat it in colors that matches your wardrobe. 7. Double sided fashion tape. Show only parts that you want to expose. Other than that, have a double sided tape control exposure of unwanted parts or under garment. For low neck dresses, put a double sided tape at the edge of the material and your skin as not to show excessive cleavage. You can also use this to help bra straps to stay in place, stick it to the strap of your dress. This can also be used to quickly fix hems without all the sewing. 8. Candle. Zipper problems can be solved by soap or a candle. If your dress shrunk just before your wedding day or you slightly gained weight and couldn’t fasten your zipper easily, rub a wax candle onto the sides of the zipper to help smoothly tuck it. Knowing that you have all of these items ready would surely help lessen your worries and stress on your big day.
 Photo credit www.artofmanliness.com Don’t you think wardrobe malfunctions often happen during moments when you are in a middle of something important or in a hurry? It happens in times when your mind is too occupied and being cautious in moving and being careful about your outfit is the least of your concerns. So after running back and forth your work station and the photocopying room and just right before your big presentation, you notice that there is a rip on the side seam of your dress shirt, or a slight coffee splatter starts to spread on your light colored trousers. What do you do in events like these? Wardrobe glitch/emergencies are inevitable and sometimes you just have to be creative on how you remedy these situations. Here are some tips you could do for rips and stains. Ripped Seam An emergency tip is a cover up. Always have an extra sport jacket or a cardigan in a neutral color that matches most of the colors of your clothes in your office or car. Your first move is to conceal it. If you do not have a cover up, a short term crisis resolution is to try to fasten it using safety pin or adhesive tape. A safety pin can temporarily close a hole but some material gets damaged or extends the tear once a safety pin is used. A strong hold tape will do too. It may last for minutes or hours depending on the adhesive of the tape and where the rip is located. From time to time, go to the comfort room to check how the rip is and if you have to fix and put more adhesive tape. If you are travelling and you are checked in a hotel, I am pretty sure there is a mini sewing kit together with the free toiletries in the bathroom that you can use to fix whatever tears. Stains Food stains are typical wardrobe disaster. Just like a ripped seam, a cover up is the best emergency solution. But what do you do if it happens minutes before you were called for a presentation or for a meeting? Of course you do not carry around an instant stain remover (but after reading this article, try to have at least a small bottle of stain remover in your office drawer). Without a remover, you can do away with it with plain vinegar then wash with soap and water. But again, no one brings vinegar in his/her bag. Try to get a clean damp cloth (use warm water) and dab the excess stain. Do not rub! The stain might just penetrate deeper into the fabric or spread. Do not use tissue or paper towel as it may leave fiber/particles that is not easy to remove and it leaves additional discoloration on the fabric. Finish it by smoothly covering the stained area with loose powder.
 Photo credit thumbs.dreamstime.com Is it the end of season sale again? Red tags and additional discounts are on the racks, “Up to 70% off” and “Buy two for the price of one” signs on display windows? Yes, I know all of these make you go giddy but you have to remember that you also have to be wise in buying sale items. Sale gives you all the right to become an impulse buyer and instead of getting a good deal, you are not maximizing your buying capacity. So here is a simple sale shopping guide to help you.
Your first choice may not be the best choice. - Give time to look around. If you found a nice white shirt in a store at 30% discount, do not settle easily. Just put it in mind and check another store or two. The more the basic the item is, the more stores you have to check. You might find a buy one take one for that white shirt or even a 70% off.
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Double check items to be purchased. - Wear and tear of these items for sale started the day they were placed in the “New Arrival” rack. At the end of the season, many buyers have set their hands on the same item and have actually tried them on. With that, check the seams of the clothing item, most especially under the arm, buttons and shoulder. These seams might be loose and would require additional cost in for repair. Do this most especially in stores that don’t have a return policy for sale items and for stores that all stocks are out in the display stand.
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Set a limit. - Just like playing stocks, you should have a cut loss and take profit policy in shopping, most especially when it’s the sale season. Make an initial list before going to the red-tag sale and set a budget as to how much you are willing to pay for each item. Do not bring all your cash or credit cards. Work within your budget.
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Freebies are sometimes the devil. - “Buy three pairs of suits and get a limited edition jacket for FREE!” You see this sign and you badly want that limited edition jacket. So you start to convince yourself that you need the suits so that you can have that jacket. You end up spending thousands of dollars for the freebie. You don’t cut yourself so that you can have the adhesive bandage. Yes, you have done this once in your life and do not let the freebies fool you again.
These retails stores hire marketing people to think of ways to entice people like you to go in their shops and make you grab something and line up in the cashier. Don’t make their lives easy. Think before opening your wallet. Even on sale season, SHOP WISELY!
 The number of buttons is very small detail in a man’s suit. But just like a woman’s jewelry, it completes the whole character of a wardrobe. One, two, three, four or more buttons, it depends on you. This factor shapes the fit and cut of the end product on you. In deciding which suit to buy or what to tell your bespoke tailor, make sure you know what you want in terms of this suit design section. Single button suits are easy to wear; there is only one button to worry about for a sleek look. Just remember that when standing up, that single button should be fastened and can only be unbuttoned upon sitting down. This is nicely paired with a shawl lapel as in a tuxedo. This is most advisable for men with shorter body as it shows a deeper open area V-shape in the chest making your body look longer.  A two button is the most popular choice as it matches and heightens majority of men’s body type. All labels have it in their look books. Such piece is simple to handle – the bottom button should always be disengaged at all times, only the first button is closed when standing up and undone when sitting down. Once both are buttoned, the fit seems a little awkward looking and there is a little discomfort when you move. Popular in the 90s, the three button suit is also another well-liked option next to the double. It is a more versatile piece as you have more than one way to wear it. You may button only the center button and let the lapel roll until it reaches the top button, or do up the top two buttons and unfasten the last one. However, as buttoning the top ones makes it look more formal as it only shows little of your shirt, this goes well with taller men and men with athletic physique as it gives more balance to the look.  Four button suits are already out of flavor nowadays unless it is a double-breasted one. In a double-breasted suit, all buttons are fastened but usually bottom buttons are open. Normally this has pointed lapels. This type of suit is more formal and sophisticated than the normal single buttoned ones as fewer people can actually pull it off since it would only look at is best if the fit is accurate and hugs your body perfectly. It is best for occasions like black tie events, weddings, or you would just want to impress someone in the office. If you would want to wear the jacket casually, a double breasted is a little too over the top.
In a mall or just the nearby restaurant, how many women do you see that doesn’t carry a bag? A woman could not leave her house without her wallet, phone, make up kit, pepper spray and an extension of her vanity dresser at home. Unlike the female species, men could survive a day with just his wallet and phone in his pocket. But a man in style absolutely knows that a bag has now become an indispensible accessory in an outfit. For business/casual-business attire, we have selected four possible bag options:  Photo credit from www.customhide.com 1. The Classic Briefcase
A working man’s get-up is never complete without a briefcase to carry the important documents, reports, and electronic notebooks. It is the classic and conventional handbag made for men. The contemporary brief cases are less boxy compared to the original sharp-angled case your father once carried around. The briefcases of today are softer and made of flexible material. Also bags with pockets are preferred for a more organized pack. The old school locks in briefcases are also eliminated giving it a less rigid look.
 Photo credit from www.esquire.com
2. The Tote
When a briefcase is too formal but you need to bring stuff from home to work or you need a bag to keep your tablet for a marketing presentation to an old client, a handy tote is the solution to your dilemma. The unfastened opening style makes it easy to just dump things in the bag. Totes are now made of resilient materials for durability and long term-use.
 Photo credit from www.selectism.com
3. The Satchel Messenger Bag
A satchel messenger bag is a medium sized bag made of leather material with an adjustable strap worn like a body bag or a shoulder bag. The design of this piece is based on a mailman’s bag. This item has a wide array of users from a hipster student to a yuppie in a suit could actually pull of this accessory. This gives a casual touch to a formal wardrobe.
 Photo credit from www.men-bags.com 4. Holdall
Whether you are having an overnight business trip or you just have a lot of things to carry as you have plans of going to the gym after a day’s work, a Holdall is suited for your need. It may look bulky but the leather hardware just goes well with whatever casual outfit or even a suit.
Back-packs are out of the list and the males are just lucky these four handbag items entered the market. They are just classy and very functional. Throw away the conventional thought that only women carry bags in style and the gentlemen only deserves a boring box-type briefcase. In this time and age, both genders are free to carry around a chic bag accessory.
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