Fashion Style Advice

The Fashionable and Well Groomed Modern Man

The modern man has a lot on his plate. The pressure to be good at everything can seem daunting and overwhelming. As if having a good job and raising well adjusted children wasn’t tough enough, they then add emotionally stable, good listener and sensitive. Well time to add one more iron to the fire guys, the modern man needs to also be fashionable and well groomed. Gone are the days where a guy need only look to his fellow man for fashion protocol. I will try and help identify just a handful of common mistakes we as men make in an attempt to prevent you from being the butt of jokes.

Grooming Issues

Outdated hair style- A common mistake guys make is keeping a hair style long past when it was “cool”. So you have a great new cut that you think looks wonderful on you, that may be true, but that was back in 1985. Time to try something new.

Not sure where to start? Go to a salon (not one of those drive through hair cutting places that charge $12.95). Set an appointment and ask them for their advice. Let them work their magic. They are experts and will take into consideration your needs and wants when determining a style suited best for you.

Comb over/ Toupee’s- The sad reality is that some of us will indeed go bald. The absolute worse thing you can do is to try and hide it. The only person you are fooling is yourself. Good news!! Bald is in. So retire the rug and go short. You may want to add some subtle facial hair in order to add depth and interest to your face. Updating your eye wear will also be a great addition to your new look. Choose frames that suit your face and coloring. Stay away from frameless rims for this will not do anything as far as style and image goes.

Facial Hair- Keep it trimmed and neat. No one wants to kiss someone only to get a mouthful of whiskers. Invest in a good quality facial hair grooming tool. This will allow you to always fresh and kempt.

Ear and Nose Hair- Just because you can’t see it when you look in the mirror, doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. Invest in a good pair of trimmers and use them weekly.

Cologne- As with any style that comes, it also goes. Scent is no different. Yes, Drakar does smell good. However, if you are still wearing it you need to run to the nearest department store and get some help. Remember that 3 to 4 sprays are sufficient, don’t bathe in it or you may run the risk of be offensive. To much of a good thing can be just as off putting as bad body odor.

Teeth and Breath- You may not have perfect teeth. However, keep the ones you have clean. Everyone can name someone they know who has incredibly bad breath. Don’t be that person. Brush, floss and use gum or mints if you aren’t sure.

Hands and Feet- Take the time to trim your nails and cuticles. If you wear open toed anything, this is even more important. 9 out of 10 men list feet as important on the female attraction scale. It is no different for women. Take the time to manage your own feet and nails, trust me…women notice.

Common fashion Mistakes

Socks with Sandals- Do I really need to explain this?

White tube socks with shorts and sneakers- I don’t care if you pull them up or push them down. Go with ankle or athletic socks. The less they are visible the better. This simple change will make your legs and calves look better and give you the allusion of being taller. The wait staff at Hooters gets a pass on this one. Always wear socks that are appropriate and match your outfit. If you think people won’t see them or notice your socks, you would be wrong.

Shoes and Belts- These two items should always match. If your shoes are shinny, your belt should be shiny. Black with black and brown with brown.

Gold Chains with Pendants- Unless your name is Vinnie, you hail from the north east and drive an I-Roc Z, this is not a good look. If you fit the above description…your awesome and disregard this advice.

Spandex Anything- Lance Armstrong can pull it off, you however shouldn’t try.

Pleated Pants- News flash, pleats are out and the flat front is in. Pleats tend to make you look larger and shorter than you are. The flat front pant is a sleek and stylish way to freshen up your look and at the same time give you the allusion of being leaner and taller than you are.

Jeans with tapered legs- Jeans should fit over the top of your shoes or boots. If they don’t hang but rather bunch at the top of your shoes, it is time to retire them. Acid and stone washed were cool for a minute, but now they aren’t so don’t even think about it.

Jean Shorts- I’m not sure how they became popular, however they shouldn’t have. They don’t look good on anyone.

Hawaiian Shirts- If you are on a cruise or work at Bahama Breeze they are acceptable. If you don’t fit either of those categories you look like a nerd.

Ties with Funny designs- Unless it is “funny tie Friday”, no one thinks it is a good look other than you.

Short Sleeve Dress Shirts with Ties- I know it is summer and you get hot. Turn up the A.C. and deal with it. This looks ridiculous.

Shoes- Keep them clean, polished and remember it is impossible to “dress up” sneaker.

Shoes are one of those items where you get what you pay for. Spend the money on your shoes.

Remember that judgments are made about you in the first 10-seconds upon meeting someone. If you are not sure what you are communicating or how you are being received…we can help! alpha m. Image Consulting was launched back in 2006 by founder Aaron Marino. Aaron realized that there was a lack of resources and options for men to receive real world help and advice regarding their image, style and grooming. Our goal is to help the modern man look and feel the best that he can…every day of his life.

The Spring Racing Carnival officially kicked-off in Australia at the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, from the 1st to 7th September 2008. With the launch of Australia’s urban fashion parade, women are now flocking to shops and malls to find the perfect dresses for the racing carnival. The official Melbourne Cup race will be on the first Tuesday of November, as it usually is, and much preparation is needed to look the best at this race.

d’Italia has been partnering with Australia’s leading seamstresses to create fashionable and award-winning spring racing carnival dresses. This year will be no different. So if you are looking to get in the limelight at this year’s races, it’s not too late to book yourself an appointment with the shop to check out the latest spring designs and styles. An optional referral service to seamstresses is also available.

For brides-to-be, finding the right bridal wear is often one of the most exciting but difficult tasks to accomplish in wedding preparation. At d’Italia, we understand that the most important day of your life has to be perfect. And a major contributing factor is finding the right gown that best complements your body, and gives you the comfort and freedom you need to move freely on the day.

A large range of wedding dress fabric is available, but to feel the most comfortable (especially during warmer weather), completely natural material is the best option. d’Italia has in store a range of 100% silk and chiffon. Additionally, our selection of accessories like French lace and hand-sewn beads are a perfect complement when designing a wedding dress to be tailor-made. To make things easier, d’Italia also has ideal material for bridesmaids’ gowns and dresses for mothers of the brides and grooms. Book an appointment with the shop today to obtain your entire wedding party’s clothing – look good and feel great in the most convenient and fashionable way!

Visit d’Italia at 61, Glenferrie Road, Malvern (Melbourne, Australia). For appointments, call 03-9509 4633.

Dear SUTRA

I have a complicated matter to deal with; I am a 24 year old South African lady from Johannesburg, working in Durban. While in Durban, I found a wonderful man (25 years old) who works as an Accountant for a very prestigious firm, my problem is that he is so work orientated that I sometimes feel excluded from his life, also, we decided not to commit to each other, as we need to sort out certain issues in our lives – at least, that’s what he says! Recently I’ve been having a feeling that there is another woman in his life, he says that they are friends but who would be the wiser? PLEASE HELP!!

Ashika

Dear Ashika

Keep in mind that the choices he has made may not be beneficial to you but they are to him. Generally, a 25 year old man in a position such as this is extremely career focused, and tends to neglect other aspects in his life such as relationships. Maybe at a later stage once his career is more established, he will want to commit to you. Until then, it is up to you to decide whether this man is important enough to you, to hang on and wait for him, or as the saying goes – there are many fish in the sea. As for his friend, it could be plutonic, but do not be naïve to the thought as there could be something more to it. The best thing to do is take a time out to decide what you want and whether he fits into the picture or not.

- SUTRA

Dear SUTRA

I am a 28 year old man, who is in love with a 25 year old woman. We have been friends for the passed eight years, and through all our feelings for each other, we have never been intimate with each other. My dilemma is that I have a girlfriend of 25, who I have been dating for the passed two and a half years. My friend of 25, has a boyfriend for the passed four years, and is very in love with him. I have loved this woman for as long as I can remember and have not been able to commit to anyone else. Recently she has been calling me often to go out for drinks. Should I pursue her? Please advise…

Evan

Dear Evan

You need to remember that what you are doing to your girlfriend is wrong, do you think it is wise to be in a relationship when you feel so strongly for another person. My advice to you is simple. End this relationship with your girlfriend as you are not being fair to her. Speak to your other lady friend and find out where her heart lies and take it from there. At all costs, you both should not hurt your present partners. A little selflessness won’t hurt.

- SUTRA

Dear SUTRA

I am a 40 year old woman, I have been married for the passed 18 years, and I love my husband dearly! My problem is that Sunil, my husband, just can’t keep his eyes off other women, and this hurts me so. Everyday I pray to God that this will change, but it never does. These passed few months he has started whistling at other younger women, right in front of me. I love my husband and don’t want to leave him, what should I do?

Devi

Dear Devi

As hard as this may be for you, you need to find what is lost in your relationship. Women tend to lose grip of themselves when in a comfortable relationship. Your husband may also be going through a mid life crises. Spice things up, do things out of the ordinary, and be spontaneous, and flexible. If this does not work, why not see a marriage counselor? All the best!

- SUTRA

Anyone who has ever tried to shop online for clothing or fashion related items, or in fact anything at all from Armani Jeans to light bulbs to theatre tickets will know that 9 results out of 10 are for E-Bay. This may seem pretty harmless at first, but I for one am finding myself becoming increasingly frustrated with this phenomena. As a customer, I want to shop for my products from “proper” websites. Shops with history, customer service, reputation and more importantly security and guarantees. However, when I want to grab a deal online for my Calvin Klein boxers, I am bombarded by an array of E-Bay auctions. Further to the point, once you click on one of these “too good to be true” search results, the offer or product is almost always unavailable or (more likely) was never there in the first place.

I do most of my designer clothes shopping online. The prices are good, and I love the no hassle ordering. It also makes hunting out the rare items far easier. My favourite store at present is ‘High Demand Clothing’‘. A perfect example of what I want from online shopping. Good photos, easy navigation, a shop with terms and conditions, a brand image, a physical presence, and a company name.

I am not a completely anti E-Bay‘ by any means. In fact, I have made several purchases after being pulled in by those ‘too good to be true’ auctions ending in the next 5 minutes. However, one thing always stands out….. and that is, EVERY item I have ever purchase (mostly clothing) has been counterfeit, or fallen apart within days (so counterfeit again). In addition, NONE of the auctioneers would offer me a refund. Why? Because they firstly had no concerns about repeat customers, nor are Ebay bidders bound by consumer protection laws (since it is a private auction sale), and finally because they believed that the tat they sold me was actually authentic merchandise.

The point I am trying to make, is that web users should be MORE than CAREFUL when they buy designer fashion items by auction. Even more so when the prices are half that of high street shops. Every time you buy counterfeit items from E-Bay, you are adding to the destruction of the very brands that you know and love. Burberry alone spends £5 Million a year on beating counterfeit trade. So forget E-Bay, and check out High Demand Clothing (http://www.hdclothing.co.uk) or one of the other well known online SHOPS, buy your AUTHENTIC goods from proper store. Support the fashion world, don’t destroy it.

James Spade

As a famous person once said, fashion doesn’t have to do with clothes only, but we can find it everywhere, in our ideas, in the way we lead our lives or in everything that’s happening around us. Fashion changes constantly and throughout the years, almost everything in our appearance that could experience change has already been changed Skirts are a very good example, their length going from so short that it hardly covers anything to up to the ankle. And what was once fashionable soon turned into unfashionable, and what was old quickly became new again. All of these fashion trends are inherent and they go as fast as they came. A certain style or action turns into a fashion trend when people copy it or try to follow it. Fashion trends become popular very quickly, but their loss of popularity is quite dramatic. The very essence of fashion trends is ‘here today, gone tomorrow’, so anything else that lasts longer and is eventually absorbed by society and turned into an everyday feature will no longer be a fashion trend.

Fashion trends come and go. If you’re a fashion victim, you’ll always have to be trendy. But being in accordance with the latest fashion trends is not always an easy task , not to mention the fact that chances are you won’t always look your best when you’re trying to be trendy. Everything looks great on models, but this doesn’t mean it will do the same magic for you. The best advice anyone could give you is to try to develop your own sense of style or at least try to choose from among the various styles that are already out there. After all, this is the fashion designers’ job and they do it very well. You can go for original garments or garments created according to pre-established fashion trends. All of these are high fashion and may be a little out of reach for you. What you can try is mass market design produced by retailers, which doesn’t come with a very impressive price tag. Whatever your choice may be, you have to keep one thing in mind, a well-dressed person always gets a second look. Your social and personal life will experience nothing but improvement if you have a strong sense of fashion and of the fashion trends.

One of the fashion designers that will always offer you products which keep up with the latest fashion trends is Zara, which is a part of a very fast growing retailer in the world. Their policy is to be competitive whilst maintaining affordable prices. The secrets of Zara’s success were the transfer of production to countries where the costs of production are low and the very unusual strategy of virtually no advertising. Zara chose to invest the money they would have spent with advertising for their products in opening new stores all over the world. Their stores can be found in all the important commercial areas from the big cities in America , Europe and Asia.

Any of Zara’s clients will experience the pleasure of buying clothes that keep up with the latest fashion trends. At Zara, the policy is to put the demands of the clients at the top of the priority list and be very closely related to the public. The clients’ wishes are quickly passed on to the creative professionals, and they make these demands come true.

Zara claims that the whole process of creating of a new product and launching it on the market only takes them two weeks and that, therefore, they are able to present thousands of new designs every year.

As far as their products are concerned, by always considering their clients’ wishes and demands, Zara follows the fashion trends that the society itself creates, at its own pace. No matter the difference among people or cultures, Zara will always be a success among those who have a thing for fashion. As a very famous designer said about Zara, they are of one of world’s most innovative retailer.

If you want to find out more about fashion trends and especially about zara please review this page http://www.style-icon.com

Okay, you have your products and you’ve decided you are going to design a catalog for distribution. But, where do I start? What should I do first when designing a catalog? What are the necessary steps to designing an effective catalog? In this article I will answer those questions for you and will give you a step by step procedure for designing your new catalog.

Ist Procedure: Decide who your target audience will be. This sounds easy but it needs to be done fist. You need to have who you will be designing a catalog for while you design your catalog. By doing this you will be able to picture how they will react to each step you take.

2nd Procedure: Decide what you will sell. See procedure number one for details. What I mean by that is that you do not want to add every product you have in your inventory if it is not something your target customers will buy. You can save money designing your catalog by leaving out items that are very unlikely to be bought by your target audience.

3rd Procedure: Separate your products so you can focus on them one at a time. Take each product you will be selling and write your sales text and price out so you draw out an idea of how each product will be displayed.

Also as you work on each item and write the descriptions, separately write out any details you will need to give your customer about size, color, and specifications. With some products you will be able to just use a little space in addition to the picture and explain everything there.

But with other products where more information is necessary, you will be putting together a page or more of just information as a reference or guide to buying the products in your catalog. So as you do each one, that is the time to make notes about additional information you will need to offer the customer on another page.

4th Procedure: Photographing your products. . When designing your catalog, individual pictures are best. Group photos will save you money, but they will also make you less sales. Using a professional photographer is also a good idea if you can afford one. Your images are what sells your product so if you do a bad job at photographing your product, you will lose sales.

Summary: At this point you have most of the “pieces” you will use while designing your catalog. Just a couple more pieces and we’ll be ready to move on to actually designing your catalog.

5th Procedure: Informational Pages. Industrial product catalogs might need to give specifications, clothing catalogs need to offer more colors and sizes to choose from but not have it take up too much room on the product pages, and more.

You want to design the information pages of your catalog so that it is simple for the shopper to use. Do not use complex formulas and make them do calculations. Don’t make your customer think too much or too long or you will lose sales. You should have most of the information on the product pages where possible.

Other pages that might help your catalog’s design are special sales product pages, an index, etc. You need to decide how many pages of information you will be including because when designing a catalog you have to remember that the number of pages is always a multiple of four.

6th Procedure: Pre-Layout. This is where you decide where everything will go. Will your information pages be on the inside of the covers or in the center, etc. You know you will have a front and back outside and inside cover. You will have informational pages, and then you have your product pages. Decide how it will read.

7th Procedure: Layout of product pages. Again, just like in the photography is you are not experienced in layout you may want to hire a professional to do the layout design of your catalog, especially for the pages that will display your products and descriptions.

If you intend to do it yourself, then there are some things you will need to know. Always place quality images at the top right hand corner of every right hand page. When your customers starts to turn the page, this is the first thing they will see. It needs to catch their eye and stop them from just flipping through the catalog.

Some people flip through magazines and catalogs from the back to the front, so the upper left hand corner of every left hand page is almost as important. You want them to stop and open your product pages so think of images that will catch their eye and make them want to see more.

Some catalogs use the easiest method of displaying products and information on each page. That is dividing the page in quarters, sixths, or eighths and giving each product it’s on little section. In other catalogs they display the photos and product numbers on one side and the corresponding information for each on the other side of the page. There are other ways as well, this is meant to suggest a couple of ways you can do it.

8th Procedure: Front and Back Cover Layout. This is one of the most important steps you will take while designing your catalog. If you have done everything else yourself, you still may want to consider having a professional design your covers.

The reason this step is so important to catalog design is twofold. One your cover is what will get your customer to want to browse through your catalog in the first place. A bad cover is like having a store that sells fashionable clothing in the ghetto. If your target customers will not come to the store and go inside you have no chance to sell them anything.

The second reason is that for each catalog you send out, you want several potential customers to read it. When the person you sent it to lays it down somewhere, you want others who see it want to pick it up and browse as well. For this reason both the front and back cover is important. You do not know how they will lay it down.

9th Procedure: Finding a printer for your catalog. Before you start designing your catalog, you may want to find the printer that will be doing the printing for you. The reason is that they can help you know what requirements they have for your artwork, images, and layout, and will help you choose the printing methods that will work best for your type of catalog.

I saved this for last, but it is really the first step to catalog design. The last thing you want to do is design your catalog, then find out your chosen printer cannot print your catalog the way you have designed it.

Sometimes the old-time wisdom is the best.  I have come up with a list of advice that has been passed down from generation to generation.  Some of it is still applicable today and some is just fun to remember.  I hope you will enjoy these bits of wisdom from the past.  And who knows, you may find some real pearls of wisdom you can apply in your life today.

Have you run out of baking powder?  Here’s how to make your own.  Use two level teaspoon of cream of tartar to one teaspoon baking soda.  This is the equivalent of four teaspoons of tartrate baking powder.  This is the kind of baking powder normally found in the kitchen.

When your recipe calls for melted butter, be sure you melt the butter before measuring.  If the recipe calls for butter, melted, measure the butter then melt it.  It does make a difference, especially in baking.

When you take a cake from the oven, place it for a very few minutes on a cloth that has been dipped in and wrung out of cold water,  This will allow your cake to turn out of the pan in perfect condition.

If your soft custard separates when you remove it from the heat, beat it hard for five minutes with an old-fashion egg beater.

When cooking pancakes, dip the spoon in milk or water and the batter will drop off the spoon easily.

Sewing tip:  Tape a large flat magnet to your sewing table.  As you remove pins, drop them onto the magnet.  (Careful–do not get  the magnet too close to the motor.)

To keep your ashtrays clean, wax the inside so the ashes won’t stick.  Simply wipe ashtray with a clean tissue or papertowel.  (I hope you don’t have ashtrays and smokers in your house–my husband has COPD caused from years of smoking.  Believe me, it is not something you want to take a chance on.)

Varnished wallpaper that is grease splattered can be washed with a solution of one tablespoon of ammonia to a pailful of warm soapy water.

To freshen the color of your window blinds, brush with linseed oil.

When cleaning windows, add a little vinegar to the water.  You will be surprised at the brillliant polish it produces.

Thanks Granny, for the advice!