Is Men's Designer Clothing IN For Troubled Times?
As usual, the trend starts at the top of the fashion tree: mens designer clothing names like D&G, Versace, Prada, Lang and co. have all brought out their own hi-falutin versions of this type. Filtering down the line, the best High Street men's fashion clothing designers have picked up the vibe - Bench clothing, G-star jeans, Henleys, Superdry and the rest. And all these designer clothes for men have come from the same basic idea: variations on a theme of look sharp, work hard.
But this isn't just luck. Historically, fashion has always followed economy. In the mid nineteenth century at the height of the Californian Gold Rush, hickory-weave shirts became popular because of their durability under very tough working conditions for people who couldn't always expect high finance returns. And hickory's near-relative denim was favoured for similar properties. Used in dungarees and jeans everywhere today, it was first developed in sixteenth century Genoa by a French family who came from the town of Nimes, hence in English "de Nimes" became "denim", and "bleu de Genes" became "blue jeans". The fabric was made because poor merchant sailors preferred its hard wearing double twill construction.
Silk, not so common in men's fashion except among those who dress on Saville Row, is partly responsible for nylon - another common element in our everyday fashions. Prior to 1939, most silk came from Japan, but after Pearl Harbour, the silk trade was interrupted and nylon was developed as a vital cheaper alternative. Nowadays nylon is integral to all kinds of clothing from streetwise jackets to the ubiquitous, ever-popular stocking.
But if we're talking about 'looks' as opposed to fabrics, the new winter theme is at least a reassuring step in the sensible direction away from metrosexual trends that feel very suddenly as though they belong to a different economic era, such as the surge in sales of men's tights, or the rush on Beckham skirts. It's a reminder that in times of financial downturn, we need to insulate against the cold to come, and to maintain a positive, zip-conscious outlook.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
Hair Disasters
We’ve all had them, those moments where you realise your hair looks horrific and there’s probably nothing you can do. We resign ourselves to wearing a hat forever. Never fear though, for many of the most common hair disasters there are simple solutions that can often reverse the problem or at least repair it.
Here is our guide to the most common hair disasters and how to rectify them:
1. Bad Blonde
If you’ve dyed your hair at home, there is always the risk that it will go wrong. This is particularly true of those who are attempting to bleach their hair at home with the common problem of that nasty gold colour that appears instead of the champagne blonde you were after. The most common mistake that people make is the initial colour choice. If you don’t want a golden hue to your locks, choose a colour that is described as Ash, this will limited warm tones in your hair.
If it is too late for that and you’re living with a golden barnet that you don’t want to show anyone, use a simple toner. These can be bought inexpensively from chemists and will usually have a bluish tint to them. They will knock the gold colour out of the blonde after a few applications.
2. Chlorine Nightmare
Those who go swimming may have noticed their fair hair turning to a weird colour that has a slightly greenish tinge. To get rid of this, an instant fix is to apply tomato ketchup to the hair, leave for 10 minutes and rinse out. The colour will neutralise the green. A more permanent solution, if this keeps happening to you, is to apply a leave in conditioner before you go swimming. Coating your hair in this will protect your hair from the chemicals in the water as well as keeping the green at bay.
3. A Botched Perm
If a perm goes too curly and needs toning down, apply an intensive conditioning treatment from root to tip. Leave on the hair for 15 minutes then rinse. You should then set your hair in large rollers and let it dry naturally and you should see the result of a nicely relaxed perm. If this doesn’t work, you may wish to reverse the perm by having a permanent straightening treatment applied to the hair. If you are not confident in doing this yourself, it is best to let a professional do the job for you.
4. Split Ends
Once your ends split, they’re split and irreparable. Once the ends have split all you need to do is get your hair cut! Regular trims will prevent split ends from happening as your hair will be stronger. To further prevent split ends, protect your hair with a heat protecting spray when using a hairdryer, straighteners or curling tongs.
5. Chewing Gum Stuck in Hair
Getting chewing gum stuck in your hair is a nightmare and many people often resort to cutting it out and ruining their hair until it grows back. It is possible to remove chewing gum from the hair by simply soaking it in cola. The cola will loosen the gum and remove its stickiness. Another method of removing chewing gum is applying an ice cube to the hair which will also help to ease the gum out.
6. Scrunchies
Using a scrunchie in your hair is a hair disaster in itself. They went out in the early 90’s and should never return. Bin them.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
Clothing shopping
Clothing with writing on, logos, ripped bits, any sort of 'worn' styling, too flared, too tight, too baggy, I can't stand. I like stuff that fits slightly more tightly than regular and neutral colors. I don't like making statements through what I wear, except understatements, if you know what I mean.
It doesn't help either that I don't like shopping on the high street. It's busy man. Real bustling, noisy, hot and bothered busy on those streets. And once you get into the shops it's even busier, noisier and nastier than outside. Every time I try and buy even a pack of socks more often than not I'll bail out amidst the cacophony of modern 21st Century consumerism and head home for the tranquility and peacefulness of shopping for clothes online.
Once I even went into a clothes shop to get measured then went home and ordered a pair of jeans online from the same company that measured me, because I just didn't have the time or inclination to queue amongst the melee.
Until I can afford my own personal Bond street tailor the web is my shopping mall when it comes to clothes or shoes. Why? Because it means I can, in the comfort of my own home, (importantly) find those clothes I like (you know, without silly slogans on, frilly bits, etc) and browse through without the worry of getting shouldered by some over-zealous mother dragging her screaming kids down the clothing aisle.
Shopping online for clothes is fun and easy. Rather than worrying about getting out of the shop into the fresh air, you are in a conducive environment for making rational decisions, rather than the environment that dictates: 'it's 5 minutes until the store closes, better get something, anything, otherwise it's been a wasted trip to the busy and overcrowded shops.'
All you really need to know is what size you are, and even if something is too big or too small, most online clothes shops have easy to understand and helpful returns policies.
Apart from having to wait a little bit longer to get your clothes that you've bought online – often deliveries will be just the next day – shopping for clothes online is miles more convenient and tons less stressful.
For me it's almost a victory over the clothing products that I dislike, and the shops that stock them. Getting label-less clothing seems like a marathon effort when you're in the high street. There's a kind of perverse monopoly on style. But online there is a garment democracy, because someone somewhere is making and selling the types of clothes you like.
Be it boxer shorts, lingerie, denim jeans or cotton shirts – even organic and fair-trade clothing – I can find them so easily on the web. Given that most online clothes stores are UK based and are easy to reach by telephone or email if you need more information, I am sometimes surprised that I even bother to go to the high street.
Maybe I secretly like being shoved around by irate weekend shoppers; although somehow I doubt it.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
How to please your girlfriend, wife or lover
My cousin who I hardly see maybe about once a year wants jewellery from me for her sixteenth birthday. We’ve got a quirky little relationship. Unlike my sister, who I’ve been at war with since she was born, the dynamic with my younger cousin is more affable. We get on. I’d never get my sister jewellery – far too weird. But somehow for a cousin like her, it feels both big brotherly and friendly.
So I’m working through mental pictures to try and remember what kind of jewellery she wears, as I figure there could be some sort of theme, colour, and material concurrent to her tastes. Or are they just random? Would anything do? Buying jewellery I am discovering takes considerable time and mental effort, not to mention empathy (or is it sympathy?) and some other types of emotional engagement that I do not know the words for.
Ok, so a diamond ring might be a bit too much, but then again I don’t want to just get some plain accessories. A bracelet perhaps? A sparkly bracelet? I’m trying to think how many different types of jewellery there actually are out there. I guess it’s limited by the imagination. There’s so many innovations in design and beauty wear it’s hard to keep track unless you read the fashion supplements in Sunday newspapers.
Though even fashion is hardly a guide. I guess looking at what jewellery to buy online might help. Some of the jewellery shopping web sites are overwhelming with regard to the range of jewellery to buy on the Internet.
It’s hard to tell what’s retro and what’s just new anyway. What’s in one week can be out the next and then the week after it’s back in again but on a white gold chain or something.
I try a new tack on choosing what jewellery to buy online for my cousin. I guess she’d be happy whatever I bought as she’s the type who appreciates the ‘thought that counts.’ But she’ll possibly also want something nice; some kind of awkward politeness isn’t the response that would encourage me to buy jewellery online for friends or family again.
What’s her favourite colour? I’m not sure if she has a favourite colour – at least one that doesn’t change week to week. Maybe a multi-coloured necklace? Then again, I quite fancy that she’d love a brooch. Brooches look great. I think. Yes she’d quite like a brooch.
It’s so easy to look at brooches online, or bracelets, necklaces, rings. Prices, sizes and types all in convenient little lists that you can scroll through. Given that in jewellery shop most of the stuff is sealed behind reinforced security glass it is isn’t much different to looking at jewellery on a web page.
I see a nice looking brooch online. Studded with green and blue gems. It’s not too loud but looks both quirky and timeless, in a modest kind of way. It’s subtle. Not quite like my cousin but they do say opposites attract.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
Prolong your mattresses life
If you have just bought a new mattress or want to prolong the life your current one, then maybe you should think about getting a mattress protector. Fundamentally a mattress protector is a cover that goes on the sleeping side of your mattress and protects the mattress from stains, excessive wear and tear and can also be hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites.
Some people also suffer from incontinence, and a mattress protector can help with this issue. Contrary to popular belief, it's not just children that "wet the bed", it also happens to the older generation and also research has discovered that 9% of all adult males in the UK suffer from some form of incontinence. A mattress protector can help with this as you can get waterproof and stain proof protectors, and you can easily remove the protector and put it in the wash meaning that you wont damage your mattress.
There are in excess of 13 million people in the UK alone who suffer from some form of allergy, including asthma and eczema, and the common household dust mite is one of the main problems that can trigger allergic reactions whilst you sleep. On average there can be as many as 10 million dust mites in just the upper 10cm of any mattress alone, and this is nothing to do with how clean the house is as dust mites are unfortunately a fact of life. The dust mite has certain enzymes in it's droppings that can trigger allergic reactions, so it is a good idea for even people who don't suffer from any allergies to put some sort of barrier between you and these creatures. A mattress protector helps by not allowing any moisture to enter the mattress itself, and Dust Mites require moisture to create the mould that breaks down your skin cells for them to feed on. This means that in effect, the dust mites are starved out of your mattress and are not producing the droppings to trigger allergic reactions.
Mattress protectors usually come with an elasticated border so you can easily place the protector on the mattress, and the quilted mattress protectors also add more comfort to the mattress. Some mattress protectors are also washable up to 90 degrees centigrade, so you can destroy any dust mites or bacteria that may be living on it. Bedstar sell a wide range of fantastic mattress protectors, one of which is the top quality Quilted Mattress Protector from Silentnight.
This mattress protector is made polyester cotton for optimum comfort, hygiene and protection against dust mites. The quilted mattress protector also has a elasticated skirt for easy fitting to the mattress and is designed to be washed and tumble dried as frequently as you fee fit. The quilted mattress protector from Silentnight is designed to be used all year round, keeping you warm in winter without the need for an electric blanket.
Everyone deserves a better quality of sleep, and when it comes time to snuggle down for the night the last thing you want is to be worried about incontinence issues and allergic reactions.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
