Couture in the City

The Pocket Alternatives

2013-05-16T17:47:36Z

One of the greatest challenges of looking good and keeping a simple appearance is ensuring you have everything you need. That cute sundress or those sleek high waisted spring yellow pants won’t come with pockets if you’re going for the slimmest cut possible. And even if you do have pockets, you probably don’t want to stuff them full of stuff just for the simple fact that it will lead to bulkier hips and an unflattering stretching shadow across your waist and tummy.

So what’s to be done? The fanny pack is hard to make fashionable. After all, thick black straps and polyester barely look presentable in the most tasteful manners. And carrying around a traditional purse, no matter how cute it is, can sometimes be a hassle. Having something attached to you that does not make you look bulky is the best option. Here are some options you should consider.

Silk Sling Purse

The messenger bag used to be the only real alternative available in the States to the fanny pack. The silk sling purse actually comes from India and Thailand. The slim design makes it perfect for carrying everything from your lipstick and sunscreen to your cellphone and Kindle so you can check out the Diary of a Wimpy Kid eBook for your kids or catch up on the latest news. This purse can be worn in a variety of ways. The sleek stylish silk fabric makes it look classy and exotic. You can also get it in a number of colors to complement any outfit.

Clip or Belt Purse

Similar to the silk sling purse is the clip purse. It is a much smaller purse that clips onto your belt loops. It looks best when combined with hip scarves. Just remember to wear it with higher waisted clothing if you have fuller hips. This way the purse will follow the natural outline of your hips without making you look chunky. Wearing it too low will emphasize the widest point. These are not overly expensive. If you like the looser and more natural look, you can opt for a tying one. If you want something more secure, then you will want one with an actual metal clip.

Arm Purse

This little purse actually hearkens back to a much older time. The Babylonians and Assyrians often carried certain belongings in small pouches attached to their left arms. The family crests, insignias, and other relevant markings warned thieves away. Aside from making your bicep look quite muscular and you a lot tougher, the other benefit of this arm purse is that it’s very convenient. Just make sure that you opt for a secure one. While the traditional arm purse was tied on, most manufacturers make them with Velcro. They are most popular among runners, weight lifters, and other athletes as it keeps their phone, identification, and anything else they need. This keeps their possessions from smacking against their legs and is generally more secure. However, this purse will be exposed to more sweat than the other purses. You’ll want to opt for a darker color if possible.

Starting a Successful Salon

2013-05-13T22:24:02Z

A beauty salon, including nail salons, hair salons, and tanning salons, can be a dynamic and exciting investment. This is especially an interesting area of business, given that it is one of the few avenues of business where women’s earning potential is equal or greater than that of men. When operated correctly, a beauty salon can give a massive return on investment, and be an intriguing and vibrant place not only to work, but for people to talk about and enjoy for years to come.

Offer Many Services

A beauty salon should not be a single-trick pony. While there are many salons that offer specializations in single services, these are most often established salons with a large stable of steady regular clients who are loyal to the stylist and the brand. When starting a new salon, offering a variety of services is one of the most important things you can do to attract new clientele. While this can seem counter-intuitive, but consider the advantages of this approach during the Information Age. With the Internet, clients can immediately search their local area for any service they may require, and the more times your business comes up at the top, the more name recognition your brand builds with customers. Nail Care, Hair Care, and Skin Care are all branches of salon services you may wish to offer to consumers.

Take Advice — from Customers

Many of the clientele who attends salons know just as much about the running of a successful salon as the owners of a prospective salon do. Most of them have been patrons of other successful (and not-so-successful) salons for years, decades in some cases. If they recommend a particular brand of tanning bed, of business phone system, of hair dryer, it can be well worth your while to listen to this advice. However, you do not want to take too much advice. The salon must be your business; if you take the advice of others, even your brigade, over your own opinions, you run the risk of giving your dream away to the idea of being what everyone else wants your salon to be.

Do Your Research

Not only should you do a large amount of research on your chosen fields of services offered, but you should certainly examine everything offered by your closest competitors as well. One of the best ways you can do this is as a customer. Spend time looking up similar salons in your area, and take advantage of every service offered. Not only should you be paying attention to what services are offered and how they are performed, but you should also be paying attention to the prices offered for every service. Remember: if you can easily find all of your competing salons, your customers can as well. If you price your services too high, your customers will likely look elsewhere. However, if you price your services too low, you may associate your brand in your customers’ minds with low quality and cheapness of service.

4 Tips for Women Who Want to Start a Small Business

2013-05-13T22:26:23Z

Women are one of the fastest growing groups of entrepreneurs. This makes sense, given how much of the world’s capital women control. In America, recent studies from Forbes and She-Economy show that women make up over 80% of the personal consumption dollars spent. They account for more than half of the purchasing power in the U.S., and are more influential in buying household products and luxury items than men in every industry. It’s no wonder that more and more women are starting their own businesses, taking advantage of this startling rise in capital.

Know Your Pitch

The pitch is the single most important information you can have as an entrepreneur. The pitch encapsulates everything about your business in a single sentence. Try to aim for fifteen words or fewer. Your pitch should contain all essential information about what your business is, what it does, to whom it is marketed, and what need it fills. For example, a pitch could be something like, “I sell up-market ingredients to local mothers with mobility impairments.” This outlines the product, the service, the need the product fills, and the target demographic. Have a one-sentence pitch ready for any time you meet a new contact.

Have a Plan

Every business should have a plan. The old adage, “To fail to plan is to plan to fail,” holds true especially for small business start-ups. The business plan should include a budget, a plan for contacts, a plan for direct mail marketing, a systematic plan for expansion, and a second, third, and fourth budget. If there is no plan for your money, you should plan to see your business fail within a few months at the longest. Not only do businesses cost more than anticipated in almost every instance, but they are traditionally and typically slow to take off and make back their investment.

Build a Website

One of the greatest assets in the small business owner’s arsenal is the website. A professionally-designed website can go a long way to building your credibility as a company, making you easier to contact, and aiding in the branding of your business. If you are unsure how to go about building a website, consider hiring a professional web designer. This can boost your ranking in search engines, as well as associate your product with the brand you choose in your customers’ minds. Make certain that every page leads back to your home page. If you absolutely must design the website yourself, avoid bright and flashing images. Choose simple colors and shapes that make a lasting impression on every single visitor to your website. Trust your intuition about the design.

Market, Market, Market

Marketing may be unrelated to your small business, but it is one of the most important things you will do in the life of your company. Building contacts, making connections, and making the brand association with your company is one of the most important things you can do to start. The average woman has over 150 contacts in her mobile network. Use as many of your contacts as possible.

5 Tips for Dressing Expensively (Cheaply)

2013-05-13T17:36:01Z

Everyone wants to look like a million dollars when dressed in their finest clothing. However, not everyone wants to spend thousands of dollars on a wardrobe for their everyday lives. Spending a lot of money on clothing for special occasions is one thing, but to build a wardrobe out of designer clothing can be incredibly expensive. There are, however, many ways to fashion a wardrobe that looks expensive and well put-together on any sort of budget.

Stop Avoiding Consignments

There is a perception of consignment, thrift, and charity stores like Goodwill and the Salvation Army that they are only for the destitute and the non-picky. However, this can be a very damaging perception to have for a prospective shopper. These stores frequently contain a good deal of high-quality clothing that is available at incredibly low prices. These stores also mainly go to benefit charities, from local charities to the Humane Society. Many men and women who buy designer clothing for full price donate a great deal of their items; many times, being able to afford designer clothing lends itself to the lifestyle of being somewhat wasteful about taking care of this clothing — this wastefulness can be your gain if you know where and when to shop. Check at the end of the season, or in a city other than your own.

Make a Clothing Trade

Thrift and consignment stores are great if you have only a little money to spend. However, many people who want to wear designer clothing have no money to spend. It can be difficult to keep finances in line, even if you watch the sales, shop carefully, get a free credit score, and manage your money carefully. If this is the case, consider inviting many of your friends to a clothing swap. This can drastically elongate the life of your clothes. A pair of jeans that fit like a dream last season may be too loose or too tight this year, but may fit your neighbor perfectly. Even a few pieces of designer clothing can go a long way to making your entire neighborhood look trendy and chic for several years to come.

Get Inspired

If the thrift stores and clothing swaps don’t have the kind of clothing you’re looking for, it can seem impossible to dress better for less. In this case, one of the best things you can do is take inspiration and try to match it. Follow fashion blogs that speak to you personally. When you see a design that you like, make a note of the cut, the style, the color, and everything you like about the piece. When you visit discount stores like Ross, look on the sales racks for clothing that fits at least some of your criteria. If you are willing to be flexible on a few of the details, shopping on inspiration alone can be an extremely good way to save thousands of dollars on clothing that makes you look like you only shop at expensive, high-end stores for your clothing.

Get The Look: Met Gala “Punk” Nail Art from Mars Salon

2013-05-08T15:17:00Z

A-List celebrities came out in full force at the 2013 Met Gala and everyone seemed to embrace the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” theme of the night. The big beauty trend on the red carpet was “punk” nail design. We would like to share with our readers “how to get the look” guide from MARS the Salon.

Dark metallic hues and glitter ruled the Met Gala red carpet and celebs like Nicole Richie, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Julliane Hough brought the trend a step further with perfectly designed nail art.

Nicole Richie

1. File your nails into desire shape.
2. Apply Base coat, and then apply 2 coats of burgundy polish on your nails.
3. Swipe the polish brush to draw like the shape of heart. (Make them into heart shape)
4. Apply 2 coats of gold glitter polish on the rest to the origin of the nail.
5. Apply top coat for shine!

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

1. File your nails into desire shape.
2. Apply Base coat, and then apply 2 coat of purple polish on your entire nails.
3. With a precision brush, swipe the gold glitter polish from the middle of the nail to the edge.
4. Apply top coat.

Julianne Hough

1. File your nails into desire shape.
2. Apply Base coat, and then apply 2 coat of black polish on your nails
3. Apply 1 coat of silver lame glitter polish on the middle finger’s nail.
4. Apply 2 coats of gold glitter polish on the rest to the origin of the nail.
5. Drop the loose silver glitter onto the third finger’s nail while the polish is wet.
6. Apply top coat.

Ivanka Trump Wears Aurélie Bidermann

2013-05-07T15:46:55Z

Ivanka Trump wears Aurélie Bidermann, 18k Gold Camden Collier and 18k Gold Camden Cuff on the red carpet of the Costume Institute Gala for the ‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’ exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City.

How to Double Your Closet Space

2013-05-06T06:04:46Z

After loosing a hundred pounds, I had a bunch of clothes in my closet I could no longer use. After going on a giant shopping spree, I was facing another big project; cleaning out my closet to make room! Lets just say that my weight was not the only thing that got away from me. With my new wardrobe, my husband was happy to hear that I not only wanted to clean out my closet, but organize the cluttered mess it had become. After a few trips to pick up materials and some web research, I have an amazing new closet that holds twice as many outfits, while remaining manageable and organized. Here are a few tips on how I was able to achieve the impossible.

Clean It Out - The first big step to cleaning out your closet is cleaning out all the old clothes you no longer wear. It is always a good idea to bag the old clothes and shoes and give them away to a charity where people can use them rather than just hauling them out to the curb. For the clothes that remain, take them off the hangers and lay them out on the floor (or bed) or fold them.

Store Unused Clothing - A fallacy among us clothing addicts is that we have to have instant availability to every outfit we own. This does nothing but cost us space and make everything slightly harder to find. You can easily double the space in your closet by storing fall and winter items during the summer months or summer dresses and halters during the winter months. Keep the clothes in a box in your basement, or under your bed until you need them. Keep it easily accessible in case you need easy access to a sweater or jacket on those sometimes chilly summer nights.

Utilize Bars - Most closets have high enough ceilings that dual bars can instantly increase the amount of storage. Put one bar about a foot from the ceiling (or lower depending on ceiling height), and then hang another bar about four feet lower. This gives you double the hanging space and allows you to put all your tops on the top rack, and all your pants or skirts on the bottom rack. You can also extend an extra foot on the bar for long items like trench coats or dresses. If you are sharing a closet you can put your husband’s items on the lower bar and yours on the upper bar.

Build Shelving - Shelving is a great way of organizing items that cannot be hung. Put shelves above the poles to put hats, bags, purses or scarves in. Most sweaters are better folded because when they are hung, the hangers leave marks on the shoulders and are visible when you wear it. Shelving is a great solution for shoes as well. Most shelving has the capability to hang from an angle of about forty-five degrees making them ideal to not only store, but also display your awesome shoe collection.

Racks - Racks are a great way of keeping smaller items from getting tangled. Silk ties for men are often hung over the door racks, but these are the cause of tangled ties, or snags when you frequently open and close the closet door. Keep these items folded neatly in racks within your closet rather than hanging from the door. They’re great for visibility, and for keeping these expensive ties safe from damage.

As you can see, with a little organization, anything is possible. We’ve now managed to fit my husband’s clothing and mine into one relatively small closet and we’ve kept it neat and tidy for months. Everything is easy to find, and with a little planning, your closet can be just like ours.

Women’s Fashion – What’s Happening!

2013-05-01T16:00:29Z

Fashion, in common, is a word for a widely held style or practice, specifically in dress, accessories, cosmetics, body piercing, footwear or furnishings. Fashion states to a unique and habitually routine drift in the elegance with which an individual dresses, as well as to prevailing styles in manners. Fashion also brings up to the most recent designs of fabric designers.

“A woman is God’s most beautiful creation” was once proclaimed by Aristotle, one of the supreme philosophers in history. As a woman, one needs to be a living evidence of this proclamation. That is why; it is significant that women should at all times appear decent and well-dressed no matter what she does and where she goes. In doing so, a woman ought to be in fashion always. Thus, most of us will agree that wearing fashionable clothes can impressively enrich your looks and can promptly mark someone into fashionable woman. It is not just almost being gorgeous but it is woman’s desire to be prominent and be noted in the gathering. In addition, these are only achieved by donning the suitable fashion creations or designs.

Several, fresh creativity is being crafted, designers are flouting the customary guidelines and original pioneering trends are coming up. Equated to women’s style, men’s style looks as if to be less advanced and self-motivated. The dress styles in this fashion section are absorbed further on the figures of women these days. Loose shirts, Maxi dresses, baby-doll dresses, all have been creatively created to sport the women’s figures in the apt way. Women who are flaccid or plump can wisely wear outfits to hide those additional pounds of plumpness in their bodies. A lot of research is relentlessly being carried to create the fashion garments of women even more modish and wearable. By each passing year, a grander number of outfits are appearing and women are consenting fresh incisions and styles in a generous essence. With prodigious designers, striving for the finest range of women’s costumes this segment has in fact an extensive way to go.

Women’s sandals can easily add elegance and sophistication into a woman’s look as it enhances her clothes and her beauty. However, she needs to choose the right footwear that works out. Though looking at them can startle and influence, they can still bring a woman down if she wears them in an unfitting manner. In addition, it is important that she is wearing comfortable footwear and side by side avoiding herself looking over accessorized. There is a wide range of different footwear accessible, both at the local stores and even online. A woman shopping at reasonable rates will search far and wide to procure a perfect pair of sandals of her choice. Therefore, a woman will definitely find the suitable women’s sandals under $40 for herself. All she needs to do is to learn how to glamourize herself and surely that woman will shine.

A woman ought to keep in mind that being fashionable doesn’t mean thoughtlessly adorning the most recent fashion styles even if it doesn’t suit her. Picking the precise kind of fashion, and buying what appears virtuous helps in enriching the looks and thus a woman can elude being a fashion disaster.

Spring/Summer Fashion Trends 2013

2013-04-29T17:02:11Z

Go bold or go home seems to be the prevailing theme this season. From ensembles to accessories, everyone is thinking the bigger, brighter and bolder the better. With spring finally upon us, it is timeto embrace this season’s new trends and update our wardrobe with the latest trends, fresh from the catwalk. Here are a few hand-picked samples of the latest and great styles.

Monochrome Checks

Yes that’s right, our fool-proof black and white tones are back this season and packing a forceful fashion punch in the form of monochrome checks. Marc Jacobs, Unique and Marni are leading the way here with this trend with high street behemoth Topshop bringing this style straight to us with affordable, stunning designs. Get the look with these chic and versatile trousers – perfect for taking you from the office to a night out on the town.

Pearl Jewelry

Fashion House extraordinaire, Chanel again wholeheartedly embraced the timeless and iridescent jewelry classic, the pearl in all its glory. Think big, bold, statement pieces this season. From chunky chokers through to statement cuffs, pearls are being reinvented with a modern twist. Another way to easily achieve this look is to invest in a long pearl rope necklace. Simply wrap it around your neck to achieve a chunky choker effect or use the same method on your wrist to create a cuff.

Bomber Jackets

Bomber Jackets have been reborn this season by Stella McCartney, Loewe and Christopher Kane. These light jackets are great for cool, summer evenings as well as being feminine and fun, creating a laidback look. With so many pieces available to buy, having trawled the high street and online stores, ASOS delivers with their Bellfield range of vintage outerwear.

Fluorescent Hues

As exquisitely demonstrated by House of Holland and Simone Rocha, it’s time to take note and embrace neon hues. From punchy pinks to bright, luminous yellows, Fluorescent fashion is here to see us through the summer in vibrant and cheerful style. Get the look with this stunning lime green dress from Topshop or put a lick of brightly coloured varnish over your nails for a quick and easy way to achieve this style.

Clearing out the Clutter and Making Way for Increased Productivity

2013-04-25T16:58:23Z

Everyone has excess items and consumer products in and around the house. How useful these items are can vary from essential to negligible, depending on your recreational and professional considerations. Employing a critical eye and sorting through these possessions is a goal that you share with the vast majority of other homeowners. Being in the enviable position of having a clutter-free and well organized living space is not out of reach, so looking at some of the benefits of this situation may serve as a motivation to get you up and working towards this goal during your spare time.

Creating More Space

The most obvious benefit of cleaning out your house is all of the added space that comes with such an endeavor. Removing excess furniture and large objects can turn even the smallest rooms into spacious accommodations. Most individuals find themselves with too many sofas, chairs, and tables, but may be hesitant to get rid of such items. However, having items fill space for the sake of having these items serves little practical purpose in your everyday life. Comfort and usefulness should be a higher priority in your interior design than quantity.

Hidden Treasures

When sorting through some of these items, you may find opportunities to earn a little extra cash by putting up sale listings. Furniture, appliances, and decorative products are all strong sellers in secondhand settings. Peer to peer sales have become more and more common with the advent of increased internet penetration in modern life. To capture decent sums from potential buyers, many users sell electronics online to generate large profits.

Future Opportunities

Aside from swiftly selling unwanted electronics and household items, other opportunities are associated with cleaning and reorganizing your house. A more efficient mode of storage will allow you to properly assess what you actually own, potentially saving time and resources when shopping at a later date. Almost any homeowner has unwittingly purchased an item, only to find that that same item is already in the pantry or closet.

In addition to helping avoid needless expenditure, you also will have the opportunity to utilize your living space to become more productive in current and future business ventures. For those that work at home, keeping business resources and tools organized will streamline job functionality, allowing for a more efficient and productive work session. Becoming more productive can also allow
for new business contracts or projects to be accepted. Some independent contractors rely heavily on job volume, so making sure you put yourself in the best position to accept as many jobs as possible will prove to be one of the greatest benefits of tidying up your home and work space.