Practical Tips for Shopping for Your Child on a Budget

When you’re on a budget, buying new clothes for your child can be difficult. Chances are good that your little one grows out of clothes in a hurry, and needs new ones regularly.

Outfitting your child in cute clothes that fit properly doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are ways you can keep your child clothed during growth spurts while sticking to your budget.

Shop Wholesale

Wholesalers will sell clothes at a discount rate, so they cost less than they would at your typical department stores. They sell the same types of clothes and brands you’d find at your local department store, but for a great deal less. Many of these stores will even let you order online.

Shop at Second-Hand Stores

While your child is going through a growth spurt, you may want to think about buying clothes from a second-hand store, such as the Salvation Army. These stores keep plenty of kids’ clothes that are in good condition in stock. When you shop at some second-hand stores, you can even bring and donate the clothes your child has outgrown and get a receipt for a tax-deductible donation.

Save on Holiday Fashions

When selecting holiday outfits for your child, you can save money by buying from discount stores. For instance, your child’s costume will be the most important item you buy at Halloween. No doubt your trick-or-treater has already picked out a character to be. Now you just have to find the best costume to fit that dream at a price you can afford. There are several discount costume stores that can fulfill your child’s Halloween fantasy at a reasonable price. You can find children and even baby costumes at these stores.

With the right strategies, you can save money on your child’s clothes.

Taking Fashion Cues from Reality TV

September 23, 2010

Image by Vivianna_love via Flickr

 

With the wide array of reality TV shows exposing you to which fabrics, cuts, fits and colors to avoid, staying fashionable is as simple as turning on your television. Luckily, you don’t have to be scrutinized as your every fashion choice is critiqued. Others who allow themselves to be highlighted as the guinea pigs on reality TV fashion shows give you an opportunity to sit back and learn from their mistakes.

The Fashion Choices of the Unsuspecting

Oprah hosted many episodes related to fashion choices. Unsuspecting women were approached in the malls and on the streets and asked if they could be advised on their fashion choices. Ill fitting bra straps that dug into the breasts, old jeans and outdated fashions were just a few of fashion mistakes made by women who were rushing through their lives without time to heed their clothing choices.

A Fashion Self-Assessment

As you watch reality television, you can ask yourself these same questions in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Do your undergarments fit properly? Are there visible panty lines or bra strap lines? Do your jeans fit properly? Are your jeans a current cut or from decades ago? While you may not choose to buy a pair of skinny jeans as an older woman, you might choose to avoid jean cuts that are pulled too high up on your waist as was the fashion decades ago.

Whether you are watching The Bachelorette, What Not to Wear or another reality TV show, pay close attention to the fashion mistakes and triumphs of show participants to carve your own fashion path.

 

 

 

 

The Original Supermodels

Linda Evangelista 

Image via Wikipedia

The term supermodel is generally used to describe a model who has achieved a high level of international fame and fortune. Such models are generally only referred to with his or her first name, as that is all is required to know who the person is on the fashion scene. The term supermodel wasn’t a popular term until what are now known as the original supermodels hit the fashion scene in the early 90s.

So who are the original supermodels? The group of original supermodels consists of Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and the lesser known Tatjana Patitz. These five women gained fame and notoriety when they all appeared in the film clip for the George Michael song Freedom. In the film clip they walked the runway, creating an image surpassing the “top model” image they already had. This, couple with Evangelista’s famous quote, ”we don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day” fuelled the worlds interest in what we now know as the supermodel.

The original five supermodels were quickly joined by several other well-known top models that were as equally beautiful and famous. Claudia Schiffer and Kate moss became just as well known as the original five. As the years went by and the original supermodels started to age gracefully, a new wave of supermodels gradually started to drift in. Faces such as Eva Herzigova, and Helena Christensen progressed the brand of the supermodel forward into the 2000s.

These days the supermodel click consists of names such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Giselle Bundchen, and the many beautiful girls of Victoria’s Secret.

 

Manage Your Spending And Still Look Great

When it comes to looking put together and fashionable, many women spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their wardrobe and looking fashionable. However, if you wish to look fashionable and still save money, there are ways to save and look great.

Many women turn to magazines and coupon clipping to save. While that is a good starting place, there are other ways to save money while still looking fashionable. Scout for sales times, such as door buster and midnight sales. Oftentimes stores will give huge discounts for those who shop at those sales. Another way is to sign up for a store’s personal sales card. They will email you coupons and sales times.

An increasingly popular trend is to search online for coupons or sites that offer coupons. Coupon sites save you the hassle of clipping, and they often give an even bigger discount to those who join their sites. You can find top designer clothing and accessories online for great percentages off at places like www.offers.com. These places give you coupons for all sorts of things and provide a great way to save money and time by purchasing with these coupons.

You can find items identical to those in style, but are much cheaper since they come from a different company. You can look almost the same as those models wearing the latest styles by copying the look of the outfit without spending hundreds on the label. Coupon sites give huge sales and savings to new members and returning members as well, and they are a great way to save.

Celebrities & Fashion: Making a Statement in Two Ways

Destiny's Child

Cover of Destiny's Child

In a world obsessed with looking good and sporting the hottest fashions when each new season rolls around, celebrities are breaking into yet another arena — fashion, of course! Serena Williams has her own line of fashionable athletic wear, as does her sister Venus. Jay-Z is known for his line called Rocawear, which has various fashions for men, women, and children. Sarah Jessica Parker had her own clothing line called “Bitten,” which sold at Steve & Barry’s chains before they became defunct. It’s hard to look around and not see a clothing line developed by a celebrity.

Fashions in the United States have changed vastly over the years, with some of them making reappearances in recent years. Celebrity fashion trends, though, have always remained popular, no matter what they consist of.

Everyone knows Beyoncé Knowles. She’s famous for being a member of Destiny’s Child, and her extremely successful solo career, with number one hits such as “Irreplaceable,” “Beautiful Liar,” and of course, “Put A Ring On It,” a song parodied in a classic skit with Justin Timberlake on Saturday Night Live. Beyoncé has her own perfume and is also part of the force behind Dereon clothing, established in the fall of 2004.

The clothing line has grown in popularity over the last few years, especially with teenagers and the younger crowds. Dereon clothing offers something for every female body shape and is one of the most popular fashion lines in the United States. From tops and bottoms, jumpsuits and sets, and jewelry and other accessories, women would be hard pressed to find something that doesn’t fit her unique sense of style.

Fashion Trends for Children 2011

Though it might not be surprising to those in the know, many of the fashion trends that are hot for adults also tend to trickle down to children’s fashion. Of course, in most cases, it is seen a little differently in children’s clothes than in adults, but the same influences are there.

This year is not different than others in this respect. Bright colors are the go to for this spring, whether you are a man or woman, adult or child. Bright on bright is all the rage for children’s fashions. For example, finding a bright orange shirt with bright blue accenting is going to be a popular option this year. Along with this, the 70′s trend that is permeating the adult fashions is also hot for kids. Peasant shirts and fun designs are in this spring, and when you add the bright colors to this as well, you are sure to show that you are in the fashion know how.

The “prep” look is still in for boys, with a bit of a twist. Again, the brighter colors are making a show. Adding in a little bit of casual is important with this look. In the past, the prep look has been almost uptight in its showing, but this year, it gets a more laid back revision. With brighter colors it is a more fun look for many kids. This is something that the fashion designers have seen as a way to try to get the kids more into the look than in the past.

Making sure that your kids are in style is important for many parents. Many times this is simply as easy as watching the fashion trends for adults. Looking at the children’s fashions this year, this is more obvious than in the past. You can’t go wrong with bright colors and 70′s styles this year, both for kids and adults.

Fashion Models Over 35 — She’s Got the Look

In the fashion industry being over the age of 35 usually means you are retired. However, there is a relatively new reality television show featuring women over the age of 35 who are competing to become the next supermodel 35 or older. This show’s title is She’s Got the Look, and originally aired in 2008 on TV Land network. This show has already run three successful seasons and is scheduled to run a fourth season in 2011.

Throughout the season celebrity judges narrow down the cast from an original 20 until they find the one with just the right look. After the initial interviews of the 20 semi-finalists, which included displaying the contestant’s fashion knowledge and presenting oneself well, the cast is narrowed down to a final ten contestants.

Once the final ten contestants are chosen they then live in a loft together and compete in challenges. These challenges include tests of their fashion sense, photo shoots, and runway competitions. Contestants are then eliminated as time goes on. The final episode leaves two contestants remaining. In the end, one woman is the winner and goes on to become the next supermodel 35 or older.

Some of the past winners have included average women from average lives. The things that set them apart are their beauty and confidence. The first winner in 2008 was 45-year-old married mother of five from Orange County, California. During the second season the winner was 39-year-old Cindy Cohen. Cindy lives in Calabasas, California. With her son heading off to college she decided to give modeling a try and auditioned for the show, and the rest is history! The 2010 third season winner was a 38-year-old bus mechanic and married mother of two from Los Angeles, Marlin Archie.

The winners earn a modeling contract, $100,000, and a photo spread in Self magazine. The goal of this show is to prove that women over 35 are still confident, beautiful, and definitely model material!