Mini Dress Fashion Statement Takes Front and Centre

If it's spring then it must be mini dress season, and 2009 is no exception to this rule. Regardless of how warm, cold, rainy, or sunny the weather might be, celebrities and stars are embracing the newest mini dress looks both on the red carpet and in everyday life.
The recent Costume Institute Gala held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art was a dress lover's paradise, with tons of the world's best known stars showing up in a huge array of mini dress fashions. From the simple classics to the ultra modern, there was no shortage (no pun intended) of "above the knee" dresses populating the red carpet arrivals.
Actress Anne Hathaway harkened back to the 1960?s with her combination of retro hair and a mini dress of lush purple taffeta. The skirt was balloon-like rather than straight, a fashion statement that few people could have pulled off so successfully. Although the dress was certainly not the kind to suit everyone's taste, Hathaway looked lovely anyway.
On the other end of the spectrum was Madonna. The so-called "material girl" wore a dress that quite frankly looked like a shrunken pair of pantaloons left over from the Elizabethan age. The colour was not quite turquoise but not quite green, instead falling somewhere in between in a shade best described by the word "blah". All in all the outfit just didn't work on any level, but there is a bright side: Madonna's fashion disaster offers a great lesson to others who want to participate in the mini dress trend without making major fashion mistakes.
If you want to wear a mini dress then you absolutely should "go for it", as long as you have a good sense of what works and what doesn't work on your own body. Unless you have a huge amount of confidence and a picture-perfect figure it's best to stay away from the modern/strange looks and instead opt for the modern/classic looks. Choose a mini dress that's about mid-thigh in length or slightly shorter, but never so short that your bum hangs out the back or you can't sit comfortably and modestly. If you?re looking for a splash of colour consider a mini dress with a fun and trendy print to it, like polka dots (big or small), distinctive floral, or an all over bold colour like red, royal blue, emerald green, or the like.
Of course, most of us simply want a mini dress that's comfortable, stylish, and practical for everyday living, so don't be afraid to shop around for more casual mini dress styles. Jersey knits, cottons, linens, and rayon are all great fabric choices when you're looking for a mini dress to wear at work, while shopping, or just for casual comfort and style.

Stella McCartney Launches Kids Fashion, Gets Tech-Savvy

Stella McCartney Kids launched today, and the designer fashion line didn't miss a beat in appealing to both modern tech-savvy families and ethical consumers. The launch includes an iPhone app and an interactive website for kids, featuring a virtual playground. And in keeping with her main adult line of clothing, none of the kids' products contain leather or fur.

The Kids line is being launched virtually and will focus on global online sales, shipping to 200 countries. By contrast, McCartney's adult line is sold in more than 600 outlets around the world.

The iPhone app allows users to draw, browse, and buy their products directly, and the website offers downloadable wallpapers, drawing games, and a virtual playground.

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McCartney's collection will be available in cities such as London, Paris, and Hong Kong, and will also hit Las Vegas soon.

Dressing Kids A-La Japanese Style

Japanese fashion is huge everywhere in the world. This is probably because of the prominence of Japanese culture, spilling out even outside the land of the rising sun. It's not surprising that Japanese fashion has influenced kid's clothing here. What is surprising is how appropriate the Japanese style is for children of all ages and sexes.
So how can you dress up your kid's Japanese style? Simple: use kid's clothing pieces that mirror the country's fashion sense and use Japanese fashion practices as applicable to kid's clothing.
One of the common practices in the country is layering. Many people actually think that Japan is big on showing skin (perhaps due to the movies and cartoons they've seen from Japan). But this is simply untrue-Japanese culture, in general, cultivates timid, prim and proper, and extremely formal people. Naturally, this is a concept you'd want to use for kid's clothing.
For instance, get kid's clothing pieces such as jackets or vests and scarf to complement a Japanese-influence shirt (basically, any shirt with bold prints). This is appropriate as a kid's clothing ensemble during fall, when the weather is cold enough to merit layered clothing but warm enough not to warrant a thick coat.
Layering can also be used for girl's kid's clothing, although parents should try to keep it down a notch when it comes to accessories. Japanese girls can big on accessories. But if you're trying to layer, especially for kid's clothing for girls, you want emphasize specific Japanese or Japanese-inspired pieces rather than bury it amongst numerous layers of clothing.

A good example: for girl's kid's clothing, dress your kid in an oversized sleeveless plain top underneath a sleeveless dress to create a simple layering effect that's both cute and elegant. Top it off with a hat and a simple necklace.
Another surprising trend: Japanese style has a lot of formless clothes. A number of the dresses for Japanese girls today are oversized-barring the creative prints, they can look like sleeping dresses. This is a look that wouldn't be a hit for teenage girls. For toddlers and pre-teens, however, this Japanese trend is perfect for kid's clothing, especially if you're veering away from the overly sexualized fashion choices available today.
Floral prints are also big in Japanese fashion. This, of course, is great for girl's kid's clothing. Dresses with prominent floral prints are girly enough for girls of all ages. And since floral prints are universal, you do not run the risk of dressing up your kid too differently. Floral dresses are perfect if you're going for something simple and not too busy (layering can produce that "too much going on" effect). Lolita- and Victorian-inspired dresses are nice too, as they work quite nicely as cute girl's kid's clothing.
The key to achieving the perfect Japanese style kid's clothing is choice.
The current trends in Japanese street fashion today actually mirror some of the styles that are current and chic in America. For instance, Japanese boys also use fitted jeans, a piece of clothing that's trendy here. With kid's clothing, you can afford to be a little off from the current trends in Japanese style. Be a little creative with the prints you use and the footwear you buy. You can also compensate by using bold accessories. Use big bows as hair accessories for girls, for example.

Kids Kurta Pajama - An Indian Kids Wear

When it comes to clothes, Indian wear has its own unique identity and looks good on everyone. If you need to attend a formal and traditional event then it is best to opt for kurta pajama. These days kid's kurta pajama are also available and you can dress your kid traditionally in them. It is the perfect Indian kids' wear and makes them look graceful.
The kurta pajama sets are nowadays, available in different styles and you can buy different kids kurta pajama for your child. From simple sets to designer Indian kids wear, you can get a variety of designs so that your child can wear them on different occasions. The kurtas are basically like long shirts which go up to their knee, while the pajamas are like fitted pants which are tied around at the waist. They are ideal for all kinds of formal occasions and family occasions. Some people also wear the kurtas with jeans which gives it an indo-western look.

If you are looking for Indian kids wear then you can opt for sherwanis and kurtas with dhoti. Young children especially look very cut in this ethnic dress up. You can buy these Indian dresses for your children also and can dress them up in it on special events like weddings, pooja etc.
In case you wish to buy some simple kids kurta pajama for a semi-formal occasion, you can get that easily. Traditional sets in silk, cotton etc. with simple embroidery or simple patterns are available that are ideal for such occasions. If you need to buy it for a wedding then you may require something which has more work. For this you can opt for kurtas with heavy embellishments that would make your child stand out. Georgette chikankari kurtas also look very good on children.
The kurta pajama for children is available in different colors also and you have color options like black, maroon, red, green, beige, off white, copper, blue etc. These days' people have the option to shop for Indian wear online which allows them to see the collection on the website and shop instantly. They can buy the kurtas online and get them shipped and delivered to their country. So if you are an Indian residing in some other country then you can buy the clothes online and get them anywhere. Apart from Kids Indian wear, Indian wear for men and women are also available with such site and can be bought online.

Kids Fashion

Kids fashion in today's world is taken much more seriously than in years gone by. Kids today are much more inquisitive, intellectual and scientific. As a result of the modern kid being much more self and fashion conscious, kids fashion has taken off in to a new era as kids are more up to date with modern fashion trends.
Gone are the days when mom or dad would go to the store and buy a plain white t-shirt and a pair of outdated looking faded blue jeans, take them home and receive a golden an appreciative smile from son or daughter. In these modern times, children have become fashion fanatics. They know all they latest trends better than the adults do. Just taking a short walk down the street is the evidence to support this fact.
Most parents in these modern times would not let their child be caught in that a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue outdated looking faded jeans. Times have indeed changed. It is certainly evident that young parents have passed on their trendy style to their kids.
Many parents on a daily basis, search feverishly online for particular brand names of fashion wear for their kids. From newborn stage to teenage years, children are being taught, both directly and indirectly about new styles and fashion trends daily.
Lots of children however, join the kids fashion boom all on their own without mom's or dad's help. When kids are old enough to understand all about fashion, they become more aware and observant of what is going on around them fashion wise. They see their friends wearing particular types of clothing, shoes, bags and accessories and crave for these items as a way to feel accepted and as a part of the crowd. Children then, will try to convince their parents to purchase these same items.

Unlike the past, people are now bolder in terms of what they wear. Bolder and brighter colored clothing in thousands of available styles is the modern way to go. Nowadays, kids have an eye for style, so for most of them, perfectly matching clothing and accessories is the desired way of dressing.
A large influence in terms of desired dress for kids today are modern age cartoon characters and new age animation which are both intensely publicized and advertised by all types of media. Kids automatically desire to be a part of the excitement. Hence, some kids prefer fashions which portray these characters.
The bottom line is, whether a kid is an infant, toddler or teen, young parents and grown kids prefer to be in sync with modern fashion trends in order to feel accepted and look exceptional.