The Skinny on Pretty

These days its tough to tell between good quality and poor quality clothing.  Man made synthetics have come along and are softer, stronger and in some cases more beautiful than natural fibers.

With all the new fabrics that have come on the market its difficult to tell which clothes are ‘expensive’ and which are  ‘cheap’. These days quality clothing does not depend on the fabric, instead there is a focus on how the clothing is created.

Below is a list of a few things to look for when shopping for quality clothing:

1. check out how the garment drapes over the hanger both front and back.  Are the grain lines straight?
If the garment is lined ensure that the lining does not hang below the hemline.  It should flow with the cut of the garment and be smooth.

2. the wrinkle test:  crush the fabric in your hands for about five seconds, then smooth it out and check to see if the wrinkles remained.

3. when a garment has a pattern or strips check to make sure they design lines up at the seam.

4. take a closer look at the stitching, quality clothing has between 8 to 12 stitches per inch.

5. finally check out the basics, buttons and button holes should be sewn tightly with no loose threads.  Zippers should move smoothly up and down the tracks.

Taking the time to check out garments before the purchase can really save you a lot of headaches down the road. As a general rule of thumb I would also recommend buying clothes from places that have a refund policy. Any retail business  that refuses to take their items back (unworn of course) must not have confidence in their product (this does not apply to sales items or outlet stores).

I actually read somewhere that in the late 18th century men’s pointed shoes literally were considered evil as it makes it difficult to kneel, bow, worship with these shoes on. I’m not a religious person, but I must admit I have experienced this myself. Have you ever dropped something on the floor and tried to pickup with pointed toe shoes?

It’s painful

There were onto something back then.

Most would agree that ridiculously pointy shoes (for men) are a fashion evil.  Just to clarify a slightly pointed shoe is fine, us can women appreciate a man who cares take care of himself and has some style. But I’m talking about those horrifying white, snake skinned, floral or metal tipped pointy shoes that you see walking around the city.  They are so awful there’s actually a Facebook group called Movement against Men in Alarmingly Pointy Shoes.  Who’ have thought? ..and yes of course I joined.

For all you men out there who are wearing these shoes, I would like you to know that us women will let you get away with a lot. We can trade thinning hair, bushy eyebrows, scratchy stubble and even a few extra pounds for a charming personality.  But shoes are important and shoes make a man.  But don’t let your shoes be the center of attention (leave that to us ladies).  In the meantime, try to go for a classy yet fashionable style.  Neutral colors are always preferable (unless we’re talking sneakers, tennis shoes or Halloween).

If in doubt…just as a women.

Just as anything else wrinkles are a part of life but just as anything else technology has stepped in to slow it down! THANK GOODNESS! Being proactive in this area will be your biggest success rather than being reactive after the wrinkles start developing.  So the first thing to remember is to DO IT NOW. Everyone knows drinking water is important but many people don’t know what it can do for your skin.  Water hydrates the skin cell which helps lock in moisture.  No matter amazing your anti aging creams and lotions maybe nothing trumps hydrating the skin cells. What If You Don’t Like Water? Many people just don’t like drinking water and understandably so.  With all the flavorful drinks out there its hard to get back to the basics.  And as much as we’d like to think that fruit juices, pop, or Gatorade can pass for water intake, its simply not true.  The body needs water to function -to stimulate fluids in the body and regulate the skins natural balance. Water mixed with carbon dioxide, preservatives and sugar is unfortunately not comparable to water on its own! The good news is many fruits and vegetables can hydrate skin cells the same way water can and sometimes better than water can.  Of course its important to keep in mind the sugar content when eating fruits but vegetables like celery and tomatoes are low in sugars and have a high water content.  These vegetables are retain water in smaller clusters at the molecular level which can be absorbed by the cells more than water can.  While eating vegetables shouldn’t replace drinking water it can definitely help cut down on the amount needed on a daily basis.

How many have been running late for work open your closet and pull out a dress shirt that you realized is WRINKLED! You stand there for a minute and debate “If I try to iron the shirt now, how much more late will I be for work” and then you try to calculate the time it would take to pull out the big ‘ol ironing board, how long it would take for the iron to heat up, whether or not you would need steam to get the wrinkles out which would require more time…you get the point.

So the solution is to buy the right shirts in the first place! That will save you a mountain of headaches later. My video has two quick full proof tips to end your wrinkly nightmares.

Some Friendly Advice

I was chatting with my girlfriend last night who gave me her wrinkly shirt tip to share with all of you.  Although I’ve never tried this before I would be curious to see if it works.  She tells me to just throw your shirt in the dryer on high heat for a few minutes until it straightens out. Quick simple and easy.  I love it!  I do think this effect would work better on cotton blend shirts as opposed to 100% cotton shirts but I’ll be sure to put it to the test anyway. Thanks Adila!

Any woman who can withstand the latest trend of “sky high shoes” and wear them comfortably has my envy. Regardless of the platform (which supposedly eases the pressure off the height of the heel) these shoes can be incredibly beautiful and incredibly painful. The beauty of the shoe not only captures our hearts, but also reels us into the illusion of making us taller, thinner and most importantly sexier.

While on a short vacation to Las Vegas my girlfriend and I decided to make a trip down to the premium outlets (located about 15minutes off the strip).Ten minutes after we arrived I couldn’t help but spot a pair of unbelievably gorgeous “sky high” heels. Giddy with the excitement I tried them on and imagined all the outfits I could wear with them and how great they would look with a French pedicure. Now experience tells me that trying on a pair of heels for less than 30 seconds DOES NOT constitutes a wearable shoe, but the voice of reason was beyond me. I convinced myself that my feet would forgive me for it and my legs would comply. I even bought some gel inserts that the saleslady swore would give me 4 extra hours of comfort. And I believed her.

So that evening I put on these beautiful shoes and by the time I got down to the Hotel lobby my toes were going numb. But I didn’t let that stop me; I mean who said beauty was easy? (Plus going back up to the room in a Vegas hotel is like walking 5 blocks back) In any case I convince myself that a few cocktails are sure to do the trick. An hour later (and three drinks later) we’re hailing a cab and not only are my feet in pain, my entire leg and thighs are quivering. It’s the same feeling I get when I push myself too far at the gym. Was I ready to call it quits before the night even started? Where were my 4 hours of extra comfort??? The shoes were a major disappointment, they made me miserable and I wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel but somehow I made it through the night. I vowed that I would give them away first chance I get and never set my sights on the sky high heels again. I had finally met a pair of shoes that I simply could not walk in.

The next day on the plane ride home I pondered about the shoes and why I had even bothered to pack them and bring them home at all…and that’s when it dawned on me. I remembered something my 70 year old aunt had once mentioned to my mother about having heels shortened just a little by a shoemaker (apparently all the seniors were doing it). Could it be the seniors knew something we didn’t? Would it work? Would they look funny? Well I certainly didn’t have anything to lose. So the outcome is listen to your elders (….sometimes) and go see your local shoemaker!

This handy little tip not only made my shoes more comfortable and wearable, they actually didn’t look any different (check out my YouTube video). I had them shortened 1/2 inch and this made a world of difference. That small change in the height of the heel eased the pressure off my toes considerably. I gave these shoes another shot at a fundraiser where I knew there would be plenty of opportunities to sit if needed and guess what? No toe numbness and no crazy leg workout either. I comfortably and confidently wore the shoes seven hours straight! Need I say more?