How To Create Your Own Fashion: Carving a Niche in Clothing.

Creative, artistic people love expressing themselves in unusual ways. Many artsy people enjoy creating their own signature styles with their clothing choices. Some people have the skills to create their own clothing using a sewing machine, fabric and thread. However, other people may not have the skill, time or talent needed to stitch up clothing starting with a bolt of cloth.
People without sewing skills may believe that creating interesting styles are out of reach for them. However, this is not the case. One can still customize many clothing items with little or no sewing. Mixing and matching parts of outfits, draping lengths of fabric and using accessories in innovative ways can all be ways to invent unique, attention-getting fashion.
Clothing items with simple lines simply beg to be dressed up with scarves and draped with interesting pieces of fabric. For instance, peasant blouses and gypsy shirts look great when paired with brightly colored scarves and shawls, along with tinkling bangle bracelets. To really make a statement, a white peasant blouse can be tie-dyed.
Capes and cloaks are the perfect accessories for embellishment to fit your own personal style. These garments are generally made from yards of flowing fabric, which are wonderful for adding paint, glitter or rhinestones. You can become the envy of all your friends by taking the time to customize an outfit for the winter.

Leo & Levi Clothing's

To create your own unique style, you do not need sewing skill or talent. Your own creativity is the only limit. By getting inventive, you can scour the internet looking for interesting pieces with which you can make amazing, personalized creations and become the envy of all your friends.
The online retailer Brand On Sale has plenty of interesting clothing ideas to help you get started on your upcoming Halloween escapades. As we all know, the months of September and October are the most popular times of the year to buy costumes. But if you wait too long, all the good ideas will be taken. And if you're like me and you wait until the day before, you'll end up settling on something boring or desperate, like a football ninja.
Many other clothing pieces are suitable for embellishment and customization. Buying a Marilyn Monroe Seven Year Itch dress or evening gown and dyeing it or adding tons of sparkles will make an impression on everyone who sees you. Alternately, you can give a white tuxedo shirt an unexpected, casual twist by tie-dyeing it in bright, hippie style and pairing it with solid-colored bell-bottom pants.
Turning an ordinary T-shirt into a dress is fairly simple if you have a sewing machine. First, try on the shirt, and decide where you want the waistline of your dress to hang. You can have a higher, empire-waist dress by cutting the T-shirt a few inches below the breasts. A longer drop-waist dress may not need any trimming of the T-shirt. To decide how much skirt fabric you will need, measure your hips at the widest part and add 8-10 inches. This is the length of fabric to cut.
Sew the ends of the fabric together to make a tube. Pin the fabric tube to the T-shirt with the right sides together, matching the centers and side seams. Sew the fabric to the T-shirt, stretching the shirt as you sew. Hem the lower edge of the skirt. You can also do this with a ready-made skirt, or another dress from which you have cut the skirt.

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Beauty & Fashion Tips: Style your Look!

This is a Guest blogger post by Sridhar Amanchy.


Looking gorgeous is a matter of knowing your body, knowing what to wear and how to wear right kind of clothes. Dressing up is an art and if you can master this art then you can be on top of the world. The important thing about dressing right is you should look slim and tall in whatever you wear, no matter what your weight is. Even fat women can look slim if they know the tricks of fashion. Learn how to camouflage your weight with proper dressing. Following are the tips that will make you look gorgeous, elegant and stunning!!   • Pick one hue Dressing head-to-toe in a single dark color, like navy or black, is the single best way to look like you've lost 10 pounds.

• Skip large patterns  Smaller patterns fool the eye and make for a more delicate look. And whatever you do, don't wear patterns on top and bottom -- that'll add 10 pounds.

• Slip on the right length skirt Stick to just-above-the-knee skirts that play off knees and elongate legs. Avoid a midcalf skirt, which draws attention to the widest part of your legs, making them look heavier.

• Ditch shorts Capris, on the other hand, are surprisingly slimming, especially if you stick to dark denim or black and wear ones that aren't too short or too long. They should end at the least-wide part of your calves, ideally a few inches above the ankle.

 • Wear a sexy tee V-neck and deep scoop-neck tees elongate the neck and make the torso appear longer by showing off your collarbone.

• Go vertical Thin vertical stripes on anything -- pants, shirts, skirts, dresses -- create the illusion of a longer, leaner body. 

 • Slim down with color Hot summer hues like pink and yellow catch the eye and are good for body parts you want to play up. Pair them with black, brown or navy -- dark colors recede and are best for areas that you'd like to draw the eye away from.

• Pull out that A-line dress A gently flared A-line cut is universally flattering and hides large hips.

• Pick the perfect jeans Look for a pair that sits lower on your waist. And go for boot cut -- the slight flare fits over sandals and will give you longer, lankier legs.

• Sport three-inch heels High heels give you a thinner profile and silhouette.   • Avoid ankle-strap sandals The more of your leg and the top of your foot you show, the longer your leg line will appear.

• Pick a well-proportioned purse Petite women look sexiest with smaller bags, while large women look best with medium-size purses.

• Score face-slimming shades If your face is on the full side, wide rectangular-frame sunglasses give you a sleeker look.

   • Think long jewelry Long, skinny earrings and sleek pendant necklaces elongate and slim the face and body with their vertical lines.

• Wear bangles Skinny bangles or a bracelet-style watch make your arms look thinner by creating space around your wrist, which fools the eye, making you look slim.

• Pick the right part Opt for a side part -- a center part makes your face look round. A good rule of thumb to find the most flattering, face-slimming part: Use the arch of your eyebrow as a guide. Start the part above the arch and go back from there in a straight line.


• Skip bangs Or sweep them to the side if you have a round or square face. A bare forehead lengthens and slims the face. 

 • Pull your hair back If your neck is on the short side, pulling hair up off your neck and shoulders makes the neck look longer and upper body appear thinner.

• Add volume Hair that lies too flat on the head makes a full face appear even bigger. A full or wavy style, on the other hand, minimizes a larger face.

• Do an updo Building extra height at the crown of your head narrows round features and makes your face seem thinner. For the simplest 'do ever, twist hair into a high knot and fasten with a pretty barrette.  

Dressing to match for Various Occassions.

Whatever format the party takes, you would want your style to be right; you don’t want to either overdress or under-dress. If your aim is simply to blend with the crowd, then forget the fancy shoes and blazers. Go casual; try a fitted V-neck or a tidy graphic t-shirt, fitted jeans that are not too baggy and a pair of fresh trousers. Throw in a desert scarf for added effect. Other options are: T-shirt which you can pair with split jeans and worker boot; blue striped T-shirt, black wash skinny jeans which can go with navy loafers and premium loop scarf.

Here are the various kinds of parties you may attend and the style suited for each.

Black tie.

Dressing casual but letting the taste speak

A black tie invitation calls for formal attire. Men wear tuxedos, women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates. ‘Formal’ usually means the same as black tie, but in some trendier cities, it could mean a black shirt, no tie with a tux. Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates. A white tie or ultra-formal invitation requires men wear full dress, with white tie, vest, shirt. Women wear long gowns.

Black tie optional.

A black tie optional or black tie invite gives you the option of wearing a tuxedo or formal dress, but it should clue you into the formality of the event, meaning a dark suit and tie would be your other option. Women wear cocktail, long dresses or dressy evening separates.

Creative black tie.

Creative black tie leaves room for trendy interpretations of formal wear. He can go no more modern with a tuxedo, may ne a black shirt, no tie. She wears long or short dresses or evening separates. Sometimes, themed parties call for dress codes like variations of creative black tie. In that situation, you can have more fun with it, choosing a dressy look with a theme (for him, it could be a tuxedo with boots; for her, it could be a long dress paired with Southwestern style, silver belt and jewelry).

Semi-formal.

Semi formal or after five means that tuxes are not required nor are long dresses. An evening wedding (after 6pm) would still dictate dark suits for the man and a cocktail dress for the woman. Daytime semi-formal events mean a suit for him and appropriate short dress or dressy suit for her. Business formal is the same as semi-formal for him. For women, it suggests that women opt for more tailored dressy suits and dresses (nothing too slinky or sexy).

Cocktail attire.

Cocktail attire means short, elegant dress for her and dark suit for him.

Festive attire.

Festive attire is usually seen around the holidays, with the mood of the party being informal or semi-formal. For her, it means to choose looks with a bit of sparkle or holiday bent (i.e a beaded sweater with black trouser; a red silk blouse with a black skirt).

Dressy casual.

This calls for dress-up versions of casual looks. For him, it could be trousers and a sport coat. For her, a dressy trousers and a sport coat. For her, a dress trousers look is the perfect call. Jeans, shorts, T-shirts and other casual looks are not appropriate for dress y casual.

KNOW THE LIFESPAN OF YOUR BEAUTY MAKE-UP

Beauty products do have a life-span. That’s a generic fact. Chances are that blue eye shadow with the glimmer bits that you bought a couple of years ago has long expired. Here’s a quick guide on the shelf lives of typical beauty products.

Nail polish

Polish is a pretty product and can last up to two years, unless you wear it with fungal infection. Anytime your make-up items come into contact with an infection, they should be tossed immediately. So in the end, use common sense and if it smells funny or looks strange it should be tossed away.

Eye liner

For most experts, it is ideal to throw away liquid eye liner and mascara every three months or so. The only exception is if you have an eye infection; eye infections mean that you need to toss all eye make-up and start over again. And as for pencil eye liner, it can last up to 2 years, if properly stored and sharpened regularly.

Eye shadow.

Eye shadow may last up to three years. A dark eye shadow can double as eye liner. You’ll need a super flat eye liner brush for this. Get the brush a little damp and dab in dark eye shadow (black, brown or deep jewel-tones work great). Wiggle the brush into your lash line focusing on the space between your lashes, and then sweep the colour just above your lash line.

Foundation.

A water based foundation will last up to 12 months; oil-based will last up to 18 months. If your water-based foundation dries before its expiration date, simply add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and shake to mix it in. no need to do this to oil-based foundation because they contain oil, they will tend to separate. If your foundation has a pump then it will stay fresh longer, but if you are dabbing your fingers into a bottle everyday you should think of tossing your foundation make-up every 6-8 months. If you are prone to break outs and are using the dabbing method, you should toss your make-up no later than six months. But keep in mind that your foundation colour can change at least twice a year.

Beauty can only be a charm when properly handled.

Powder face make-up can last over a year, if there is no shiny build-up on the surface and you have not had any major skin irritations during use. As a general rule of thumb, if it smells funny or looks strange you should toss it.

Lipstick

Some experts conclude that, lipsticks can last 1-2 years. How true this is, calls for poll correspondence. For others, it can last up to 4 years. This also leaves to be desired. However, if you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer. If you want your lipstick to last longer during the day, shade in lips with lip liner before applying lipstick.

Mascara.

This product expires the fastest. Throw out after four months. If you don’t want your mascara to expire faster than its actual date, don’t dump the wand in and out. Doing this will only expose the product to drying air.

As a general rule of thumb, change out your make-up every six months. If there is ever a doubt about whether to keep it or toss it, you should always just throw it out. Finally, if you have switched to natural make-up make sure you give the products a regular check, since they could turn rancid quicker because of the lack of preservatives.

YOUR NECKLINES CAN BE QUITE A GLAM AFFAIR, THAT IS IF....

This is a guest blog post by Nike Adeshike.

So, after all, you need break a bank thinking of what accessories to wear. Why? Designers seemed to have come up with creating gorgeous embellished necklines. So spare yourselves the headache of choosing the best accessories for your outfit. Get ready to make a statement at any special occasion in stunning dress or tops with embellished neck lines and jazz up your look with a tint of glam.
Quite voluntarily, these necklines have successfully found their ways to tops and dresses. You need to note the following:

a) Don’t commit any fashion blunder by using any jewelry. The unique patterns embedded in the design of the clothes already offer the necessary vibe to your apparel. If you are still eager to add some jewelry, you can opt for bracelets as well as matching earrings and other hair accessories.

b) You can pair embellished tops with either a pair of straight jeans or stylish leggings if the tops are slightly below the waist, depending on your personal preference.

c) The best neckline should complement both your face as well as your body shape. Consider your facial features and match the V, sweetheart, canoe, slant as well as round necklines with these. This way you’ll be able to sport the clothes that perfectly flatter your appearance.