Designer Eye Glasses

With many couples desiring to relive the golden ages by having ethnic and vintage weddings, there has been a revival by designers and wedding planners to reproduce ethnic dresses in the whole of Europe. In the UK, prominent wedding designers are now known to have a collection of antique wedding dresses and have come up with ideas on how to incorporate antique outfits with a traditional fairytale or a modern wedding arrangement in a presentable way.

UK Wedding Dress Styles
There are varieties of bridal designer collections with a UK touch. Wedding dresses from the 16th Century down to the early 20th century have been used in many weddings recently. In the 18th and 19th century weddings, brides wore many colors. It is not until the 20th century that traditional wedding gowns were embroidered in white color. A wedding gown would be passed down the family for generations and preserved for years. Many of these costume collections can be seen in British museum collections, still with their lace and satin in near perfect condition. The art of dress was at a highpoint in the British colonies during the Victorian and Edwardian era that, according to many, has never been equaled. The Victorian obsession with character, morality and grace was due to the ultimate display of the wedding dress. Their magnificence and elegance can be observed in the Cincinnati Art Museum and many websites that offer antique information on British history and traditions.

Corset Styles
In 18th Century English, a new design known as the corset was in use. The dress has an easy shape to wear and looks good on a modern woman due to its boning that releases the pressure off the diaphragm and the waist. The British style corset creates a cleavage that shows off a woman’s bust and enhances the overall appearance by compression. The corsets give the illusion of a smaller waist. This is further enhanced by intense decoration of the front with a style plus the incorporation of a new silhouette.

Today, corsets can be cut from original patterns, with or without tabs. Alternatively, they can also be modified to reflect modern styles with waists cut a little lower and even done with elastic inserts for ease and comfort. The wearer has the right of emphasizing bone channels. Having suitable interlinings with adequate boning is the key in any corset design, otherwise the wedding gown will seem to buckle at the waist.

A properly cut English wedding corset has a smooth finish from the neckline all the way down to the base. They can be produced in a wide variety of fabrics and endless ways of decorating them exist. In addition, they come with a combination of sleeve shapes.

Other Contemporary Wedding gowns
Other gowns with medieval overtures are Evelyn and Estella. Evelyn has a laced arm gauntlet with a toning skirt and hanging sleeves, while the Estella has a modern slim fitting fishtail with the elegance and style of a Victorian evening dress. Most of these weddings have undergone minor modifications before their use in modern wedding ceremonies. In any case, their original English classic look is evident and clearly discernible to an observant eye.

Rafi Michael

Women understand the power of scent. And just as they pay an enormous amount of attention to the clothing they choose, the shoes they wear, the hair that they style, and the makeup they don, they will pay just as close attention to the perfume they apply.

Perfume, when chosen to complement your body, will linger for hours as your signature scent. Finding that special perfume that will elevate your style to the next level often takes a bit of research and trial. Most designer and brand name perfumes are available in high-end department stores. But there are also online perfume stores where you can find a variety of products at affordable prices, as well as shop from the comfort of your own home.

Shopping for perfume has always been a popular pastime among women – and the men who buy for them. But what was once exclusive to department stores and discount perfume stores, has now been adopted by online commerce. With the growing popularity of the Internet, the world of retail has changed. Gone are the days of limited choices and exhausting price comparisons.

Now, consumers have the ability – with just a few clicks of their computer mouse – to find the lowest prices on their favorite fragrances. And while the ability to test perfumes is not available through computer shopping, there is the benefit of narrowing down your choices based on price and consumer ratings. And if you are simply re-purchasing a scent you have already used, online outlets can be your best bet for savings and convenience.

Online perfume stores do not discriminate when it comes to their offerings. You can just as easily find high-end designer fragrances as you can find lower priced replications or stand-alone scents at rock bottom prices. And what you pay for in shipping is most often made up for by the discount you receive by shopping in this manner. Some stores even offer free shipping on certain products. It’s a benefit to keep your eye out for deals of this nature as well as for periodic sales offered through online resources.

Best of all, shopping through online perfume stores allows you to skip the chaos of the department stores and complete your shopping in mere minutes in the comfort of your home. Your purchase will then be quickly and efficiently shipped straight to your door. With the different choices of shipping options offered you can even have your order by the very next day – the perfect choice when you’re in a rush or have an event to attend for which you need that special fragrance.

Online perfume stores are just one of many, many shopping experiences offered through the Internet today. The computer has transformed the world of commerce, allowing consumers to find all that they need with the push of a button. Such convenience has changed the way women shop; the Internet has made clothing, hair care products, makeup, shoes, and fragrance instantly accessible. Online perfume stores have made designer, brand-name, and discount perfumes available to the masses – giving women everywhere the ability to choose their scent in the most efficient way possible.

Sammy Kay
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/the-convenience-of-online-perfume-stores-129190.html

We designer types tend to use Benjamin Moore paint when we are specifying paint colors. Their paint has more depth of color than other brands and covers very well.

Doty Horn, Director of Color & Design at Benjamin Moore, scours the earth in search of trends. She works on color trends a full two years in advance. Doty’s PowerPoint presentation of in- vogue happenings gathered from around the world, showed everything from chairs that look like nests to furniture made from melted PVC pipes. Doty distills all these wacky, out-there movements into usable color trends for real life. Horn’s analysis identifies colors that will be popular in everything from cars to appliances to home accessories and interior design.

Well,
Here is the news:
According to Benjamin Moore’s Color Pulse 2009, there are four main color trends that will be dominating our surroundings next year and beyond.

Raw: Horn says this palette is derived from the push toward minimalism, pairing life down to its most authentic. Horn said this palette is derived from unfinished wood, cinder blocks and other “make-do” materials and includes shades of white, sand and gray.

Benjamin Moore’s “Raw” colors include: Chantilly Lace OC-65, Mascarpone AF-20, Collector’s Item AF-45, Fossil AF-65, Frappe AF-85, Hush AF-95, Jute AF-80, Tucson Winds 1024, Sterling 1591, Storm AF-700, Steel Wool 2121-20, Gray 2121-10

Urban Silence: Horn said this group of colors reflects the changing delineation between life in the city and life outside the city. “This is where the trees become houses and the houses become trees,” she explained.

As more urban buildings incorporate rooftop gardens and shipping containers are converted into living spaces, the city becomes a softer, more livable place. Horn said this palette reflects these changes by mixing the gray tones of urban living with vibrant, organic colors like green, rust and terra cotta.

Benjamin Moore’s “Urban Silence” colors include: Shadow Gray 2125-40, Lapland AF-410, Yellow Tone 370, Wasabi AF-430, Winding Vines 532, Old Gold 167, Glen Ridge Gold 301, Rattan AF-375, Rustic Taupe 999, Abbey Brown 1225, Bronze Metallic Bronze-30 (Studio Finish color), Copper Metallic Copper-40 (Studio Finish color)

Simplexity: To understand this color palette, think about the pixels that make up a computer screen: thousands of tiny dots in different shades that come together to make a whole. These are colors that have more to them than meets the eye.

“The colors here are very complex, they have a lot of depth to them, but they’re easy to use, so that’s the simplicity part of that,” Horn says. For example, she said, think of a color that looks black, but it’s really purple. “It’s almost black but it has an undercurrent of blue and red running underneath it and it just has a rich texture and a rich landscape, and the way that the light hits it, you start seeing the nuances of how those colors flip underneath it.”

Benajamin Moore’s “Simplexity” colors include: Thunder AF-685, Meditation AF-395, Amsterdam AF-550, Carob AF-160, Caponata AF-650, Merlot Red 2006-10, Arroyo Red 2085-10, Dried Mustard 2158-10, Majestic Violet 2068-10, Hidden Falls 714, Buttered Yam AF-230, Gargoyle 1546

Private Identity: With the “Private Identity” palette, Horn said she and the other color trends experts were thinking about how we express our individuality in such an overwhelming, populated world. Here, the colors are bright, bold and unexpected.

“You’re your own person so you’re going to put together a personal statement color,” Horn said. “You could do a bright red mixed with a powder blue and put a bold gold against it. So you’ve got this contrast of very bold color and then a very light color and that gives it an unexpected twist.”
Benjamin Moore’s “Private Identity” Colors include: Desert Rose 2094-50, Mango Punch 154, Perennial 405, Pacific Palisades 762, Tricycle Red 2000-20, Blushing Red 2079-20, Thunderbird 675, Lucerne AF-530, Fire and Ice 1329, Black Satin (High Gloss) 2131-10, Silver Metallic Silver-20 (Studio Finish color), Gold Metallic Gold-10 (Studio Finish color)

(The symbols after the colors listed above indicate their collection, so ones with an AF mean that they are part of the Affinity group of colors, OC stands for Off-White Colors and the ones with numbers are in their regular group of classic colors).

Don’t know where to start? Which colors story to use?

I think you can use colors that are in keeping with the geography in which you live, the architecture of your home and most of all PERSONAL CHOICE. If you live on the 28th floor of a condo with a view of a major mountain and you over look a river …its all about the view. So keep your colors to a dull roar. The color palette of RAW may be a good choice for you. If you live in a gray climate and want color, the rich hues of the SIMPLEXITY palette may be the right choice for you.

I believe the real trend is personalization. People are tired of others telling them what is good for their home. When choosing colors think about what color looks good on you. What do you like to wear? What do you want to feel when you walk through the door? Color defiantly evokes a feeling.
You may want to buy a sample of the color you want to you use and paint it on “mighty board.” it’s a thin, ridged plastic 2×2 sheet of material that will not warp when painted. You can get it at most Benjamin Moore paint stores. See what the color looks like at night and during the day, before you paint the whole room.

Most important, be daring – it’s only paint. You can easily re-do it for a few bucks.

Happy painting!
Kimberlee Jaynes
Associate member NWSID

Kimberlee Jaynes is Portland Oregon’s Color Specialist

Kimberlee Jaynes placed as a finalist in the Residential Interiors category of the Benjamin Moore HUE awards. More than 150 entrants competed in this national contest.

Kimberlee Jaynes is among Portland Oregon’s most talented designers. Her work is a combination of comfortable sophistication and confident simplicity. She is continually praised for achieving that delicate balance between serene and striking, while creating a unique environment that instantly feels just right. A Kimberlee Jaynes interior is where art meets function – a delightful blend of “Why didn’t I think of that?” and “This is the way my home was meant to feel.”

An associate member of Northwest Society of Interior Designers, Jaynes has practiced interior design for 17 years. She taught visual Merchandising & Display Design at Clark College in Vancouver and Portland Community College Sylvania Campus. She was a manager of Visual Merchandising for Nordstrom prior to embarking on her interior design career.

To see dramatic before and after photos using color visit http://www.kimberleejaynes.com click portfolio.

Kimberlee Jaynes

Jennifer Lopez The crowd was cheering. Cameras were clicking and flashing bright lights everywhere. A shiny black limousine parked. The crowd cheered with all their might. The car door sprang open and voila, Jennifer Lopez was out in the open. She wore a body hugging Versace’s pink pleated moiré silk gown with detailed stitching and insets at the bodice. Everyone was star stricken and their jaw left hanging. She was just so beautiful. She walked down the red carpet with so much grace and she sent out an irresistible fragrance that hypnotized everyone. Jennifer Lopez, the Latina beauty who married Marc Anthony smelled just like a bottle of perfume herself.

Jennifer Lopez is the conceiver of famous lines of fragrances such as Glow, Glow After Dark, Still Jennifer Lopez perfume, Live Jennifer Lopez perfume, Live LUXE by Jennifer Lopez, Love At First Glow perfume by Jennifer Lopez, and Deseo by JLo.

J Lo created Glow perfume in 2002. She quoted “I wanted it to be fresh and clean, but still sexy and sensual – something that feels like you just came out of the shower and you are the sexiest person in the world.” Indeed this dream came true as the fragrance of this perfumes is a perfect blend of orange flower, pink grapefruit, neroli, rose, sandalwood, soft amber, jasmine, vanilla, musk and orris.

As one slowly opens the lid of that dazzling diamond-cut gemstone like flacon, they can readily smell the tropical plants accord, bergamot, orange blossom, pink geranium flower, mineral accord, and amber infusing in the air. This perfume is JLo’s Deseo, which was released in February 2008. This fragrance is the latest perfume that J Lo added to her collection. Jennifer said “Deseo means desire…wish…dream…things that you want. It just seemed perfect for this time in my life. I want to inspire people to dream and want more, and to never stop reaching for the things that they want to accomplish in their lives. That’s really the sentiment behind Deseo.”

Britney Spears

She sang from the depths of her soul “…but if you look at her closely, you will see it in her eyes. She always found her way…” Britney Spear’s story of fame, fortune, pain and sorrow has showed us that she’s is rightfully the conceiver of one of the biggest line of fragrances which includes Curious perfume, Curious in Control, Fantasy perfume, Midnight Fantasy perfume and Believe Perfume.

Britney’s first baby is Curious which was named the best selling perfume of 2004, and was said to be one of the best selling perfumes of all time. Up to this day, Curious by Britney Spears has sold over 650 million bottles which proves that everyone couldn’t just let go of Louisiana Magnolia, golden Anjou pear, lotus flower, tuberose, star jasmine, pink cyclamen, sandalwood and blonde woods that is topped with a creamy delight of vanilla infused musk.

If you receive a box of clean bright white carton that is embellished with lovely pink, magenta and shiny metallic green dots, then there is no doubt you received Britney’s latest perfume Believe that hit the stores on September 24, 2007. This perfume comes in an exquisite bottle that has a striking silhouette. It is said that the reason behind its multifaceted design is the fact that it is an expression of Britney’s many beliefs. The fragrance is a mishmash of mouthwatering guava pulp and golden tangerine. It is also a mixture of honeysuckle and linden blossom and intertwined with patchouli, amber, and pink pralines to complement the alluring fragrance.

It has been said that the inspiration for this masterpiece is the fact that we all have beliefs that are treasures in our soul in which some are fun and some have superstitious twist, others are words to live and love by, the remainder serves as an inspiration when we need it the most.

Paris Hilton

She wears blue colored contact lenses, has long blonde hair, carries a Chihuahua named Tinkerbell, starred in House of Wax, released a mixture of reggae, pop, hip-hop all in one song entitled “Stars Are Blind”, ranked #3 in FHM’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005″, sentenced to 45 days in jail, starred in “The Simple Life”, and couldn’t forget to say the two word phrase “That’s Hot!” all the time. She’s none other than Ms. Paris Hilton.

Paris Hilton once said, “You don’t have to be an heiress to look like one; if you act like one then everyone will just presume you are one.” She is the heiress to Hilton’s fortune who has risen to stardom and gave birth to a line of fragrances which include Paris Hilton perfume, Paris Hilton cologne, Just Me Paris Hilton, Heiress perfume, Can Can perfume and finally Fairy Dust perfume. Paris Hilton Perfume that was introduced in 2004 was the introduction to a blossoming line of fragrances. It is comprised of a floral fragrance of mimosa, freesia and jasmine petals, sandalwood, oak moss, ylang-ylang and pheromones. All of which, add up to make a satisfying fragrance.

Paris Hilton is a singer, actress, model, designer, author, and businesswoman. On top of it all, she’s a giver of life to the Paris Hilton line of fragrance. Paris talked about her perfumes “It’s really hot. I mixed all these scents together and when a guy wears it, it smells so good.”

If you thrive for beauty, fame, and glory, you can achieve all these just like your favorite stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted “We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes.” A woman does not need to spend her fortune on posh beauty parlor trips, extravagant eye wear, fancy dresses, costly make up, nor on exorbitant diamonds. All she needs is a single spray of designer perfume that she can afford, and she’ll be alright. It is the simplest, cheapest and yet most impressive way to be the epitome of beauty. When she can attain beauty, fame and glory will fall into place next.

Sonny Ahuja

How To Be Sexy, Unique and Stylish

The women fashion industry will always be in business. The multi-billion dollar industry is signified by evolving trends, fashion centred events like the Melbourne Cup Spring Racing Carnival and celebrities like Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham coming out with their own fashion labels. For a woman fighting to make her own signature mark in society, being sexy, unique and stylish can be a challenge. But it all basically boils down to three main points:

1.    Be confident in yourself.
Let’s face it. Even A-list celebrities get criticised in the media every single day. Lindsay Lohan’s dress might be the talk of the town tonight, but tomorrow, if she puts on a daggy pair of jeans, she will still be slammed by the Hollywood fashion police.

Being confident can make up to 50% of the attractiveness of a person. How you carry yourself is almost equivalent to what you are wearing, if you pull it off with grace, posture and cool self-assuredness.

2.    Check out trends and tailor them to your own style
Keeping an eye on trends in the fashion world does not necessarily mean having to buy every piece of designer wear that comes out in the market. If you find a design or style that you like, tailor it!

Dressmaking is not a very expensive or time-consuming thing to do. Tailored clothing ensures your uniqueness and gives you the opportunity to wear a piece of clothing that best fits your body, style and comfort.

3.    Wear quality fabric
The quality of the clothing you wear plays a vital role in comfort, look and movability. Wearing all-natural types of fabric can assist in warming up winter nights, cooling down summer afternoons, and give you the freedom to move freely.

Fabric like pure silk, wool and chiffon also reduces static and when made properly, falls on the body better. Remember, looking good is also about feeling good.

d’Italia, a designer fabric store located in Malvern (Melbourne, Australia), imports Italian silk and French lace directly from Europe. The fabric comes from the same European fashion houses which supply to the biggest names in haute couture.

d’Italia prides itself in providing  completely natural fabric. The pure silk satin and chiffon and French silk trims are unmatched in natural quality and uniqueness. A major plus-point is the dressmaker referral system that the shop offers as an optional addition.  Some of Australia’s best dressmakers (especially in the wedding arena) are affiliates of d’Italia, and reservations can be made through the store for tailoring and fitting appointments.

d’Italia is open six days a week, and  is located at 61 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Victoria. Australian tailor and seamstress services should be booked in advance (especially for wedding couture).

Aus Mark