By: Sarah Summers

Jeans and denim trousers will continue to be popular in the coming seasons. With so many different styles to choose from, it can get quite confusing to pick the right pair for your body type. Following are a few guidelines for every shape:

Petite
Look for a low-rise straight or skinny leg. Stay away from capris, flares and too much embellishment, which cut the length of your legs. Also avoid higher rises, because they make your torso look shorter.

Boyish
The trendy low-rise skinny jean or sandblasted denim is made for your shape. Smaller or lower sitting back pockets create the illusion of curves. Refrain from wearing looser fits, which create a more masculine look.

Pear
Go for a slight boot-cut or straight leg to balance a bigger hip and thigh. Make sure the jeans are snug, but not too tight around your thigh. A medium to higher-rise is recommended. Larger or higher sitting back pockets will make a large bum appear smaller.

Apple
In order to create the slimmest look, wear a slim-leg stretch-denim boot cut or a straight leg. A high rise helps camouflage a few extra pounds in the midsection. Higher sitting back pockets will lift your behind.

Plus size
Look for a mid- to high-rise straight-leg in dark denim, preferably with a little stretch (2% spandex/lycra). Men’s styles may also fit you well. Avoid tapered legs and bulky front pockets.

Only buy jeans that fit really well; Price and label are less important. Also keep in mind that denim will stretch. If the fit is too loose when you buy your jeans, you will notice that it will get even looser with time.

Denim usually shrinks during the first wash. Should you need to get the legs altered, have it done after washing and drying, or you may end up with jeans that are too short.

Last, but not least, this is how you prevent your jeans from fading too soon: always wash your jeans inside out, add a little vinegar to the wash to set the color and wash your newer and older jeans together.

About the AuthorSarah Summers is a fashion consultant who helps women find a wardrobe that suits their silhouette, lifestyle and budget. For more fashion and clothing advice and to sign up for the free newsletter including fashion and style tips, visit http://www.freefashionadvice.com or send an email to info@freefashionadvice.com.

by: Lorene Radenz

Why is it that whenever you go to a holiday party, you can always find someone who doesn’t look how you would expect? Is it because you think they overdid their fashion or make-up, or is it a touch of envy?

Beauty queen or fashion disaster, it’s up to you. If you want to shine for the holidays, take note of these do’s and don’ts to spruce up your look and receive raves from your friends and family.

Beauty Do’s

Do Experiment.

Check out the latest in make-up and fashion trends and give them a try. This will update your look and chances are, you’ll find something that enhances your skin tone and flatters your figure.

Do accentuate your finer features.

Play up your best features while drawing attention away from your problem areas. For example, do you have sleek shoulders but think your hips are too wide? Wear a sexy off-the-shoulder dress to show off your finer assets.

Do consult professionals.

If you’re the do-it-yourself kind of gal, you can benefit from professional opinions now & then. Why not get a makeover for the holidays? Keep in mind, salons are booked tightly for the holiday season, so call well in advance for your appointment and use your time in the waiting room looking through magazines for updated hairstyles and fashion that best suit you.

Do simplify your beauty routine.

Unless you’re headed out to a holiday party, forgo unnecessary extras that take up valuable time. Keep your hairstyle simple and make-up to natural colors that will look good with anything you wear.

Beauty Don’ts

Don’t be afraid of change.

Dazzle your friends with a new look. Whether it’s a new hairstyle, hair color, or just a dress, you’ll get attention! Think of it this way, models look different for every shoot and are very versatile. Don’t they always look great?

Don’t wear too much make-up.

There’s a fine line between a little extra holiday pizzazz or downright heavy makeup. Choose colors that compliment your face and blend it in well. Double check your face in bright lights before heading out the door.

Don’t forget accessories.

Add the finishing touch to your overall appearance. The holidays are festive, so glam it up with accessories and jewelry. Splurge on that handbag you’ve been wanting and don’t feel the least big guilty.

Don’t let stress get the better of you.

It’s no secret that the holidays can be most stressful time of the year. Use your time wisely and learn to say “no.” Your face can easily reveal stress and lack of sleep, so designate some of your duties to family members and be sure to get your beauty rest.

About The Author
Lorene Radenz is a freelance writer and the founder of http://www.beautytipsonline.com – Your All-In-One Beauty Guide.

By John Gibb

It used to be that when people heard the term “beach shoes”, they thought of those rubber sandals commonly known as “thongs” or “flip-flops”. Beach shoes were not part of the fashion world; they were just something that you wore on your feet when you went to the beach so that they didn’t get hot. Beach shoes, however, have come a long way, and now there are several different styles from several different manufacturers that are stylish and trendy, but still very useful.

Of course, the rubber flip-flops are still around, and people still wear them, but in this ever-increasingly fashion-conscious world, people are worrying as much about what they wear on their feet to the beach as what they wear on their bodies. And beach shoes aren’t necessarily just for the beach anymore. They are a fashion accessory that can help give you that laid-back “beachy” look, even if you never step foot on the sand.

Flip-flops come in all different types of styles and materials now. There are leather ones that look good on the beach and also look good with casual wear, such as sun dresses for women or Bermuda shorts and polo shirts for men. They also come in materials such as bamboo soles and velvet straps, suede straps and rubbers soles with built-in massaging foot pads, or they can even be made completely out of unusual materials such as hemp or layered denim.

Beach shoes don’t have to be flip-flop styles either; they can be regular sandals that are fashioned to be easily worn and comfortable while walking on the sand, or they can be actual tennis shoes that are designed for running or walking on the sand. Generally, tennis shoe-style beach shoes have a pronounced arch to compensate for the softness of sand, and soft comfortable material to cover the foot for maximum comfort and “breathe-ability”. Jogging on the beach is a popular pastime for those who are lucky enough to live close to the ocean shore, and shoe manufacturers finally started realizing that there was a market for good jogging shoes that were more comfortable for this activity.

The bottom line is that you can make as much of a fashion statement with your beach shoes as you can with any of the other items in your wardrobe. If you live near the beach you should be able to find several shops that sell fashionable beach shoes, but if you live in an area that is nowhere near the beach, such as in the Midwest, you can probably find the best beach shoes by visiting web sites that sell beach clothing or beach shoes in particular.

By Phoenix Lindbergh

Before David Hasselhof, Pamela Anderson, and company invaded the beach scene, swimming was just a mere sport for fin-gifted and beach-side born people. But when Baywatch hit the shores of America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and even Africa, swimming was put in another light- a fashion ground. Wave after wave, the phenomenal success and popularity of the life-saving, life guard chronicle, beach world drama changed the way people view swimming and beaching. Baywatch introduced groundbreaking swimming clothing styles which was limited to traditional bikini styles pre-Baywatch era, alternative ways of being sexy and edgy under the scourging yet enticing heat of the sun, and it even propelled to greater heights of popularity the sport of surfing. Most of all, it made the concept of swimming and going to the beach one of the best avenues for unleashing and displaying to the rest of the world the sexy and fashionable in all of us. It painted all shores red and spelled every beach as hot and sexy, and the world heeded.

Come 21st century, the legacy of Baywatch lives on. Although it has already bitten the dust and bid the limelight goodbye, the waves that it made continue to hit every shore of this world. It’s phenomenal success and influence even spread wider, leading to a domino effect of new generations of fashionable beach lifestyle. From flashy red, skimpy bikinis for women and butt-exposing shorts for men, the whole concept of fashionable swimming is now encapsulated just by one word–Billabong.

Call it a post-Baywatch trend or a double-the-sales marketing spin, Billabong is the new name of sexiness, sportiness, and aquatic lifestyle to beat.

Billabong is a word that came from the land down under. The word’s original reference was to a dried up watering hole that flushes out only when a river floods. The aborigines of Australia often searched for billabongs to find food and sometimes water. But now, the term Billabong is a name for a popular brand of men’s and women’s surf clothing and beach apparel.

Although production of Billabong products dates back years prior to the Baywatch phenomenon, 1973 to be exact, it was only during the beginning of year 2000 that the brand emerged in the global market and made a name for itself in the beach clothing industry. And its dominance has since then expanded from the shores of Australia to the white beaches of Asia, the Pacific, and South America. Its strong wave of following among beach enthusiasts also hit with tremendous waves the shores of the Carribean, North America, and the vast region of Europe.

Since its emergence in the start of the new millennium, Billabong now has about 2,200 product lines in Australia, over 1,300 in North America, and over 1,200 product lines in Europe. The product lines include swim wear, watches, jewelery, wet suits, neoprene gloves and boots, surf caps, bags and backpacks, travel bags, beach bags, shoulder bags, wallets, belts, caps, thongs, towels, CD holders, beach mats, surfboard covers, body board covers, Von Zipper sunglasses, Element skateboards, and many others. The most popular ones are the T-shirts, board shorts, backpacks, and swim wear.

Billabong brought yet another big wave of sizzling hot beach *clothing and apparel* in many shores around the world with its 2006 Summer Collection. The highlight of the collection are the swimsuits, shorts, rash guards, shirts, vests, hats, pants, and even skirts dresses (casual for women).

The shorts are setting unbelievably very high sales. Selling like hot cakes, the board shorts and casual or lifestyle shorts are a big craze for both men and women. With more than 30 stylish and sexy designs, the Billabong board shorts come in many different colors (plain and printed alike) to fit the very varied taste of its market.

The top favorite among beach hunks are the Kauai board shorts, hombre board shorts, rival board shorts, and the Royal Flush board shorts. Women, on the other hand, are raving about Vogen board shorts, boardie capri, Golden Ticket board shorts, Floater board shorts, and boardie shorts.

The petal bikini, starfish bikini, and wildflower bikini are the most-worn bikinis among women of different ages. Rash guards for beginners and *professional surfers* are also one of the hot items in the 2006 summer collection.

With all the good finds in the 2006 summer collection, you won’t run short of finding the best beach attire to sport each time you hit the shores. Wear any of Billabong’s clothing item or apparel and you’ll sure to wear that Baywatch babe or hunk-sizzling hotness.

For more valuable information on bikini, swim wear, please visit http://www.microbikini.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phoenix_Lindbergh

By A.J. Klott

The one thing I have always enjoyed about fishing is that you rarely see anyone wearing a tie.

I suppose there is the occasional urban lunchtime warrior who might race from his cubicle to the Hudson river to get a few casts in for some glow-in-the-dark fish, but ties are certainly not the norm when it comes to suiting up for a days fishing on the river.

When it comes to high fashion in the fishing world, a button up fast drying high tech shirt is about as close to fashionable as it gets.Unless of course you count the plaid jacket!!

As it is, I can’t quite figure out the purpose of the necktie anyway.

Who in their right mind would come up with a part of the male wardrobe to wrap around your neck, and then cinch it up tight, and consider this a vital part of the function of clothing.

For Gods sake,this is what they would do to condemned men just before they drop the floor out from under them, to create a rather discomforting constriction about the windpipe and neck.

I could understand it if the tie somehow held all our other clothes up,like a belt, keeping our clothes from dropping to our ankles in a useless gathering of cloth. As far as I know there has also never been an instance of a tie keeping a shirt in tact in high winds.

It’s obvious the tie was invented by our female counterparts, and is the ultimate payback for all our manly sins that we commit everyday. I am sure it was produced under the guise of “fashion” at some point, with some weak feeble argument that a “gentleman” should always don a noose around his neck-lest he become a barbarian!!

Other parts of the wardrobe I understand.

Shoes?

I understand shoes. They were developed to help protect our feet from the hostile environment of thistles, weeds,pavement,and hot coffee spills. Shoes make sense

Socks?

Protection from shoe rub and sneaky thistles approaching from ankle height.

Pants?

Well, outside of not developing them with an expandable waistband, pants have proven beneficial in adding warmth, again providing protection from yet even higher thistles and stickers, keeping the suns harmful rays off of pasty white anglo legs, and protecting us from hot coffee spills. As an added benefit, they also protect our eyes from viewing knobby knees and senior citizens who might otherwise have been walking around in black socks, Florisheims, and a loin cloth had pants not been invented.

Underwear?

The jury is still out on this benefit–BUTT– we will give underwear the benefit of the doubt.

Shirts?

Again, sun protection, warmth in the winter, and a place to hide those man breasts and ape like features we men have worked hard to develop. Keeps ketchup and mustard off our bellys also.

Hat?

We all know where the heat is going to escape. A brilliant invention and very much like the thermos–it keeps you warm, it keeps you cool, how does it know???

Coats, gloves,vests,belts,boots–hell– even chaps, all seem to have a function behind them.

But the tie?

Unless it was developed for men to have a permanently available napkin, or snot rag—I see no purpose.

Actually, you could make the argument that fishermen are the only men that SHOULD wear ties. As long as they were made of sheeps wool, the flyfisherman could use the “fuzzy tie” to have even a greater drying pad to keep his caddis, royal coachman, and brindle bugs handy and at the ready for quick pattern change out.

But enough about the tie.

Fashion, as a general rule has escaped the fishing world.

This is a world where despite the efforts of Orvis and L.L. Bean, plaid is still the king, the t-shirt is still considered standard issue and drab greens and brown tones rule the day.

Thank goodness, because I know the day is coming -when the Gods of fashion will begin to turn the fishing world upside down with trendy nouveau styles and colors.

Before long, tall, emaciated, high cheek boned beauties will be “walking the runway”, in Jordache waders showing us the latest designs of, breathable yet flattering river wear, in purple,yellow, floral and …….dare I say it….TAUPE!! Especially since more and more women are taking up the sport of flyfishing, can high fashion be far behind??

I’m not sure you can feel like a snappy dresser with fish guts,bait and slime all over you but maybe with a diamond encrusted net dangling from your hip you will feel properly accessorized for an elegant evening on the river.

The fishing world has already come a long way when it comes to fashion–or should I say style.Once upon a time, most fisherman looked more like deck hands, wearing rubber waders with big oversized boots at the bottom. You would slip these over your jeans and big thick wooly socks and if was cold, that red and black checkered jacket would keep you warm.It also would help to hide the tobacco juice stains that you would invariably always spit on yourself while fishing. It basically was one size fits all–and you couldn’t tell if a person was 270 pounds or 140 pounds under the rubber–everyone looked 270 pounds.

Today neoprene and lightweight high tech shredded milk carton shirts are being seen more and more, and the fishing vest has more cubbies and pockets than a colony of Kangaroos.

And they look good on the cover of magazines to boot!!

Speaking of boots.

I remember my first wading boots were basically the same boots I wore to muck out manholes when I worked for the telephone company. Now, they look more like “Hush Puppies” and I’m not so sure I wouldn’t be proud to wear them into the office.

I suppose the day is coming when neoprene waders will be made to look like tuxedos or Armani suits–so we can really look like gentlemen out there. That might not actually be a bad idea, I for one could see the benefit in that–especially if the wedding ceremony runs into the evening hatch–one could still make it out to the river and save some valuable time avoiding “change time”.

All in all, it doesn’t really matter to me if some style continues to creep into the fishing world, but if they start making the “river tie”–I’m taking up Golf!

A.J. Klott
Author, writer of fishing humor,and “fly tack” peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is due out in December of 2005. If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at: http://www.twoguyswithflys.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A.J._Klott