Category: Clothes

Designer Clothes When Its Stylish And When Its Tacky

blogger

Many people fall into the trap of decking their bodies in designer clothes from head to foot without thought to how it looks and comes together as a whole. We look at fashion magazines, watch trendy shows and movies like Gossip Girl, 90210 and Sex and the City, and get carried away with trying to look like those models and characters. In reality, most of us do not really have a clue how to wear designer clothes with aplomb! We shouldnt forget that designer clothes do not always equate to style and class.

So what makes designer clothes stylish? Designer clothes are stylish when they reflect your personality or your taste, at the very least. It is usually obvious when someone is wearing a designer outfit just for the brand, and not for the style. Go ahead and splurge on designer clothes, but make sure they fit you perfectly, and are suited to your body type, coloring, and personality. An outfit that looks good on one person doesnt always look good on another. Dont be an exact copy of runway or mannequin pieces. The key is individuality.

And what makes designer clothes tacky? Yes, even the most high-fashion brands could look ordinary and even cheap when worn disastrously. Just because an outfit has a designers name on it doesnt mean it would look good on anyone, anywhere, all the time. The less is more rule is always the best one to follow when venturing into unfamiliar or tricky fashion territory. Dont over-deck yourself in designer clothes. Learn the art of tastefully combining high-fashion pieces and lower-ticket items. Most importantly, always dress appropriately.

You could wear the simplest or the most outlandish designer clothes, but the key is to make the style your own and wear it not so much with snobbishness or misplaced pride, but with confidence!

Tips On How To Properly Store Clothing

blogger

When that closet becomes full and room for new clothes becomes sparse, a self storage unit may be just what you need to get the clothes you arent wearing, but still want to hold on to into a safe place. When putting clothing items into a self storage unit, it is important to take every precaution to protect your clothing from being damaged, whether by environmental variables or pests. Here is a list of things that will help keep your clothing looking and feeling new until the day you decide to take it back out of storage:

Clean all clothes thoroughly prior to storage. For long term storage, do not use starch or any other type of finishing product on the clothes as it will attract moths or other pests you dont want in your clothing.

The place where you store your clothes should be cool, dry, and dark. Sunlight, extreme heat and humidity can be damaging to clothing. Extra caution should be taken when storing clothing in areas of high heat and humidity, such as in a San Diego self storage unit.

Try not to leave clothing in storage for more than a year without inspecting its condition. If you are storing clothing for an extended amount of time, do routine checks every 8-12 months to make sure there is no mold or pest infestation.

Do not use vacuum sealed bags or airtight containers to store your clothes. This can promote the growth of mold. Clothing should have access to proper ventilation.

Cedar blocks are a great, all natural way to deter moths. These will offer protection for your clothes without the lingering smell of moth balls or other chemical pest control items.

When using hangers, use non-metallic hangers that wont rust. Cover all hangers with washed, non-bleached muslin fabric so the clothing has no direct contact with the hanger.

Be specific when labeling storage containers. Include the item type, the date it was stored, and any other important information particular to the clothing being stored.

Use a dehumidifier such as silica gel, (the same thing that comes with some food or medication containers) to prevent mold or mildew from forming. This is especially important when storing clothing in areas near the ocean with high humidity, such as a San Diego storage unit.

Each individual item should be separated by a sheet of acid free tissue paper. This will help to maintain the integrity of each item and prevent mildew or dye transfer between garments.

Finally, store fabrics with as few folds and creases as possible. Acid free tissue paper should be placed in between creases to prevent fiber breakage on fold lines.

How to Get More Me Time With a Clothes Airer

blogger

Let’s face it getting quality time for -you’ is often hard. So many other priorities, including the odd unexpected emergencies. Life they say is all about the work life balance. That’s all very well but when you have a family you can be a slave to the washing and tumble drying cycles. Always waiting for the next load, often this intrudes into your available space with baskets of wet laundry mixed up with the queue waiting for the dryer. A clothes airer drying system could provide the answer. It simply sweeps all your washing into a natural drying process. This can be times to take place during your evening meal and TV watching time. Quality clothes airers are made from unbreakable modern materials. Wipe clean and good looking they coordinate easily with any dcor. Ideally wall mounted so that they can expand into space and retract when not in use. Time is our most precious commodity, how we make use of it decides our quality of life. As soon as you free up your day time, making time at home you have time to do allsorts of things. Visit an art gallery or museum, stroll through an arboretum make that longed for visit to the zoo, see the new arrivals. Have some delicious food; visit neglected friends, walk along a beach, and cycle through the park. Write a story. The list is endless and when you release yourself from the modern slavery of the mechanised drying cycle you release your creativity. Clothes airers began with clothes. Referred to as the -clothes horse’ when horse transport was the thing. Floor mounted airers are ideal for the balcony, patio or spare room, they can stand in the bath to dry even the most delicate of delicates. I must admit to a love of coffee, latte to be precise. There is nothing more interesting coffee wise that sitting in a busy caf watching our multi cultural society do exactly the same thing. Lots of them on computers or taking a well earned rest after a walk. It seems everyone is after the work life balance with some down time.

Caring For Vintage Baby Clothes

blogger

Vintage gives that certain finesse and class that modern, ready-to-wear garments just do not have. Vintage clothes feature handmade details and a certain style that withstood the test of time. However, if baby clothes require special care since their wearer has very sensitive skin, caring for vintage baby clothes needs an even more delicate approach.

If you want your baby to wear a treasure family christening gown or a lovely vintage piece you picked up at an antique shop for special occasions, check first if the garments are strong enough to wash. If the fabric is musty or smells like mildew, it may not be strong enough to withstand being immersed in water. If you are not certain whether a vintage piece can be washed safely, then seek professional help.

You can also try vacuuming dirt off the clothes before washing them. Lay the garments flat and use a low-suction vacuum with a clean brush attached to the hose. Hold the vacuum about an inch above the garment.

If you have determined that the vintage garments are safe to wash, place them first on a piece of nylon net to support the delicate fibers, then soak it in cool water. You can leave the garments there for a couple of hours to loosen any dirt trapped in the clothes. Use a mild laundry soap. Many professional cleaners use Orvus Paste. It is available at many sewing and art-supply stores. Orvus Paste has cleaning and whitening properties but is gentle on fabric.

If the fabric is very delicate, do not try to work out small stains. If the fabric of the garment is sturdy, you can use a laundry soap that contains a color-safe bleach. The bleach can help light yellow age marks in the fabric as well as brighten white pieces that have not been washed for several years. You can also soak the garments in a gentle cleanser for an hour to lift the stains. For garments made of cotton, polyester, wool or rayon, use a stronger cleanser. Try soaking them in hot water first for about an hour to soften the fabric. For lace, handwash them with mild detergent. You might also want to consider using 4 to 5 denture cleaning tablets to the water to break up and pull out the stains. For silk clothes, soak them in lukewarm water with mild detergent and two denture tablets. Rub the fabric gently to lift stains.

Make sure to rinse the vintage garments thoroughly to remove all places of traces of soap. Do not wring the garments as this can damage the fabric. Always let vintage pieces air dry rather than use the heat of the dryer.

As for storage, it is very crucial that you avoid storage places that are light, dirty, damp and hot. Light and heat can cause fading in the colors of the garments and can cause damage in the fibers. An appropriate long term storage should be cool, dry and dark place with good air circulation to prevent dampness and growth of molds.

Mango Clothes A Trendy High Fashion Brand With Unique Business Principles

blogger

Let us discuss a few things about the worlds second Spanish fashion retailerMango. Although Mango and Zara have the same target market, their business model and strategies are different in many ways.

Mango was established in 1984 with the opening of their first store in Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona. One of the founding brothers, Isaak Andic, who is currently also the president, is in control of the company which is 100% family owned. Given the fact that it may enlarge the companys financial base, there are no plans of selling Mango shares in the stock market so far.

The Franchising Strategy

Mangos franchising strategy allows the company to achieve worldwide presence without shouldering the costs of store ownership. Its international expansion began in 1992 with the opening of two stores in Portugal. In 1997, half of its revenues were already coming from stores outside of Spain. This figure has reached 77% in 2008. The brand has now over 1700 points of sale in 100 different countries and is still growing.

Zero Manufacturing

Unlike Zara, the company does not manufacture any of its Mango clothes. They rely on more 140 suppliers worldwide, with each region specializing in a certain type of clothing that it can manufacture at a competitive price. With a huge number of suppliers and sales in 90 countries, it can be imagined how powerful and well-designed their supply chain information system is to support their current success and future expansion.

Communication Focus

Mangos target market is exactly defined and comprised of women who love fashion and want to wear the latest fashion trends. The company believes that 30% of the passersby are actually within their target market. This way the brands essence is not diluted and is very focused on the target market.

Unlike its other Spanish rival, Zara, Mango is actively focused on its image, communications, campaigns, PR events and celebrities to support its fashion presence and promote the brand.

Celebrities are the center of each communication campaign of their Mango clothes fashion line. They are the best people to embody the brands essence which include Penelope Cruz, Monica Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and newcomer Olivia Palermo from the MTV show The City.

Mango also uses events like the Mango Fashion Awards to recognize its fashion sense. John Paul Gaultier was made chairman of its third edition which featured young designers from different parts of the world to compete in a fashion design contest. This kind of initiative is both interesting and exciting in the sense that it builds the framework for the future of ready-to-wear fashion design, and it also paves the way for the discovery and development of young designers.

Mango has a fashion blog called Keep the Beat that it utilizes to keep in touch with its customers and take every opportunity to promote and market the brand.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that Mango has its own distinctive positioning and strategy that is supported by a supply chain that needs to be as lean and fast as possible.