If you are making a new custom set of cufflinks as a “go with” rather than aiming for historical accuracy, obtain a quantity of Swarovski crystals.  They are available with flat backs, in novel shapes and also in adhesive and sew-able forms. The Swarovski Rose is a popular round shape that can fill the holes where round cabochons once flourished. If you run a tailor or seamstress shop, they are more durable and easily cleanable for your creations.  Swarovski crystals may be cleaned with a soft cloth, or with mild soapy water. Of course, any findings, fasteners, or backing fabric must be considered when attempting to clean any item, but the crystals themselves clean easily.

It goes without saying that one wouldn’t strip Grandma’s entire demi parure or Great-Grandpa’s tie tacks with crystals, but if you come across a piece that is merely an empty stoneless shell destined for the scrap or crafter heap, it is a thought to consider to gussy it up for everyday use.

Blouse House is one of the rare plus size clothiers that manufacture their garments in the US, offering a range of plus size tops, dresses and pants in sizes up to 7x. The styles are fairly conservative. You won’t see any body bearing pinup fashions here, but you will fine staples appropriate for the office as well as patterned tops and swimwear.

Fashion Tips for Sizes 3x and Up:

• Go up a size if the bust, waist or hips are too large for the garment measurements, even if the garment fits perfectly elsewhere. Take the garment in an inch or two at the areas of smaller measurement to avoid volumes of extra fabric. If it is the right measurements but the button pulls very slightly in the bust and the darts don’t lay at the right spot, the brassiere could be the wrong size rather than the shirt

• Plus size tunics are more forgiving in the bust and stomach. To carry off the look without looking like you are wearing a tent, the sleeves must be tailored to fit. Hem up cuffs, move a button, or even take the garment in at the shoulder seam. A detailed collar such as a mandarin collar often flatters more than a wide round neckline.

• Horizontal stripes are universally shunned, although a thin pinstripe that does not appear until the viewer is close does not distort the body. A bold woman can pull off wide bold stripes if it absolutely fits a flamboyant personality, but not on top AND bottom…that goes for anyone of any size.

• Even if you are plus sized, don’t fool yourself that you don’t have a basic body shape. Not all plus size women are apple shaped. Follow other fit recommendations for hourglass, apple or pear figures and look for those cuts. A tunic that hangs from the bust may equalize an apple figure or a very straight figure, but does not flatter an hourglass-shaped woman. To create shape, creatively use layers or belts or choose garments with a tailored waist.

Via: Wpromote

Its amazing what can be done with just one shoe purchase or the click of the “Like” button. It seems that internet campaigns are replacing the old fashioned act of going door to door to neighbors to collect funds for a cause. It seems so much easier to raise funds for a cause when the individual would purchase the clothing anyway, but might choose to buy sooner for the cause. What do you think about promoting a cause with your wares

One might say that Tom’s is a large operation and “my little shop needs to be known as the ‘best kept secret.’ I could never handle it.” Well, it is all relative. If you did just a little to increase your linkage and presence, a little shop that sells 3 items a month could sell even 10 items a month…you never know!

Despite this obvious gap in the holiday tack, nothing delights your Uncle Mike or Aunt Gert like cheap eyeglasses, apparently with Santa Claus, reindeer or snowflakes on them. They are slightly less subtle than an Ugly Christmas Sweater as you have to be in close proximity, such as in the next seat on the zeppelin. Merely the eyeglass arms contain the highly nuanced scene — as highly nuances of banging out “Chestnuts on an Open Fire” on Aunt Tillie’s Hammond with a pipe wrench. If that’s your thing.

A true barometer of this trend is the annual family gathering of the VintageGent’s, Gent-ettes, and the not-so-vintage Modern Tots at the grandparent’s home. The family has gotten so large and stylish over the years that the only thing given are chocolate dinosaurs, prayers and well wishes of holiday cheer and reverence for the birth of Our Lord and a heavy dose of irony. However, the irony of giving tinsel and cans of snow are lost on the tots who never saw it all the first time. If my astute eyes pick out any of these jewels from the faces of the crowd, it is a sign that we are on the cusp of the biggest trend in eyewear, or we are merely on the back end, that they are so out that they are in.

(Photo compliments of ZenniOptical.com – Where you can see an entire gallery of spectacles for every holiday.)

Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but while gentleman sometimes have an advantage, as many were made for the male form originally, the designs are sometimes equally unflattering to both genders. Scrubs for men are often limited to plain blue, as the patterns are frequently populated by kittens and pastel unicorns. For women, the baggy profile make most ladies look formless.

Next time you look into buying scrubs online, take a gander at Blue Sky Scrubs (On the web at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/). The contrast-stitching on the pockets gives the plain designs some visual interest. The scrubs come in both male and female sizing scales. There is also a fitted top for ladies. It is not inappropriate or revealing in any way. It merely eliminates some of the superfluous materials under the arms that create a boxy silhouette. In the medical profession, extra fabric is not necessarily modest. It is a safety hazard when flapping sleeves get caught.

Upon inspection, there is little to no Feedback action. Either users are not ingrained with the courtesy of leaving other users feedback stars, or the site just has little action. The site itself appears to be in the early stages as some pages, such as FAQ, are not quite filled in yet. Users do have to register to flip through the item catalog. Be persistent, as almost always only four items show up. Click on subsequent page numbers to browse the entire category.

The full potential of the site lies on the concept of users having a comfort level of bartering in “T-Bills” that only work on this site, versus receiving money. It will not attract folks hoping buy and sell to raise some cash, but it will attract users who truly just want to rid themselves of a few items. There is great potential for an established group to barter, such as a special interest hobby club, a parents group, or an association to park their people there and make it their own. Hosting a clothing swap sometimes is hard to get together because of conflicting schedules and an uneven representation of sizes. If the extended network swapped with credits, everyone would be held accountable to delivering.

In the meantime, I’ll be watching to determine if this is a worthy place to score a fashion find.

Did anyone at the ‘Daily push through the crowds?

No matter what the style is that everyone has to have, on someone that it doesn’t quite suit, it looks as if a hat, tie or dress is coming at you from down the hall, rather than someone cutting out a fashionable figure. When someone stops saying, “You look great,” and replaces it “Here comes that dress again.,” or “Drive by again. You can’t miss that suit,” then you have to do a bit of a review. Though I have some friends that can rock it, but one bit of feeling you are wearing someone else’s skin and it just doesn’t work. The VintageGent=ette’s petite frame and seemingly opposite skin undertone than the current colors that are flattered was overwhelmed. Still, I do have a hankering for some scarves, ties and stationary if the afterglow, after crowd scavenger hunt is a success. The only disappointment is that there are many, many items Made in China, but that seems par for the course.

Are you, too, dreaming of zig zags but are not quite got the gumption to shell out lots of cash on eBay? Look no further than items inspired by Missoni the first time around. One of the most coveted items was and is the Missoni throw blanket. Well, feast a gander here. At left, is the true Target throw. Next to it are several vintage afghans from the 1970s with the undoubted trend for zigzags created the first time around when Missoni was something very new:

The three blankets to the right were made by hand in the 1970s and are available from Etsy sellers right now, unless they sell out of course. I was not able to see and touch the Missoni blanket, but can say some of these undiscovered hand made wonders were usually made to stand the test of time, long after trends change.

From left to right (Target – as much as $177.50 on eBay, Afghan from HammerAndZipper – $85.00, Afghan by BytheWaySide -  $40.00, Crocheted Zig Zag from KPDreams – $34.99).

Sure, you can go out and buy vintage Missoni clothing, but if you find that untouchable, here is a way to get the look in your home without feeling you are buying designer knockoffs. Handmade pieces from yesteryear may be inspired by the trends of the day but they are truly one of  kinds. Just instead of it being draped over a settee at Grandma’s house, they’ll be on the beds of trendsters and fashionistas, if that term isn’t passe.

The blog of Street Shirts, an online UK t-shirt printing boutique, touts gray as the “new black” this fall, at least in the world of t-shirts. For the ladies, they suggest a black blazer, leather leggings and heels. For day, ripped jeans and espadrilles are the answer–sort of a rock and roll look.

For men:

The best combo: pre-washed jeans, a classic gray tee or a customized hoodie and a pair of Converse sneakers.

Why, aside from sites and blogs and magazines that weddings, or are GQ, do folks assume that men are slobs? Not for nothing–vintage Converse are very collectible and classic and are perfect in some circumstances, and some hoodies these days run $40-300 and can be permanently pressed. That being so, why is it always assumed that for smart casual fashion, hoodies are the way to go if you are under 30? Or under 50? What happened to a classic cut all-American blue jean with a white or gray T, without trying to pretend its formal clothing, yet not also trying to pretend its gym wear? If you must, what about a leather jacket or a blazer? But not a formal one.

At any rate, speaking of t-shirts, StreetShirts has a robust service where an artiste is not limited to the “front center, middle of the chest” placements of designs a la the 1980s t-shirt shops. For your band, or to promote your clothing store, you can actually create those funky off center looks. Want a blank shirt with only your design in the lower right? Done. When you have that flexibility, a T can be an artistic expression and not merely a logo shout out.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but while gentleman sometimes have an advantage, as many were made for the male form originally, the designs are sometimes equally unflattering to both genders. Scrubs for men are often limited to plain blue, as the patterns are frequently populated by kittens and pastel unicorns–that is, unless you LIKE smiling kitties and pastel unicorns. They are really not as compulsory for nursing scrubs as you would imagine. For women, the baggy profile make most ladies look formless.

Next time you look to buy scrubs online, take a gander at Blue Sky Scrubs. The contrast-stitching on the pockets gives the plain designs some visual interest. The scrubs come in both male and female sizing scales. There is also a fitted top for ladies (Take a peep here: http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/) It is not inappropriate or revealing in any way. It merely eliminates some of the superfluous materials under the arms that create a boxy silhouette. In the medical profession, extra fabric is not necessarily modest. It is a safety hazard when flapping sleeves get caught.

I don’t normally gush over baby and toddler clothes…but look at the pinstriped pocketed onesie, at right. It could be worn with a smart pair of flat-front pants, jeans, or….just as a onesie. The pockets and lay-down collar show signs that the Mini-Gent might just have the makings of the bigger, tailored VintageGent to come many years down the line. A nice departure from ironic Che Guevera or KISS onesies, no?

Vintage children’s clothing is so hard to find. Kids just wore the heck out of it, and the only things parents or collectors seemed to have held onto is frilly little girl dresses that don’t really scream a particular time frame, or of course, christening gowns and boy’s suits. The every day clothes is something that parents who like to dress in vintage clothing can’t really find for their kids, unless its something that is from the 80s. Some of the items here have some styling that would definitely appeal to this demographic of parent who are tired of baggy pants (except those that are baggy to cover up a diaper). If the boy on the right was wearing a white instead of a tan/ecru shirt, I would say it is a bit guyabara inspired in a way.

The Tea Collection can be ordered online directly from the manufacturer. Also look for shoes, coordinated outfits and separates for boys, girls at children’s boutiques, such as Giggle, with locations in several major cities, Hip Baby Gear in Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts. Also spy them at Bloomingdales, Nordstroms and Saks.

So, if your idea of “casual wear” is wearing fleece pajama pants to the mall, regardless of gender or state of personal health, you may want to bypass the entire idea. However, if your idea of sportswear is leaving the pretention of opera scarves and monogrammed pocket squares at home on casual days, but not quite diving in the “somewhat dirty” pile of clothes for your day’s wardrobe, then maybe you’ll agree on the watch’s classification. Or not.