The Economic Crisis Making It Hard To Buy Clothes? No
The Economic Crisis Making It Hard To Buy Clothes? No
Regardless of the specifics of fashion, without a doubt the media dictate to us the clothes that are ‘in’ and the clothes that are ‘out’. The media have been responsible for many fashion trends along the way, from the ridiculous tie-dye fashion of the 1980’s to the wondrous skinny jeans of the noughties, the media has the power to make or break any look. They dictate to us the designer women’s clothing we should be wearing, and how we should accessorise, simply by ridiculing a celeb in a certain style of clothing, and can decide which style will be ‘in’ or ‘out’ faster than you can say Jack Robinson.
With all the doom and gloom surrounding us, concerning the state of the economy, we have all been rudely awakened to our excessive spending habits of recent years; designer clothes have been the bread and butter of our fashion senses – making sure, we have developed a taste for the high-life.
So what now? Now that we must rein our savings in, where does that leave us, and our craving for designer women’s clothes? Well, it does not leave us out in the cold as we may have assumed, rather, it just means that we have to change the way in which we shop for clothes.
Regardless if your tastes are somewhat refined, and you only choose clothes by the most highbrow clothing designers around, the economic crisis will not have too much impact on the clothes that you wear – the only influence it will have is on where you purchase them.
The best place to look for designer women’s clothes, for those of us wishing to save money, is online. The competition between various clothing retailers is immense, when competing in the global market that is the internet. Retailers need to offer the best prices that they possibly can on all their ranges, including designer clothes – great news for shoppers!
If you love your designer clothes, but can no longer afford the prices offered by real-life shopping centres, simply change your habits and start shopping online. Not only will you get the best prices, you will also find the task a lot more convenient, being able to shop at a time of your choosing, rather than being constrained by a shops opening hours.
Perhaps you are reluctant to purchase clothes online because you are not able to try them on. Sure, this is a worry, but most clothing retailers offer a returns policy, if they do not fit, you simply send them back – no worries. Occasionally, there may be a fee for returning clothes, but this is negligible and no more than you would probably spend on parking at your local shopping centre.
And so, the media can throw images at us of all the must-have designer women’s clothing, in the hope of disheartening us further, but it will not work. Those of us, who are well …
Do Mix and Match With Your Cufflinks
Do Mix and Match With Your Cufflinks
If your lifestyle requires you to wear decent attire most of the time, you probably have a handful of different shirts in your wardrobe. And most likely you have worn each of them a couple of times or so until they become quite familiar. Unless they are your regular uniform, what you can do to get a new look is to wear a new shirt, that will, of course, cost you. However, you have a great option though, especially if you’d rather not want to spend at the moment. A creative yet cheaper way to get a new look is to accessorize by wearing cufflinks.
With cufflinks, you can make old shirts look new and exciting. Even if your colleagues have seen those so many times, your cufflinks surely won’t go unnoticed. You can still have a new look even with your old shirts on. This means that you don’t need to shell out that much money to buy a new shirt, as most cufflinks are cheaper. And because they’re generally affordable, you may also want to buy a couple of pairs together. In fact, cufflinks have become essential accessories of fashionable, well-dressed men and many go on with building their collection.
Cufflinks make indispensable additions to your wardrobe. Almost instantly, these trinkets will surely add dazzle and spice to ordinary shirts, and make them look like new. If worn appropriately, they never fail to give a good impression to the bearer. But another great thing about cufflinks is that you can mix and match them with other shirts, which doubles fun.
Cufflinks come in many designs and shapes, which give you a wide array of choices. And not a few of this will suit a number of shirts. This means that you can pair different cufflink designs with different shirts, and by thus, creating new combinations each time – again, value for your money. Wearing cufflinks and matching them effectively maximizes your wardrobe. Not only do you utilize your cufflinks, but you also get to wear your old clothes again. In this case, having several pairs will be most practical.
Cufflinks are most effective when worn appropriately. The general rule when matching cufflinks to shirts is to make sure it is color-coordinated with the shirt. You can start with classic cufflinks. Most designs are simple and their colors are bold and solid. They’re generally easiest to match. When you’ve quite learn the ropes of good matching, eventually your choices will depend more on your preferences, hence also showing your personality.
It’s crucial that the cufflinks look good on the shirt. A mismatched pair would only ruin the positive image you want to project. Each man could have a unique sense of fashion. But even if we share different fashion tastes, there are certain rules in fashion that you should not break. And it would certainly be of great help for you to know the basics. It’s a fun talent to develop which …
3 Victorian Era Contributions to Modern Culture
When you think of the Victorian Era, you may think of elegance and grace. This time in history, named after Queen Victoria, also saw plenty of history’s darker moments and movements. The Victorians were a creative lot, and they invented many things, from tools to sports, with which you are probably familiar. Here are three Victorian Era contributions to modern culture.
Equestrian Arts
Before superhighways and turbocharged engines, there was horse power. Humans rode horses for many centuries before the Victorians, but their love of the equestrian arts took the connection between humans and horses to another level altogether. Horses were an important part of Victorian society, and strict “laws” and social mores governed behavior with and around horses. This included specific attire for both men and women.
Horses were more than essential transportation. They were part of people’s social standings. Sometimes, people were identified by their horse before being remembered for themselves. The equestrian arts are still prized today, and quality equestrian gear is always in demand.
Modern Christmas Celebrations
The Victorians developec customes people still use to celebrate the holiday season leading up to December. Queen Victoria’s beloved spouse Prince Albert was a German prince when he married her, and she brought many of the traditional practices of his native country into Buckingham Palace, from whence they spread into the rest of the world. Christmas carols, wreaths, a focus on family, and beautiful cards come to modern societies courtesy of the Victorians.
Sports
The Victorians liked to play. Do you enjoy baseball? Thank the Victorians, the Irish, and continental Europe for contributing to this game prized by many modern Americans through folk games that developed into cricket and gradually were used to create baseball. Croquet was a delicate women’s sport enjoyed in the Victorian Era so that everyone could get in on the action.
Many elements of modern life were developed by the Victorians. People still prize and practice habits from playing to celebrating created by Victorian society. That era planted created seeds that continue to sprout.
…
Promote Your Business on a Shirt – A Promotional Stress Balls Shirt That Is
Promote Your Business on a Shirt – A Promotional Stress Balls Shirt That Is
Your company’s promotional giveaway products should be interesting and fun for a wide variety of different current and potential customers. The best promotional giveaway products are easy to ship, useful and can easily be customised to tell your target customers about your business. A great way to promote your business is on a fun promotional stress toy shaped like a t-shirt.
The unique shape is a fun twist on the promotional giveaway t-shirt, but is a one size fits all option. Promotional t-shirt shaped stress toys are small and light in weight, which means that your trade show representatives can easily bring a large number of them when traveling.
The promotional stress balls are made even more cost effective when you purchase them from suppliers that deal directly with the Far East manufacturers. Most suppliers purchase through wholesalers. If you can find a supplier who imports these eye-catching promotional products you could save up to 50%.
High quality promotional stress toys are cost effective promotional tools. If the promotional stress balls you give away are of high quality, they can be used by your potential and current customers for months if not years. This means that dozens or more family members, colleagues, and friends will see your company’s name too. These people will then associate it with their friend, relative, or colleague for a positive correlation.
A promotional t-shirt stress reliever should be of high quality, so your target customers can enjoy it for a long time. The longer your promotional t-shirt shaped stress ball sits on someone’s desk or office shelf, the more people will see it. This means that your company’s name will become well known by even more people. If this is the effect of just one promotional t-shirt stress ball, imagine how great the effect can be of giving away hundreds or even thousands of promotional t-shirt stress balls?
Your company can take advantage of both sides of the t-shirt shaped stress reliever to promote your company. Like a traditional promotional t-shirt, you can use one side of the promotional t-shirt stress toy to display your company’s logo or name. The other side of the promotional t-shirt stress toy can be emblazoned with your company’s contact information.
Putting your website address on one side of your promotional t-shirt stress ball makes it easy for customers to contact you for more information. You may also want to consider including your phone number for easy reference.…
The Best Payment Processors to Accept Payment on My Website
The Best Payment Processors to Accept Payment on My Website
According to a recent survey, Flagship Merchant Services was rated as the number one payment processor for online payment acceptance facilities. They were followed by Merchant Warehouse, goEMerchant Merchant Accounts, Chase Paymentech, Merchant One, The Transaction Group, Merchant Accounts Express, First Data, Gotmerchant, and Electronic Transfer Inc to complete the top 10 payment processors in that order for 2010.
The review and results were based on the following factors:
1. Ratings
2. Application Process
3. Fees
4. Transaction Fees
5. Features
6. Fraud Protection
7. Accepted Credit Cards
8. Help/Support
1. Ratings: Every company was rated on the following parameters: average approval rating, cost per month (based on the reviewer’s own formula), start-up cost, account setup time, customer service, Internet-based features, and P.O.S or Swiper-based.
2. Application Process: All the payment processors except Merchant Warehouse, The Transaction Group, Merchant Accounts Express, Gotmerchant, and Electronic Transfer Inc. provide digital application. Average approval rating varies in the range of 95% to 99% amongst the top 10 and account setup time is in the range of 0 to 3 days.
3. Fees: Monthly fees are of 3 types: gateway fees, which are in the range of $9.00 to $19.95, statement fees from $5.00 to $10.00, and monthly minimum fees from $15.00 to $25.00.
4. Transaction Fees: The lowest Internet-based fees of $0.20 are charged by Merchant One and The Transaction Group, while lowest retail fee of $0.19 is charged by Merchant Accounts Express.
5. Features: Features, like virtual terminal, payment gateway, merchant account, P.O.S credit card swiper, e-check, shopping cart, and recurring billing, are commonly found across all processors. Account clearing is done within 1 to 3 days.
6. Fraud Protection: Fraud verification features, like address verification, real-time processing, SSL, and CVV2, are provided by every processing merchant.
7. Credit Cards Accepted: All the leading credit cards are accepted by these payment processing companies. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and debit cards are just some of the examples.
8. Help and Support: It is very important to choose the right payment processing company by the kind of post-sale service they provide. Companies like Merchant Warehouse, goEMerchant Accounts, and First Data score very high on parameters like 24/7 support, toll-free phone numbers, e-mail, fax, and live chat (online).
Companies that have topped the latest survey are generally found to have a paperless application process, approval rating of 98% or more, several gateway options, no annual contracts in some cases, and lower transaction fees.…
Ladies’ Formal Shirts – Style Them Up!
Ladies’ Formal Shirts – Style Them Up!
With the ever growing professionalism, the trend of formal dress shirts have become a common sight at the offices these days. Since the ladies formal shirts are known for its crisp manly style and not something most of the ladies look forward to, hence, here are a few tips and ideas which can make the formal shirts interesting and fun clothing.
Check out four different ways to style a formal dress shirt:
Unbutton the Shirt
The simplest way to ease out the stiffness of a formal shirt is to leave the collar holes unbuttoned. The first two buttons below the collar button can also be left unbuttoned to soften the strict stiff look and accentuate the feminine in such formal outfit.
Play with Colors
Since the style is restricted in a formal shirt, try to play with colors to add a fashion element in the basic bland shirts. Go for feminine pastel shades like pink, blue, mint green etc. In fact, if the dress code allows, then one can also try design patterns like polka dots and stripes.
Feminine Detailed Shirts
The best way to enhance femininity in a formal wear is by picking up shirts which has cute feminine details like puffy sleeves, ruffled ends, pleats etc. Such shirts serve the dual purpose of being formal wears and maintaining the feminine style gracefully.
Accessorize the Right Way
Teaming up the formals with the right kind of accessory can brighten up the simple uninteresting formals to a great extent. It is also a nice way to distinguish oneself from the peers. A chunky necklace or a cocktail ring can work wonders for a formal set of clothing. Moreover belts can be a great way to put together a loose shirt and make a style statement simultaneously.…
Designing Shirts For Any Occasion
Designing Shirts For Any Occasion
When a company advertises something to the general public, it often uses advertising tactics that consumers and customers will generally follow. With clubs and organizations, the same general tactics are used for success. Different clubs and groups will often times use custom t-shirts to attract members and followers. Businesses, in the work place, also tend to use logo polo shirt styles for their employees and company name. In schools, and businesses alike, there is a lot of general representation of groups, clubs, members, and other teams who want to physically spread the word about what they do and how they do it.
Sports teams are probably the number one user of custom shirts and advertising spirit wear that are used around schools and community all over the nation. Sports teams have the most spirit in the stands and the most advertisement with different game nights, community events, and different things to do during the season; there is practically a new t-shirt to wear for every single event. School sports teams are more so guilty of this verdict but professional sports teams always seem to be sporting the advertisement merchandise as well in many stores available to the fans who watch them play.
Often times, many big name companies that sell popular soft drinks or popular cell phone service will often advertise their company by using t-shirts or other forms of clothing such as hat or buttons to promote their business. When people wear these articles of clothing around town, they are really simply promoting that business and the company is getting even more advertisement out of a simple t-shirt creation. People will often wear a t-shirt for a company and then when they are out and about with family or friends that can spread the word about the company by word of mouth when others ask about the shirt they are wearing. It is simple tactics that keep companies like that popular.
Though, businesses should utilize the different methods of advertisement such as internet, television and newspaper or magazine ads. It can be really helpful to advertise through people, as people will often spread the word very easily from one to another. When one person experiences great service, there is a good chance that they will ultimately tell a friend, or maybe two, which in turn only helps you. Advertisement is a difficult concept to master but with some unique techniques and a few different tactical plans, your business can ultimately thrive, even in a bad and seemingly stuck economy.
Custom pieces of useful tools from any company such as pens, hats, paper, or even shirts or buttons are often really interesting to customers when a company is advertising. Companies have learned to use useful things in order to promote their business and ultimately it has really worked well. Advertisement for your company does not have to be brain surgery and it can really be easier than it is made out to be. Getting to …
3 Tips To Buy The Right Golf Shirt For You
3 Tips To Buy The Right Golf Shirt For You
If you are going to buy some shirts to wear while playing on the golf course then you should realize that you can’t just wear anything you want on a golf course. It is very important on a golf course, more so than in any other sport, what kind of attire you wear. It might not be as important as your golf balls or golf clubs, but still it is part of the game and the golf culture – and everyone should respect that. Your golf shirt can make you feel confident about yourself and also give a mental edge over your opponents. If you are wearing a nice golf shirt people will realize you take the game seriously and respect the game, and in return people on the course respect you. On the other hand if your golf shirt is inappropriate it has an adverse affect on the image of you in other peoples mind, while also making you uncomfortable on the course. So it is important that you keep in mind these tips whenever you are buying a shirt for playing golf.
Golf Shirt Buying Tip #1 – Always know the regulations of the golf course where you play regularly. Though in recent years golf clubs have become less strict on their clothing guidelines, letting people express themselves more and allowing them the freedom to wear what they want. But still there are some rules that are meant to be respected and the right knowledge will help you in avoiding any potential embarrassment on the course.
Golf Shirt Buying Tip #2 – This tip doesn’t have anything to do with golfing etiquette or culture, but it is related to what impact a golf shirt can have on your game. Yes even your attire does affect your game one way or the other depending on what you are wearing. You should wear shirts that don’t cause any discomfort to you while playing and swinging the golf club, and that suit according to the weather conditions you will be playing in. For example, if you are playing in very hot conditions having a thick shirt would hurt your golf game. These days there are golf shirts which are specially designed for playing in hot weather.
Golf Shirt Buying Tip #3 – Show your originality and style by wearing personalized shirts or shirts of only one color. Most of the local golf stores and online golf stores do print personalized golf shirts. It just enhances your image and personality on the course, making you feel confident and good about you and this will hopefully transfer over to your golf game. Also, by wearing only one color can give you a certain feeling you’re after. A famous example of this is Tiger Woods who always wears a red golf shirt on the final day of a golf tournament.
So these are the three tips that you should always remember whenever you are …
The World of Eco Fabrics
The World of Eco Fabrics
Fashion is one area where people are reluctant to sacrifice style and comfort and many of us that try and think of the environment when we shop often neglect it when it comes to clothes shopping.
And when you consider the hemp clothes and recycled materials that eco clothes have traditionally been made from, it is of no surprise, we all want to look our best and feel as comfortable as we can.
However, over recent years there have been some great new eco friendly fabrics and materials that have been turned into clothes, towels and linen which are not only every bit as stylish and comfortable as regularly materials but they are also sustainable and their use does not damage the environment.
Organic Cotton
Many of us now eat organic food because of concerns about the environment or our health. But the chemicals used to prevent pests and encourage crop growth are also used when growing clothing crops like cotton.
Herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals are regularly sprayed on cotton plantations to maximise yield but these chemicals seep back into the eco system and could cause environmental damage for years to come.
However, organic cotton is now becoming increasingly common and is used to make all the same sorts of garments as regular cotton, from organic cotton T-shirts to even organic baby clothes.
Bamboo
A fascinating material bamboo is not only one of the most sustainable materials used in garment making it is also one of the most functional. Bamboo is a grass and grows rapidly taking just a few weeks to replenish a whole field once it has been harvested.
But bamboo is also an excellent material for clothing. It is thermal sensitive, allowing the skin to breath and will keep you cool in the summer whilst still keeping you warm in the winter. It also has anti-bacterial properties and is ideal for active wear.
Natural fibres
If it’s natural, it’s probably eco and there are no better eco fabrics that natural fibres like wool. A pure wool duvet is one of those little comforts that make bed time so pleasurable and as wool continues to grow on a sheep’s back once it has been sheared it is also highly sustainable.…
Designing Custom Shirts 101
Designing Custom Shirts 101
Going to a rock concert and want to show off your love for the band? Attending a demonstration and want to spread the message far and wide? Or are you just one of those people who are crazy about customized merchandise? Get your message printed on your shirts! Yes, that’s right, your very own customized t shirts!
Almost every one is familiar with this undying trend. These kind of shirts are never out of fashion (if you know what you are doing!).
So what does it take to get yourself a custom t shirt? Pretty simple. First, get yourself some art. Search the web, the local graffiti alleys, browse through some of your photo albums or if you want to get really original, design something yourself.
When that is done, find yourself a custom shirt printer. You can find a lot of them all over the internet and after a bit of snooping around, you are sure to find something that’s right for you.
But there is a lot that you need to know before sending your designs in for printing. One, the designs that you create or find would have been designed in the RGB environment. RGB means red-blue-green. This environment is the standard for digital designing. The ‘gamut’ (set of colors in a certain color space) of RGB environments is possible of producing numerous combinations of colors, whereas CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black) gamut can produce also a numerous combination of colors but rather different ones than RGB. The former is used in printing applications and therefore your digital designs would look far off on the shirts you would get it printed on than its digital copy.
To attain the best results, make sure you work in a CMYK environment while designing your shirts. Through this technique, you will be able to obtain closer results.
Almost every image rendering and design software has this technology built in. Play around with your software a little bit and you are sure to stumble upon the relevant options to change your color environment.
The second important piece of information that you need to know is the requirements of your printers. They all have different requirements as to which kind of a digital design is the most compatible with their equipment. Mostly there are two kinds, vector and pixel based. The former is the format most printers are comfortable with. Check with your printers, they will let you know which file types are the best for them to work with.
Get your custom shirts on and show your true colors because this kind of fashion is never out of style.…