Casually doing a bit of window shopping a few years back in one of Italy’s ‘oh so fashionable’ little lane ways, I noticed that pointy toe stiletto’s were everywhere. Glancing down at my round toe Mary Jane’s I’d just purchased before leaving Australia, I was feeling both repulsed and anxious. Repulsed because I thought pointy toe stiletto’s were ugly, and anxious because I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be forking out the lire to purchase them. Two weeks later, I had succumbed. The trend had gotten the better of me, despite how ridiculous I looked when the heels got caught in the uneven Italian pavement every time I walked down the street (which was about every three steps).

So what was it that changed my mind? I believe the answer lies in the hands of, well, a handful of people called ‘Trend Analysts’ AKA The Fashion Police. Their job: to serve and protect the commercial interests of fashion companies across the globe. How? By dissecting the public’s psychology of what will be the next trend will be by way of extensive travel and shopping expeditions (those bastards). These ‘trend analysts’ then report back to analysis companies, who then go on to consolidate their findings in industry magazines and websites for the use of fashion companies.

I’d like to say that fashion companies use analysis companies because they’re lazy, but it’s certainly not the case. They’re just scared to make a mistake (can you imagine manufacturing 1000 pairs of high waisted skinny leg jeans only to find that everyone was going for low rise bootleg? Ebay auctioning them is NOT a solution here). There are also unbelievable time constraints between the seasons. So most designers design their range around what they are fed, and if they’re lucky they get to travel around Europe and Japan to buy garments to ‘take inspiration from’. This is why we get a slight variation of the trend theme every season; all our designers are shopping in the same store in London! If you want to see something really interesting, just observe the women with suitcases in major department stores buying size ten (when they are size 12) at the start of every season. Ask them what they do for a living.

Can you see we are at the hands of a conspiracy!? We need to take action. I urge you to burn your pleather Fendi bags! Let’s make up our own trends! I myself am going to knit and extended version of the merkin (If you don’t know what one is, I advise you Google it because I’m certainly not about to explain). Yep, it’s going to be a toasty winter for me rugged up in my black merkin cardigan…

Which brings me back to my original thought at the beginning of this piece (merkins also have the power to bring people back to what they were originally thinking). What was it that made me buy those pointy toe high heels I now so dearly cherish? I believe it comes down to one word: agreement. Agreement by trend analysts, agreement by industry magazines, agreement by designers, agreement in fashion magazines, agreement throughout the stores, and finally, agreement by you. Agreement creates our fashion reality. Not always bad, but within the safety of agreement comes a lack of innovation. And that’s why we need those quirky fashion revolutionaries; so we can steel their ideas, manufacture them times a million, and sell the homogenized version back to you. Back to square one. We again enter into a state of agreement. Weird world we’re living in ain’t it? Now where did I put my knitting needles and my merkin ‘wool’ supply..?

Davina deWitts runs a clothing accessories store, with stock from Australia’s most talented
designers. She also believes she’s a social commentator, finding intriguing what most consider banal. If however you would
like to indulge her, read Fashion Blog.

The cowboy belt buckle did not originate until the turn of the 20th Century. Though the thought of collecting antique belt buckles of the famous cowboys who rode the ranges of the Wild West is nice, the reality of it was the cowboys usually wore suspenders or buckles that were derived from military friction buckles. It was Hollywood and the Western Movies that gave rise to what is known today as the Western Belt Buckle.

From the first half of the century there were famouse names in the manufacture of belt buckles. These include: Don Ellis, Michael Srour, Al Pecetti, William Nelson, John McCabe, Les Garica, Edward H. Bohlin, and Robert Schaezlein. Today there are many producers of custom buckle makers but these pioneers of the industry are the ones that are most prized for collections.

Some of the most popular belt buckle styles include the patriotic flag belt buckle; the American eagle is another common symbol on belt buckles and a very good seller for manufactures. The eagle design varies greatly, sometimes depicting the eagle in flight, or just the eagle’s head. Another popular design is the cowboy riding the bronco, and the Confederate Flag.

Smaller belt buckles of less than 3 ” inches across are popular with women where men usually prefer belt buckles that are larger than 3 inches across. These are typically what people think of when they hear “Cowboy Buckles”. Many of these are rodeo or stock show trophy buckles.

The motifs, designs, and patterns on the larger belt buckles considerably diverse. Some are simply for ornamentation, for example it may feature a pair of gold cowboy boots, a horseshoe design, a horse’s head, and the list goes on.

Smaller buckles often have more elaborate pictures to compliment their size. Horse cameos are predominantly popular, as are illustrations of the western lifestyle, such as a miniature cowboy on a bucking bronco.

The western belt buckle is both rustic and stylish and a good bet for any collector.

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Read more at http://www.best-belt-buckles.info

While a new video game console can bring your family entertainment for many hours, picking the wrong one due to bad information can lead to serious disappointment. There is a baffling number of choices on the game console market. The information you are looking for can be very difficult to find, but you will find there’s a lot of misinformation out there.

First off, here are some questions that you need to ask yourself and you should keep in mind while reading:

-What are the types of games that interest you?
Are you an HDTV owner, or do you intend to buy one?

What type of budget do you have to work with?

Do you prefer multi-player games, or single-player games?
Do you currently have any of the old game systems?

There was a period in time where one could not find a game system that cost more. Fortunately, prices are lower now than at that time. Now priced at four hundred US dollars (contingent upon which style you purchase)this price is more comparable. Prices change constantly so chech the latest games consoles prices online.

The PS3 is an experience, it is more than just a game console. It has the capability to be a Blu-Ray, CD, or DVD player; as well as; it can upgrade DVDs to HD. Blu-Ray is now the leading high-definition film format; thus, if you’ve got an HDTV but no HD movie player, a PS3 might be a great means of getting both your movie and your gaming needs met in just one place. If you aren’t viewing Blu-ray movies in high definition, you won’t see any better grade of the programs. This feature doesn’t translate well for use with a standard definition set.

While the PS2 controller is nearly identical to it, this unique controller utilizes a motion sensing technology known as Sisaxis. The controller, which can be tilted in six different directions, is able to sense which of the directions to which it has been tilted. The results vary from game to game based on well this has been incorporated. Doing it well means you’ll gain lots of experience, doing it wrong means you’ll be nothing more than a problem. The vibration feature is missing from the Sixaxis controller. The newly released DualShock 3 controller with vibration will not be included with newly purchased PS3s until June 12, 2008.

You will find a lot of the same games for Xbox 360 and PS3.

When broadband users can be found viewing the fast internet access landscape broadband users will feel overwhelmed. The British market is full with broadband providers supplying tons of high speed broadband packages with varies upload and download speeds and download allocations.

Internet users might well wish to review each and every broadband organisation directly to discover what broadband packages they give, upload and download speeds the company provide and the company’s conditions and terms. If potential customers desire to uncover this high speed internet info in 1 site you may want to view an internet comparison site.

If clients currently have an internet corporation and want to seek a faster corporation then nothing should deter you from using another broadband firm, especially if a monetary saving is to be made. Internet comparison websites may be able to show surfers through the procedure and what steps may be taken.

When you yourself are researching for the very best offer price may not be the main deciding factor. Many high speed internet access organisations will advertise an extraordinarily low entry package to reel budding customers over to them. When high speed packages are incredibly low in money please make sure you identify what broadband speed the broadband service provider will provide, what download allocation you will be provided with and also the terms and conditions of the contract. The download allocation is important as legions of internet providers can charge you per Gigabyte that browsers go over, so if your internet package has an 8 Gigabyte download allocation and clients download ten scary movies that month, you are more than likely to have downloaded 10GB (i.e. one GB per movie) - which is 2GB’s more than your allocation, and that is 2GB worth of internet downloads the supplier might well charge over and above your monthly broadband package charge. Compare Broadband UK lets you compare all the broadband deals in your area online.

When seeking the greatest offer please don’t forget to check whether or not the provider will charge an admin fee and if there are any costs associated with being provided a wireless internet router. The aforementioned extra charges can all mount up and surfers might often be left with little savings when compared to other internet packages.

Thankfully, broadband comparison firms can often flag up any extra charges and you can make a guided and unbiased decision.

The Kilt is a very old garment that has been around for many years. It is a noble item that came from the early Celtic race of Caledonia. It is argued that the Kilt came from Ireland instead of the Scottish origin. There are two sides to every story and it is up to you on which you decide to stick with.

The tartan Kilt has been around for many years in the cultural tradition of Scotland. The features and traditions have been brought in by the Nobles of England and not by Scottish Highlanders.

There is a lot of evidence that many of the tartans that are seen to day are made from the inventions of Scottish and English tailors during the reign of Queen Victoria. It has been known and accepted that the idea of a tartan and wearing a kilt did get their origin in the history of the early Scottish and Irish people. It has been established that certain people did aspire to a certain uniform of design for their articles of clothing as early as the tenth century.

The Kilt is the main way of dress for the Highlanders and is also known as the belted plaid. This plaid is known to be a multicolored design of stripes and checks. These patterns were and are used to identify the family or regiment from where the person wearing the garment is associated.

During the eighteen hundreds wearing of the belted plaid was beginning to get turned in for the kilt. The belted plaid was belted at the waist with the rest of the material worn around the shoulder. This was a very uncomfortable style to wear. The new kilt design becomes more popular and more comfortable to wear. It also consisted of plaid that had traditional pleats sewn in place. This separated the bottom half from the top half. This made it easier for the top section to be taken off when it was convenient.

When the dress code was repealed in 1783, the fabric of the Celtic had been changed. The dress act made it possible for altering the Highlands to the point that many of the old traditions and customs were gone forever. Wearing the plaid has become a statement and was not longer a necessity for Highlanders.

Today there are many styles and new designs of the kilt and are worn for many different reasons. There are some that are traditions and others that are worn because they are a fashion statement. There are so many people that do wear a Kilt for personal or spiritual reasons beyond anything that has even been believed.

Copyright 2006 - Agust Hauksson. Agust is a regular contributor of articles to many online publications. Find more great information at: http://www.kilt-online.com

This year’s fashion trends for men are following the same path as last year with a few new twists. Preppy is still in but don’t pull out your old high school cardigan. The styles have been smartened up a bit. Argyle sweaters are back again this year along with cardigans and sweater vests. Pair them with suits, sports jackets or a pea coat. The western look is also in but don’t overdo it. This is still the east coast.

The season’s male fashions continue with paisley, checks, plaids and even florals for men’s button down shirts. Pair these with black chinos (yes it says black not khaki) or grey jeans (the new in color for men

And speaking of color, dark reds, black, navy and purple in addition to grey are making the scene for men this fall. If you aren’t brave enough to wear a purple shirt, then try it in accessories like a tie. Grey is back in a big way in the grey suit. Pinstripes are still going strong but grey flannel suits are in with a vengeance.

The other “in” fabric this season is velvet even for men, but if that is a little too over the top for you, then stick with corduroy.

No matter what you do for fall fashion, be comfortable, be yourself and look good!

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles, is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company’s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

© 2005 Indra A Books for ON THE GO 4 U