Green Fashion

Archive for 2009

It has only been within the last two generations that most grooms have been exchanging wedding bands with their brides. Called “double ring ceremonies” this phenomenon slowly caught on after the Second World War and has been growing ever since.

There were two reasons why a man wouldn’t wear a wedding ring: cost and custom. The economic boom of the 1950s increased disposable income, which meant that people had extra cash available to buy treasured items including jewelry. Also, up until that time, many men weren’t that interested in jewelry, although a gold tie clip, watch, or money clip often made for an appropriate gift.

As times have changed, so have customs. Jewelry designers, seizing upon the demand for gold, silver, and platinum, as well as precious stones, began to craft “his and her” wedding bands as customer tastes began to shift. By the 1970s, double-ring wedding ceremonies came into vogue and, today, the vast majority of American weddings have bride and groom exchanging rings while they exchange their vows.

Still, some guys are resistant to change thinking that a wedding ring isn’t manly enough or that they’re just not comfortable with wearing jewelry. Designers understand the difference between men and women, and have crafted matching rings that look feminine on a woman’s hand, yet masculine on the man’s hand. In addition, jewelers make sure that when a guy tries on a ring that it fits right and looks good. After all, he’ll be wearing a wedding band for the rest of his life – he might as well look and feel good wearing it!

Brides are appreciative when the groom heartily agrees to wear a wedding ring. Women value symbolism, seeing wedding bands as an expression of mutual love, a visible commonality uniting husband and wife together.

When selecting a wedding band, you’ll be shown rings containing the following precious metals: gold, silver, or platinum. Usually, the metal selected matches the bride’s engagement ring, therefore if you chose a white gold or yellow gold ring, then the same metal should be chosen for the wedding rings. If you already own a gold watch, then a yellow gold ring would match that perfectly.

Many wedding bands contain stones, specifically diamonds. Not many men want to wear diamonds, while most women do. Therefore, when choosing rings the style of the band can be the same, while allowing the bride to have hers embedded with diamonds. Most men’s wedding bands are wider than the woman’s too, therefore there is no mistaking which is the guy’s ring and which is the gal’s ring.

The most difficult part of shopping for wedding rings is traveling from store to store in search of the right pair. Fortunately, the internet has revolutionized jewelry buying by putting entire stores online. Go ahead and make that one visit to a favorite mall jeweler to look at rings up close and to try some on. Then, go home and log on to your computer with your future bride and visit the James Allen website to preview amazing three dimensional (3D) movies of wedding bands that could be of interest to you both.

Why purchase online? Well, it certainly beats several trips to the mall and traveling through traffic eating up time and gas. In addition, with a lower overhead and, in most cases, no sales tax to pay, you could save a big amount of money by shopping online. These days we’re all looking to save and she won’t mind as long as the wedding rings match her expectations. By shopping with James Allen you get the highest quality jewelry plus the James Allen guarantee.

Once you’ve shopped from the comfort and convenience of your own computer, you’ll be in a better frame of mind to choose a pair of wedding rings everyone will be happy with. Shopping online is fast and convenient, just the way us guys like to shop in the first place!

The new season is a perfect time to try and carry a different look. While shops will be soon full of fabulous and gorgy on-trend fashion buys, the biggest style revamp you can make is a fresh new hairstyle. Hair this fall is all about extreme and ultimate styling. Check out some chunky hairstyles for autumn.

Long, flowing hair is the ultimate top hair trend this fall. If you’re already having long hair or your hair grows fast, then you’re in luck. Get-in-style with those long hairs in retro waves, loose beach waves or smooth and sleek hairstyles. Carrie Underwood looks very elegant in these voluminous long hair. Quality extensions can be accessed to make different hairstyles for ladies with short hairs.

It seems that 40’s are coming back this season with 1940’s dress trends and hair styles. Mermaid style is becoming popular these days for its classic and elegant look. Hilary Duff was caught in this beautiful mermaid haircut.

Victoria Beckham & Katie Holmes are trend setters and they introduced Pixie Bob in 2008. But the trend still seems to be in fashion for 2009. Victoria Beckham managed to pull off the look by over-styling and wearing with ultra-feminine clothes. The challenge for this cut is simply that it should always be well styled. Otherwise it will create a tired middle-aged housewife look.

Cropped bob was ruling 2008 with many A-listers cutting their hair shorter and setting this trend on and off the red carpet. As for the fall 2009, this trend will remain similar with slight changes added to the overall tendency. In short, forget about bob, try something extremely short, girly, sexual or extremely slick.

The cropped bob is much chunkier than pixie bob and is usually one length, right below the ears with blunt shorter layers and bangs.



Recently, headbands have burst onto the fashion scene, even though they always have been the tried-and-true hair accessory. If you don’t know what else to do to your mane, you can always sport a headband to make an ordinary hairstyle look elegant, not to mention make your ‘do worry-free.

So what are some of these new, fun ways to wear them, you ask? We sought out stylish celebrities for some headband inspiration, but wonder what you think of these hair trends…

The Full-Figured Bride

If you’re a full-figured woman, the best silhouette is the A-line style. A-line style lengthens the whole body without drawing attention to your waistline. The empire waist is another good choice. The empire is narrowest just below the bust, which conceals your waist and hips.

Many plus-sized girls tend to purchase wedding gowns that cover a lot of skin. If religion isn’t an issue, don’t be afraid to show some skin. Skin is sexy, and showing your arms and neckline can often make you appear slimmer.

Deep V-necks and scoop necks flatter curvy figures, and always look best on full-figured women.

A-line wedding dresses are also flattering on petite women. As we stated earlier, this style lengthens the body. Sheaths seem to shorten a small body even more, so petite women should avoid sheath-style wedding dresses. Also steer clear of very full skirts, which will make you look ‘bottom heavy’. You want to keep your wedding dress proportionate to your body.

Be careful with strapless gowns — a petite woman may have to lift her arms to reach up to her new husband (can you say ‘wardrobe malfunction’?). A cap sleeve gives the feeling of a strapless gown, and also serves the practical purpose of holding the gown in place.

Off-the-shoulder gowns look wonderful on a full bust. It draws our attention upward, emphasizes the shoulders and minimizes the chest. Keep your skirt narrow. Wearing a full skirt will make you look large both on top and bottom.

Women who are larger through their hips and buttocks should look for a wedding dress that focuses on their upper body — preferably with a full skirt.

Show off your arms, back and bustline.

A corset-style bodice with lacing will highlight your upper body. We want to draw attention away from your hips. Avoid pleats or gathered fabric around the waist. An A-line skirted wedding dress always works the best for this body type.

Leather handbags are beautiful and functional. Top designers like Coach and Louis Vuitton use leather to create many of their handbags. The durability of leather is well known, and a well-cared for handbag can last you a long time. Learn how to care for your leather handbag properly.

Step 1
Buy a cleaning solution and leather conditioner for your leather handbag. Many leather cleaners and conditioners are on the market, and you can always check with local handbag retail stores. Coach retail locations sell a leather cleaner and conditioner.  Be careful to read the directions to make sure it will work for the type of leather your handbag is made from.

The engagement ring is something very sacred and precious to the couple who own it. This engagement ring should be treated well. Many people believe that simply wearing your engagement ring while washing hands is a sufficient way to clean it up. In fact, soap and other cleaners used in your hands can damage and fade the color of your ring, and it must be cleaned periodically to keep it bright.

Let’s take a look 5 step to clean your engagement ring:

1. Procure for yourself a small kitchen bowl or container that is capable of holding a few ounces of water and gentle cleaning detergent. You will want to create a cleaning solution and will be using this bowl for your process.
2. Prepare a second bowl of distilled water that will be used to wash clean the ring after rinsing in the cleaning solution prepared in the previous step.
3. Use a toothbrush, gentle and soft to scrub the surface of not only the diamond but the ring setting and band. It is important to note that you want to use a gentle tooth brush and not a metal bristled brush that can damage and scratch the metal of your band.
4. Use a gentle, soft material cloth, that is lint free and will not catch in your setting to rub dry and polish your ring and diamond set.
5. Use a toothpick to pry out any stubborn grime in hard to reach areas of your setting.

Now that you have been familiarized with the five steps needed to clean your diamond engagement ring, take note of a few of these pointers to make sure you get the best results. Be sure to soak your ring set in the cleaning solution for a few minutes, this allows for the detergent to act upon the dirt and grit and loosen it before you continue. Distilled water for the final wash will help you avoid any hard water stains or other chemicals in the tap water that can hinder your diamonds brilliance.

For best results, after enacting the cleaning steps above apply a small amount of hand cream as needed to bring keep your diamond engagement ring at its most beautiful.