Spring & Summer Fashion Trends

I turned on the radio as I drove the kids to school this week and heard a story about fashion trends for 2011. I only caught the tail end, but it made me want to look into further. I found a fun website that compiled the trends for Spring & Summer of 2011 that will be hitting the stores soon.

I'll be honest, I'm not very fashion forward, but it's fun to have a few new fashion trends in my closet.  I'll just be including the trends I found interesting, and de-emphasizing or skipping the ones that don't interest me, like hot pants & crop tops (and yes, they're back.)

But a couple of trends are fun to note.

70's glamour is back...

"There's an underlying confidence to this trend that's key.  By day it's all about clean yet voluminous silhouettes, and earthy '70s colour palettes. Look for:

• High waisted wide-leg pants or flares, smartly belted in.
• Neat bow-blouses, especially ones with billowing or bishop sleeves. Particularly great are fabrics like silk and satin.
• Roll neck sweaters tucked into pants or skirts. Add to the '70s effect by layering over beaded necklaces or a vest."

60's Ladylike is in...
"We're not talking about the later mod '60s movement of miniskirts and teeny shift dresses. We're talking about early '60s ladylike dressing that flowed on from the late 1950s. So say bonjour to fuller figures and longer hemlines."

 

"There are other options for a beautiful, early '60s look too. A straight cut sheath or pencil skirt create a 1960s hourglass shape - not only cinching in the waist, but clinging to the hips as well. 

• Look for skirts that are straight, high waisted, below knee with a kick pleat or slit at the back.
• You can also look for fitted sheath dresses. These are great with classic three-quarter sleeves.
• The peg-top skirt is another alternative - full at the waist with small darts or pleats, and tapering narrowly to the hem."

And there's no shortage of ways to mix up your style because...

Punk & Biker looks are back too

 

Other things you'll see...

• Lace, crochet & macrame clothing
• Clogs & kitten heels
• Bell bottoms and wide leg pants (so wide it looks like a skirt - Katherine Hepburn wore this style a lot in her movies)
• Jumpsuits & playsuits (what were they thinking?!)
• Tail hems: dresses longer in the back than the front
• Stripe patterns
• Tassels

HAIR TRENDS...

Long hair that looks effortless like this double knot

Wavy bobs or bobs with bangs

Pixie cuts

Hair color that is white blonde or bright red.

I don't know how many of these styles will make it into my closet, but it was sure fun to check them out. And I'm thinking that I need a few new skirts. ;D 
Happy Stylin' Saturday!

Moisturize... Moisturize... Moisturize...

I don't like to spend a lot of money on cosmetics. I like light, natural looking make-up, and I always buy regular grocery store brands.

But I have to confess... my vanity over-powers me when it comes to fighting wrinkles. They started showing up in my late twenties, and I began my quest for that fountain-of-youth, wrinkle-fighting, dream-cream.

I've tried a dozen brands in the last 8 years, but I keep coming back to these two.

• Olay Total Effects - "fights the seven signs of aging" (it's been my standard) 
• My new discovery Olay Regenerist micro-sculpting cream. 

These two are the ones the make my skin feel the best and show visible improvement when I come back to them after using less expensive, and less effective creams. It's one of the few things I splurge on, but hey, it costs less than plastic surgery, right?!

The Mane Man

Today was haircut day at our house. I grew up in a family of all girls, so I had no idea that I would one day be responsible for cutting and styling four little heads of manly hair. I have to thank my husband for insisting early-on in our marriage that I learn how to cut HIS hair. The curl in Matt's hair made it a very forgiving practice mane, and after 16 years of doing this, I am very thankful for the small fortune we save each month in getting these guys trimmed.

As my boys have grown older, they've become more interested in more cutting edge styles like Zach's spikes

or Gabe's Faux-hawk.

But after they managed to talk me into trying them, we realized that these styles required some SERIOUS product. We tried a dozen before we found our favorite.
Got2Be Glued.

The name says it all. But it's the only thing I can find to hold their silky-fine hair in place for the day.

Lookin' good, guys!

*This amendment is in response to Rachel's comment and question about cutting the boys hair.

This is our home salon...

These are my supplies:

• 2 aprons from a beauty supply store (one large for ages 8 & up, one small for 7 & under,) 
• Haircutting scissor, 
• Grooming brush (the white bristled one for brushing hair from ears, faces, & necks when finished,) 
• Comb & Spray bottle with water
• Full size electric trimmer
• Small "Peanut" electric trimmer. 

Both trimmers are made by Wahl, but Matt had an Oster brand trimmer that lasted for 12 years prior to this, and it was great. Each trimmer comes with a set of 'guide combs' of different lengths (the black set for the large trimmer & the cream set for the Peanut.) I recommend trimmers with cords instead of cordless ones for more power and no recharging hassles. The cords on these trimmers are long enough to get the job done without any trouble. I usually have the boys sitting an a bar stool near the kitchen counter and I can manage just fine. You can find these trimmers in stores or online at Walmart.com or Amazon.com. Sets range from $20 to $60 depending on the accessories and some kits have both the large and Peanut trimmers together.

CUTTING SIDES: I begin by using 5/8" guide on the large trimmers to cut all around the sides of the boys' hair (the hair is dry at this time.) I use a 1/2" guide on the Peanut for Jared.  In fact, the "Peanut" Wahl trimmer is ideal for small children (BUT Rachel, with your boys THICK hair, you MAY HAVE TO use the regular trimmers on them.) I also use the Peanut without a guide to trim the bottom edges of everybody's hair (the neck line, around the ears, sideburns, etc.) It's designed to not pinch or hurt when using quick strokes in these areas.
CUTTING THE TOP:   During the school year, I always trim the tops of the boys' hair with scissors. I wet it first. Each of my boys has different cowlicks, hair texture and hair lines, so I've just learned to do what works best on each of them.

• Gabe's hair cooperates best when left a little longer than his brothers (about 2" in the front and tapering to 1 1/2" at the back) - that length is also why it works in a faux-hawk. 
• Zach has a bit of Matt's natural curl, so I like it longer on top too (about 1 1/2" in the front and tapering to 1" near the back.) 
• Max & Jared still have baby fine hair and funny hairlines that don't cooperate with spiking or flipping up in the front, so we just go short (about 1") on them.  

*Finally, I use the scissors to go around the 'crown' area of the head to blend where the trimmer cut hair meets the scissor cut hair. I hope this helps, Rach, and I'd love to see pics of your handsome boys with their new "Do's." :D