Thursday, December 13, 2012

RaeLynn’s Boutique Hosts Midnight Madness Prom Dress Sale

RaeLynn’s Boutique Hosts Midnight Madness Prom Dress Sale
Put on your running shoes!  RaeLynn’s Boutique will open its doors from 7 p.m.-midnight on January 4th, 2013 for their biggest sale on prom dresses of the season.

2013 prom dresses,” said Alison McDaniel, owner of RaeLynn’s. “We want our customers to be able to shop the huge selection we are known for with our top designers in stock like Sherri Hill, Faviana, Jovani, and Tony Bowls.”

According to McDaniel, this will be the only sale RaeLynn’s has this prom season. All instock dresses, including 100's of 2013 prom dresses, will be at least 10 percent off.

“When girls get up to the cash register after they have found their dream prom dress, they will draw from a jar to see how much off the receive,” McDaniel said. “Every dress is guaranteed 10 percent off, but there is a chance to receive more off or even a free dress.”

According to a McDaniel, a lucky customer has received a free dress every year they have had the sale.

“Last year, there were girls sitting outside our doors with blankets drinking hot chocolate as early as 6 p.m.,” said RaeLynn’s employee, Allie Meagher. “It is a big deal to these girls to get their prom dresses first since we don’t sell the same style to the same school.”

McDaniel and the employees at RaeLynn’s highly encourage customers to arrive early to start shopping their, over 1,000, dresses they have in inventory.

At RaeLynn’s you are guaranteed to find your perfect prom dress from top designers seen on red carpets across the globe.

About RaeLynn's Boutique:
RaeLynn’s Boutique is the largest social occasion dress boutique in Indiana, and a Top 10 Prom Store in the United States. RaeLynn’s Boutique offers all of the top dress designers such as Sherri Hill, Jovani, Faviana, Blush Prom, Tony Bowls, Mac Duggal, Mori Lee and more. Providing accessories, tuxedo rentals and even layaway. RaeLynn’s Boutique in Indianapolis is a one-stop shop for social occasion needs. RaeLynn’s is located on the south side of Indianapolis, Indiana, in Greenwood. Conveniently south of the Greenwood Park Mall, behind Kohls, on Fry Road, between US 31 and Madison Ave.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Chong Wei gets down to business

Kuala Lumpur: Just two days after his big day, world number one men's singles badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei is already down to business.
The Olympic silver medallist resumed training Monday after a long break to prepare for his wedding with former national singles shuttler Wong Mew Choo.
National coach Tey Siu Bock told Bernama Chong Wei's performance was a little bit below par but it was not a cause for concern.
"There was a slight dip in his performance. It is expected after a long break but we are not worried.
"After four years focusing for the (London) Olympics, we are now giving him time to relax," he said.
He said the objective for the remaining of the year was to maintain Chong Wei's ranking as the world number one men's singles in the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) list.
"In the meantime, we are not targeting him to win any tournament.
Of course we want him to win, but as long as he plays his best it will be okay," he added.
Chong Wei has at least another three championships lined up for him this year, namely the Hong Kong Open (Nov 20-25), Macau Open (Nov 27-Dec 2) and the BWF Super Series Final in Shenzen (Dec 12-16).
Due to his busy schedule, the 30-year-old who recently held a two-day wedding reception (on Friday and Saturday), had to postpone his honeymoon to probably some time next year.
He is now gearing up for the Hong Kong Open next week in Kowloon where he is expected to face China's Du Pengyu in the semi-final.
The 24-year-old Chinese had given Chong Wei a hard time during the Denmark Open final last month before the latter charged up in the last minute to win the title.
In the Hong Kong Open, the top seeded Chong Wei will take on Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the first round, flower leather waistband dress before encountering opponents like Wang Zhengming of China, Hao Hsu Jen of Taiwan and Vietnam's Tien Minh Nguyen in the second round and quarter-final.
Other stars to be in action include China's Chen Long and Chen Jin, Kenichi Tago and Sho Sasaki of Japan, Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia as well as national singles Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng.
National top pair Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong will lead Malaysia's charge in the men's doubles while third seeded Chan Peng Soon Chan and Goh Liu Ying will compete in the mixed doubles. - Bernama

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Kill Lists Will Continue

Outside of websites such as Antiwar.com, there has been remarkably little commentary over the issue of the White House–managed kill lists, which played no part in the election but will nevertheless continue to be a keystone of security policy in the new administration in Washington. Details on how the lists were developed and maintained surfaced in the media on Oct. 23 in an article in the Washington Post which described how the White House has decided that targeted assassinations will continue to be necessary for the next decade. The article provoked some negative commentary in the usual places, but little in the way of genuine outrage. In a saner world, one might even have expected that extralegal targeted killing could have been used in a partisan fashion by the Republicans to highlight Obama’s dismantling of constitutional and legal protections, but Mitt Romney voiced nary a word of criticism, suggesting that he too sees death by government fiat as an essential tool against terrorism and approves of what the president is doing.
The assassination by drone and special ops teams was a program initiated by President George W. Bush but it appears that it was not actually made operational until a former community organizer who promised change named Barack Obama entered the White House. Citing the difficulty of dealing with the Guantanamo prisoners, Obama apparently determined that it would be better to kill possible terrorists than to go through the tactical complications and extra expense entailed in trying to detain them and risk a trial in a court of law.
I would suggest that what media attention there has been has focused far too narrowly on the lists maintained by the White House and National Security Council that include American citizens. The reality is that kill lists have metastasized across the government to include the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and are symptomatic of a transformation of U.S. foreign and defense policies. They have all become part of a ten year government created master plan to confront Islamic fundamentalism worldwide using drones and special operations teams, without little or no consideration for the local conditions that have led to the rise of religious extremism nor any concern for the consequences unleashed by the American interventions.
We are seeing a series of wars unprecedented in scope that are carefully being disguised as non-wars, or, at best, limited objective constabulary actions, while the definition of terrorist has become increasingly elastic, permitting the listing of anyone who supports in any way or condones the activities of any group viewed as threatening to American interests. The CIA, which has recently requested a sharp increase in the number of drones it operates, is being transformed from an intelligence service into a paramilitary organization. It uses the unmanned aircraft in Pakistan, Yemen, and in Africa because those areas are not officially war zones for the U.S. The Agency engages in “plausible denial,” refusing to confirm that it is involved in any such activity, which enables the White House to wrap a shroud of secrecy around the attacks. Even if the plausible denial argument has, however, been rendered somewhat thin by repeated references to drone operations made by the administration itself, the CIA is also frequently the instrument of choice because it can operate by government fiat and is not required to go through the bureaucratic hurdles and congressional oversight that the Pentagon must undergo to carry out operations. The military is consequently most engaged in places like Afghanistan, where it attacks the Taliban and other targets that are considered to be part and parcel of an actual war situation.
The White House, CIA, and Pentagon all require intelligence information to generate targets that are to be killed, driving the bureaucratization of the process, and that is where the true weakness of the monster that has been created lies. This intelligence collection has morphed into a process which the administration has dubbed its “disposition matrix,” which pulls together all available information on potential targets while also identifying available resources ready to “dispose” of them. The information collected on targets flows to and from a newly created command center in northern Virginia run by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), to the CIA and the National Counter Terrorism Center, and to the National Security Council ops center in the White House. The central resource, maintained by the NCTC, is a constantly evolving and expanding data base that basically tells you everything you want to know about who the enemy is, to include the best way to find and kill him. It also establishes linkages to all of the enemy’s friends and neighbors, just in case you should decide to add them to the list at some future point. Two weeks after American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki was killed by a drone in Yemen his sixteen year old son Abdulrahman was also killed, according to Obama adviser Robert Gibbs, because “he should have a far more responsible father.” The new set of interlocking bureaucracies has created both a mechanism and an imperative to add new names to the list, meaning that identifying and killing designated enemies sometimes based on little or no evidence has now become an everyday function of the United States government.
The NCTC relies on the worldwide data collection efforts managed by the National Security Agency which will eventually feed into an enormous computer complex that is still under construction in Bluffdale, Utah. U.S. citizens are not immune from the ever widening net information collection process as any establishment of a linkage, no matter how tenuous, can lead to inclusion in the pervasive computer-driven searches conducted by the government. Data on Americans can now be collected at will and retained for up to five years without having to demonstrate any reason for doing so.
As for who is actually a terrorist and deserving of a death sentence from a Washington bureaucrat, it should be observed that capabilities of the United States intelligence agencies vary from region to region and the ability to develop reliable information is not always a given. This is true even in places where considerable resources maternity pink party dress are in place, as Benghazi demonstrated two months ago. The long list of hellfire missile victims that has included wedding parties, farmers, travelers, or people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time provides testimony that the intelligence used to identify and kill suspected terrorists is often either erroneous or impossible to corroborate. So basically Washington is operating a vast killing machine, almost robotic in its technical efficiency, that actually rests on the garbage-in-garbage-out principle, meaning that there is no quality control regarding the potential victims. Any bit of information, be it gossip or even slander, can wind up in a file. Anyone can wind up on a list for disposition with no way to challenge the information that can lead to a death warrant. If the Obama legacy will be death from the skies, as it surely should be, it ought to strengthen the resolve in all of us to resist the kind of nation that we have become over the past eleven years and to reject the kind of leadership that has led us down this road.

From:http://original.antiwar.com/

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Julianne Moore & Olivia Wilde Wear Almost The Same Dress At The ACE Awards

Every girl lives with the fear that another person will show up to an event in the same outfit as her. (Remember trying to pick out a prom dress??)
Well, on Monday night, Olivia Wilde and Julianne Moore lived out our greatest style nightmare at the 2012 ACE Awards held at Cipriani 42nd Street on Monday in New York City. Both gorg ladies were wearing dresses from Calvin Klein's spring 2013 collection, so it's not surprise they looked pretty identical.
Wilde slipped into a white sheath hope dresses laced with a black belt, while Julianne wore... basically the same dress but with sleeves attached and no peplum.
Awwwwkward.
Check out the dueling frocks below and cast your vote -- hopefully your SECOND one of the day -- for who looked better.

From:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

‘Ben and Kate’ spoilers: Jane Seymour pays a visit!

As someone who finds “Ben and Kate” to be one of the funniest new comedies of the season, this new makes us smile nearly as much as seeing Tommy and Kate almost have a moment on the show every week: we’re about to meet BJ’s mom!
According to a new report from TVLine, former Bond Girl Jane Seymour has been cast to play the role of the mother to Lucy Punch’s character, who is described as a smart and even “sexy” middle-class British woman who discovers that her daughter has not been completely honest with her about every aspect of her life.
With this casting, there are really two hopes that we have for the Fox sitcom:
1. Seymour’s appearance inspires fans of Bond, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” or even “Wedding Crashers” to actually check out this show and improve some of its low ratings.
2. That she provides some memorable scenes that show us even more of BJ’s personality, and hopefully even breaks down some of her walls. We already know that she is clearly the zaniest character of the bunch and even at times a bad influence on Kate, but there has to be a reason that she ended up the way that she has in life.
Thanks in part to the Presidential election, “Ben and Kate” will not be on the air Tuesday night as is typically planned; instead, we will be waiting until next week to see some more adventures from this crazy brother / sister duo and their friends (which includes Lucy front and center).
What do you think about Seymour’s casting? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below! If you want to check out the latest “Ben and Kate” episode review

From: http://cartermatt.com/

Monday, November 5, 2012

How to wear a sari

That is to say, wear it like it came from your mother’s closet, like it was the same sari your grandmother wore on her wedding day many years ago.

Never mind that you’re not really Indian, and your mother never really owned a sari, much less learned how to wear one.

Find a mother in the woman who does teach you to wear one. If you are so fortunate, there will be a group of them, all excited to educate you in the mysterious science of pleating, tucking, folding, and draping.

Watch as the walls around them crumble and their reserved exteriors fade as they fall on you like bees to a blossoming flower. Watch their deft fingers make sense of the cumbersome cloth, and try to forget the fact that you will never be able to do what they are doing when you are on your own.

Watch them take a step back and sigh when they finish, the way an artist does when he admires a newly-completed masterpiece. Delight in the laughter you will hear for the first time as they twirl you around to admire their handiwork. Celebrate the truth that fashion has always been a bonding point for women across generations and time zones, and that this is especially true for the sari.

Wear a sari with the understanding that it is more than a piece of cloth, but a piece of history.

Remember that learning to wear it is an heirloom in itself, passed on from mother to daughter, from generation to generation.



Remember that it was in a sari that Indira Gandhi broke ground as India’s first female prime minister, that Sushmita Sen brought home the Miss Universe crown, that Mother Teresa cared for Kolkata’s poor.

Remember the Mahabharata, and how it was an endless sari that saved Draupadi from rape.

Wear a sari effortlessly. Forget that the cloth could fall off at any moment and that the drapes easily get caught in your sandals. Take your cue from the Indian women who do everything in their saris.

Watch the way they cook, clean, do the laundry, nurse babies, run after hyperactive children, teach, shop, and even clamber up the narrow ladders of a sleeper train, seemingly unhampered by the yards of cloth that cling precariously to their bodies. Watch how they keep their saris perfectly in place.

Take a nap in your sari. Find comfort in the soft silk as you drift off to sleep. Surprise yourself at finding it still held together when you wake up.

Wear a sari and dance. Test the strength of the folds and the pins that keep it together. Trust in them, and the women who put them on you.


Wear a sari with confidence.

Disregard the fact that the sari will hide all the parts you’d rather show off and magnificently expose that curry-fattened part you would rather hide—Indian women don’t apologize for their love handles. Listen to them congratulate you on your curves. Ride their excitement, let it sweep you away so that you don’t feel self-conscious as you strip bare and wear the cropped sari blouse.

Believe in that conspiratorial wink the women give when they say, “You have the body of an Indian woman.”

Bask in the sweetness of the compliments you will inevitably be showered with. Count the compliments but don’t let it get to your head—in a sari, everyone becomes Aishwarya Rai.

Trust when people tell you how beautiful you are, especially when the women say it, because they know better.homecoming dress stores

Wear a sari, because even while some say it is fading into obsolescence, it remains unparalleled in beauty.

Wear a sari, because wearing it turns strangers into mothers and sisters, and plain foreign girls into Indian princesses in exactly the same way that a formless swathe of cloth becomes a powerful garment of great design. – GMA News

From:http://www.gmanetwork.com/

Friday, November 2, 2012

Shah Rukh Khan to have a low key 47th birthday

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan turns 47 today. However the Bollywood star is not keen on a high-profile party to celebrate the occasion. Though he is not known for throwing glamorous birthday bashes, this decision has a lot to do with the passing away of his mentor and filmmaker Yash Chopra last week.
Photos: 10 SRK acts that wowed the nation
Photos: Rare pictures of Shah Rukh Khan
Happy Birthday SRK, says Bollywood
SRK states, “I’m planning to work that’s all I know at least during the daytime. Besides, it has never been a special day for me. Of course, I’ll make sure that I thank all my well-wishers from radio stations and newspapers, as usual.”
Speaking about his many fans who throng his residence Mannat on special days, the actor says, “It has become a thing now. Every single year, I see people arriving with cakes and cards. It’s a simple joy. But I wake up late, so maybe I should set up a shamiana for them to help them avoid the sun. It’s a humbling experience to greet people.”
He may or may not spend the day with the who’s who of the industry, but the actor rues how the media is always there at his home to capture every moment of the day. “It’s funny how I end up celebrating my birthdays with them! In fact, whether there be a party or not, I somehow spend this particular day with the media. Isn’t that sad?” quips SRK.
Interestingly, SRK’s 21st wedding anniversary fell just four days after Chopra’s departure and as expected, the event turned out to be subdued. “With what happened, you don’t feel like celebrating and making noise. That night, Adi (Aditya Chopra) even asked me to go out for dinner with Gauri but you know how it feels like... having lost someone so close to your heart,” he sums up.
Unforgettable moments
Needless to mention, Shah Rukh Khan shared a strong bond with Yash Chopra and it’s more so evident when you ask him about a the most memorable moment he spent with his father-like figure. “Strange as it is, we rarely discussed a scene or a shot. On the contrary, we spoke about life in general. The most beautiful thing he ever said to me was ‘Of all the people I know, you love women in the most respectful way. I’ve known you for so long. I can’t be wrong about this’. That was heartening.”

From:

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Married to an angel

Matthew is the miracle child.

Jordyn, 14, is the chosen child.

And Jennifer is big sister to both.

Meet the Bratcher bunch, a group of siblings who lost their mother, Amy Dawn Bratcher, much too early in life.

This is a story of a brave life well-lived, but a one snuffed out too early. This is a story about a mother not living long enough to see her beloved children grow up as they follow their own trails of life.

Amy died Oct. 3, at age 43, after suffering from multiple cancerous tumors and lesions in her brain and lungs.

“But, Amy’s life is not for naught,” said lifelong, family friend Ed Garner. “We wanted to help some with their heartaches, and some of their bills. …

This is the all-American family, if there ever was one, neighbor Don Young said.

“And Amy was an all-american mom, if there ever was one,” Young added.

Young and Garner, as members of Smyrna Lions Club, have launched the Amy Bratcher Family Trust Fund at any branch of First Bank in Middle Tennessee.

“Amy’s father and mother, Gary and Betty Evans, are long-standing dedicated community civic workers as members of our very active Lions Club in Smyrna,” said Garner, who is former member of the Smyrna City Council.

“As a community support group, we wanted to help these children that Amy left behind for us to love and help support,” he said.

Surviving husband, Jeff Bratcher, a well-known firefighter and 35-year employee of the city of Murfreesboro, described Amy’s legacy and the impact on those closest to her.

“After Amy and I wed on Feb. 19, 1994, doctors told us that she could not give birth, so we adopted our ‘chosen daughter’ Jordyn one day after her own birth,” Jeff said. “A few years later, Amy called me at the fire station, crying, and I thought some tragedy had occurred. Instead, it was Amy, advising with gleeful emotions: ‘I’m pregnant!’

“Thus, Matthew, now 8, is our ‘miracle child,’” Jeff said. “And my oldest daughter, Jennifer, now age 29, is big sister to Jordyn and Matthew.”

Amy’s “stubborn determined” nature surfaced with those early doctors, Jeff said.

“After telling Amy she could not birth a child, Amy looked up and told the physicians, ‘Y’all don’t have the last say,’” Jeff said, as he became emotional.

That nature served Amy and the family in well in her courageous fight to live multiple years against diagnosed medical odds.

Her health issues began with loss of balance a few months before the cancers were found.

“When physicians diagnosed Amy with several lesions and tumors on both her brain and lungs, they advised she had only a few months to live,” Jeff recalled. “That’s when she stood up, and advised the doctors firmly: ‘Y’all don’t have the final say in this either.’”

That was Feb. 23, 2006.

More than six years later, Matthew found his mother unconscious on the morning of Oct. 3 in the bathroom.

“Being a habitual early riser, Matthew was watching cartoons when he heard a severe cough from his mother in the bathroom of our home in Murfreesboro,” Jeff said. “He asked Amy if he should call 9-1-1 … when she couldn’t respond, he called me, saying his mother would not respond to him.

“I was only five blocks away at the fire station, and we took an emergency vehicle over to our home,” Jeff said. “I felt a weak pulse and felt Amy swallow one time, but I don’t think she knew I was there. We lost her there.”

Amy shared a special relationship with Matthew and Jordyn.

“Not a day went by that our miracle boy would fail to rush up to his mother and give her a robust hug and kiss, telling his momma, ‘I love you so much,’” Jeff said.

He said Amy often sang to Jordyn as an infant.

“One of Jordyn’s huge enthusiastic interests as a ninth grader at Blackman High School is the marching band,” Gary said, adding Amy often sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to Jordyn as a little girl.”

“When Jordyn asked if she could play that song, ‘You Are My Sunshine,’ at the celebration service for her mother, we all chorused ‘yes,’” Betty said.

“And Jordyn played it perfectly on her flute, not missing one note,” Jeff added. “We know Amy is so proud, as she heard her daughter play that song so lovingly and so beautifully.”

In the wake of his wife’s death, Jeff took his children to worship service at Abiding Faith Lutheran Church on a recent crisp and cool Sunday morning.

Jeff’s own words best describe what happened after church.

“Understand, no one was in the house while we were all at church,” Jeff said. “I had lost my wedding ring years before, not too long after Amy and I got married. When we stepped in the door, Matthew looked down, and declared: ‘Dad, there’s a ring on the kitchen floor.

“It was my long-lost wedding ring that mysteriously arrived on the floor of our home.”

Betty said she believes it was Amy.

“We believe it was Amy’s way of reaching back to comfort Jeff and letting us all know where she is today, an angel in heaven, by placing that wedding ring for him and the children to find,” Betty said, as tears began streaming down her face.

“It was my wife’s way of also letting us know she no longer suffers with all that pain,” Jeff said. “You see, I was married to an angel."

From:http://www.murfreesboropost.com/

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Gift coupons becoming more popular than gifts

New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Remember when you unwrapped a gift, put it away and never touched it again? Selecting a gift can be tricky, especially when you are unaware of the person's taste or collection, the reason why gift coupons are becoming popular this festive season.
Shruti Agarwal, a public relations manager who recently got married, says that she has a closet full of wedding gifts that have been "locked in for life".
"There were sets after sets of glass bowls and photo frames which we are never going to use. We appreciate the gesture, but I feel bad that all that effort has gone waste because they don't suit our taste and there is just too much of the same stuff," Agarwal told IANS.
"I wish we had got gift vouchers instead. At least we could buy something that we really needed," she added.
Shagun Mitra, a freelance writer, says that after learning from her own experience of getting gifts that have been stacked in her storeroom, she presents gift coupons to her friends and relatives on birthdays, anniversaries, festivals and other occasions.
"Unless you know someone well and know what they want, or what their choice is, it is very difficult to choose the right gift for them. You may have the best interest in mind and put in a lot of effort and money, but there is every chance that the sari you picked, or the set of glasses you bought, does not suit their taste, or they already have something similar," Mitra said.
"I think gift vouchers are a great option. The person has the choice to select something he or she really needs or wants, and will therefore always appreciate it," she added.
Most of the big names in retail offer gift vouchers of various denominations, ranging from Rs.500 to Rs.10,000.
"The vouchers can be used for a fixed period, generally for a year from the day of purchase. If a gift voucher is of a particular denomination and the item you choose is more expensive, then you can pay that extra cash. It can also be partially redeemed," said an employee of Shoppers Stop.
"With the festive season around, we are seeing more and more people use gift vouchers in our store," he added.
Online shopping is similarly gaining momentum, so much so that the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) says that the online retail industry is likely to touch Rs.7,000 crore (Rs 70 million) by 2015. It now stands at around Rs.2,000 crore (Rs 20 million) and is growing at a rate of 35 percent annually.
"Online shopping and gift vouchers have revolutionised shopping, especially in smaller towns where all brand outlets are not there. I mostly shop on E-bay and Flipkart," said Rajashree Deka of Guwahati in Assam.
Some may argue that vouchers lack the personal touch of a hand-picked gift, but those like Ranjana Sarkar, a Delhi-based researcher, disagree. For her wedding gift, her friends have pooled in to buy a hefty gift voucher of Rs.10,000 from a lifestyle store.
"I am going to re-locate to Mumbai after marriage and my husband and I will set up the house from scratch. This (voucher) is therefore a very thoughtful gift because we can use it to buy as per our needs, and remember them whenever we use the things," Sarkar said.

From:http://www.newstrackindia.com/

Friday, October 26, 2012

Five Extravagant Wedding Locations

When it comes to the top five extravagant wedding locations, there are many venues around the world that can satisfy various tastes. But, if you are stuck for where to go, here are some suggestions which each offer a unique perspective on a traditional wedding.
The Four Seasons, New York
Few things are more romantic than exchanging vows in America’s most romantic city: New York. It’s here where the Four Seasons Hotel excels. Located on prominent East 57th Street, your nuptial ceremony will be held in the grand Metropolitan Suite, leading on to a decadent cocktail reception with the choice of a full wedding reception available as an extra. With a wedding suite overlooking the magnificent view of Central Park, your wedding package will include complimentary Veuve Clicquot champagne, chocolates and strawberries to provide all those finishing touches.
The Great Wall of China
If you’re after something completely different, consider some Eastern mysticism with a full wedding ceremony on top of the Great Wall of China. The Kempinski Group are offering weddings atop the roof of the Commune beside the Shiguan section of the world’s most famous wall. With a ceremony on the wall followed by a 500-guest capacity reception at the Club House, your wedding cannot be more extravagant than this.
On board a cruise ship, Anywhere
From royalty to Hollywood film stars, cruise ships have been playing host to the timeless romance of weddings for decades. You can experience the wedding of a lifetime with one of the many cooperative cruise deals that are currently on offer. A memorable wedding day on board a luxury cruise liner can be fully personalised and can offer your family, friends and guests a whole range of onboard facilities, dining options and entertainment. And what a perfect way to start your honeymoon immediately! You can either complete a fortnight’s cruise around the Caribbean, Mediterranean, or even the Norwegian fjords, or disembark at an exotic, romantic port.
Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
At the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a real African wedding reception and ceremony in an enclosure, known as a boma, made from reeds. Delight in something different by having your wedding at the top of a hill that offers you the most spectacular panoramic views and exotic sounds of Africa.
The Intercontinental, Hong Kong
If, on the off chance, you have £18,000 ($29,000 USD) at your disposal, then go the whole nine yards and celebrate your wedding in the Presidential Suite of Hong Kong’s 5-star Intercontinental Hotel. With its unparalleled views across Victoria Harbour, world-class entertainment and facilities, decadent rooms, delicious food and endless luxury shopping a stone’s throw away, your family will be thanking you for years.

From:http://www.lovetripper.com/

Friday, September 28, 2012

Kimora Lee Simmons Shops with Her Girls—and Buys Nothing

Kimora Lee Simmons Shops with Her Girls—and Buys Nothing

When Kimora Lee Simmons heads to Beverly Hills with her daughters to do some shopping, you might expect some serious damage to be done. The Amex black card will spontaneously combust from overuse or something.

But that’s not what happened on Wednesday when Kimora went out with the girls, Ming Lee, 12, and Aoki Lee, 10. It appears that the trio was just doing some…wait for it…window-shopping. Maybe the girls aren’t as spoiled as they appeared to be on their reality show, “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.”

The paparazzi captured Simmons and the girls strolling down the street, with Mom on her ever-present cell phone. Kimora wore a pair of wild printed leggings, a black printed T-shirt and leather motorcycle jacket. With a pair of Christian Louboutin strappy stilettos putting her well over 6 feet, Kimora carried a black leather Hermes Birkin bag.

Her equally trending little girls wore a pair of black leggings teamed with a white tasseled top for Ming and for Aoki, gray trousers and a matching sweater featuring a bow print.

Apparently left at home was her 3-year-old son, Kenzo Lee, that she had with actor Djimon Hounsou. It’s not exactly clear what’s going on with Kimora and Hounsou. In June, the gossip columns reported that the two had split up—the Daily News said it was after “a big fight over money.” Reports had Russell Simmons, Kimora’s ex-husband, pledging to no longer support their lavish lifetstyle.

According to nydailynews.com, Hounsou had been working in Vancouver for the past few months, and Kimora’s people said only that “Kimora has a beautiful family life.”

When Kimora sold her Beverly Hills home at a $1.2 million loss, reports surfaced that she was cash strapped. But Lee didn’t take too kindly to those rumors, saying on Twitter, “Wow, I put 1 of several properties I own (+ DONT live in) on the market & now apparently my whole life is fallin apart?!” adding, “Rumors, Rumors…”

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Style for an Older Bride

Style for an Older Bride

 A: Congrats on your upcoming wedding! I agree that your linen suit is too summery. However, I love the idea of lace overlay on a full, bias-cut mid-calf dress in either dusty beige, peach, mauve or metallic gray. The dress could have illusion sleeves—either elbow-length or longer. A portrait neckline will expose just a bit of your collar bones to frame your face and allow for a pearl or clear-crystal necklace.

Wear flesh-toned fishnet stockings and sling-back sandals, with a sturdy kitten or block heel and perhaps a peep toe, in flesh-tone or neutral bronze or silver. (Wear them around the house a few times so that they're fully broken in.)

I scoured websites such as davidsbridal.com, theknot.com, jenjenhouse.com, nordstrom.com, dillards.com and macys.com for other cocktail-dress options, such as a tiered chiffon gown with flutter sleeves or a lace dress with a bolero jacket. Get your personal shopper on the case to scour the fancy party dresses in your favorite store. Allow enough time for alterations—any gown should clear the floor so you can dance with ease.

The secret to your bridal style is a cocktail fascinator hat. One with a tiny plume, a spray of silk flowers and perhaps a wispy veil tilted to the side will work well with short hairdos or longer hair pinned in an up-do. I found hats on polyvore.com from various stores. (Check return policies so you an order several hats to try on.) And no, your hat doesn't have to be the same color as your dress.

Nix any corsage, which shouts mother-of-the-bride. And do get your makeup professionally done—including false eyelashes, which these days are more subtle than ever and, I promise, are the secret to your prettiest wedding pictures—even if you wear glasses.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

J Brand Gets Celebrity Approval

J Brand Gets Celebrity Approval

As far as celebrity endorsements go, it’s difficult to imagine a better representative for J Brand than the effortlessly stylish Kate Middleton. When Kate wears an outfit to any sort of snapped event, the public goes crazy for it. So much so, that we’re starting to think she should take a cut of the sales!

The Zara dress that Kate sported to an event at the Royal Albert Hall sold out within just an hour of the Duchess being spotted in it. An Orla Kiely coat Kate wore on a visit to Oxford reportedly sold out in a matter of minutes, and similarly the dress she wore for the Jubilee celebrations sold out within minutes as well.

J Brand will undoubtedly have been beaming then when Kate decided to wear a pair of their jeans to the Olympics at the beginning of August. The outfit was an all navy affair, with the navy jeans being teamed with a striped top, a navy blue Smythe jacket, and platform wedges. It was an effortlessly elegant and stylish look, just as we’ve come to expect from the Duchess.

It isn’t just Kate who has shown her allegiance to J Brand either, with Emma Stone and Minka Kelly both recently wearing the same J Brand leather top. Minka was attending the opening of Marquee at the Star in Sydney, whereas Emma was at a photo call for The Amazing Spider-Man movie. Both great publicity events for both the stars, and their wardrobes.

As ever, Twitter has been helpful in spreading the J Brand love as well, with Kim Kardashian taking to the micro-blogging platform in order to snap a picture of her wearing a pair of boots designed by her boyfriend Kanye West, and a great pair of J Brand leggings. Although it was a shot she took herself, with her Twitter account boasting almost 16 million followers, it’s exposure for both Kanye and J Brand that isn’t to be sniffed at.

There’s clearly a lot of love for J Brand in the celebrity world, and thanks to Kate Middleton it seems certain that the jeans will be a huge seller. The Editeur stock J Brand, 7 For All Mankind and Current Elliott jeans as well as a huge variety of other designer womenswear. They are an independent Chester based boutique that specialize in designer clothing, and would be happy to help you find your perfect pair of Royalty inspired trousers!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Vera Wang: the only name you need to know in weddings

Vera Wang: the only name you need to know in weddings
Vera Wang is one of the few bridalwear designers who have earned instant name recognition. She speaks to Vogue about her creative process.

What do you keep in mind when designing a wedding dress?

When I design bridal dresses I’m very much not only trying to blend what I think is happening, and what feels relevant in fashion to me, it’s also very much about understanding the specificity required for a wedding, which is the pomp and circumstance or the modernity or the downtown attitude or a beach wedding. There’s tremendous specificity in all that. Where is the bride wearing the dress, how she’s wearing it and how many people are there? Is it 1,000 people, like an Asian wedding, or are there 30 at a restaurant downtown in New York, you know? So, that all relates into it as well. I like to constantly push myself further but it’s also about the realities of a wedding. And the fact that it usually is multi-generational. It involves families. It’s a fine line I walk balancing all these elements.

After working in fashion for so long, have you noticed any changes in the attitudes towards wedding dresses?

I think there’s a total change in attitude in fashion – period, which is that women are freer to express themselves, they’re freer to explore their own styles. I don’t think they’re dictated to as they would have been perhaps 50 years ago, so that carries over inevitably into weddings.

Could you tell me about your non-white wedding dresses?

We’ve done dresses that are all in pastel like Ladurée pastries and macarons, a recent collection in red, and a black collection. Black is really a nude; it started because we based the collection on underwear. The fact that black is so sophisticated … it’s a great background for exploring technique, just as nude is. And you can really see technique because both are almost neutral palates – nude and black are sort of a Chanel attitude.

Tell me about your inspirations.

It really depends on what I’m feeling. There’s no singular influence. It could be from ready-to-wear, films, novels, architecture, something fabulous on television or an art exhibit. It could be any period. I wish I could say where the next idea comes from, I’m only going to say that I’m relieved when I do get inspiration because I worry that I won’t be able to go to a new place from where I’ve been in the last time – that’s kind of scary. And certainly after 20-odd years, you know that’s a very big pressure. But it’s a journey that I really adore and that’s what it’s about for me.

Monday, September 24, 2012

New Jersey's role at Antietam, past and present

New Jersey's role at Antietam, past and present

Editor's note; This is another installment of a series of stories that deal with the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War and the role New Jerseyans played in that conflict.

As the suns descends over one of the many cornfields that divide the rolling hills of western Maryland, a scene not witnessed in over a century-and-a-half is taking place as thousands of men – some wearing blue, some wearing gray – file into a field, their steel rifle barrels glinting in the light as they march.

Minutes later, a thunderous roll of drum beats calls the infantry to battle, and a battery of cannons roars to life, its bellows shattering the quiet country evening as its crew swarms around it. One officer yells to his men, "Alright boys…get ready for hell!"

In one cornfield, a swirling firefight has broken out, and all that can be heard over the din of artillery muzzles and rifle cracks is men yelling in a mad chorus, shouting orders, and firing at each other while horses careen about and the sulfur smoke settles just over the tops of the 7-foot stalks… and for a brief moment, it becomes all too easy to lose one's place in time.

The confusion is endless. Northern sharpshooters thread between the plants in guerilla-fashion more suited for the jungles of Vietnam, but a line of rebels soon overwhelms them, charging forward with their high-pitched "rebel yell." Minutes after, however, a thick line of blue follows and drives those same southerners before it.

An hour later, a bugle blows in the distance to signify that the scenario is being brought to a close, and the firing slows. It appears that the North has won the exercise, called a "tactical" in the reenactment world. Unscripted and unmapped, it is a real competition where the Northern and Southern commanders use tactics from the mid-19th century to match soldiers and wits.

Or, as 56-year-old West Milford resident and 17-year Civil War reenacting veteran Mike Belgie said, it's "two generals looking for each other, and they know they're out there, and they're going for it."

Sometimes, at formally-scored events, referees are even present, but many (such as this one) are done on the honor system.

The tactical stands in stark contrast to the reenactment that the public will see the following day in a massive but scripted performance meant to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Antietam, he said, precisely because it is not intended to follow history — the generals have "taken the script and thrown it away."

"When we do a tactical, we're writing our own history," he said.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Beth Devine Releases New Bridesmaid Jewelry

Beth Devine Releases New Bridesmaid Jewelry

Beth Devine Designs, an online retailer known for beautiful bridal and bridesmaid jewelry has announced an expanded line of bridesmaid earrings, necklaces and bracelets for the fall and winter bridal season. Beth Devine Designs currently has a wide selection of bridal and bridesmaid jewelry to suit all styles and price ranges. But this fall, brides-to-be have an even better selection bridesmaid jewelry gifts to choose from.

The new bridesmaid earrings, necklaces and bracelets feature the latest colors for fall including shades of dark gray and brown, which were several of the shades that were seen on the runway for fall 2012. The new jewelry designs sparkle with crystals, gemstones and luminous pearls that compliment these latest colors.

Along with rich shades of titanium gray and dark brown; black has been a surprisingly popular color choice for fall and winter bridesmaid dresses. “We’ve expanded our line of bridesmaid jewelry to include pieces that will work well with new fall and winter color trends.” says Beth Devine “Additionally, we always offer custom color jewelry for those who would like to order their bridesmaid earrings, necklaces and bracelets in the color of their choice at the time of purchase.”

Brides purchasing bridesmaid jewelry gifts at BethDevineDesigns.com receive 15 % off when they purchase 3 or more of the same item. To redeem the discount, please enter the promo code "bridalparty" at checkout. Orders over $75 will also receive free shipping.

About Beth Devine Designs
Beth Devine Designs is based in South Florida and offers a selection of handmade designer jewelry that includes over 200 pieces of elegant and wearable jewelry. Designed and impeccably handmade to last a lifetime, an array of high-quality materials are used, including natural gemstones, genuine Swarovski crystal beads, freshwater pearls, sea shells and coral. Metals used include either sterling silver or 14k gold filled.

Since beginning in 2006, Beth Devine has expanded her collection to also include a special line of handmade wedding jewelry, ranging from formal to more casual, non-traditional bridal and bridesmaid jewelry. Additionally, the recently designed web site makes it easy to shop for bridesmaid jewelry by color.

Because the jewelry is handmade in the USA and shipped directly to shoppers, BethDevineDesigns.com is able to offer quality jewelry comparable to that which is sold at higher end department stores at much lower prices.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Cynthia Nixon wanted statement wedding dress

Cynthia Nixon wanted statement wedding dress

 Cynthia Nixon was told she needed a wedding dress with "a capital D".

The actress married long-time partner Christine Marinoni in New York City in May. Cynthia wore a pale-green custom-made Carolina Herrera gown to the civil ceremony, and says the designer pushed for a statement ensemble.

"I knew I wanted Carolina Herrera, because I've had so much luck wearing them in the past and they know my body so well. With a same-sex marriage, it's different. There isn't the archetype of the demure bride, the strapping groom, and the big ol' white dress," she explained in an interview with Elle magazine.

"She said, 'You need to get a dress with a capital D. So even if it's not poufy or white, there's a certain level of ceremony.'"

Cynthia is famed for playing lawyer Miranda in Sex and the City. The star looked to her years on the hit TV comedy show when opting to choose the daring colour for her big day.

"Maybe it was also years of playing red-headed Miranda: Even though in real life my hair is blonde, green has become my go-to," she said.

"And this particular shade - so light it borders on yellow - was especially apt, since it's the colour of early spring, and no matter how long you've been together, a wedding is a certain kind of beginning."

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Figure Fix: Hide Heavy Legs

Sixty-something Kirstie Alley lost 100 lbs, but — like most of us — she still has a body area that could use camouflaging: her heavy legs.
If you've got thick (or even muscular) thighs and calves, you know that trying to wear any type of a dress is a challenge. And forget about shorts.
But Kirstie combats the dress challenge by frequently pairing her dresses with black tights and shoes. The idea is to create a long, unbroken line that gives the look of a svelte lower body (middle photo.)
Another fashion trick Kirstie Alley uses to disguise her legs is to wear a flowing longer skirt, with a focus on her small waist. In the photo, left, she's wearing a fitted leather jacket over a long skirt. The result is a super lean look that brings your eye up to her smallest part (the waist.)
Although black tights and flowing long skirts are great ways to camouflage heavy legs, Kirstie also frequently wears one item of clothing that doesn't work: leggings.
Leggings may be a fashion basic now, but on a woman with thick legs, leggings or skinny jeans just accent the size. A better option? Trousers or straightleg jeans that fall straight from the hip.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Couple spend their wedding cash on dream fitness studios

A NEWLYWED couple sacrificed their honeymoon and ploughed their wedding gift money into fulfilling their dream of setting up a fitness studio.

Iain and Milly Harris found out just weeks before their wedding in Little Eaton in July that the first floor of St James Hall, Derby, was available to lease.

But with the costs of the wedding, they were unsure whether they could afford to take on the space, which had previously been home to a martial arts club.

It was when they opened their wedding cards and saw how generous guests to their service, afternoon tea party and traditional Scottish wedding ceilidh had been that they realised their dream was finally in reach.

Milly, 37, who also put her wedding dress straight online for sale to add to the pot, said: "We had originally seen the premises before the previous occupants took on the lease but were not in a position financially to go ahead.

"Although we had savings, we had thought that the timing on this occasion was conspiring against us but, with the generosity of our family and friends who came to the wedding, we have been able to go ahead and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude."

Iain, 33, made sure the first phone call the couple made after enjoying a two-day honeymoon break at the Holiday Inn, in Derby's Riverlights complex, was to landlords Clowes Developments.

Days later, they started the task of cleaning and getting ready for the opening of their dream St James Street business, Future Fit Studios.

The studios opened for business last week – offering a range of daytime and evening group fitness classes such as Bodypump and Zumba – taught by them and other fitness instructors from the area.

The couple, who live in Alvaston, have been working as freelance fitness instructors in the city and have quickly gained popularity for their unique way of teaching Bodypump classes as a couple.

They said they had always wanted to open their own studios.

Milly said: "Iain and I are well known in local gyms and on the group fitness circuit.

"Many of our members have already been in touch asking for details of the classes.

"This is a dream come true. It is the perfect location in the Cathedral Quarter and the huge studio has loads of natural light and high ceilings, with a vintage feel.

"It is so different to many of the studios tucked away in the backs of gyms and far more welcoming, particularly for beginners.

"We also have the capacity to develop a wide range of classes as we grow."

Monday, September 17, 2012

“I love my shirt (and hat and pants and shoes)”: 16 musical odes to clothing

1. Bob Dylan, “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat”
It’s harder to acquaint what the narrator of this Blonde On Blonde standout despises more: the song’s titular section of aloof haberdashery, or the cheatin’, abject woman beneath it. It could be that the accompanist hates the hat because he can’t accompany himself to accept that the woman has done him wrong—in afterwards scenes aural the chugging bank number, he finds the article of his angel with addition man, but he ultimately places the accusation on that abuse hat. It’s a cachet symbol, one that sits on her arch “like a mattress balances on a canteen of wine” as it attracts doctors and gold-digging admirer callers. The accessible yet bullheaded romantic, meanwhile, just wants footfall all over the thing.
2. Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins, “Rabbit Fur Coat”
Wrapping a blue abate in a soft, down-covered band of metaphor, Jenny Lewis And The Watson Twins’ “Rabbit Fur Coat” uses the titular apparel as a attribute of a mother’s pride and attraction with amusing standing, which stems from an argument with a affluent “girl of beneath character” and manifests itself in a appointment with the girl’s ancestor in her “mansion house.” But the mother’s abnegation to duke over that section of outerwear has added repercussions, and 20 years afterwards the narrator becomes “a $100,000 kid”—a none-to-subtle allusion to Lewis’ above child-star career. Though she brushes off both that career (“But I’m not absinthian about it / I’ve arranged up my things and let them accept at it”) and her fortune-faded mother (“I apprehend she’s putting that being up her adenoids / And still cutting that aerial fur coat”), Lewis acknowledges her own abeyant hypocrisy, acquainted what’s cat-and-mouse for her “when I advertise out and leave Omaha” (a nod to the home of Saddle Creek Records, Lewis’ above characterization as a affiliate of Rilo Kiley): a abode abode and, yes, a aerial fur coat.
3. Meryn Cadell, “The Sweater”
“The Sweater” is abandoned a song in the faculty that King Missile’s “Detachable Penis” is a song; it’s added a adroit spoken-word section with accomplishments music. But like “Detachable Penis,” it’s deadpan hilarious. Canadian achievement artisan Meryn Cadell tells this adventure in additional person, anon implicating every adviser in an affecting action declared in confessional singsong: You accept gone on a camping cruise with added humans from your (presumably junior-high) class, and your drove article loaned you a sweater, and now you are bedeviled with it, in animosity of its “slightly goat-like that appears to smell which all boyish boys possess.” You are welcome, Cadell says, to lie next to it in bed if you want, “or blow it on your legs or whatever / That’s your business.” But the point is, afterwards absorbing over it for a weekend alone, you are to abrasion it to academy to appearance anybody how abundant your drove article cares about you. And if that plan backfires—as it does, in Cadell’s telling—it’s your fault, isn’t it? You’re the one who chose to pretend a alone sweater was a assurance of accurate love, you asinine junior-high-school girl, you.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Madonna's brother debuts affordable cossack line

Madonna's brother debuts affordable cossack line
Christopher Ciccone is acquisitive to do for his name what his acclaimed sister has done with hers: accomplish an all-embracing cast out of it.
First step? Launch his admission rubber, canvas and covering shoe accumulating at one of the better contest on the appearance circuit, London Appearance Week.
Next? Try to move out from beneath the adumbration of his earlier sister and become a standalone cast that doesn’t activate with the qualifier, “Madonna’s brother.”
But in an account with the abecedarian shoe designer, it’s axiomatic that Ciccone drew no baby bulk of afflatus for his accumulating from strong, iconic women in the ball industry like his sister, allotment shoes afterwards stars like Brigitte Bardot, Ava Gardner and Sophia Loren.
“I was aggressive by Broadway dames and approved to carry that into something wearable,” said Ciccone in a buzz account with Relaxnews. “Strong, adult women, women I could account cutting the shoes.”
Ciccone is the aboriginal to accept that his new role as shoe artist could be construed as a stretch, accustomed he has no acquaintance in the industry. If the Slovakian shoe aggregation Novesta – which specializes in elastic rain boots and sneakers -- aboriginal approached him to architecture their abatement line, Ciccone says he wrote them off at aboriginal reminding them that he’s not a shoe designer.
What closed the deal, however, was if the aggregation acicular out that they didn’t wish a shoe artist – they capital an ‘artist.’
It was the blow that would address to his acquaintance as artistic administrator for abounding of Madonna’s apple concert tours and music videos, and as a appliance designer, painter and photographer.
Though he maintains there’s no affinity animosity with his big sis, The Ciccone Accumulating will access a bazaar area Madonna is aswell authoritative waves. Her Truth or Dare alternation -- fabricated up of aerial stiletto heels, platforms, and lace-up thigh-high boots -- hit US food endure month.
'Affordable and accesible'
Ciccone’s shoes, meanwhile, were created to be attainable and attainable for the accustomed woman, he said, with mid-range amount credibility called at amid $125 -$250, he said.
“It was important for me that anybody be able to abrasion these,” he said. "We set out with the abstraction of not authoritative too big-ticket or crazy.”
Described as fashionable and anatomic footwear, one of the signature marks of the accumulating is the use of scrollwork layering, meant to accord a “3D” aftereffect to the boots with elastic cutouts that appearance off adventurous colors and clear patterns. Other signature appearance cover a reindeer antler logo (representing the aeon of life) a snug, slim-fit benumbed cossack cut -- aberrant in elastic boots -- and buckles.
While the women’s accumulating is called afterwards old Hollywood divas, the men’s accumulating pays accolade to Ciccone men with names like Vito, Nick and Mario. The kids’ alternation is additionally aggressive by above bubblegum pop stars like Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera.
By aboriginal winter, Ciccone says he affairs to aggrandize the band into a all-around affairs cast with outerwear, accessories and home appurtenances which will be showcased at his aboriginal flagship abundance in Prague.
When asked if his big sister had any words of admonition from one amateur shoe artist to another, Ciccone – who wrote a tell-all book Activity With My Sister Madonna in 2008 – said: “We’ve begin a peaceful abode to abide and that’s area it’s traveling to stay.”
http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/madonnas-brother-debuts-affordable-footwear-line-160636514.html

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Teenager sent home from school for wearing 'too tight' trousers

A teenager was sent home from school because her trousers were too tight – around her ankles.
Mandy Entwistle said her 15-year-old daughter Lauren was ordered home from Swavesey Village College for wearing trousers that did not have the correct “flarage”.
School leaders have confirmed a clampdown on their uniform policy, which they say help them deliver “very high standards”.
But Mrs Entwistle, who said Lauren does not feel comfortable in bootcut trousers, still has no idea why her daughter has missed a day and a half of lessons.
She said: “I just do not understand how sending a child home from school because her trousers are too tight around the ankles is beneficial for anybody. Are we supposed to get a tape measure out and measure the flarage?”
“I could understand if they were too tight in case they are distracting for the boys but that is not the issue.”
The mother, who lives with her daughter in School Lane, Swavesey, said Lauren was threatened with being put in an isolation room with only a wall to stare at on Monday.
She said: “It’s like a prison cell – something out of a torture camp. They will make them wear orange jumpsuits next.”
A source at the school confirmed there was an isolation room, but said
pupils sent to it are given work to do while being supervised by staff.
The school’s uniform policy is published on its website and requires bootcut trousers for girls to ensure everyone is dressed the same and to prevent girls wearing leggings.
Andrew Daly, acting headtecher at the school, which is rated “outstanding”, said it expects “very high standards”, adding: “Part of these expectations is a very clear uniform policy, that in consultation with parents and students we apply fairly and consistently.
“We explained before the summer our expectations about uniform and girls’ trousers in particular to ensure they are appropriate.
“All parents were given the summer to arrange for the correct uniform to be purchased.
“Students are offered opportunities to rectify issues with uniform before going to lessons, either by being lent uniform we keep in stock or having uniform brought in from home.
“If they refuse to respond to either of these options then we do have a clear sanctions policy in place.”

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Schoolgirl sent home because her trousers were 'too tight'

Schoolgirl sent home because her trousers were 'too tight'

A furious mum has spoken out after her 13-year-old daughter was sent home from school because her trousers were deemed to be 'too tight'.

Julie Docherty's daughter Ciccone Francis was sent home from the Ipswich Academy on the first day back at school.

The school had already recently changed the uniform policy, imposing a rule that girls now have to wear black trousers and not skirts and tights, as was the uniform during the last school year.

Julie, 45, bought the new trousers after already buying her daughter new skirts before the uniform change. She will now have to pay out again as the school says Ciccone's straight cut black trousers are 'too tight' to wear to school.

"Ciccone was sent home for wearing trousers that were too tight but they were just straight cut black trousers which I bought from H&M. They were not leggings or jeggings," explains Julie.

"I have already spent a lot of money on her uniform as I got her new skirts but then they changed the uniform to trousers. The school told me they interfered with her education but they are just trousers. It is ridiculous.

"I have now been told I have got three weeks to buy some other trousers. It's a bit of a nightmare. Ciccone was not happy to be sent home."

Nancy Robinson, principal of Ipswich Academy defended the school's uniform change and their decision to send Ciccone home, saying: "Some of our students turned up in inappropriate uniform and were sent home before the school day started with a letter explaining why.

"Our uniform policy is very simple and clear. We are looking to make a statement at the beginning of term."

Have you had problems with uniform policies at your children's school?

More on Parentdish: Girl excluded from school for wearing black socks instead of white

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

you have to consider your comfort as well as the look of the earrings

 Gold's natural color is yellow but colors such as white or rose can be made by mixing gold with other metals. Rose gold is a combination of gold with a copper alloy. Rose gold looks quite striking and has a stunning color, even though it is not 100% pure. Earrings made of rose gold are usually 18kt or 14kt and many designs are made from this alloy.

If your budget allows for it you can try a ruby or for a less expensive option try garnet. If you prefer a variety of colors in one piece of jewelry, you can choose gold chandelier earrings, which can give you a bright assortment of colors and stones.When choosing a pair of gold earrings, you have to consider your comfort as well as the look of the earrings.

One problem with earrings is that if you are looking at them online or even if you try them on for a minute in a store, you don't necessarily know how they will feel after wearing them all day or night. You can sometimes tell by looking at them or holding them that the weight might be cumbersome after a while. This is even more valid in the case of large hoop earrings or chandelier earrings. You also need to consider any metal allergies you might have. Being allergic to gold is possible, but not common. More typical is having an allergy to nickel, which is often used as an alloy with gold. So if you suspect you may have an allergy to nickel, you should look for gold earrings that don't use this metal in them.One type of gold earrings some women like very much is rose gold.

Monday, September 10, 2012

How to Pick Handmade Jewelry Earrings

How to Pick Handmade Jewelry Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings to Emphasize Your Style
 you are thinking that your wardrobe are a bit boring, do not fret you are not the only one. You can liven up many of your clothes with a little fashionable handmade jewelry. Instead of spending more loot on new attire, enhance the outfits you already own with elegant handcrafted jewelry. Here are some fantastic suggestions to help you get the style and flair you want with almost any clothes.Everyone loves to wear handmade jewelry, but few know that the shape and style of the handcrafted jewelry you choose can actually work towards enhancing your overall look.

You can make your neck and upper body appear thinner by wearing certain types of necklaces. For instance, if you have a plain colored shirt or dress with a rounded neckline wear a necklace of medium length that hangs in a V-shape. The V-shape will make the neckline appear thinner and will focus attention away from your arms and shoulders. For a larger person with broad shoulders, this is a tremendous discovery! It is the simplest diet going!When choosing necklaces you also want to think about the volume or thickness of the unique handmade necklace. A large boned or full figured woman will want a necklace that is larger and bulkier.

If you are small, larger jewelry may not look proper on you and you may want to choose something more delicate.Handmade earrings can work towards or against the shape of your face. According to the shape of your face, you can use different handcrafted earring styles to emphasize or de-emphasize flaws in the shape. When we talk about face shapes we are referring to the basic shapes of round, rectangle, heart-shaped, oval, or square.Those with an oval shaped face are the luckiest because they can wear pretty much any style and look good. If your face is round, you do not want to emphasize the fullness so you want to stay away from big button style earrings or hoops.


Those of you who are tall and want to take the focus away from your height want to select handcrafted necklaces that are short or resting on the collarbone. Choker necklaces work beautifully to draw the attention to your face.Much like clothing, handmade necklace styles can work towards changing the viewers perception of your height. If you are very short and want to give the perception that you are taller then you want to choose necklaces that are longer. Handmade necklaces that are V-shaped or Y-shaped can lengthen your appearance. You want to choose necklaces that are longer but do not pass your waist. These shapes and lengths will make you appear taller.Handmade necklaces can enhance the look of your wardrobe by adding color, brightness and beauty.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Viking Jewellery - Earring, Necklace and Bracelet

Viking Jewellery - Earring, Necklace and Bracelet
York or Jorvik in England bears attestant to the ability of the Vikings even in accustomed online writing like the sledge, the apprehensive brazier or the comb. They were clearly accomplished in the making, abstraction and alleviative of metals and their alloys. Their absorption in their actualization and their accomplishment with metals were anon empiric in Viking Jewelry. Since adornment was an indicator of their abundance and amusing continuing the Vikings showed off their cachet by cutting admirable earrings, necklaces, broaches on cloaks and bracelets. The Vikings aswell acclimated adornment as bargain in abode of money.
Even their swords were carved and engraved with gold and argent motifs. Today's building adornment confirms of a accomplished 800 AD applique Viking jewelry. However, a lot of Viking adornment is awfully abundant like a close ring but some accomplished ability is aswell axiomatic like the granulation plan involving metal grains. There is aswell 1000 AD adornment of the Vikings in brownish with motifs of a bifold horse head. A admirable brownish arm ring beat by the Vikings was amid in Gotland, Sweden. Today, accurate copies of Viking adornment can be ordered. These are about reproductions from building adornment of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. You can buy a set of Viking earrings with Knottet arrangement from the 8th/9th centuries or a armlet with Viking Runes or alphabets in admirable argent from about 750 AD. A set of design shaped earrings is abnormally attractive.
The Vikings were a adventurous humans whose history is recorded from about 800 AD. Initially from the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark they after afflicted the breadth from Asia to as far as America for about 200 years. They after acclimatized in Britain, France and Russia. An absorbing aspect of the Vikings was that they were a lot of accurate about their actualization admitting their poor germ-free conditions. Their analytical absorption to their dresses and appearance was reflected in the bright clothes that they wore. Their women spun these from wool. Vikings were accomplished in arts and the crafts too.