The coming AUTUMN/WINTER

So you think I’m a bit daft writing about Autumn/Winter clothing?   Not so daft because it’s fun and wise to get in early with some of the modern trends that aren’t TOO unlike your favourite styles.   Buying online from overseas suppliers is a bit of a hit and miss, I agree, but have your tried out some of the New Zealand suppliers?

Zebrano is a case in point.  This range from “Moss” goes from 14-24 and gives a hint of what the Australian women will be wearing.  Once again it looks as though black will be the colour of choice, whether alone or with contrasts.  It also looks like boots will be the rage as well.

 

If in doubt WEAR RED!

There are some mighty sales on at the moment.   Apart from the US as well as here, it's worth noting that Europe offers some lovely garments as well.

Anna Sholz is a name not so well known here (as yet), but do take a look at her website.  

If in doubt that red is this year's colour, then look no further.

BEWARE AN ELECTRONIC SHOCK!

It's amazing just what you can read in the daily newspaper, in my case the Melbourne Sun-Herald, especially when you're relaxing with a cup of coffee at your favourite Coffee Shop, after a morning's shopping.

(Please note that the bra pictured is NOT the so-called prototype "smart bra").

The headline did it for me:   

SMART BRA MAY STOP WOMEN OVEREATING

(I'll quote the article ver batim - with acknowledgement to who ever wrote it, although there was no indication as to who that might have been or which news agency it came through.)

"MICROSOFT researchers (who else????) have designed a smart bra that monitors a woman's mood in an attempt to prevent "emotional overeating".

The bra contains several removable sensors that monitor heart rate, breathing, skin activity and movement.

In theory, the bra could determine when a wearer is stressed and likely to look to food for relief, Microsoft researchers claim.

It would feed the data to a smartphone app via bluetooth and provide interventions such as breathing exercises to help the wearer beat their urge.

The researchers said the bra predicted emotions "significantly better than chance" after testing it on four women for four days.  They compared the physiological data to the women's self-reported emotions.

"Based on these results, we conclude building a wearable, physiological system is feasible," the researchers wrote.

But they said a real-world smart bra would need to be made more comfortable and have better battery life.

Analysts view wearables as the next frontier in technology.  Already there are wristbands that monitor well-being."

I don't know about you but technology seems to be going into areas that not even Captain Kirk (or even Mrs Kirk) envisioned.

How would you launder a bra that has a battery in it, in the first place?   Would the next step be possibly reducing the size of this "bra" to such an extent that it was not even necessary but where a chip could be implanted into a woman instead?    What if it got crossed wires and read a woman's mood incorrectly?  (Just like a lot of men!)

Anyway, women know their emotions.   They can read their bodies a lot easier than Microsoft researchers imagine.   Our bodies react in certain ways to protect us, to shield us and to allow us to confront, cope and then manage our situations.  

A "smart bra" - could this be going too far?  Are we becoming a nation of people who MUST have gimmicks for every use and occasion?  (Even uses that are preposterous?)

HURTING ....

"THE FIRST STEP IN NOT HURTING OTHERS

 IS TO STOP HURTING YOURSELF"

IT'S ALL VERY WELL .....

.... being told we should look, dress and be like someone else - notably a celebrity (whatever that really means!)

AGE SIZE and SHAPE do NOT matter in the true scheme of things.

It’s about time we learned to look at ourselves for who we are and what we are.  NOT to concentrate on how old we are; what shape we are and what size we are!

Too mugh time and energy both physical as well as emotional, can be wasted in pursuing “perfection” as it is seen in today’s media and on fashion runways, because whatever we try and however hard we try to do it, we will never fit into the moulds created by photographers (digital mastering) or cosmetic surgeons, because nature and aging will continue along their merry ways.  And we should be both grateful and inspired by that very fact.

In today’s world we need to look at each other, and indeed ourselves, as distinctive, unique and original one-off human beings.  Respect to and for each other as well as respect to and for ourselves, is an essential requirement for our own peace of mind, and self-confidence.

Rosemary

HEARD THE OTHER DAY ......

Black is SO boring, don’t you think?

Well, if you’re talking about the “common-place” corporate wear that women appear to prefer recently, then I agree with you.   It’s like seeing clones walking along the streets at any time of day.  All dressed alike, all in a rush, and all with tired scowling faces.  We know that working women have a lot on their mind, but scowling won’t make it better!  So what is it with working women that they must adhere to a dress code that doesn’t do that much for them?

I’m not suggesting that all business women should take a leaf out of Quentin Bryce’s (our present Governor-General) book, but surely suiting (and corporate women all seem to have taken to the business-suit) can be provided in colours that enhance women’s looks, rather than detract.   As some of my colleagues will say - "you’re being too judgemental - AGAIN”, but I believe professional women particularly can play a big part in allowing femininity to be a part of their dress-code, without having to resort to frills and flounces!   I like the “power-suit” idea.   Colour has the power to draw attention, to demand focus, and to inspire.   It also makes you "feel good about yourself".

But let’s get back to black being boring.  For the every-day women like you and me, that is.   I wear a lot of black and I NEVER find it boring.  I’ve worn it for decades and it has absolutely nothing to do with it being a “slimming” colour.   I don’t quite know where that idea sprung from, because I often wear white too!   When I do I always receive compliments.

Black is a “comfortable” colour.  It’s a colour (and here I’ve jumped in at the deep end because there are those who tell me it’s NOT a colour!), that I find lends itself to almost every occasion.  Especially from the point of view that it can be dressed up or dressed down.   It’s a happy colour if used correctly.    Bringing in contrasts - no more than two at any one time - and you have the makings of an interesting and ever-changing wardrobe.

So here’s an example of a black outfit with a simple accessory of bangles, and I would very much doubt anyone wearing this would NOT receive the highest of compliments and dinner invitations to boot!

IS THIS WHAT WE'VE GOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO?

The "fashion experts" whoever they really are, have come up with some weird predictions over the years.  This New Year there are some "doozies".

If women have nothing better than these forward-thinking suggestions, then perhaps they should take matters into their own hands, and dictate what THEY want, rather than be trundled around with ideas like the above.   Better still - find a good dressmaker and get her on side with working out a basic wardrobe of clothing to suit your life-style.   (All your friends will be SO envious!)

Quite honestly, this particular "forecast" in our leading morning newspaper, is nothing more than a repeat of the past five years, at least.

Maybe I'm too critical, but how feminine are the tight black leather pants (have these been taken from the show "Grease"?) and those darned torn, worn "distressed" jeans!   I'm not usually lost for words, but those type of clothes defy description.   Would someone explain to me why something most people throw out in the garbage seem to end up in the front window of your local boutique at an highly inflated price?

There's another question I'd like to ask.   What has happened to the shape of women's legs?    Are they too spindly now to even hold the body upright in order to balance?  Has womankind undergone some recent mutation in order to be able to be poured into clothes - how do they get out of them?    Models all seem to have become pigeon toed, and women everywhere are imitating them.

I admit I'm skeptical about the abilities of "fashion" people knowing what's good and what's not good, but to ignore the femininity of women which can be expressed through clothing, doesn't auger really well for "fashion for 2014".  Or does it?   Let's have some discussion on this.

As an aside, if this is what the younger-thinking SLIM woman has to choose from this year, then goodness knows what the PLUS-size market will come up with!!!!