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Last spring I confirmed what I had long suspected: The vast majority of contemporary neckties are just too damn long. It wasn’t always this way: just look at any old movie and you’ll often see neckwear sitting high above the leading man’s already high waistlines. And these were tall men. Today, with ties averaging between 58 and 60 inches, short men are hard pressed to keep the silk north of the belt.

J. Raffiani is aware of the problem. As far as I know, they are the only neckwear purveyor catering exclusively to the “30 million American men under 5′ 8″ tall who cannot find neckwear proportional to their frame.” According to my Tie Length Comparison PDF, they make the shortest ties available at 54″. And they just introduced a new spring line based on customer feedback.

Many of you have told us that our ties were too wide (thank you, Billy Joel), and that the silk was often too thick. We took those words to heart and made our new ties significantly narrower — just 3 ¼”, not 3 ¾” — at their widest point. We’ve also reduced the silk weight to reflect the briskness of Spring, and to ensure the ease of tying a smaller, sharper knot.

Sounds spot on to me! Check out J. Raffiani’s new spring line here. Prices start at $38.

Special Offer: J. Raffiani is offering Short Shrifted readers 10% off their entire purchase (until June 1, 2009). Just plug in this code when prompted: jrfd-001

Digitally Enhanced Fabric Prints
Digitally Enhanced Fabric Prints create a whole new world of up-to-the-minute fabrics. These are sometimes mixed with other equally demanding prints to create clashing print mixes that dazzle and confound whilst crying out novelty. This feature extends from jersey knit dresses through into knitwear.

Below digital watercolour effect fabrics and sculptural forms from brilliant young designer Mary Katrantzou. Image courtesy Swarovski.
Far Right  – Value for Money Print Dress from George at Asda.
Tribal Structured Dress £16 George at ASDA.

Petal Prints

Petal Prints – This uses large fulsome blooms to pinhead prints and mystical blurred watercolour effect flora, to form fabrics of ethereal beauty. This is an exceptionally pretty girly look, feminine and easily made more edgy with statement jewellery in bold designs and shoes that shock.

BLUE – BLUE – Beautiful Blue.

Whilst purple is still having its moment make way too for blue – the colour of the year. Stock up on anything turquoise through to cobalt blue and cornflower.

The marine blues add a cool calm elegant sophisticated aura to a woman. Like an image of sea breezes the tones are naturally expensive looking so make a good colour choice for new investment pieces.

Right – M&Co Ladieswear SS10 Jewelled Floral Shift Dress £40.
Left – Hobbs Summer 2010 – Vaudeville Dress £159.

If you are now ten years older since you last wore one of the richer royal blue tones, then this colour may appear harsher against your skin tone than you first recall.  So select the colour and fabric carefully to maximise the wondrous effect blue can have on a woman.  Deeper cobalt blues are especially suited to the business and evening environment as they make a refined, yet glamorous in control alternative hue to black.

The iris/electric blue/purple/violet colour spectrum has stayed in favour and so there are still plenty of mauve tones filtering down through lavender to cornflower blue for spring.

Still in the blue green spectrum the sea greens, turquoise and aqua have once again made us more comfortable with the green family. The rise of blue based accessories in bags and jewellery reflect this.
Right – John Lewis Collection Turquoise Cuff – £20.

The brights, acid green, lime, citron yellow tones all remain popular colour choices especially in summer cotton and linens, but now move toward warmer khaki, olive green and yolk gold.

Shimmering brocades are glam and make for perfect occasion wear as summer weddings make their mark. Glimmer and a burnished glossy mirror shine are easily achieved with glossy bags, metallic footwear or the gold cuff just shown above.

Textures – Check out the Dolce and Gabbana crochet dresses and watch out for macramé bags and casual layering pieces. Look out for torn edges, frill layers, crunchy lace, Cornelli tape work, and 3D floral forms on dresses jackets and knitwear.

Cool Blues – The most important fashion colour contenders for 2010 are the blues with vibrant turquoise, inky sapphire through cobalt to cornflower blue and faded denim blue. Warm Tones – Pink, red and coral have been hot colours for several years. These dresses below reveal some of the interesting warm combinations. One challenge to the blues, to pastels and monochromes is to be bold and juxtapose bright block colours like hot orange, tangerine, coral and tomato red, against fuchsia pink and magenta. The effect is electric, but stunning when coral red and orange is teamed with a strongly competing fiery shocking fuchsia pink. Dresses based on coral orange tangerine tones and worn as the sole colour are right on trend. Above Left – John Lewis Women Linen Colour Block Dress – John Lewis SS10 COLLECTION, £65. Centre Left – Marks & Spencer Autograph Summer 2010 Collection – Autograph Lined Silk Dress – £69. Centre Right – Jaeger Matador Red Waterfall Dress, £199 – 100% Silk. Jaeger at John Lewis. Far Right – Push the boat out with this luxurious designer dress – Vintage in the making. Gorgeous Donna Karan Bi-Colour Drape Dress from Harvey Nichols – £1,755.00. IMPORTANT BRIGHTS – COLOURS FOR 2010 Colours To Watch The rise of orange based light coral red. One noticeable colour seen to be a rising star is that of an orange based light coral red. This is very different rosier orange tone than the hard orange colours of the 1970s. This 2010 orange is warm and blushes more than the cooler, harsher 1970s orange. Left – Lanvin Kimono Belted Hot Tangerine Dress at Harvey Nichols – £1,285.00. Centre – Blood Orange Peplum Dress by Tesco SS10. Far Right – Limited Edition Orange Silk Dress by Marks & Spencer. Violet and purple based colours have been incredibly popular sellers with women throughout 2009. There is still high demand for these rich vibrant shades that lift a woman’s face. Note how the purples are often meeting the blues. Right – Blue violet purple lavender necklace from Phase Eight Pebble Necklace in Thistle £25. As well as the stronger important bright colours such as turquoise, cobalt blue, lilac violet, there are the neutrals and softer sherbet colours. The neutrals include café Latté, beige, cream, stone, warm ecru and soft khaki. They offer a safe palette for those who resist intense colour. The correct colour choice for that summer jacket or parka will lift your skin tone more than any unfashionable sun-baked mahogany tan.

Utility is a functional fashion look that focuses on belts, bibs and braces worn with no end of cropped trouser or shorts variations or as dungarees and pinafores.  This look often has plenty of hardware with kilt pins and the like.

This is traditional variation of the preppy look.  Neat and tidy shirts, pleated knee length skirts and ties or cropped trousers make for a sporty college girl look.  Colours are traditionally nautical – red and navy with white and maybe some teal and tan

Marc Jacobs is a reliable predictor of trends and, for spring, he focused on a wholesome, American preppy look of slouchy trouser, tailored shirts and streamlined blazers.  The feel is one of preppy campus, preppy sailor, boho buccaneer and sophisticated schoolgirl.

The preppy nautical look has cropped trousers worn with flat shoes and short waist-length/cropped jackets.  Expect to see pinafore dresses, ‘V’ neck primary coloured sweaters.  His orange satchel bag or any other satchel bag can easily help bring this look together.

Kenzo touched on this nautical pirate look too.  It would hardly be spring without someone addressing the cruise/nautical theme!

Over 21?  15/50 – Fifteen from the back, 50 from the front.  Are you well over the odds for thigh-high, preppy, schoolgirl pleated, mini skirts, yet your legs are race horse fit.  The shortest of mini skirts is a look that women giving themselves a personal fashion makeover should just say a silent no to themselves.  However, there may be other elements of preppy you can easily wear.

Military has moved right through to majorette with patriotic bandstand appearance combining white with areas of red and blue.  Military carries on from last season.  Linea have a wonderful bandstand look cream summer jacket in their range.

Jacobs also pursued the military bandstand theme.

If you need to send your bag anywhere do make sure it is well packed and the box has padding around the bag. Put dangling metal logos or charms inside the bag or cover them with bubble wrap. Chain handles should be padded and if possible also placed into the body of the inner bag to prevent scratching the bag outer material. You don’t want the box being damaged like this one I had on arrival.

You may wish to consider bag insurance.  Most household policies only cover goods to a small specific limit.  Therefore check with your insurer that the handbag and its contents are covered by your policy.  This may mean adding a small extra premium to cover bag Insurance.  Specialist item extra insurance may be costly.  Whether or not you take up insurance is your business, but be aware of the monetary factors.

Consider these facts – The average designer handbag may be worth anything from £300 to £1500.  Even if your bag cost £50 it will probably be filled with items of value such as cash, cards, keys, leather gloves and make up.  A few lipsticks, gloss, a mascara, face foundation, shadow, blusher, pencils, brushes, perfume etc., at just £10 a go on average your bag contents will soon add up to £100 – £200.

These days we also have technology in our bags.  I’m not even thinking of a laptop here in a business brief bag, but just everyday techie items we now take for granted and cart with us everywhere.

Add in a mobile phone, a digital camera and perhaps an iPod, a Blackberry device, emergency hair straighteners and other personal items like a costly 3 month season ticket.  To this add some harder to replace items in terms of time, inconvenience and sentiment – £300+ spectacles (needing half a day to sort out a replacement), plus a couple of pieces jewellery, perhaps just a spare gold necklace and earrings to revamp to evening looks and you will see that your bag if stolen is quite a loss.

    By 2010, with wooden shoes, spring landmark rivet with new profile details of California wantonly again heel moisture. Environmental protection accessories such as straw, rope, cork and wood for fashion shoes and sandals win public concern. Hollow out, woven leathers, perforation and large costume buckle with such as summer air style added new shoes outfit. Translucent vinyl vamp, synthetic resin, sole, printing and jewelry, adornment is chun xia brings fresh and tender innovation series.

   Combined with the system design

Sandals and boots, a combination of a girl to love, not because of the infinite collocation season was forced to abandon your favorite style. Leather, chamois or high-tech surface with hollow out and take the instep, tower, decorative pattern sole, spiral zipper, rear zipper silent infinite, tie-in naked legs or baggy socks are style.
  Wide shoelaces

   Wide chalaza sandal shoes to deduce the proportion of thick, soft leather and shammy collocation double-color splicing effect is modern, Hollow-out and covered with sole, high heels may, according to the fractal or architecture style to choose.
  Multiple zone
  Chalaza sandal shoes for flat heels and cold, dull, add boots style furcated effect or narrow stripes with more than make leather costume show on foot. After Saul again continue riding boots mix index most sheet is tasted.
Hollow-out effect

  Hollow-out pattern for fish and pump shoes add template effect of baotou, much more change shoe is walked on, Compared with the colour of the material mix build, delicate high buildings, or by dampening wide heel reveal personality.

   Elegant environmental protection material
   Summer shoe material using light air show loading, and environmental protection will wear more comfortable. Neuter color or gray canvas, flax, straw and rope qualitative vamp is the embodiment of environmental protection.

 
    This summer, aggressive strong wind co ntractions have sex, comfortable and natural instead, more and more female in the summer people choose comfortable word procrastinates, let the passage in summer release, still can show elegant line, ankle in euramerican street pats highlights, everywhere is visible star with style of the person handwriting procrastinates modelling.
    One word procrastinates, also called “clip toe slippers. Single hear it, that the rhythm is playing mommy already spread a free of romance and optional sense. In the choice of words, man dragged into fancy or to go, so the most suitable match beach recreational outfit, or must be pure color, such as black, silver, coffee, full of – wave-tech is feeling, and low-key senior feeling.
   People do on fashionable word procrastinates addition

People who deeply by the brand elaborately word procrastinates wrapped with semi-precious stones, flowers, metal sequins, shells, etc to do addition, especially big fashionable color semi-precious stones, the application of broken beautiful dress and skirt collocation, a Bohemian amorous feelings. One word has now changed, drag from cheap, drab, casually in the street stall of the household products, change the fair maiden, even elegant lady, occupy the major counter the markeddest position.

    National wind continued popularity, turquoise and metal sequins mix is tie-in dress design, is a good choice.

Researchers will norepinephrine injected into the hypothalamus, the mice for 5-10 minutes after the mice, the start of eating 20-40 minutes, and the same methods can also make already satiate the monkey to eat. In the hypothalamus lateral area injection 5-ht May reduce food intake and the mouse will serotonin injected directly into ventricle or hypothalamus atrioventricular nuclear inhibits ingestion mice, 1. Acetylcholine through the limbic system to promote animals eat 1.

In Japan, according to a report of the child health and shoes. Expert proposal, don’t let the children wear too tight shoes, otherwise will interferes with the other children, influence blood circulation and metabolism, make its appear appetite child piddle or anorexia, thereby affecting growth and development.

Concerned expert thinks, adult if shoes have not appropriate, will affect appetite. Appetite refers to the food to eat in a former or some food produced one of a pleasant feeling, it is based on the basis of conditional reflex, body and spirit of any discomfort can cause appetite change. Psychological factors to affect appetite is mainly because the gastrointestinal tract by plant nerve, 1 between psychology and physiology by plant nerve, hormone and neural medium of communication such intermediary material 1 and adjustment.

Take care to caress “second heart.”

The modern medical science thinks, the foot is one of the “heart”, “the second brain” and “the second body”. Appetite and foot has the very big relations. This is because by many bones and muscles, tendons, blood vessels and nerves, etc, with 6 1 remit the meridians, and 66 points with multiple links with the internal organs of the neural reflex point, so that TCM is the root of human 1.

ChuanXiaoXie affect appetite

Spirits, increase appetite, Sad depressed, anorexia.

Additionally, the study found that the central nervous system function of medium and 11 can affect ingestion function.
A woman will eat

Still, the senior activity phenomenon is one of the hypothalamus and feeding, plays an important role in regulating center. The damage to the area will cause the hypothalamus and refused to drink, antifeeding mice with food indifferent to die by hunger.

Mom bought a pair of online barbie’s hard plastic high heeled, 4 years old girl fluttering beloved content, 45 centimeters high on the day of walking around at home with high gravity until one day, his sudden imbalance, fall into the ground heavily. Father flew into a rage and picked up the shoes directly from the window threw out and rushed mother shout: “don’t know, it broke into a concussion!”

“A few days ago I bought her a dreadful with sandal high, I said children without wearing high heels. However, the next day, she was a child by classmate, feet high, and was to have 2 centimeters tall, I live! They class, at least four little girls wear high heels. Yueyue mother self-induction is enlightened, fashion, strong ability to accept, but when she saw so many of the little girl wearing a babyish three centimeters high heels, still feel not acceptable. She didn’t know, high-heeled shoes have little girl in popularity.

One-third of the girl have high heels

“Don’t know how, recently flew always buy shoes, it’s a blow to their class” high-heeled shoes fashion wind.” Yueyue was a key school of dongcheng first-year students. “Then, I flew to the west’s weekend with the extracurricular classes did find, wear high-heeled shoes kids do many.”

“They were just 20 girl, one third of with high heels. This month’s mother, for unreasonable. She gave the child’s mother telephoned, want to understand the “precocious” popular what happed.

“Your little gladly, but leads the fashion, my class these days a month to get home with my heels.

“No, I see now many little girls wear high heels, style is new, I feel a little girl, don’t fashion is just too…”

“The other kids and parents want to think about, don’t buy the son too, not to wear, everyday is nothing.” Yueyue mother in a class to play a circle of mother call summary said.

This girl high-heeled shoes

A telephone, the scale throughout the mother have been relaxed. In the month and decided not to wear school “, go out to play week not to wear only wear a day after a month, “agreed to buy a pair of shoes” fun “.
Buy shoes, where there are easily. “China’s supplies center, blue harbor, xinhua store sells children’s shoes of…” comprehensive flowering.

The reporter comes to a department store five layers of children’s shoes. 300-metre-long The brand of female shoes sell one home, two display in the fashion shoes, stiletto heels only girls colourful, design also is very diversiform, including the popular “adult fish shoe shoe” and “mouth” Rome also can see, the salesperson introduces to the reporter said: “this is the product of a few year, sells especially well.”

“The 25th, two years old children can wear.” Sales personnel picking up a pair of small to reporters. Facing this double no downed with son, about 1 inch high heels, not exclaimed: “the reporter so little shoes, so high, buy with someone?”