Hot pants & boy shorts: women's fashion trend

Many recent fashion trends have pointed to it, and given the popularity of the likes of lingerie as outerwear it should really come as no surprise. Yes, hem lines continually become shorter as time marches on, but Spring 2010 may be the first season where hem lines can be predominantly measured in negative figures.


Once upon a time hot pants were considered more suited to a gymnasium than the streets. But then, in late 2007, the leotard came back into fashion. While it didn't peak on the streets until 2009, and was often worn under skirts, shorts or long furs, in the case of Kate Moss, its prevalence guaranteed that hot pants would indeed be worn by forward thinking fashionisers.

And so there it was on the Spring 2010 catwalks. And again in the front row. Always on the confident personality. Always on a great figure.

Those two latter parts are key to this fashion trend. It is not for the faint of heart, nor those who aren't confident about their figure.

The Must-Watch Show For Runway Fanatics Is…So You Think You Can Dance?!

It’s a week before Fox unveils the seventh season of So You Think You Can Dance, and the show’s hostess is on the phone with a confession. “The first dress I bought where I thought I had gone completely mad was an Alexander McQueen,” Cat Deeley tells Style.com. “It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, like I had gone up to my grandmother’s attic and opened a trunk and pulled out this treasure of millions of layers of white tulle. It looked like a fairy-tale rock princess’s dress. I spent a fortune on it. But it’s so over the top that I’ve never, you know, actually worn it.”

Huh? This from the hostess of a weekly Fox dance-off?

But Deeley’s enviable wardrobe is reason enough for fashion-minded viewers to tune in, however they feel about splits and pliés. She’s quietly brought Balenciaga, Christian Dior, YSL, and Givenchy to prime time. “I like to have fun with what I wear on the show,” Deeley says. “People either love it or hate it, but they always have strong opinions about it. And, for me, that’s what fashion should be about.”

Even with more designers—especially countrymen like Burberry’s Christopher Bailey, Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson, Alice Temperley, and Giles Deacon—making their collections available to her, Deeley says she still picks up many of her ensembles at vintage stores on the road during auditions. (She’s also got a strong feeling for French designers like Roland Mouret, Isabel Marant, and Lanvin.) So, what’s on deck for next Thursday? “I never know what I am going to actually wear until the morning of the show,” she explains. “I go into the studio and see how I’m feeling—ballsy or not? Then I pick the outfit and turn to my makeup team with detailed scenarios—like, think Talitha Getty in Morocco or Jerry Hall meeting Andy Warhol. That’s how we do it. I’ve definitely put some crazy things together in my time.” So why not wear the McQueen dress after all? “It’s so over the top that everyone would literally turn around and say I’ve gone clinically insane,” she laughs. “Maybe instead I will just get it framed.”

Going to the Gynecologist 101

Have you ever been to an obstetrician/gynecologist or Ob/Gyn for a pelvic exam and Pap test? If your answer is "no" and you are 21 or older, pick up your phone today and make an appointment with your doctor or a family planning clinic in your area. On the other hand, if your answer is "yes," then how long has it been since your last Pap smear and pelvic exam? All women should have annual Pap smears beginning at age 21, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Women 21 to 29 should get a Pap every year, then every other year (or as often as your doctor recommends) from ages 30 to 64.
When Do Women Need Pelvic Exams?
Teenage girls should see an OB/GYN between the ages of 13 to 15. While pelvic exams are rarely required during this first visit, this visit helps to establish a relationship with the doctor of your choice and to go over your medical and sexual history (even if you have not had sexual intercourse.) This is a good time to ask questions about sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives.

You should always see your gynecologist if you experience:

* any unusualy and/ or persistent vaginal discharge,
* bleeding between periods,
* or bleeding after sexual intercourse.

While a yearly Pap smear is not, in most cases, necessary after age 30, all women still require an annual pelvic exam to check for any other changes or infections. If you've had an HPV test that was negative that doesn't mean you don't need to have a yearly pelvic exam. The ACOG established these guidelines with full knowledge that HPV causes cervical cancer.

Did you know that with each new sexual partner your risk of getting HPV increases by 15 percent? This means that having multiple sex partners raises your risk of HPV substantially. According to the ACOG guidelines for Pap testing women diagnosed with HIV or other diseases or conditions that lower immunity should continue having annual Pap smears after age 30.

Fact: The greatest single reason for the occurrence of cervical cancer is not having Pap smears according to recommended guidelines.

The majority of women diagnosed with cervical cancer have not had a Pap smear in five or more years. Sadly, these women are usually at an advanced stage of cancer when they receive diagnosis.

Women's Boat Shoes - A Fashion Trend

Boat shoes is a term that describes a wide variety of casual footwear. Also known as deck shoes or topsiders, these shoes have been designed as rugged and tough footwear with very good traction to provide good grip for boaters on slippery decks and during wet weather. It is thought that the modern boat shoe probably evolved from the Native American moccasin and today it still bears a resemblance to this familiar and comfortable shoe.

In recent years, with so many men and women wearing this style of shoe, the boat shoe has became a fashion accessory as well as a functional boating accessory. The style has become popular with many people, including those that have never set foot on the deck of a boat. As a result of this popularity, boat shoes have become a footwear style in their own right.

The quality of boat shoes varies, however, and there can be quite a difference between shoes that have been truly designed for sailors and those that have been designed simply as fashion accessories but based on the same style as the boat or deck shoe.

A good pair of quality boat shoes will be flexible and comfortable and fit snugly. Your foot should not slide side to side or forward and back, and your toes should never feel cramped in the toe. The feature that sets topsiders apart from a regular shoe is the sole. Deck shoe soles display a very tight ripple designed to squeeze out the water from the sole and provide strong grip on a wet deck. Many women's boat shoes and some men's shoes have laces but they are low cut at the front and sides so that they can be slipped off and on easily.

Most quality boat or deck shoes are manufactured from leather, and they can be treated with waterproofing compounds and protected with leather conditioner. Shoes with removable liners should have the liner removed regularly and aired and sprayed to help keep them fresh.

From a fashion standpoint, this type of footwear may not be ideal for the office but they'll be right at home on the patio, at a barbecue, strolling along a beach or at a picnic... as well as the deck of a yacht!

When buying any shoe, it is always preferable to try them on for size and comfort before purchase, however, many online stores provide reliable measuring tools so that you can purchase your topsiders at a discount and still be sure of a good fit.

Gisele-Tom: Date-Night Makeup Look

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Let's all take a second to pause before diving into an in-depth discussion on Gisele Bundchen's crazy-gorge makeup look. (After all, the new mom is pretty breath-taking.) Last night she and hubby Tom Brady got all spiffed up, enjoyed a night out and rubbed elbows with other stylish VIPers at the Costume Institute gala. Her smokin' hot look really ups the ante on date night makeup, don'tcha think? Here's what's going on:

I got the scoop from makeup artist Rose Marie Swift who did Gisele’s makeup last night. (Aww-inducing side note: apparently Gisele's baby Benjamin looked on and laughed at all the fuss and chaos. “She’s so in love with her kid,” says Rose Marie!)

Since Gisele's no ordinary mom, she ditched a clean and glowy new-mom makeup vibe in favor of a super sexy look: a handwoven leather Alexander Wang dress hugged her curves while dark, smoldery eye makeup said va-va-voom!

To create Gisele's sexy bedroom eyes, Rose Marie used two Shu Uemura shades, ME Black 990 and IR (iridescent) Black 990, layering them on in a square form, instead of pointed shape to give a cool smoky look that’s the opposite of a cat eye. “I boxed out the shadow toward the temples,” explains Rose Marie.

Since her eyes were so intense, Rose Marie went low-key everywhere else. She used RMS Uncover Concealer, a sheer a tinted moisturizer to let Gisele's freckles shine through. And instead of blush, she just used a shimmery bronzer all over her bod and a matte, brown-y lipstick on her lips!

New Women Trend: Women Are Staying Awake For Their Breast Augmentations

Apparently, some doctors have started using local rather than general anesthesia during boob jobs. So not only are the patients awake throughout the surgery, but they get to watch and chat with the doctor about size and shape while their breasts are getting tweaked.

You can read the full New York Times story here but this is the general gist: Local is less risky than general, so the changes of complications during surgery go down. Plus, since the docs can prop the patients up to see their results before they get sewn back up, they have more say in their final results.

Best-Dressed Mothers and Daughters

Vogue editor Anna Wintour and her daughter Bee Shaffer are familiar faces on the front rows of fashion shows. The college-age Bee (whose real name is Katherine) has already dabbled in fashion journalism at the likes of Teen Vogue and The Daily Telegraph.

A self-confessed dress addict, Bee wears a Giambattista Valli strapless dress, while mom Anna chose a black-and-white embroidered dress by Oscar de la Renta.