Choosing what style you want to approach the new school year with can be a tough decision. Do you wanna have a laid back style with the plain old tee, blue denim jeans, and sneakers? Or would you prefer the new style that will grab everyone’s attention like a bright yellow top with sequins, shredded green pants, and stunning red heels?  Or maybe a mix of the two? It can be confusing and a hard decision, but what’s most important is that your style fits you & your personality. Make sure that you feel confident and comfortable in the clothes you wear. If you wanna girly up your look, try putting your hair in a high pony, or maybe even get a new hair cut that goes with your style, or add some exciting highlights. Another important thing to remember if you want to glamour up your look is to accessorise with handbags, scarfs, jewelry, and backpacks that compliment what you’re wearing.  If your a plain jane who only buys plain graphic tees and denim jeans, try shopping with a friend who’s style is different, and then maybe you can explore other styles outside of your normal. Sometimes when you shop the clothes on the hangers and mannequins can look intimidating, and look like they wouldn’t look good on you. But actually you should grab it, try it on, then make up your mind; you’d be surprised how things look on you instead of on the hanger! I know that summer time can sometimes be a crunch on money, because you wanna go out to shop, eat, go out to the movies, and hang out with friends.  So that by the end of summer, your money might be tight; but if you’re not a picky person, you should try going to a store that buys and resells clothes. That way you can sell clothes that you don’t like or don’t fit anymore to get extra money to shop with. But if you’re skeptical about shopping there, ask a friend to go with you! At little shops like those, you can find good name brand clothes for under $20, and their clearance clothes are like 50%-70% off! But remember that whatever you decide will be your style, should be easy & comfortable for you to wear. And never ever worry about what other people think, what you wear is up to you!

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If you are the around the age of 20-40 and you are going for an evning look, a good option to whare is a brown dress that had a seam or belt right above the widest part of you and the rest of the dress should flow away from the rest of the body. Acsessory wise, a good idea might be a blue neckalace and for a splash of color, a red hand bag and maching heals would be sure to get some atention! If you are not the dressy type, then a shirt with a nice print on it say brown, red, blue, and yellow with a brown jacket that is narow at the waist would be a great idea. Also, a dark wash jean that is close to the uper leg and flows away from the leg near the lower leg would make your legs look longer, and for something more comfterbal a dark wash trowser jean would do just as good. And don’t forget to acsessorise! Any kind of jewlry would be good to whare and a red, yellow,or blue hand bag or over the sholder bag ( wich ever you perfer.) and a maching heal or flat would look great! Remember, these are just options and you do not have to whare this exact outfit to look great ether. And if your not going for an evning look, keep in mind that I do have other articals that would work for you.

Through most of my adult life I have had the good sense and/or the good fortune to not have gotten caught up in the majority of ridiculous fashion trends that have afflicted most of my peers. There was my ten years in the Navy, which obviated the need to have much fashion sense; since the majority of time I was in uniform, and when I wasn’t, my haircut gave away any hopes I had of blending in. Then there was law school at Stanford, where all I needed to fit in was a few hundred dollars worth of Abercrombie & Fitch (which hadn’t become as douche-tastic as it is today). Finally, there was living in Los Angeles, and a decent amount of disposable income to spend on clothing – and by that time, I was over thirty and had just enough life experience to have developed my own understated sense of style. And so it is that for most of the fashion faux-pas that I rail against, I have never participated in them – which either validates my point or ruins my credibility depending on your point of view. But, there are a few fashion tragedies that I have been a part of in the past, that I’ve subsequently determined to be ridiculous. As tradition dictates, whenever I spot someone who hasn’t yet seen the light and cast such nonsense aside, I mock them mercilessly. Hypocrisy, you say? You betcha. But, better to be right late, than never. And, it still doesn’t stop it from being funny.

I hate for one brand to bear the brunt of my criticism for an entire genre of clothing, but since they had no problem being the flagship for faux bad-assery (FBA for short) when it was making them millions, I have no problem throwing Affliction under the bus for being the easiest way to spot a douchebag short of having them actually wear scarlet D’s. I can recall the appeal of more artistically designed and printed t-shirts when Abercrombie was unwilling to produce anything that didn’t have either a large number or cheeky sexual innuendo printed on it. I even bought some of these shirts; willingly laying down $60-$80 per shirt with the hopes that my t-shirt sophistication would make it obvious that there wasn’t a futon anywhere in my furniture collection. Unfortunately, the responsible design group soon jumped the shark, and everything they produced had either a cross or a skull on it, along with an obnoxiously-sized and wannabe gothic version of the brand name. This is where I got off this particular fashion train, and none too soon.

Honestly, since when does wearing a cross make one a tough guy? And, the only kids I can remember who had to have skulls on everything were the same ones who thought that denim jackets never went out of style and that Metallica was an actual religion. And what’s with the super-sized logo? I haven’t seen branding that ridiculous on clothes since, Z Cavaricci (yeah, let that one take you back for a minute). Seriously, if I can tell what brand t-shirt you’re wearing from fifty yards away, what are the chances you’re not an ass? As if the giant cross and skull weren’t bad enough. Every time I see one of these shirts now, my imagintion produces a deep baritone voiceover that yells “Affliction!” like a thunderclap. Which is precisely what I believe the wearer of such shirts to be the desired effect. Of course, I suppose that I’m then supposed to be so overwhelmed by the sheer badness of their clothing that I will be sure to stay out of their way not make any direct eye contact. In reality, I’m just trying not to laugh out loud, and leaning over to whisper to my girlfriend “Affliction bingo, plus one!”

That’s right, Affliction bingo. A fun game for all you reasonably sane folks out there the next time you’re at a concert, sporting event, movie, mall or other place you can expect find young men under the age of thirty. One point for every piece of Affliction clothing you can spot first, and d0uble points for more than one piece on the same person. Of course the entertainment that you get from this game probably falls under the laughing-to-keep-from-crying category – but it’s better than waxing poetic on social decay or worrying about how seriously underqualified the next generation of adults will be to do anything that doesn’t involve their MySpace page. If you’re looking to get a high score, I’d recommend a mixed martial arts event. Of course, here you’ll find even more egregious examples of FBA, in the brands that have grown up around this new sports phenomenon.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of MMA. There will always be a demand for combat sports, and our bloodlust, if anything, has gotten stronger as we’ve become (arguably) more gentrified. Boxing was swirling the drain like the discarded hair from your man-scaping and we needed something that more real than pro wrestling and that did not involved Don King. MMA answered the call. Unfortunately, the minimal gear and the nature of the combat has made the sport so accessible that every knucklehead who’s ever been in a bar scrap now thinks he’s two Ju-Jitsu lessons away from being a professional fighter, and wants to make sure everyone knows it. And, the aforementioned apparel companies have been happy to oblige. Now the streets are full of crew-cutted posers who expect that wearing a Tapout shirt is license to act as though they’re a Mike Tyson in waiting who ought to cut as wide a swath as possible. I swear that these guys are walking around with the Rocky training montage music playing in their heads. Of course, they’re usually performing this menacing gait through a shopping mall parking lot on their way to their silver Honda Civic; the one with the do-it-yourself window tinting and exhaust modified to make it sound like a very angry lawnmower. Please.

I’m certainly not placing these brands at fault. For every quick fix we’ve ever desired, there’s always been someone willing to peddle it to us, at a premium. And the need for wash and wear masculinity has obviously never been higher. The world has certainly feminized in the past few decades, and the opportunities to register one’s value as a man are fewer and farther between than they’ve ever been. But, what sort of man needs to wear his toughness on his t-shirt? And, in a room full of men all wearing the same intended “bad-ass” label, how can you tell who the real bad ass is? Well, the terror imposed by skulls and crosses notwithstanding, he’s likely the one whose shirt says nothing at all.

How about a dress made out of tinfoil with matching antennas? Shoes made out of stainless steel? One piece suits that change color like a hologram? Advertising thatcomes and goes on your back? Coats that dazzle us with thier colors and cuts? If you are like me and millions of bored Americans longing for an emerging style for the new year than anything should go. Lets get reckless, crazy and wild and EXPERIMENT! I am tired of boring safe clothes. Crocks, jeans, T-shirts and boring hair styles to match. When did fashion become so safe? I am tired and I mean T-I-R-E-D of the hoodies, jeans and t-shirts that envelope us with SAFE apparel options. I want glam! I want bam! I want Oh my &^%ing God I can’t believe she’s wearing that choices! Where are all the designers? Hanging out in their grandmother’s closets searching for a rehash of a previous decade’s style? Hire me to design and I will do better than most I guarantee it! I was the girl in the 80′s who wore it all and loved it! And I was not a wealthy kid! But I rocked what I could afford! It was fun!

Women want something new now and something glamorous! Give it to us! With this horrible economy and depressing state of affairs we need fashion to help us endure! a little clothing fun never hurt! We have to live in harsh reality everyday and focus on life and death issues and mortgages and foreclosures and health insurance and on and on and we deserve a little fun!

Where are all of the new styles designers? Being a product of the 80′s high school scene that was the last time I remember clothing and hair styles being fun! Impulsive and creative! I want to be blown away by the new styles and fashions not underwhelmed.

I want color, cut and brand new style to jump out at me so that I want to rush to the store and by it. I want to be excited again by my clothes and not feel like a stamper imprint that is on beige paper. Everyone looks so normal! So boring and so safe! Who cares about safe? This is the time for designers to make a statement and start a trend or a fad! Whether you show it at K-mart or Macy’s we need something new!

I am begging hair designers also to pull something new out and for God’s sake get rid of boring flat ironed hair and be daring! The Rachel is tired and over as is over heated hair stuck to the side of a woman’s head without shape, bounce or form. It is time to be bold and brazen and to wow us poor slobs with something so new like the mowhawk or the Rachel did that we run out and get it.

Clothing designers…design something so remarkable that we will run out and buy it like we did parachute pants or the miniskirt and if nothing else, to remember when fashion was fun and daring! Please stop rehashing former styles and trends too with the God awful 60′s prints that most American women over size 7 look hideous in, and the regurgitated 70′s bell bottoms the industry calls flares! Bleck! What America needs is a fashion makeover with someone like Ramsey from Hell’s Kitchen to supervise it to prevent boring repetitions! So come on fashion designers and hair designers..get your head out of your closets and DESIGN something respectable for the new era…make us proud enough to want to wear it! Call Ramsey if you have to but get it done!

Flipside Hats are fully reversible hats for women, men and children; two hats in one! They are made from reclaimed, salvaged materials and are styled with distinctive stripes of detail stitching, lace, and other materials. Flipside Hats are hand built in the United States in Portland, Oregon. Kori Giudici, owner, designs exclusive hats; no two are the same. She also designs limited collection lines, available on her website www.flipsidehats.com. Ninety percent of her business comes from the signature “P-town Cap.” She also designs chic cloche style hats and clothing.

Flipside Hats customers appreciate fashion and practicality, and what often attracts them to the hats is the design and attention to detail. Kids and adults cozy into the comfort of their very own Flipside Hat and quickly find it to be an everyday accessory. “Once a customer tries on these hats they just have to have one,” says one store rep. They look good, and are made from reclaimed fabric with sustainable practices. Kori hopes her online store will help her bring new sustainable fashion to a wider market. She gets requests from overseas in addition to a wide following on both U.S. coasts for her designs. Flipside Hats customers range from hip moms and dads looking to “buy green” for themselves and their kids, to cyclists to students to the everyday wearer wanting to make a statement or just keep the weather out. Kori is always fresh with the latest fashion and her style is smart and timeless. Her next release is her most recently designed, all organic p-town cap for men and women, shipping for 2009.

Flipside Hats can be purchased on her website, in stores and at trunk shows in the Portland and Seattle metro area, listed on their website at www.flipsidehats.com.