How To Use The Latest Fashion Trends To Dress Yourself Slim

Are you tired of that latest diet, do you miss a glass of wine and your favourite treats? Maybe it's time to give yourself a little rest from the constant counting of calories and daily workouts. Instead, invest some of the time and money you are saving on diet foods and exercise classes on a few new items for your wardrobe, and in future you may not have to worry about a few extra pounds so much.

Here are some great tips for different "problem" areas of the body!

Legs

• Do you like to wear strappy shoes or Mary Janes? Just make sure the strap is lower across your foot rather than at the ankle which will lengthen the look of your legs and make your calves look slimmer.
• Would you rather not display too much thigh? Well, great news maxi dresses are still right on trend, hiding a multitude of sins!
• Look out for silky wide leg trousers, which will skim over your behind and lengthen legs.

Waist

• Have you ever thought of a corset - they can look fabulous displayed under a blouse and will nip in your waist and add some oomph where needed too.
• Look for elasticated jewelled waist belts or the super trendy obi belt to seriously pull in your waist and create an hour-glass look.

Arms

• If you are not ready to bare your arms with strappy dresses yet, wear your top or dress with a lacy shrug, which looks glam, but also covers.
• If you are conscious of chubby upper arms, look for kimono tops with draped sleeves, again they are summery, but disguise wobbly bits.

Simply Shrink Yourself

• It sounds silly, but large accessories will make you look smaller, it's great that the trend for handbags and shoulder bags is for large ones!
• The latest style of watches which is large and glitzy (think Toy Watches) instantly make your wrist look dainty.
• Use colour blocking to break up your shape, particularly if you are tall, using one colour for your top half and a toning different colour for your bottom half, instantly you will look smaller.

It's The Latest Trend For Spring – Fantastic Silk and Cotton Pendant Scarves To Brighten Your Spring Outfits

We are lovers of all types of scarves at Fashion Tips, but the latest new craze to hit us has been the pendant scarf. Is it jewellery – or is it a scarf? The answer is - it’s both. You can wear your pendant scarf in many different ways and it looks fantastic. Could this latest trend be linked to Amrita Hans, pictured here? Amrita is an up and coming Indian jewellery designer specialising in contemporary semi-precious jewellery and accessories. All of Amrita’s designs are handmade and exclusive, but it seems her designs have influenced the high street, as we have seen many rainbow coloured pendant scarves being stocked in stores and fashion boutiques in the last few weeks.

How To Wear A Pendant Scarf

There are many ways to wear a pendant scarf that look amazing and we have a few suggestions:

1. If your scarf has either a central pendant or pendants on each end of the scarf, wear it simply by placing the centre of your scarf at the front of your neck and wrap both ends across at the back leaving them loose and hanging down at the front.
2. If you are wearing your scarf with a coat of jacket, again place the centre of the scarf to the front of your neck, then wrap the scarf ends twice around your neck, knotting the scarf at the side of your neck leaving two short ends – this works best with a central pendant.
3. If you scarf has pendants and decorations at the ends only, wrap the scarf twice around your neck, twisting it as you go, and then tie the ends to leave the two decorations displayed at the front.

Pendant Scarves are Colourful

Pendant scarves come in lots of different designs and colours, a few of our favourites are displayed below, we love the combinations of colours and designs, including butterflies and flowers, and lovely sparkling gems!

Can Knitting Ever Be Cool? It Looks Like It Can When You See Who's Doing It

Do you ever have the urge to do something creative, but you then feel slightly uncomfortable when you head to the book or magazine store and have to fight your way through rows of grey haired, bespectacled ladies of a certain age before you can find the crochet and knitting section. Well, that is how it used to be anyway, but these days you are more likely to find the only person over 50 in there looking for a new knitting pattern is Madonna. Knitting it turns out is the new, cool hobby for celebrities, starlets and just plain old you and me. If you have never thought of turning your hand to it, maybe now is the time to try it out. We're still being told to watch our pennies, but even so, fashion and style means more to us than it ever has - could this be the way to create our own signature pieces for our wardrobes of which we can be proud?

If you need any more persuasion have a look at these well known knitting fans, who have been interviewed about their crafty hobby during the last couple of years.

Jennifer Aniston was given a gift of a basket of wool and some special knitting needles from one her crew, whilst filming. She has confirmed that she took to the craft like a duck to water, she did it in school, and she quickly picked it up again. She said "I'm loving it. I've knitted a couple of hats and a couple of scarves and I'm starting on my first poncho." Maybe she could knit up some coats for her two dogs, Norman and Dolly.

If you have ever wondered where to get started with the materials for your first knitting project, Kristin Davis started her love affair with knitting when she couldn't keep her eyes (and hands) off all the beautiful yarns that can be found in New York's Upper West Side knitting stores when she was filming Sex and the City. Both Kristin and SJP, and many other LA based celebrity fans of knitting shop at La Knitterie Parisienne, where they even give free knitting lessons. As many of us will not get the chance to shop in New York or Los Angeles for our yarns or lessons, it is definitely worth having a look at www.knitty.com, where there are heaps of brilliant designer patterns available free, including ones that are suitable for beginners. If you want to buy yarn and needles there are plenty of online stores that sell beautiful yarns. I shop at a really cute store online, where the balls of wool arrive at my house labelled with the name and breed of the sheep the wool has been spun from.

Another great bonus about knitting is that, as well as saving yourself some money and getting yourself a unique, designer item, knitting is also good for your health. It is well known that indulging in a craft such as this allows you to relax which is always good for you. Julia Roberts is well aware of this as she lives with her husband and three young children. She has created a tiny craft room in her house all of her own into which she retreats when she needs a little "me" time. Julia is also known for creating her own designs, and she caused a stir in the knitting world when she was seen with this knitted felted bag, which she designed herself.

I guess it's time to get those needles and yarn out and follow the trend of those celebrities such as Scarlet Johansson, Madonna, Kate Moss, and Uma Thurman, all said to be fans of the craft, and see what they have knitted up for themselves.  Have you ever knitted or crocheted anything that you are really proud of? If you need more ideas or questions on how to get started leave your comments below and we will be glad to help.

Jennifer Aniston Shows How To Wear The New Trend in Tweed For This Season

The word "tweed" has always brought to mind images of a well turned out country gentleman roaming the grounds of his manor house (think Guy Ritchie), but it seems things are ready to change in the world of tweed. This beautiful woven cloth is adorning the bodies of celebrities around the globe including Madonna herself, Vivienne Westwood and Gwyneth Paltrow who are great fans of Harris Tweed - the original weavers. The Harris Tweed industry started in 1846 when Lady Dunmore, widow of the late Earl of Dunmore had the Murray tartan pattern copied in tweed by the Harris weavers. She became a great lover of the woven cloth and started marketing it to all her friends.

Jennifer Aniston Wears Dolce & Gabbana Tweed Dress

If proof is needed of the popularity of this fabric, Jennifer is pictured here wearing a Dolce & Gabbana tweed dress which has been tailored into a formfitting number, with a high hemline and fringed edges. Victoria Beckham has also added a fifties style, speckled tweed dress to her collection this season, which is available at net-a-porter.com.

Girls - How To Wear Tweed The Right Way

• Don't go for an all over tweed suit - sorry but this would be very aging. A tweed jacket looks fantastic mixed with denim jeans or a girly, floaty skirt - think of an eclectic mix of fabrics and colours and you will look new, fresh and interesting rather than matronly.
• Pick out a colour from your tweed garment (the beauty of tweed is in the mix of colours), and then accessorise to match this colour with a pendant, scarves or bag.
• If you are wearing tweed as a jacket, mix its woven, rough texture, with a silk or satin top underneath, and a pair of dark jeans and high-heeled boots, to give you a more edgy look.
• Lighten up the look of a tweed jacket, by wearing it with a neutral, hooded top underneath, with casual trousers and bag.
• Look for girlie coloured tweed jackets in pinks (as worn by SJP), baby blues and beiges - these look great with shorts or little skirts, whilst black and grey tweed jackets look fantastic with fitted jeans or leather pants.

How Your Man Can Get Into Tweed This Season

It has been rumoured that Thomas Pink have contracted with Harris Tweed to produce them a line of sports jackets for their Autumn/Winter 2010 season - so introduce your man to it gently with the following tips:

• Choose a jacket that has one of your man's favourite colours in the weave, and match this with a tie which is a slightly darker shade of the same colour. Keep shirts plain or with a light stripe.
• If he wears a dark suit to work, think about investing in a well tailored heavy tweed coat to keep out the winter chill and which looks far more interesting than a plain woollen coat.
• Depending on his age, your man may be able to pull off wearing a full tweed suit, but the cut will need to be modern, and he will need to be able to wear fitted suits - you get where I am coming from.

Hollywood Style With Asymmetric And One Shoulder Dresses At The Golden Globes

Just about every fashion magazine and blog has covered the Golden Globe Awards and the after show parties this year, but many seem to have failed to notice how the Hollywood red carpet was awash with floor length asymmetrical and one shoulder dresses.  All the Hollywood stars and starlets making this style work for them are too numerous to mention here, but to name a few were Drew Barrymore in an architectural peach crystal scatter dress by Atelier Versace, Kate Winslet (pictured here) in a navy Yves Saint Laurent gown, with Tiffany & Co jewels and Jennifer Aniston in a black, plunging Valentino gown. All of them demonstrated that the asymmetrical or one shoulder dress works for all types of figures and styles. Why not try it out for yourself, here are a few simple tips for wearing asymmetrical or one shoulder tops and dresses.

• Look for classical and even rather plain styles when wearing an asymmetric or one shoulder style dress. Kate is wearing a well fitted navy Yves Saint Laurent gown which she accessorised with Tiffany & Co jewels. YSL gowns may require rather too deep pockets for many of us, but similar gowns can be found for a fraction of the price, and with the right hair-do, makeup and sparkling accessories, can still look stunning.
• Look for one-shoulder dresses in black or navy or if you are brave enough to make more of a statement go for a dark red or cream dress and match it up with a pair of classic killer heel pumps and clutch bag.
• If you choose a simply styled, black asymmetrical dress it can be dressed up with sparkly, high heels, evening bag and jewels, or dressed down with a wide belt, black leggings, flat pumps and big slouch bag for a casual look.
• An asymmetrical mini dress can be worn with patterned tights and Mary-Janes for an office-girl look and then changed for the evening to be worn over skinny jeans and long knee boots for a night out.
• Remember the gorgeous SATC Carrie dress in cream with the beautiful corsage? Try this out yourself with a one-shoulder dress, by attaching a pretty corsage in colours matching your dress, or contrasting colours which can be matched with shoes and bag.
• There are lots of different ways to wear asymmetrical styles, look for off centre necklines, pointed sleeves, hemlines and off-the shoulder styles.
• If you are wearing an asymmetrical evening dress keep your jewellery simple. A large central pendant does not look correct with a one-shoulder or asymmetrical neckline. Instead, centre your jewellery around earrings and bracelets and leave shoulders and neckline bare.