Fashion Culture : June 17, 2008

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What Your Stars Are Wearing.....Pregnant or Not!!!

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Jun 17, 2008 by Tiffany B

A big trend among celebrities right now is wearing a another person's face on their t-shirt. The person on the t-shirt is usually a well-known pop idol or famous celebrity from the past.

High School Musical's Ashley Tisdale was seen sporting a yellow t-shirt with a picture of Kate Moss on it. Rachel Bilson choose to keep it old Hollywood and wore a t-shirt of Marilyn Monroe. Naomi Campbell wore a t-shirt that had Prince on the front of it.

Now here's the ultimate in narcissism, Paris Hilton has been seen wearing a shirt that has her picture on the front. Give me a break. Did you forget what you looked like, that you had to wear a shirt with your own picture on it? These shirts are not cheap at all. A Steve McQueen picture shirt from Dolce and Gabbana retails for $245.

Another trend that is staying strong with celebrities is the wearing of vests by women.

Kim Kardashian was seen wearing a fitted black vest with a white tank underneath. She kept it casual with a pair of nice jeans. If you want to wear this trend, keep the vest fitted and wear it with a longer shirt underneath. There is no need to expose your stomach with this trend. Mischa Barton has been seen wearing vest quite a few times also. Vest can be seen all over the runway, worn several different ways. It can be seen paired with a dress or pants. You can even get away with wearing a vest to the office. Pair it with a cute pair of trousers or a pencil skirt and you have a perfect office appropriate outfit that looks super trendy and cute.

You can easily find cheaper vests at the mall at your favorite store and do not have to splurge on a designer one. Make sure that it fits well and you are good to go.

The last celebrity trend that we will discuss today is the maxi dress. A maxi dress is a long dress that hits the ankle or the floor. Tons of celebrities are sporting these dresses. The most popular celebrity that can be seen in maxi dresses is Angelina Jolie.

While she is pregnant with her twins, it seems like almost every picture you see of her, she is in a maxi dress. The maxi dress is her staple fashion piece. Another pregnant celebrity, Gwen Stefani, has also been seen wearing quite a few maxi dresses around.

The maxi dress is not just for pregnant celebrities though. Kristen Bell wore a blue and white maxi dress to her movie premier. Nicole Richie and Jennifer Love Hewitt also have been seen wearing maxi dresses, as well as Lauren Conrad for the Hills. The maxi dress can be strapless, a halter top, or spaghetti straps. Most are patterned with bright colors or floral. Although, this trend is not for everybody, it can be worn both casual or dressy. If you want to wear a maxi dress, you may have to try on a couple different styles and make sure that the dress is not too long on you. Also, you do not want a completely shapeless dress, as you may look like you are wearing a muumuu and not the latest fashion trend.

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The High Heeled Shoe: A History

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Jun 17, 2008 by Racheline M.

While today's high heels may have gone high tech for foot comfort, the high heeled shoe has a long and varied history both as a matter of fashion and practical technology.

Like many other styles of shoes, the high heel has been in use in some form for well over a thousand years, with instances of it appearing in both ancient Egyptian and Greek art. Historically, high heels were worn by both men and women in many societies, with the emergence of the popularity of the heeled shoe in late-medieval European culture tied to equestrianism (this is also true at various points for several non-Western cultures). The heel made it easier for a man to keep his feet in the stirrups.

Heels quickly became an indicator of status. As the shoes cost more to make and were generally only worn by those who could afford to be mounted, healed shoes for men quickly became a fashion statement. Women's shoes soon followed and the term "well-heeled" to refer to refinement and socio-economic status entered the lexicon.

Historical heels hit their literal height in the reign of Louis the XIV, when they were popular for both men and women. Heel heights were high and in some cases were over four inches. Additionally heels of the baroque era were significant curved , narrowing in from where they joined the rest of the shoe and curving out again. This style is still sometimes seen today, most often in historically influenced and special occasion shoes for women. This heel style is today called the Louis heel, or, less frequently, the Pompadour heel after the famous mistress of the following king.

European heel heights plummeted for both men and women after the French revolution as people sought to avoid negative associations with excessive opulence. Men's shoes maintained a moderate heel for some time after this, but increasingly became lower to the ground with the exception of certain brief fads and shoes designed for specific purposes such as the western riding boot or dance shoes with a what is called a Cuban heel.

For women, some heel largely remained the norm even after the post-revolutionary descent, although the ballet flat dominated the early 19th century.

Because of the way a heeled shoe showcases the leg, it can be noted that men's shoes lost their heel as men's clothes became less revealing of the leg (breeches gave way to longer and fuller trousers) and women's heels gained popularity as the figure was first suggested and then revealed.

Today, high heeled shoes for women are ubiquitous, not increasingly not expected in either workplace or formal settings. Additionally, the roots of the high-heel in formal and wealthy society remain. In addition to the Louis heel, a simple, discreet women's heeled shoe known as a pump in America is frequently called a "court shoe" in Britain as its origin comes from the shoes men of note were once expected to wear to court.

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