Mad Men Inspired Fashion - A Guide to Feminine, 60's-Style Dressing

When the show Mad Men first aired, women everywhere fell in love with the gorgeous fashions. Ladylike hair, makeup and full skirts inspired everyone to dress more gracefully. The simultaneous resurgence of the 1960s in fashion made it simple for women to shop and dress like their inspiration. However, so many pretty things can be overwhelming, especially if you don't know where to find them or how to implement them into your everyday wardrobe. Here are a few tips that should make feminine, vintage dressing as lovely as it looks.

- Start with hair and makeup. The chic, sleek coiffures and mysterious makeup are popular with everyone, not only girls who love Joan Harris. Do your own research and talk with your stylist about how to properly do your hair in styles from the 60s. Look through vintage photos to get a good understanding of how makeup was done.

- Purchase new dresses with 1960's flair. With the 60s fashions rising in popularity, finding gorgeous new reproduction dresses is easy. Many brands, such as Leona Edmiston, specialise in retro outfits. Instead of choosing other styles of clothing, save your money for the dresses inspired by the era of the 60s.

- Add hints of the 60s to your everyday look. Most women aren't ready for a complete classic 1960s wardrobe. If the thought intimidates you, but you still love the image the ladies from Mad Men have, try putting in touches of vintage in your normal outfits. Fix your hair like Peggy Draper when you feel like wearing jeans, or do your makeup in a vintage style. Get a classic 60s handbag. Choose shoes that would have been worn fifty years ago.

- Look for real vintage pieces. If you search, you will often be able to find good quality fashion clothing owned by women from the era of Mad Men at antique, resale and online stores. Be careful when purchasing used garments, as most will have signs of wear or age. Inspect each item before you get carried away and plunk down your money. Look for odours, tears, and stains. Check on how the fabric is ageing. The best vintage purchases are jewellery and accessories like hats and bags. Coats and formal gowns are often in good condition, while every day dresses may be worn out.

Whatever you choose to do, have fun dressing like a lady from the 60s! Keep in mind that a good part of what made them so admired was their ladylike demeanor and manners. Cross your ankles and excuse yourself, whether you had time to put on heels or slippers, and you'll leave the same impression as those Mad Men women!

Are you ready for a career in Fashion Design

Overview  In the last decade, fashion in India is slowly coming of age. The fashion Designer profession has recently emerged as one of the most sorts out careers among the youths. These youths have their own creative style of dressing and believe in setting a trend rather than following a trend set by others. A career in Fashion Design not only involves meeting glamorous people and interacting with rich and famous, but also gives an impetus to the creative flair of the people who possess a sense of style. The major functional areas in the industry are designing garments, cutting the cloth, sewing the pieces together and finally merchandising. Popularizing and marketing of the various styles products is done through ramp shows and fashion write-ups.  A Fashion Designer should be artistic and creative. They should be able to express their ideas in sketches. They may not be a brilliant artist but must be able to combine colors, shades and tones. Designers have the flair for creating with fabric and know how to use textiles effectively. Designers need to have visual imagination and the ability to think in three-dimension to translate into garments what they visualize.  A Fashion Designer must be fashion conscious and must be aware of market requirements. In order to have an International perspective, they must read more and more of international fashion journals, books on history and art. They must also visit various art gallery and exhibition and interact with traditional artists whenever they get chance. 

As a designer one should have knowledge and experience of basic tailoring skills i.e. cutting, sewing, draping etc. besides this they should be able to distinguish among various fabric quality and particular about choosing a good cloth to work on.  An understanding of the market and customer lifestyle is required, so that design is suitable for people they are made for. Designers must be good communicator and very clear with their ideas which is reflected in the presentation of fashion show.  Career scope and opportunity  Fashion has a wide scope for choosing a career. Fashion design as a career combines colour, shade and tone of textiles, fabrics and ornamentation. It involves areas like creative design and drawing, pattern making, sewing and embroidery, garment-manufacturing technology, apparel construction methods, textile science, fabric dyeing and printing and computer-aided design. Now the fashion industry has become so specialized that it encompasses a vast field of studies in design concept, fashion design production management, quality control, planning, fabric design, printing, fashion merchandising, textile science, colour mixing, marketing and so on. The primary areas of work in the fashion industry are market research, designing and manufacturing of garments and textiles. Fashion design career is the most important area of work in fashion industry. Designing involves creating original designs after studying the changing trends of the market i.e. market research. It has various fields of specialization like garments, footwear, jewellery and even shoes. It is a challenging field as it requires the coordination of various crafts of fashion, though in small firms it is usually a one-man show but in big organizations the jobs are specialized and allotted to different people. There is scope for a lot of careers within the fashion industry itself and with the right requisites one should find no problem establishing himself/herself in the field. Apart from being a fashion designer, one can even opt for the various career paths as given below.  Career Options  Merchandiser   There is vast scope for fashion merchandising in the local and export market. It involves working for retail and wholesale organizations in buying, merchandising, sales, store operations, management, distribution, merchandise planning and sales support. One needs to have a good background in textiles and possess effective communication skills. Of late, merchandisers are also conducting the market research within the fashion industry. Most merchandisers require traveling extensively throughout the country and abroad. There are no fixed timings and merchandisers often work late into the evenings. This job requires a person to be on the job, on the spot to crack the right deals. It involves a lot of determination, patience and an eye for detail  llustrator    An Illustrator draws free hand sketches of designer`s ideas. He not only needs outstanding sketching skills but at the same time require excellent communication skills. Illustrator at times has to discuss with customers when new collection is introduced and this requires ability to interact.

Eco Fashion Accessories - The Second Time Around

We are talking about unique, one-of-a-kind items such as necklaces and handbags. There are several online outlets where you can buy these products and not only will you be wearing eco-friendly accessories that are conversation starters, but you'll look pretty trendy at the same time. So exactly what is out there in the marketplace that is fashion forward and eco-friendly? Here are some examples of what you might find:Recycled, Upcycled Vinyl CD's BraceletsThese are surely unique as you'll be wearing a CD that someone listened to on their stereo or in their car. Each individual bracelet is unique and because they are actually old CDs. There are different colors and some are even hand painted by artists. They are sized on mannequins so the fit is correct. The CD bracelets are lightweight, comfortable and just flat out cool.Peace Symbol Jewelry made from Disarmed Nuclear Weapons.Talk about the ultimate recycling of bad to good. These earrings and bracelets are actually reclaimed and recycled from nuclear weapons. The designers are from War and Peace and each one-of-a-kind jewelry item has a very unique story. Talk about your conversation piece - or is that conversation peace?Messenger Bags made from BillboardsWhat outfit is complete without a handbag? And, what if that handbag was a walking billboard? These are made from vinyl billboards. You know, the kind you would ride by on the highway. 

 

They have outlived their advertizing campaign and are now making a different kind of statement in the world of fashion. What's more is the lining and bottom are made from recycled inner tubes from tires.Rice sack Graphic Messenger bags.These are messenger bags you can throw over your shoulder and are made from old rice bags collected from all over the planet. They come in a variety of designs, patterns and colors, are lightweight and totally earth-smart. This is where fashion meets function.Audio Speakers made from Recycled Newspaper.Now, how about an accessory for the home? These small speakers, made for portable sound systems, are created from stock piles of old newspapers and various other paper products that are otherwise burned or dumped in landfills. They are hand painted by artisans and are available in 6 unique and original designs. They are 1-watt speaker cubes about 3 inches square. A nice addition to your iPod or other portable.The ideas mentioned above are just a few examples of a growing industry that creates unique accessories you can have fun with, enjoy, and feel good about using. This is a growing trend that we have been seeing in the world of fashion, textile and building environments. We all have enough stuff in this world, why not re-use some or all of it, and lower the burden of our landfills and save the energy needed to create new.