Bimpa

She’s a good friend, she’s pregnant and she is having a baby shower.  Now the question is, “What gift should you give her at this special celebration?”

Most mothers take the guesswork out of this by setting up a gift registry with a local toy, hardware, furniture and/or clothing store. Gift registries can also be set up on some sites on the Internet.

Usually, the expectant mother will tell you directly what kind of gifts she we would like or what items she needs to complete her nursery. If the mother is the shy type, you can probably pry a lot of information out of her mother, husband or sisters as to her needs and tastes.

Asking the mother what her favorite colors is a must. Some mothers hate yellow and pink and like to dress their babies in black. Also it is a good idea to ask the mother what her favorite foods are and if she has any allergies. Some people are allergic to things like chocolate and peanuts or react to certain fragrances and perfumes.

If there are no suggestions or you can’t afford what is on the registry (which is often the case) then consider buying a gift that pampers mom, candy or spa products.  Diapers and soothers are a good idea and you can go wrong with a toy for a newborn.  Keepsakes as photo albums and frames are recommended as well as gift certificates for photography.

Food might also be very welcome.  Consider buying bottle of champagne for the happy parents to share after the birth of the baby or bringing a frozen casserole that they can enjoy later.  A simple gift basket full of baby-foods or exotic foods for the adults is also a nice idea.

Sometimes the mother-to-be is strapped for cash, in which case you can set up a donation station at the event.  There are many fun versions of this. Consider pinning money to a tree or clothesline or label a diaper pail  “The Mommy Fund” and encourage guests to step on the pedal and drop money into it.

If you want to be discreet it is a very nice idea to buy a teddy bear with a zipper and then ask people to stuff it with paper bills.  Even quieter is simply opening a bank account in the mother’s name and then handing her the account book at the end of the party.

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Mod fashion is still here with a vengeance and we are going to see a lot of those retro looks from the sixties in the stores for both Spring and Summer 2013.  Many designers have jumped on the mod bandwagon for the next couple of seasons including Michael Kors, Fay, Moschino and Louis Vuitton. The look is very fashionable and colorful and reminiscent of the look and flair exhibited by famous sixties youth Quakers such as Twiggy, Francoise Hardy and Jane Birkin.

The short mod styled shift is popular and this means dresses with thigh high hems and simple A line silhouettes. Most are adorned with blocks of colors in sweet pastels and eye-popping prints.  Another characteristic of a mod-look dress is contrasting piping.  Fay showed a pink tween and green vinyl Mod dressed that was paired with patent leather pink venetian “slipper boots. Kate Spade featured the blocked out Mondrian with lines worn with pointed black flats and accessorized by bright magenta pink purse made out of basket weave.

Mod fashion also constitutes op art prints such as large black and white checks and stripes.  Louise Vuitton showed a boxy mid-calf dress made entirely of a large black and white checkerboard print worn with checkerboard pumps.

Mod was also all about the baby doll look complete with puffy sleeves, short skirt and lacey eyelet cut-outs.  Moschino has come out with a line of innocent looking little girl dresses with cut outs in the fabric.

Moschino also showed some very black and white suits with striped trim, a boxy almost Chanel fit and a short hem.  The suit like looks were paired with white hats there were reminiscent of police hats from the era.  These are paired with large round white plastic sunglasses with black glass and shiny gold earrings.

To get the updated mod look for 2013 it is important to have the right accessories such as satchel handbags, mall box bags and whimsical little bags. Kitten heels, pointed pumps, Beatle boots and paten leather Mary Janes.  Round and cat eye sunglasses, such as the ones showed by Moschino also complete and authenticate  the look.

These looks are complimented by other modern optical checks, tweeds and optical prints as well as square tipped shoes with large buttons and buckles. The idea is to look like you are honoring the retro era without looking like you are wearing a costume.

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Portland Oregon is the home of grunge and it has a bit of a warmer, rainier winter climate. The result is a hodge-podge of styles on the street.  This town, like Seattle, absolutely loves its vintage clothing stores and that often reflects in what you see on the street.

One winter trend that is evident is women buying larger men’s blazers and wearing them as a winter coat over a heavy blazer. Some women go as far to have the blazer lined so it can be worn as a coat. This, in turn is worn with a very large silk or cotton scarf.  The longer and silkier the scarf is the more elegant it is considered to be.   The scarf is usually tied so that it looks like a cowl neck.

Long sloppy shirts, particularly denim ones are worn over black denim straight leg pants. It is very common to see a fishermen’s sweater in beige worn over a shirt that has the tails of the shirt peeking beneath.

Purples and greys are seen on a lot of people, which are colors that match the cloudy skies. Very few women in Portland are seen in anything else but black opaque tights if they decide to wear a dress or a skirt.  Punks and Goths in Portland are still wearing laddered lacy tights, even in the winter.  Another punk look still worn is cotton shorts with black tights and a white shirt.  This makes you look like a circus lion tamer’s assistant.

A color combination that is often seen in street fashion is canary yellow paired with black. The little yellow wool vintage coat is a much-coveted item. This is worn with black accessories, preferably of an eighties vintages.  Ruched belts with large circular fastenings and slouchy bags with many ripples are a popular look.  It is also quite common to see women wearing boots with rounded toes and a high waist which is the exact opposite of the pointy toes you would see worn in New York or Toronto.  Most boots worn here are big, sloppy and brown in color.  Boots with natural wrinkling around the ankle or cuff are also popular.  This is also one of the few cities in North America where people still wear brown Frye boots with a flannel granny dress. This is a look that was popular in the early seventies and still has survived here in Portland, Oregon.

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This Vintage Stripe Pleated Maillot by Marc Jacobs has removable shoulder straps and a sweatheart neckline. It is comfortable and adorable and the side panels will make you look so slim!

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