Mirror Magazine

25th January 1998

Fashion Advice from the House of Emerald

Dress Sense In The New Year!

New Year Resolutions - everybody makes them but only a few keep them. The same resolutions can also apply to your wardrobe - thebeginning of the year is ideal for building your wardrobe or simply to decide on what clothes you will need during the year. First place to start is by discarding those you haven't worn during the old year - the general rule of thumb is that if you haven't worn it within a year, you are likely not to wear it again.

Having discarded what you don't need, start with the shirts - you will always need a few quality shirts in solid white for work. Pick them up early - do not go for cheap deals; white shirts always tell the story behind a purchase. Select a known brand, look for quality fabric, thread and buttons. Remember, white comes in many shades from a deep white to a lighter, dull white, so pick in-between shades.

You may need a few more light colours or thin stripes for the office - you would ideally need a set of around twenty to thirty shirts for a hard working year in office. Each week, have the shirts washed together or individually and dried in the shade; after ironing, you can best leave them hanging in the wardrobe. Taking good care of your clothes will always pay off in the long run; when you select quality clothes, the quality stays on when proper care is taken. Bulk ironing is ideal - iron the shirts and trousers together.

Trousers will always be best in dark colours for the office. Pick colours such as black, dark blue, grey and bottle green. The cotton trousers can be selected for a weekend or the casual stroll. Use your pants sparingly and you will make the most of them. Fold pants always along the fold marks and they will stay well. Plan how many pairs of pants you will need for the week and hang them out; unlike shirts, pants can be worn more than once a day.

When picking shirts for the evening, roughly do a mental calculation of events - how many times would you go out during a month or be invited to attend special events. Normally, around five to seven evening/casual shirts would suffice; remember to buy quality, select co-ordinating colours. New shades of terracotta, earth red and shot blue can be stunning for the evening as much as your all time favourites of black and gun metal.

Planning ahead always ensures you can build a better wardrobe - no longer would you have to open the doors and scream to yourself. You know the clothes well, the colours, the co-ordinates and of course the occasions. Smart and elegant yet simple enough to bring out the best in you that's the key to building a good wardrobe. And don't forget, the quality brands. It's not just wearing a label but presenting an over-all picture of fine dress sense.


Don't use your children as pawns

My dearest daughter,

Dear Daughter

Today was a sad day for me - can you remember Arna whose marriage with Shanti ended in such a mess. They were too violent and incompatible to live together. Anyway their two little girls spend the weekend with their motherand she arranges all kinds of outings for them for they are small and need to enjoy the fun of childhood. With schooling as it is today, they have scarcely any time after school to do the many things children love to do, especially play. Shanti takes special care to plan the weekend and the children love to be with her.

Unfortunately recently Arna, perhaps he may be jealous of the children's affection or maybe he is keen that they excel in study but he has been trying to curtail their visits with all manner of excuses, that the tuition teacher is coming or that they have extra classes etc. and today what happened was really sad. The children had been as keen and excited as Shanti to follow some classes in music and singing - they are quite talented. Arna suddenly decided that he would not send them for the classes, they could come only at a later hour. Shanti wanted to argue with him, but when she told me I said 'You two, arguing and fighting about it will only make the children suffer, they will be afraid, not knowing which one of you to agree with. They have suffered enough as it is.

Isn't it tragic, daughter, that adults try to settle their scores using little ones as pawns - and yet they say that their lives are centered round the children. I think it is really wicked to make a little child unhappy just to have one's revenge. A child should never be made to suffer from the tantrums of his parents. I wish Arna had been less concerned with his rights and more involved with the happiness of his children. Childhoodis so short and how often the memories of a happy childhood sustain us whenas adultlife seems so bleak. I wish daughter that you would sometimes discuss with your friends the harm that can be caused to a child by the anger and unreasonable possessiveness of es parents. Especially those who for some reason or another have not been able to keep their marriagetogether. If it was their possessiveness that affected the marriage then how much more will it alienate the children. I wish they would remember a

closed fist while it does not give cannot also take.

– Amme


Dandruff Treatments

Store shelves are filled with a variety of sham poos, conditioners, lotions, tonics and gels for the reatment of dandruff. Many of them will help, but none will cure it. And no one treatment is best for everyone.

Shampoos are the most popular means of controlling dandruff. Any ordinary shampoo used frequently will control some simple cases for two or three days, but more often medicated shampoos or post-shampoo treatments areneeded. Most of these products are formulated to help slow down the formation of scales and/or remove existing scales. They can repress the return of more noticeable dandruff for about a week. Active ingredients include pyrithione zinc, selenium compounds, salicylic acid, sulfur, and coal tar. To be effective, the shampoo should be left on the scalp for three to five minutes before being rinsed off.

If dandruff persists or is severe, you should consult a dermatologist. You may have a scalp disorder such as psoriasis, eczema, or seborrhea dermatitis rather than simple dandruff. The dermatologist may prescribe a shampoo or a cream or lotion containing specific medication to control your particular case.


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