It can be difficult knowing whether to buy online or offline. There are a lot of online deals, cash back, vouchers and things like that, but then there is the postage to pay for. Offline stores have sales and these items do not always appear on their websites. Which of them works out cheaper may depend on you and your shopping style.

If you fall in love with things when you touch them and as soon as you try something on, you have to buy it, then it might be better to buy online as you may make more calculated decisions when you are purchasing things.

If you buy online and cannot be bothered to send things back if they do not fit or are not quite what you were looking for then it is much wiser to buy off line and try things before you buy them. It can depend on the specific shops that you purchase from and your shopping style, as to whether it is cheaper to buy online or offline and it is probably best to use a combination of both and research what you are buying well to find out which way will be the best for you.

Getting married is not only a big step, and a big day, but also a major influencing factor on the rest of your life. Agreeing before the eyes of God to stick together through thick and thin is a decision not to be taken lightly, despite the modern worlds frivolous view of marriage and the ease at which they can be cancelled or broken.

When planning a wedding, the location is a big issue; maybe both parties involved have different ideas with regards the religious severity of the wedding, or size of the guest list.

A growing trend in wedding location is a beach destination. Not merely the local stretch of sand on a cold October afternoon, but tropical beach destinations; marriages at sunset underneath a crowd of palm trees with close friends and family the only ones in attendance.

A beach destination wedding provides the best of both worlds, a relaxed and intimate atmosphere created by the normally small group of attendee’s (kept small by the cost of air fares and booking time of work.) While many beach destination weddings also pose as the base point for the honeymoon, with a slight role reversal-taking place that sees the guests waved off from the reception leaving the happy couple behind.

Guests also benefit from attending a beach destination wedding as it provides the perfect excuse to stay an extra couple of days (in a separate hotel to the couple hopefully) and enjoy a short break or second honeymoon of their own.

Choosing a beach destination wedding is very much dependant on the time of year you want to get married in and the budget for the event. Some people have very specific reasons for choosing a certain date for their wedding, while others have not. This will be a major factor in deciding on a beach destination wedding. Obviously the cost of a beach destination wedding can be considerable larger than a more traditional church hosted event, simply because of the cost of accommodation before the event and the airfares. Especially if the happy couple already have children together or from previous relationships as is becoming the case more frequently in modern society.

A beach destination wedding is a good choice for a couple who are not traditionally or devoutly religious and view a wedding as more of an opportunity to cement their love and relationship before their friends and family above the eyes of God. By travelling to a beach destination they are creating a lasting memory that will live long in the minds of them and their guests for many years to come.

Its true isn’t it? Fashion does tend to repeat itself. Take a good look at what the runways have right now and if you search hard enough…you will find that at least a quarter of the current stuff on the runways has been inspired by retro or vintage looks!!

But what does retro or vintage actually mean? Does it mean that the same old clothes are removed and washed, and presented again as new looks? Or does it mean that designers combine old fashions with current trends to create vintage-inspired new looks?

It can be very surprising and frankly, it does sound like cheating. How can major designers stoop to recycle old fashions into new trends when they look exactly the same? Are we that uninspired in the modern age that designers have to resort to cannibalizing old fashions?

Let’s just find out, shall we?

“Vintage fashions”: How did the trend start?

No one knows exactly when and what created an interest in vintage fashion. Till a few years back, anyone who wore old clothes was simply referred to as cheap but all that changed when fashionistas and celebrities started wearing gowns from the yesteryear collections of designers like Karl Lagerfield and Chanel to red carpet events. Pretty as a picture gowns that were essentially designed way back in the 1920s- and 1930s suddenly came in to prominence and the style slowly started to seep down into the younger Hollywood set. Fashionista twin celebrities like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen where another teen sensation that wore vintage fashion consistently. Not that they made it look good but for some reason, they managed to make it work! The essential look that they sported was old combined with a few expensive new pieces that created a completely new look. The tweens also managed to make a complete fashion empire of the look by designing and selling the patchwork look through their in-house fashion line for students. Eclectic stars like Dita Von Teese and Chole Sevigny also were deep fans of the look and although they were initially panned for their old fashioned dressing sense, they did manage to garner praise and acceptability over time. But no one managed to nail the look as Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Over a few years time, almost every student in every major city in the US was now raiding their parent’s clothes closets to find fashions that could be distilled to form hip and happening college wear!

But how does vintage dressing translate to modern trends? And how do designers manage to incorporate old looks into their fashion collections without getting accused of stealing?

One major group of people that can be blamed for the surge in recycling of trends and fashion styles are fashion stylists! In an effort to create distinctive looks for the stars they were dressing, popular stylists started raiding charity run second hand clothing stores, garage sales, car boot sales, flea markets, antique stores, estate sales, vintage clothing stalls and collectible fairs. It was always possible to find cheap but still wear worthy clothes that no one else had or had worn to red carpet events. Distinctive but old fashioned dresses could then be tweaked and dressed up by designers to look different! And more often than not, stars who were dressed so different to the current modern trends were lauded by the media for being “different, classy, and stylish.” It created enough of a media hullabaloo to make the stylist, the Hollywood star and the dress instantly memorable in the public mind. This dress would then go on to be copied and used by other designers as an “inspiration” for their collections. But most designers were savvy enough to use the original design only with subtle and distinctive design changes of their own! And that led to fashion recycling without any copyright infringement!

Can you blame only stylists for the recurrence of old fashions?

No, to be totally fair we can’t! Apart from the fact that popular stars do dictate fashion trends with their dressing and quirky styles: fashion itself tends to be cyclical! And one man spent years trying to prove this! According to respected fashion historian, James Laver, there happens to be a timeline by which a style is viewed over the years. Trends are cyclical and whether you like it or not you can expect one trend to be back in style about 150 years down the line. Lavers law stated that a trend will start looking attractive about 50 years from the time it was popular and there is a step by step progression by which you will be considered hip or weird when you sport the trend. His simple to remember rule stated in 1937 that still holds strong can be simply explained as follows-

• A trend that is sported 10 years before it time will be considered- indecent
• A trend that is sported five years before its time will be considered – shameless
• A trend that is sported one year before it time is considered – daring
• Sporting a trend during the peak of its fashion is considered- smart
• One year after the style has disappeared – dowdy
• 10 years after the style has passed on – hideous
• 20 years after the style has passed on – ridiculous
• 30 years after the style has passed on – amusing
• 50 years after the style has passed on – quaint
• 70 years after the style has passed on – charming
• 100 years after the style has passed on – romantic
• 150 years after the style has passed on – beautiful

Most industry pundits have sworn that Laver managed to get the fashion cycle bang on. But in the last few years, there has been a dramatic change.

Faster absorption and faster application of fashion to mainstream dressers!

We now live in a faster and well connected world. Fashion shows and trends are updated on the internet daily. Catwalk pictures and tips on how to wear the catwalk fashions filter down to the common man that much faster too. As a result, current fashion trends appear on the common may much faster. Eventually boredom will kill the trend but not till designers, models and trendsetters have exploited it to the max. Then it goes through the stages of being dowdy, hideous, and ridicules and eventual hibernation till it pops up again in a refined and better avatar 50 -150 years down the line!

How do modern designers reinterpret vintage trends and designs into modern clothes?

Most of the modern day designers were not around when fun funky fashions like hammer pants, disco and ruffles were in fashion. As a result, several of these fashion trends were memorable for young designers who remembered their parents or fashion idols of their generation wearing them. As a result, distilling the essence of the style but putting in their distinctive personal statement to the garment became a trademark of recycling trends. And it did make sense! One way to understand it is by taking a look at vintage trends that are now back-in-vogue in 2010. At present, one distinctive trend that has made a sudden comeback is shoulder pads for females. These featured heavily in the 80s where power dressing for women like Joan Collins and Sheena Easton personified classy suits with hefty shoulder pads. Modern designers like Emma Griffiths have now taken the large sized shoulder pads but reinvented them to make them add style to skinny sleeved sharp silhouettes. And the fashion has already filtered down to models like Agyness Deyn and Kate Moss wearing the look at red carpet do’s. Both of these trendsetters are well known for their forward thinking fashion styles. Kate Moss wearing a particular fashion creates an instant acceptance for the look that will filter down to the masses and the cycle starts up again!

So are there any popular trends that have returned time and again over the years?

Well yes…there have been several trends that have returned back in different avatars over the years and for the skeptics, here is a quick rundown of what has been back and what is expected to be back in the year 2010.

1. Hammer pants- these disgusting variant of the Indian Jodhpur was first worn by rapper MC Hammer. Luridly colored, huge and baggy, they were ideal for the moves that he showed while rapping. But distillations of the look have appeared on the ramp again and again over the last few years. Ranging from large baggy pants, to small baggy pants to dropped crotch pants and still later to form the disgusting dhoti pants! And frankly, the look suited no one and still suits very few people.
2. The 70’s with their bell bottoms, flared sleeves, and platform shoes have made their return an innumerable amount of times. And once was more than enough for me. I wasn’t around in the original 70’s but seeing them once around was more than enough for me! Please no more of the 70’s… I don’t think I can survive them again!
3. Fitted trends were famous for a time in between. But then they were out of fashion and then they came back in again. The sad part about fitted clothes was that very few people actually had the body and fitness to wear these clothes! But designers will still insist on showing stick thin models with gorgeous clothes that can fit no normal person!
4. Leopard prints…Bah! Just who does this suit except for the stick thin? Jungle prints are popular and they are always on and off the catwalk but to tell you the truth; no ordinary woman can carry it off!
5. Ultra short dresses and skirts are always in. there is something about long, long legs that makes men crazy! And no matter what kind of year its gonna be…minis are always going to be an hot item when they are on the catwalk. Of course, ultrashort dresses work the same way exposing oodles of satiny skinny legs too! But one of the most disgusting trends as of late on the catwalk this season is the “no pants” look that has emerged. That means ultra short dresses and minis that make you believe that the person has forgotten to wear her pants! I shudder to think how this will translate to real life!

But it isn’t all that bad. There are a few trends that do look good every time they come back. Recycled trends that were great in the beginning and that still look when the come around are:

1. Costume jewelry is so in and frankly it makes every woman including me very happy. If you can find lines of ornate affordable faux jewelry to wear with everyday and formal wear; it’s just so much fun. Bangles, dangles and of course the quintessential faux pearls are just fun to buy every time this trend comes around!
2. Sigh…The 70’s have been beaten to death by now but those clunky platform shoes are never ever going to be out of fashion forever.  Four inch heels are going to back this season and they will be around for a long time to come.
3. Bold Prints look great on anyone and every one. Just make sure that you fit the style to the current trend and time and you should do absolutely fine every time the style rolls around.
4. Trendy handbags. Till recently, large clunky handbags were in but try to make sure that you find at least a single bag this is modern yet pretty and you should fine. Try simple lines and a single color in black or white. Large or small does not really matter but simplicity will be able to last longer than trends
5. the black cocktail dress is always in. long, short, dark, light, fitted or flared…a well made and beautifully fitted little black cocktail dress is ideal for wearing anywhere and its frankly never out of fashion. Dress it up or dress it down…it will work at any function too.

Ah well, no matter what happens you have to remember that fashion is fickle. You may be the right person to wear it but unless you have the panache to carry off the trend…it just won’t work on you.

Imagine the temptation to be able to place a bet just by clicking on the button of your mouse, having no time limit and being open 24 hours a day 365 days a year, and all from the comfort of your living room? Welcome to Internet Gambling.

It is well known that gambling can be a risky business, and unrestricted gambling such as online gambling contributes to this issue even more. Compulsive gamblers that have a hard time steering clear of the local bookies or casino through fear they will lose all their money now have the facility to feed this addiction in their own homes.

One of the main problems with online gambling is you do not have to hand over real cash or money, it is all computer simulated and uses your registered debit or credit card or Paypal balance, depending on the site you are using.

Internet gambling is responsible for a large number of people with serious gambling addictions, this is because it’s so easy to join one of these sites and sign up. Internet gambling has almost doubled every year since 1997.

According to researchers and Psychologists, Internet gambling can be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs. If you are concerned or have fears that you might have a gambling addiction, try to answer the following questions:

# Has gambling affected your family life?
# Has gambling affected your work?
# Do friends and family think you have a gambling problem?
# Are you in debt due to gambling?
# Have your every considered ending your life as a result of gambling?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions then it is likely that you do have a gambling problem. One of the biggest and hardest fist steps to take is admitting that you have a problem. All too often addictive gamblers think that they have not got a problem and that there gambling behavior is normal.

All too often addictive gamblers are scared to ask for help or are not honest with their spouse about their addiction. It is important to share your problems with family and friends so that they can support you in seeking help.

There is a wealth of information available on the Internet for people with gambling addictions, so next time you feel like having a gamble online, STOP! Visit a site that deals with gambling addictions rather than a gambling site. Most of these sites and services are anonymous and are in the strictest confidence.

But above all, you need to take hold of the addiction before the addiction takes hold of you. Am I right, do you agree?