Plastic Sleeve

What metal is best for children’s jewelry? What are the best earrings for sensitive ears? First let’s start with what to avoid: nickel.

Reactions to earrings are caused by metal allergies, which vary in intensity from mild to severe. If someone has a mild nickel allergy they may be able to wear nickel jewelry for a day, whereas those with severe nickel allergies must not only avoid all nickel jewelry, but also nickel watches and buttons.

When looking for nickel free jewelry, make sure that it meets the European Nickel-Free Standard. Currently the United States does not have a standard, whereas the European standard requires an item contain no more than 0.05% nickel (or no more than 1 part in 2,000). For more information on the European nickel ban, contact the MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) at 1-800-444-6572.

What most people don’t realize is that nickel is present in stainless steel (usually about 8% in jewelry), and will cause reactions in many. Metals other than nickel can also cause reactions. One person may not tolerate sterling, but is able to wear 14K gold. Another can’t tolerate 14K gold, but can wear niobium (more on niobium later).

14-Karat gold is 14 parts gold out of 24. Pure gold is 24 karats. This is too soft to be functional, so it is alloyed with other meals for durability, cost and color. Depending on the color of gold (which can be yellow, rose, green or white), the other parts may be copper, silver, nickel, zinc, tin, palladium and/or manganese. (White gold contains nickel.) Those with metal allergies will sometimes react to 14K gold, but not to 18K gold with its fewer impurities.

For those with severe metal allergies, niobium is often the metal of choice. Niobium is an inert, precious metal used for surgical implants, and can be found in a variety of colors when used for jewelry. Most people who are sensitive to metals tolerate niobium well.

While there is no one best metal for everyone, the best earrings for sensitive ears are made from the following materials:

Sterling silver (a silver and copper alloy)
Niobium (a nickel-free inert metal)
Nickel free jewerly
Plastic earwires, posts and post covers (post covers are polyethylene sleeves that go over earring posts so no metal touches the ear)

Any of the above materials are good for children’s earrings, with sterling being a good first choice.

Computer Security

Active lifestyle demands dresses made up of such fabrics that give the freedom for easy movement. However, in most of the clothings, elastics are used for making them more workable and flexible with control over their stretchability. Not only garments, elastics are used for sewing projects and other craft projects too. Do you ever wonder why the elastic that you used in your last project does not seem to work with the present sewing project? Why the elastic in your cotton pajama is causing problems while the same elastic in your swim wear is working excellently? In fact, the type of elastics and the fabrics with which they are used plus the sewing methods, all go to contribute in the perfect working of elastics.

Types of Elastics and their Construction

Elastic is a flexible and stretchable narrow fabric made of rubber core which is wrapped in polyester, cotton, nylon or a blend of fiber threads. These exterior fibers are braided, woven or knit together to give various thicknesses and widths to the elastics. Most of the elastics are 1/8 inches to 2 ½ inches wide. However, elastic thread can be much narrower and the decorative elastic waistbands can be extra wide. Different elastics have different degrees of stretchability. Elastics are sewn to fabrics in two ways- direct application and casing. In the first method, elastic is attached to fabric by sewing directly through the elastic and fabric. In the second method, the elastic is encased into a closed tunnel like fabric and then sewed to the fabric often around the waist, at the neckline or lower edge of a sleeve or pant leg.

Braided elastics are used in casings as they get narrowed when stretched. They can not retain their stretch and shape if applied directly to the fabric. These light weight elastics are mainly used on sleeve hems, swim wear and leg bands. Braided non-roll elastic is appropriate for waistbands because they can remain flat when stretched.

Knitted elastics are soft, light weight, strong and appropriate for directly applying on almost any kind of garment. These elastics can also be sewed in casing. They are best for lightweight fabrics. Many knitted elastics also have sewing line at their edges which do not have elastic in them. So, it becomes much easier to sew these elastics to a garment.

Woven elastics, usually thicker than the other elastics, are very strong. When sewn directly onto a fabric, they can retain their width and stretch. Woven elastics can also be sewed in casing. They are usually applied to heavy weight fabrics, such as home furnishings, car covers, bags, accessories, etc.

Transparent or clear elastics are synthetic narrow fabrics that can stretch up to four times their length and can completely recover the original size and shape. They are made of polyurethane and does not contain rubber which makes them appropriate to be used in kids garments or for people who are allergic to latex. It is primarily used in those areas that are prone to lose stretch, such as shirt bottoms, shoulder seams and necklines. They can’t be used in casings as they’ll roll over themselves.

Tips for Sewing Elastics

Choose an elastic that has the same care requirements as the finished garment.
Use those elastics which recover their original length after stretching.
Use cotton elastic with cotton garments. Wash the cotton fabric before sewing as the elastic will also shrink a little when washed.
Use nylon elastic for lingerie and swim wear. They can be machine washed but dry them in medium heat.
Polyester elastics go with almost all fabrics. They can be washed as well as dry cleaned.
Choose such threads that are compatible with fabric.
Use a ball-point needle when sewing.
Adjust the thread tension when stitching and stretching elastic.
Elastic should be tight enough to prevent fabric from drooping, but loose enough to be comfortable.
Cut the elastic according to the required length plus 1 inch for finishing the ends.
When applying elastic directly to fabric, cut it about 8% shorter than the required length. It will stretch during sewing.
Use a long straight stitch or a zigzag stitch when sewing the elastic directly to fabric. A long stitch having length of three or four is best for most of the fabrics and elastic types.
If doing too much work with elastic, consider buying specialty presser foot/machine attachment that applies elastic without having to stretch it by hand.

Equity Interest Financial Need

Weather change is here and the cracked padded dashes are rolling in. With every weather change I get the phone calls. “My dash is cracked and what can be done to fix it.”

Due to the exposer to old mother nature, these materials become dried out and crack over time leaving you with a crack in your dash. Left unattended this small crack can and will get larger.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent the dash from getting cracked in the first place. Now I know your dash is already cracked and your wanting to know how to fix it, but this will prevent further cracks and keep your car cooler and looking nicer, and well…. for further reference.

One way to prevent this is to use a sunshade. This will not only protect your automotive dash from the sun but also keep your vehicle cooler keeping the plastic pieces cooler and less likely to warp and then crack.

Another way to prevent the materials from drying on your dash is to condition them with a good vinyl conditioner-protectant. Now I know I’ve always said to not put the slimy stuff on your interior pieces and parts … But if your vehicle is exposed to the sun on a constant basis, then I would recommend you use a vinyl conditioner. Now I’m not going to say that any old vinyl conditioner will work, because it won’t. Tire shine is not vinyl conditioner! This is probably one of the biggest mistakes made, and I do a lot of repair because of it. Tire shine contains solvents, which as you know from previous articles, it doesn’t mix well with the water based dyes being used on today’s cars. What it does is lifts the dye from the surface, causing it to peel. So no tire shine…What I recommend to my customers is a product made from a leather conditioning producer that I feel from some of the research I’ve done is safe and should work very well, it’s made by Lexol and it’s called Vinylex. Designed by the guys that really know their stuff when it comes to interior conditioning and protecting.

The last and final tip to keeping your automotive interior, including your dash, looking it’s best and lasting longer is window tint. Now in some states you need to be careful with the tinting laws to make sure you don’t get it too dark, plus you need to think of your safety too. I have tint on our family Tahoe and I kinda wish I would have gone a little lighter, at night it’s really hard to see, my Tahoe stays nice and cool, but it’s a pain in the butt at night. I have to roll the window down sometimes just to see. So keep it light and you will be impressed with the results, plus it looks cool.

Now on with the fix for that crack in your dash.

Depending on where the crack is and how big it is will depend on how to fix it and how expensive the repair will be. If the crack is bigger then 2″-3″ and curled up on the edges, the repair will probably not look that great. There is a limit to the size of crack that can be repaired, too big and it probably won’t hold and will look like crap. If the crack is too big, replace the dash pad, don’t try to fix it. Another thing is location, if the crack is up close to the windshield then it’s almost impossible to do a repair without removing the windshield, which can be costly. So with that said you be the judge.

The first thing I do before I start any repair is to mix my color, this insures that at least the color will be right.

Next I inspect the crack in the dash, if the edges are curled up then you will need to trim that off with a razor blade or Xacto knife. The goal here is to get the area as level as you can. Now when doing so cut at a 45 degree angle and don’t bring the ends to a point, what I mean by this is trim all the way around the crack rounding off the ends of the crack, this will insure that the crack will stop and not crack further after your repair.

Of course your next step is prepping the repair area, use your prep solution with a scotch brite pad and clean the area thoroughly. You might need to clean the entire dash depending on where and how large the crack is.

Now it’s time to determine what fix you going to use.

If the crack is smaller then an 1/2″ I usually grab the super glue and do a super glue repair. I do this by spreading the glue in the crack then sanding it smooth with a 240 grit sandpaper, texture with your water based spray grain, then dye.

But there are times when your vinyl repair compound will need to be used, after all this is vinyl. The low cure usually works best because high heat tends to warp the repair area. This is where your patience comes in when doing your repairs. Thin layers of compound work best, curing and dying between coats until the area is level and smooth. You can texture while layering your compound with your grain pads. One little trick I use to help level the repair when using a grain pad is a little rubber squeegee about 3″x5″, it’s what body shops use to squeegee the water off the painted surface when they wet sand. This little thing works great, when you use your hand to imprint your grain into your repair, your hand kinda molds around the area and doesn’t leave a level area but with the rubber squeegee it gives you a little more backing when you go to imprint. Now graining your repair can be tricky, the low cure compound doesn’t grain that well, but if all else fails make sure the repair is level, this is your best hide. If that is achieved then texture with your spray grain.

One last trick up my sleeve is the use of a great product from Urethane Supply Co. This is a two part epoxy like substance that is specifically designed for padded dashes and the name says it all, Padded Dash Filler.

This stuff is the bomb, when it comes to dash repair. Mixes like Bondo and is even applied like bondo, but its flexible. It’s just what the doctor ordered when it comes to dash repair. If the crack is larger then 1″ this is the stuff to use.

Now this product will require you to trim the area and then sand around the area about 1″ to 2″ out with a heavier grit sandpaper like a 180 grit, this gives it something to bite too. Trim down into the foam a little to, so that you make like a little groove for the compound to lay in.

Mix your compound on a small piece of tile, I like using small tile pieces, they clean up easily and are easier to hold when mixing and applying. Now when you get the product they send you the red catalyst, try the blue, it seems to set up a little quicker. The blue you can get at any automotive parts shop. But the red works just as good just takes it a little longer, time is money in my business.

Apply your compound liberally over the repair area, don’t worry about getting your first coat really smooth, all you need is to get it covered, you’ll be sanding it smooth later. Let it set up for a while, depending on the weather will depend on how long this stuff takes. You can speed it up a little with a heat gun but don’t melt it just give it a little boost.

Once hardened start sanding, I usually start with a 180 grit to knock off the big chunks then progressively move my way up to a finer grit like 240 and then to 400.

One coat won’t be sufficient, I promise, this is another layer thing. Sanding between coats. Each coat you apply you will need to make smoother. Again what your trying to achieve is a smooth level repair.

After all is smooth and level, grain with a spray grain then dye.

As far as texture goes, I use two types of spray grain. One is a water based spray grain and the other is Sems Texture Coat. In fact the Sems Texture Coat almost matches the some of the Pontiac dashes to a tee. Now the Sems Texture coat is a solvent based, but I haven’t had a problem with it peeling up against the water based dyes on the dash, so kudos to Sems.

One other trick I have found with the the Sems Texture Coat is after sprayed if you let it flash out a little but not dry completely, you can take your grain pad and imprint your grain into the texture coat, pretty cool huh.

Dash repair is an art and a craft, just like all automotive interior repairs. If the steps are followed right and patience is used in your repairs you success will be good.

Hope this helps in your dash repair adventure. One thing to always keep in mind is to keep your repair as level as possible, this is your best hide.

Sleep Better

It is essential when installing toilet or shower cubicles to follow procedures. Preparation is the key and to over look these simple instructions can cause big problems later on in the installation process. Now make sure you have all the components required to install your cubicle. Just follow these easy to understand instructions, making sure your lines are vertical as you have areas like floors or walls, which can be out of true, and your cubicles will be installed in no time at all. 

Step 1 Measuring up

Measure and mark off a vertical line on the back wall for the positions of the wall partitions for the cubicles. Mark on the wall the positions to fix the three back wall brackets.

Step 2 Fitting Brackets

Fix the 3 back wall channel brackets as required for each partition on the vertical line drawn on the wall.

Step 3 Fitting Partitions

Position the wall panels into the brackets and ensure the partition is level using the adjustable legs fixed to the wall panels.

Draw the exact position of the holes in the channel brackets on the walls of each partition ready for drilling. Drill the hole using a 10mm drill bit and fix the brackets to the partition walls using the T-nuts provided.

Step 4 Fitting Partition Support

Check the attached the adjustable leg to the partition, and adjust to correct height. Ensure the partition is aligned correctly and fix adjustable legs to the floor.

Step 5 Fitting Fascia Panels

Measure up and mark off a vertical line on the side wall if fixing to a wall. Fix the 3 wall brackets the wall. Make sure the hinge panel is level and mark off the positions of the 3 brackets on the fascia. Fix the hinge wall to fascia channel brackets using the T-nuts provided. Your pilaster (central fascia panel) will have the hinge holes pre-drilled and simply fix those using the T-nuts provided.

Step 6 Fitting Head Rail

With the partitions and fascia fixed the head rail must be placed in position over the tops of the fascia bridging the door gap. Fix the head rail permanently by attaching to the fascia.

Step 7 Fitting the doors, hinges and lock assembly

Attach the hinges to the doors. Attach the indicator bolt to the door. Block the doors up to the level of the hinge panel bottom using wood and place the door on the blocks. Engage the lock and mark off the indicator bolt on the fascia at the point you want to attach the keep. Mark off the hinge placement on the hinge panel. To drill the hinge holes remove the nut at the bottom of the hinge and reassemble and attach the hinges to the walls ensuring the door is hung horizontal. Unlock the indicator bolt and attach the keep using the fixings provided. Set back the plastic sleeves inside the hinge for the door to close closed or open.

Federal College Loan Consolidation Resorts Family Automatic Turntable

In the world of shotgun sports sporting clays has grown exponentially. It is a great game that has been likened to playing golf with a shotgun. Many hunters like it because it is similar to the shooting conditions and aspects of hunting. Most sporting clays shooters use a 12 gauge in this game. When it comes to costs it is quite a bit more expensive. Part of this is due to the fact that most sporting clay courses field 100 targets which is same as shooting 4 rounds of skeet or trap. If you cannot afford to spend $50.00 to $75.00 for a round of sporting clays and you want to simulate hunting conditions you might consider shooting skeet. It will sharpen your eye for small game hunting and is more reasonable in price. Any good field shotgun can be used to shoot this game.

Just prior to the hunting season you will see all sorts hunting guns that will never win a skeet tournament, but the shooters are having fun and that’s what is important. Turning clay birds to dust is great fun.After shooting a couple of rounds of skeet some of these seasonal shooters become interested in becoming a regular or registered skeet shooter. One of the first questions they have is “can I shoot skeet with just one gauge or one gun”. The answer is both yes and no. You can shoot a one gauge event and that is what most beginners do. The 12 gauge event is the most common event shot by these neophytes. Soon the new shooter becomes interested in shooting all the skeet events but cannot afford 3 more shotguns. An option is to buy a skeet shotgun with a 4 barrel set. This is not an inexpensive option. It is not uncommon to layout almost $4000.00 for a good used setup. During the last 15 years more and more skeet shooters are shooting all skeet events with one gun through the use of subgauge tubes.

At the next tournament check out what the top shooters are using and will find many are using tubed guns. The most important part of this process is finding a 12 gauge shotgun that fits the shooter very well. This is not a place to cut corners or cost. The most popular shotguns found on the skeet field are Browning, Beretta, Krieghoff, and Perazzi, primarily due to their reliability. You could easily spend up to $8000.00 for the high end models. However, you can purchase new good quality over and unders for between $1800.00 and $2200.00. Once a shooter finds a 12 gauge over and under shotgun that fits him or her well, the purchase of subgauge tubes comes next. If you are on a budget you should consider purchasing a set of 28 gauge tubes first. National Skeet Shooting Association rules allow a shooter to use a 28 gauge shotgun in both the 28 and 20 gauge events. If you check out the NSSA scores for both gauges you will find that there is just a slim handicap. To shoot the 28 gauge you must become a reloader as 28 gauge ammo is twice the cost of 20 gauge. However, shooting ¾ oz of shot and not much powder you can load for less than what you can buy 20 gauge shells. Again saving money. The next set of tubes you should purchase should be 36 gauge or 410. Again you will need to reload this gauge to keep within your budget. You are only pushing ½ oz in the 2 ½ inch hulls. The last set of tubes you should pickup will be 20 gauge. If you are on a budget you can purchase a set of tubes once a year without breaking the bank.

One piece of advice for tube shooters is to get a good case for your tubes. Tube manufactures provide a cheap plastic sleeve that does not protect your investment. The simple mistake of dropping or sitting on a tube will make it unusable. A hard case is not just an accessory it is a requirement to protect your investment.The most popular manufactures of tubes are Kolar and Briley. You can get all the information you need by visiting their websites. Some models like Briley’s companion tubes do not require that you send the shotgun to the manufacture to be fitted. These are great tubes and have sold on eBay for less that $350.00. Most dedicated tube shooters choose to send there guns to the manufacture to assure a good fit.Now that you have a good set of tubes and shotgun that fits you it time to work on your game. Just remember shooting skeet is supposed to be fun.

Subaru Tribeca Online Market

So you want to pick up knitting? Congratulations, you have great fun ahead. Let’s start off right by choosing which knitting needles are best for beginners. Also pick a yarn you can see easily–NOT eyelash yarn or one all lumpy-bumpy, loopy or a yarn made like railroad tracks. You’ll go wacky learning how to knit if you use wacky yarn.

Best Beginner Knitting Needles–Size Matters

If you feel awkward making the unfamiliar maneuvers and nervous your stitches will fall off your needles, you may seize your needles with a death grip. This can cause hand cramps and knitting your stitches so tight you can barely work them at all. Let’s avoid skinny needles that increase hand cramps or gargantuan needles that are more awkward.

Choose a medium size needle you can see and feel more easily. I suggest using U.S. size 7, 8 or 9 knitting needles or the metric equivalent, 4.5, 5.0 or 5.5 mm.

Best Knitting Needles for Beginners–Shape

Pick straight knitting needles for your first learning project. If you’re a small person, go for short ones versus long ones that will catch on your sleeves, your chair arms or your neighbors.

One More Factor–The Best Material for Beginner Knitting Needles

Most needles are made of wood, plastic or metal. I suggest wooden needles for a beginner because the yarn won’t offer to slip off as it would with metal needles. If you knit super tight stitches, they won’t slide along the needles well at all. Then again, super tight knitters can make stitches strangle metal needles too.

What About Circulars?

Circular knitting needles can be used as straights or for knitting in the round. Some beginners may enjoy them more than straights because there’s no chance you can lose a needle and be unable to knit at all. Also there’s no catching in sleeves or poking neighbors. Just remember you’ll always begin a knit row on the edge where the yarn is attached.

What About Double Pointed Needles?

NOT for beginners unless you’re the kind who would tackle Mount Everest before you’ve even climbed the hill behind your house.

Best Yarn for Beginner Knitters

Yarn marked worsted, afghan or aran weight will work well with the 7, 8 and 9 needles. No matter what yarn you use, if you hear the stitches squeak in protest as you knit each one or slide them along the needles, it’s a sign you’re knitting too tight. Relax. Breathe. It’ll go better.

Congratulations on your important first step in picking up knitting. Armed with knitting needles that are best for a beginner and smooth yarn, you’re more assured of successful, satisfying fun. Welcome to the world of knitting needles, yarn and magic.

Airport Flights Cat Collar

While a person is getting a tattoo, the skin secretes a fluid that forms droplets on the surface. Now, normally the blood particles in the fluid would dry on the surface and would look like black specs. If left alone and no bothered or picked at they will attach themselves along with particles and then they dry and form what you know as a scab. Eventually though the skin will heal in spite of the obstacles created. If this process gets disturbed then you are going to have to deal with healing an infected tattoo.

If there is minimal damage to the skin then the speed of healing will depend on the amount of moisture in the area. The three top rated healing ointments are Bacitracin Zinc, A & D Ointment and Petroleum. It is the petroleum in these products that produces the best healing speed because it makes the skin occlusive. Occlusive means neither water nor air can penetrate to the skin surface. This then creates the ultimate healing condition.

When a tattoo is just finished there is generally no oozing and the surface is relatively dry so when a petroleum product is applied droplets of fluid will begin to appear because the body is producing exudates. Exudates are necessary to create an environment which stimulates rapid wound healing. A wound maintained in a moist environment with exudates has a lower infection rate than a wound which is dry.

Initially it was believed that petroleum would cause the ink to leave the skin but it is now known that is not true. The constant application of antibacterial is not necessary to avoid infection. Antibacterial products actually interfere with the wound healing process. Ointment applying and plastic wrapping for the shower or sleeping for a few days will help protect the tattoo under adverse conditions.

Sometimes for various reasons a tattoo will become infected. If any of the following symptoms are present after having a tattoo it is possible that yours is infected and you are going to have to heal an infected tattoo. Increased pain, swelling, redness, heat, or tenderness around the tattoo, red streaks extending from the area, pus coming from the wound, swollen or tender lymph nodes, or fever are all indications that an infection has occurred.

Infection may start at the tattoo and usually clear or clear-yellow fluid that drains from an infected tattoo may change to creamy yellow, brown, or red or look or smell like pus. Infection may also occur deep inside the wound, with few noticeable signs at the site. Pain and swelling may develop. This is a definite sign that you have to heal the infected tattoo.

The skin over a tattoo may heal while an infection is present in the wound, causing a more serious infection, such as an abscess. If you do not heal your infected tattoo it can spread to an infection within the bones, the joints or even become sepsis, which is an infection in the whole body.

You will likely need an antibiotic to heal your infected tattoo. A doctor may also order blood tests, depending on the circumstances under which you received the tattoo. Treat an infected tattoo by keeping it dry at all times. Water is the biggest enemy of your tattoo as it heals.

Beach Wedding Graphic Designer

Over the past half-century, the dress shirt has gone from being an undergarment to holding a prominent place in many outfits. This is one reason why it is today available in so many styles, colors, and patterns. Whether one’s style is chinos or suit-and-tie, shirts are an essential means of expanding one’s wardrobe.

A shirt’s style signals quite a bit about the wearer’s intentions. A dress shirt with a button-down collar, left breast pocket, plain front, and single-button cuffs signals leisure while a dress shirt with a turned-down point collar, no breast pocket, placket front, and French cuffs signals formality. The beauty of adjusting a shirt’s style is that you can design it for not only for the occasion but also to compliment your unique features.

Shirt Collars

The men’s dress shirt collar is the most important style detail, both in determining the garment’s level of formality and in how it flatters the wearer’s face. Button-down collars are the least formal and extremely versatile; they look great without a tie but can just as well support a tie and sweater, blazer, or sport coat combination. The wing collar, on the other hand, is reserved for formal wear and should always be worn with its companion parts. It is the least versatile collar, whose sole purpose is to signal the highest level of dress.

Most men’s dress shirts sport some sort of pointed collar, but there is huge room for variety here. While the standard point collar looks good on most men, those with narrower faces do better with slightly shorter ones, while round faces carry well above long collar points. As a general rule, the greater the angle between the short sides of the collar points, the more formal the presentation. Spread collars, which leave a wide opening between them, take large tie knots especially well. The edges of the cut-away collar nearly form a straight line above the tie knot; this is the most formal collar arrangement. An exception to the parallelism of spread and formality is the tab collar: here little tabs of fabric extending from each side connect behind the tie knot, holding the collar close together and projecting the knot outward for a precise, no-nonsense look. The white contrast collar, in any style, with or without matching white French cuffs, is a favorite of power-dressers. While it certainly raises a suit-and-tie above the masses, let the wearer be warned against it if he cannot equal its eminence.

On most decent dress shirts, the collar’s points are kept straight by collar stays. These 2- to 3-inch pointed splints are inserted into slots on the underside of the collar after ironing, and later removed for washing. Besides the plastic ones that come with most shirts, you can buy them in brass, silver, and even ivory, but their material has negligible effect on their function.

Shirt Cuffs

Barrel cuffs, standard on most dress shirts, come in a variety of styles and except for the most formal of occasions are never a bad choice. The common variety has a single button; cuffs with two or even three buttons are somewhat more artful. French cuffs are de rigeur for formal wear; they look good with a suit but are always optional. A button in the sleeve placket helps the sleeve to stay closed during wear and can be opened to iron the cuffs; it is optional but nearly ubiquitous.

Shirt Pockets

The traditional left breast pocket adds a little depth to a dress shirt, especially if worn without jacket and tie, and can be useful for holding pens, tickets, and the like. A shirt with no pockets can look slightly cleaner with a coat and tie, but since the coat covers the pocket the difference is minimal when wearing a suit. As with most things, simplicity equals formality, so the pocket-less shirt is the dressiest.

Shirt Front & The Placket

The standard placket is a strip of fabric raised off the men’s dress shirt front with stitches down each side; this is what most casual shirts and many dress shirts have. In the more modern French placket, the edge of the shirt front is folded over, creased, and held together only by the button holes. This cleaner front sharpens more formal dress shirts; it should not, however, be combined with a button-down collar. There are also hidden button plackets, and as the name suggests hide the front buttons under a sheath of fabric.

Shirt Back

Men’s backs are not flat; thus we use pleats on the back panel of a shirt so that the fabric may hang from the yoke (the piece covering the shoulder blades) and better conform to the body. There are two common varieties of pleated shirt back styles: the box pleat consists of two pleats spaced one-and-a-half inches apart at the center, while side pleats lie halfway between each edge and the center of the back. While the former are more common on ready-to-wear shirts, the latter better align with the actual shape of the back, and thus fit most men better. A well-made custom shirt can be cut and sewn to fit its wearer perfectly without pleats, and this makes it cleaner and easier to iron. Nonetheless, many men prefer to have pleats even on their bespoke dress shirts.

Monograms

A man may elect to have his shirt monogrammed, usually on the edge of the breast pocket or on the shirt’s cuff. Monogramming originated as a way to identify one’s shirts in a commercial laundry, akin to writing a child’s name on the tag of their jacket. More recently, as the shirt has taken a more prominent role in men’s dress, the monogram has emerged as a way to subtly communicate the care a man has taken in obtaining his clothes. While large, garish monograms certainly do more harm than good, many men enjoy the quiet display of their initials, usually in a color similar to the shirt’s own.

Posturepedic Cost Estimator

Debt collectors are a smart group of people. They know if they want to find you so they can collect from you, they are going to need to get creative.

You see, the average debtor is a fairly mobile person. They open an account, and when they move they never send a new address to their creditor. So, the creditor has an old address, phone number, and other information.

Trust me, this doesn’t even slow a collector down! They will be hot on the trail of a debtor just as soon as they buy the debt. And they have a bunch of tools at their disposal. Unlike a few years ago when the collector only had information from the original creditor and perhaps a credit report, they now have a huge amount of information at their fingertips through the modern marvel, the Internet.

While a collection agency has many ways to track you down, here are a few that work really well for them:

1) Public records – It’s true, they can see what you do. If you buy a house, or file taxes, or open a business, they will know of it quickly. A typical collections agency will do a monthly sweep of all accounts through a computer process, and will see what data is available during that sweep. If, as an example, you buy a new house, they will see that and have your new address. Bingo, they got you! Interestingly, even 1099 information for a business is online, so that can be checked to see if you own a business. There are many other pieces of information they can check, but this is a great starting point for them.

2) Lexis / Nexis – Lexis, and other firms, provide information about pretty much everyone to you if you can pay for it. They have current and previous addresses, phones, job information, family information, and probably even your blood type. A few years from now they will probably keep a piece of your DNA! Collectors pay less than $30.00 per month for unlimited service, and they do take advantage of the service whenever they can. A lot of information comes back in a very short amount of time, and they can find you quickly.

3) Skip Tracing – This refers to hiring an outside vendor to find information about a debtor. A skip tracer will do all the leg work for you, and come back with a summary report telling you where a debtor is. If the first skip tracing firm is unsuccessful, they may use another to search again. This is highly cost effective, and highly automated.

4) Calling people you know – This is vicious, but it really works. Lexis, and other vendors, have a list that they call “nearby’s”. Let’s say you had a house at 123 Elm. They know who lives in 122 Elm, 124 Elm, and other surrounding houses. They have the names and phone numbers for each of those homes. So, the collector will call, and try to get a forwarding address, or a new phone number, or any other information they can get. They will also call relatives, friends, and anyone else that is shown to be an associate of the debtor.

5)) TransUnion – A fairly new TransUnion service will allow you set a watch on a credit file, and if a new entry comes in, say from a new credit card company with whom the debtor has opened the account, TransUnion will determine the address for the account and send it to the collectors. This is a great way to track people down, but may have some legal privacy flaws before everything works out.

This is just a few of the ways collectors can find you. They have a bunch of additional tricks up their sleeves, and more than likely they WILL find you. So, how do you hide? You can’t, unless you can find a way to hide your personal information from every source on the Internet. Instead, you just have to be prepared for the worst, and make sure you can deal with the collectors if they finally do call.

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Although many might not want to admit it looks like the recession is here to stay and the tables have turned on the fashion industry. The designers are known for setting the scene when it comes to what’s hot and what’s not but interestingly with cutbacks and curbed spending habits the big fashion houses are the ones who are having to responding to the economic crisis to ensure their survival.

What has been classified as recession fashion has seen a return to classic traditional lines and a focus on more traditional investment pieces. Even the most flamboyant of consumers are tightening their purse strings and chopping up the plastic. Even style advisors are encouraging their clientele to revamp and combine old garments from their wardrobe agreeing that accessorizing is the key this year. So, how are the top names in the fashion industry coping with the current cautious climate?

Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfield, Gucci and Prada, all known for their luxury and forward thinking designs are now returning to the past years of economic crisis for inspiration and although sales are down the fashion savvy are still buying. The big fashion houses are confident of their survival, but why?

Both male and female outfits have switched to minimalist, straight, crisp, vintage and traditional lines and neutral palettes. Scaling back, downsizing and getting back to basics seems to be the key elements of collections.

Military and aviator themes are commonplace as collections seek to symbolize not only a seriousness but strength. Slick, tailored suits are present in many collections and recent reviews have seen cufflinks and ties for both men and women have a renewed popularity. Interestingly ties are thinner and cufflinks less embellished and simplified. Individual pieces such as jumpers, trousers and shirts have been broken down and created with combination in mind.

It should be noted that not all designers have followed this trend, notably Dior opted for exaggerated and excessive styling in their summer collections and consequently received very mixed reviews but neon colors, short hemlines and ruffled sleeves are clearly popular with consumers. Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue, has recently stated that the fashion industry should not run scared and stick to the expected but not many consumers are looking to overdress. The male fashion industry has, understandably taken a lesser knock as most designers consistently to stick to traditional conservative lines no matter the economic situation.

Designer garments are also going on sale a lot earlier than previous years and downgraded pieces are up for grabs. Retail outlets are reporting that dresses are being put on a back burner while more conservative pieces that blend and last for several seasons are selling well. The big names in fashion are facing the crisis head on but it has been reported that many now realize the intense consumerism of previous years will not be making a return anytime soon.

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