Elaine Overton

Archive for August, 2011

Leather jackets are jackets made of leather, but they are also more than that. Leather jackets have been a significant part of American and British pop culture for decades.

Depending on their make, purpose, and placement in time, leather jackets have had a variety of styles. The most familiar subculture associated with the leather jacket is that of the ducktails of the 1950s and early 1960s, such as depicted in the movies The Lords of Flatbush and Grease, as well as by The Fonz in Happy Days, aired during the early 1970s. These leather jackets, made light and intended for casual wear, were used to convey an image of toughness or coolness as well to serve as a badge of independence and/or brotherhood among buddies.

Another subculture featuring the leather jacket was that of the bombardiers in the 1940s and early 1950s, but the style was distinctively different, as seen by the sheepskin collar to protect the neck. As a matter of fact, bomber jackets were typically interlined all the way through with sheepskin. This kept its wearer warm as well. The leather jackets worn by the policeyet another subculture identified with leather jacketsare also protective, but these are made thicker and heavier with a design to facilitate safety equipment and armor wherever needed, as well as to bring across an intimidating image.

The leather jacket isnt as popular today as it once had been, but it has left a lasting iconic mark on western civilization with an influence so powerful that the leather jacket holds meaning identified with its earlier symbolism, along with new meaning brought about by changing states-of-mind, such as importance of freedom and a sense of worldliness.

Ultimately, the leather jacket promotes a style that will never lose taste regardless of the changing tides. If anything, the leather jacket will continue to influence the direction in which those tides flow.

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Decorating a girl’s bedroom is fun – most girls are interested in fashion and follow trends so they probably know that a zebra print comforter is a must-have long before it’s on your radar screen. One way to stay on top of the styles is to browse and shop online – you’ll not only discover that zebra prints are hot, they are anything but conventional in styling.

The Jungle Queen complete bed ensemble is a great stop on the style safari – this fashionable set features horizontal bands of leopard and zebra prints accented by a colorful pink that totally pops. You’ll also find top teen brands like Roxy and Quiksilver have applied their brands and logos to bedding – perfect for the little fashionista in your home.

Girls like options so investing in a bedding ensemble can be challenging. By shopping online you can create a favorites list and see what ideas and themes stand the test of time – sometimes if you just wait a week the tie dye and peace sign craze will be replaced with the desire to take the plunge with a surfer girl bedding set or a sweet Jelly Belly candy theme print – fortunately you may also compare price to get the best deal possible when you are ready to make your purchase and you may also wish to read reviews as they provide great insight on the products written by people just like yourself.

Diamond wedding rings are no longer just for women. Many grooms today choose to purchase a man’s diamond wedding ring to match the bride’s. Still others enjoy the social status that comes with wearing a diamond wedding band. Purchasing a diamond wedding ring means that the groom must consider not only the material and design of the ring, but also the quality of the diamonds.

Although often not considered to be as important as the diamonds in the bride’s engagement and wedding rings, the groom’s diamonds should also be purchased with care. The man should take the same “4 Cs” into consideration: carat weight, clarity, color, and cut.

A carat is exactly 200 milligrams, but very few men’s bands will sport a diamond of this size. Most bands will instead have several smaller diamonds that may of may not equal one full carat. A full carat is also equal to 100 points, so a jeweler may refer to a ring as having several 10 point diamonds (each of which would be equal to one tenth of a carat).

While the clarity of a diamond is often considered the least important of the 4 Cs, it is still a key consideration in your diamond purchase. The clarity of a diamond measures the number and extent of the flaws in the diamond. For the most part, a more valuable diamond will have fewer flaws. It is extremely rare that you will find a completely flawless diamond; only a couple hundred “FL” diamonds are produced a year. Although there are several grading systems used to determine a diamond’s clarity, the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) score is by far the most popular. It ranks diamonds as Flawless (FL), Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS), Very Slightly Included (VS), Slightly Included (SI), and Included (I). (Note: inclusions are slight specks, cracks, or other flaws in a diamond). These ranks are not subjective; the scale has extremely specific criteria that are used to differentiate between the grades.

The color of the stone, referring to how yellow the stone is, can also be graded on a GIA scale. An ideal diamond is completely colorless, being ranked as a D. The alphabetical scale ranks nearly colorless stones as I and J , increasingly yellow beginning with M/N, and a Z is a completely yellow stone. The average color for engagement diamonds in the United States is G to H.

The cut of a diamond is possibly the most confusing of the “4 Cs,” since it can refer to the cutting style, the shape of the stone (round, square, heart-shaped, etc), its proportions, or the workmanship and the diamond-cutting process. The brilliant round cut is the most common cut for diamond engagement rings and wedding bands.