Skirt Articles

She?s Hot in the Road?

She?s Hot in the Road?

by: Maricon Williams

Every bystander that saw you wishes that they could also have a girl like yours and they exclaimed ?She?s definitely hot on the road?? and then you smile and said ?Wish on brothers?this girl is mine??

Have you ever wondered why most men refer to their bikes as a she or their girl? In order to satisfy my curiosity I asked some of the boys in the neighborhood with bikes why they have to refer to their bikes as their girl. And these are some of their explanations:

Boy 1: I call my bike my girl because it?s beautiful and shapely like you girls. ? I don?t know about this but if I?m compared to a bike I definitely would not want to be compared with those bulky big bikes. Just think of what that implies.

Boy 2: My bike is my girl friend because she?s hot?! ? Again, I don?t know what to think of this comparison but it must be because exhaust of motorcycles are hot when you get in contact with it or it may pertain probably to the look of the bike. Well, it?s their opinion in the first place.

Boy 3: I refer to my motorcycle my girl because I fell in love with it the first time I laid eyes on it. The same feeling I get when I?m in love. ? This is probably the one answer that makes me wonder, comparing the love for a motorcycle to the love for a ?real? girl. I mean come on.

Boy 4: Motorcycles are like ladies because you have to care for them and not just any care but you simply have to buy them so many accessories just to look good and if that is not girly stuffs then I don?t know. - This one answer is probably the closest thing to the explanation I am searching for funny but definitely TRUE.

Boy 5: Motorcycles are not the only things that men refer to as their girl but also cars. There are some names of car parts that signify women. Take for example the skirt. I guess men just love women. - Very true I have never met any straight man who is not a lover of women.

After the interview as I go over the answer of the guys I interviewed I came to a conclusion that women are seen in almost everything that men came in contact with. It might be because they deem women as important to them or probably they see women as a part of them that they just can?t leave without or I might be wrong?

About The Author

Maricon Williams

Please visit Yamaha Motorcycle Parts site at http://www.yamahamotorcyclepartsonline.com/ for comments and inquiries regarding this article.

Celebrating Your Curves In A Plus Size Bikini

Celebrating Your Curves In A Plus Size Bikini

by: Chirsty Diaz

Who said bikinis are only for the tiny? Even full-figured women can look perfect for the beach or pool in a well-fitting plus size bikini. Remember that even the thinnest woman has aspects of her body that she would like to change or hide. With these expert tips, you can find the perfect plus size bikini that will flatter your figure and camouflage what you find less than ideal.

Work With What You Have

Take a good look in the mirror and decide what you want to cover and what you want to show in your plus size bikini. If you have great legs, look for styles that are cut higher on the leg. Halter-top styles look good on large busts and provide the necessary support. Tankinis work wonders on covering tummies, and boy-cut shorts can hide less than perfect thighs.

Choose a Pattern

One of the best ways to minimize and camouflage in a bikini is to choose a large colorful floral print or other pattern. Stay away from dainty flowers that can emphasize bulges. If you are bigger on the bottom than on top, consider wearing a printed top and a solid bottom. This will draw the eye upwards towards the face and away from the hips. Keep in mind that while horizontal stripes will appear to widen the body, vertical stripes will lengthen. And, solid black isn't always the most slimming solid color. In fact, it can look rather drab on a bikini. Try to stick to fun, vibrant colors.

Don't Worry About The Size

Swimsuits are generally cut smaller than other types of clothing. For example, if you are used to wearing a 14, expect to need a swimsuit in a 16 or 18. Don't worry about this. What is important is that the bikini fits well and provides the coverage and support that you need.

Accessorize

Once you have chosen the perfect bikini, look for a coordinating cover-up, sarong, or swim skirt. With a pair of colorful sandals and a fun beach bag, you will be ready to strut your stuff.

Love Your Body

The perfect bikini is only a shopping trip away. Remember to love your body the way it is and flaunt what you like about yourself. If you have the confidence to wear a bikini, no one will dare question you. Rather, they will most likely be envious of your healthy self-esteem.

About The Author

Chirsty Diaz is a fashion advisor for plus size women. She has been helping women of all sizes look their absolute best while helping them find fantastic deals on plus size clothing. For the hottest tips, secrets and additonal articles , not to mention some great, plus size deals visit http://www.curvy-lady.com.

Color Theory for Fashionistias - Three Easy Steps to Perfect Color Every Time

Color Theory for Fashionistias - Three Easy Steps to Perfect Color Every Time

by: Carrie Johnson

Color is everywhere, in your clothes, in your jewelry. Color is life. Fashion and color coordination can make or break your carefuly planned outfit.

Here's a bit of color theory with a fashionista bent.

Primary colors

These are red, blue and yellow. In theory, you can make any color from these three primaries (except white, which is really an absence of color). In practice, it depends on what red, blue or yellow you start with, but we are not mixing paints here, so just remember that the primary colors are red, blue and yellow. You'll learn why in the next step.

The secondary colors are the colors you get from mixing equal amounts of any two primaries. (If the primaries are pure, mixing all three will give you black.)

The secondaries are purple, orange and green.

Now why do you care?

Well, primaries and secondaries together give us complementary colors. The complement of the color is the color directly across from it on the color wheel, or if starting with a primary, the color made from mixing the other two primaries. So essentially a color and its complement contain all of the primaries between them.

Red's compliment is green (Merry Christmas!). Yellow's complement is purple. Blue's complement is orange. This is as much contrast as you can get between colors of the same value (brightness or darkness). So if you want to make a bold statement, the primaries are a treat.

Enter the secondaries

The secondary colors are made by mixing equal parts of any two complementaries. So the secondary colors are green (yellow and blue), orange (yellow and red) and purple (blue and red).

Let's say you have a yellow dress and you want this outfit to be a traffic stopper. If it's for daytime, you can use bold purple jewelry and accessories. This classic combination of purple and yellow is eye catching. It can be sophisticated and definite or more playful, depending on the yellow and purple you start out with.

However, you don't always want to be quite that much the center of attention. What do you do to make more subtle fashion statements, but still use colors well?

The yellow and purple we used above are complementary colors. This means they are directly across from each other on the color wheel.

The colors to each side of our main color's complement are the triad colors. (Triad because the color you start with plus the two others make three colors total.) The triads are our friends for choosing jewelry or other accessories. Let's look at our yellow dress again. This time we're wearing it to a business meeting. What would be appropriate jewelry? Gold on yellow is too close -- it will tend to wash out. The whole outfit will look drab (more drab than if you didn't use the gold jewelry).

Silver will work, particularly if the silver is a bit pale and the yellow of the dress if very vivid. But you don't have to stick with gold or silver. There are many colored gems and jewels out there. Try a sapphire necklace. The blue will nicely set off the yellow and both will sparkle. Or a red brooch. The red can tend towards orange for a brighter effect or towards blue for more contrast.

Now how about the vivid purple blouse you just adore? How to accessorize it? The purple is already such a bold color. Well, we'll do exactly the opposite of what we have done with our yellow dress, since purple is yellow's complement.

For our purple blouse, if you want to be bold and outrageous, go for bright gold (yellow) or just plain yellow jewelry. Silver will not work with the purple since the blue of the silver is too close to our purple color (as the gold was on the yellow dress). Of course red is wonderful with purple, just showing that every rule is made to be broken (with discrimination and taste, of course).

We can team our purple blouse with a tan skirt (tan being a form of yellow) and dress it down for a business meeting. We'll want our jewelry to be a little more subtle. In this case, rather than yellow, let's use the triad colors to purple -- orange or green. These may seem like bold choices, but remember you want your jewelry to be seen, not to blend into the woodwork.

How about an amber pendant? This would be sophisticated and would be set off wonderfully by the purple background without being garish.

Or an emerald brooch and earrings, or a green frog pin. The possibilities are endless within your basic color choices. If you stick with these color constraints, you will not go wrong.

Now let's consider the classic grey business suit. You may be thinking that your grey suit is neutral so you can choose any color at all. This is rarely the case and can be the cause of that ensemble that doesn't quite work.

Most greys tend towards blue (cool) or red/yellow (warm). So first determine if your suit is cool grey or warm grey. If you're having trouble with this (and it can be tough at first), try holding it up to other grey items in your house. You'll start to notice that it looks a bit redder (or yellower) or a bit more blue. This will help you determine the color bias of your grey suit.

Most warm grey used in clothing is a reddish grey. This is because red complements the complexion. But you will find some yellowish greys, particularly in garments with very sophisticated color.

Let's say our suit is a cool grey, so for the purposes of our color choice we'll consider it blue. The complement of blue is orange.

We want to keep this a business suit, so we'll pick the triad to each side of the orange to start with. Red and yellow. This tells us that gold will be a perfect choice for our grey suit. Silver is too blue and would wash out the outfit. You may have noticed that gold tends towards red or yellow. If you are using more than one accessory with the gold, determine whether the primary gold jewelry you will be wearing is reddish gold or yellow gold.

This is done just as we did with the suit itself, by comparing it with other colors.

If the gold is reddish, then keep your other accessories in the red and yellow range. If the gold if yellow, keep the other colors in the yellow orange range.

Note, the description "yellow gold" is for any gold that is not white (silvery). Yellow golds range from a deep red to a very pale yellow, so be sure to check each piece of jewelry when putting together your outfit. A red gold and a yellow gold next to each other will look subtly wrong, unless they are carefully combined in a single piece by a master jeweler. A lack of understanding about the tendencies of gold to be manifested as different colors results in fashion mistakes are that are hard to pin down.

So, let's say we've chosen a beautiful golden horse pin as our primary jewelry piece. We look at it and realize that it tends, ever so slightly, towards red. This makes the rest of our accessorizing easy.

We'll go for red and even towards the cooler reds (those tending towards purple, rather than towards the yellows and oranges). With our golden horse brooch and a deep slightly purplish red scarf our grey business suit stays business-like but acquires a powerful feminine appeal.

If you want more color, choose red's triads, blue or yellow.

So, when choosing the jewelry to complement any outfit follow three simple steps and you won't go wrong:

1) Determine the base color of your clothing. This is the dominant color. If you?re wearing the purple blouse with a tan skirt the purple is the dominant color.

If the outfit has a pattern, squint at it and try to see what color feels most dominant (this is an old artist's trick). If no particular color stands out, determine if the overall pattern is cool or warm as we did with our grey suit. Again squinting helps.

2) Find the complement of this color on your color wheel. If you really want to stand out, use the complement and stop at this step -- you're done!

3) Look at the triad colors next to the complement. These are most often the colors you will use for your accessories. If you want a brighter look you can use both triads. For a more subtle look, choose one or the other and then use variations on this color (the variations on any one color are almost endless).

That's it -- three easy steps that will assure that your outfits are always tres chic and save you hours trying to figure out what's just not quite right or choosing by hit and miss.

Of course, fashion colors change from year to year, but you now understand color combinations and how to put them together in wow combinations, whatever colors your starting with.

Coming in part two, how colors effect each other.

To see this page with color wheels and other illustrations that you can print for reference, go to http://www.gorgeousanimaljewelry.com/fashion-colors.html

Style on!

Carrie

The Jewelry Maven

http://www.gorgeousanimaljewelry.com

About The Author

Carrie Johnson

The Jewelry Maven presents articles about jewelry and links to the best (and most hard to find) jewelry on the web. Why search yourself, the Jewelry Maven will do it all for you, darling!

http://www.gorgeousanimaljewelry.com

A Closet Full Of Clothes And Nothing To Wear

A Closet Full Of Clothes And Nothing To Wear

by: Janice Wee

Is your closet brimming with clothes yet somehow, you still have nothing suitable for the occasion?

Looks like it is time to reorganize your wardrobe.

What you don't see, you probably wouldn't wear. The perfect outfit for the occasion is hiding somewhere in your closet. You just don't see it. You have to clear the clutter before you can find your outfit.

Step 1. Go through everything in your closet to see if it still fits you. If the item fits, put it in the keep pile. If it doesn't, put it in the discard pile.

Step 2. Go through the keep pile. Is anything there really out of fashion? Don't wait for it to get back in fashion. If that look every comes back, you can buy a new, more updated version. Put all these outdated item in the discard pile.

Step 3. If you are broke, you can sell the items in the discard pile on ebay. If you want help the needy, you could donate the clothes to a worthy charity. If you like second hand clothes, you could hold a clothes swap session where you exchange these clothes with your pals for something you would probablly wear.

Step 4. Now that you have significantly pared down your keep pile, time to sort it out. What are the items not appropriate for the current season. Fold these up nicely and store them in a drawer lined with scented paper so they will smell fresh when the season is right for them.

Step 5. Iron the clothes you have left in your keep pile. Sort them by type of clothing and color and prepare to keep them in your closet. Do the same for your bags, shoes and the rest of your accessories.

Step 6. Organize your wardrobe. Make it really easy to find what you want at a glance. Get some closet organizers to help you make full use of the space of your wardrobe and to organize your stuff so you know where to find what you want when you want it. You can find some useful closet organizers at http://www.buy-furniture.net/walk-in-closets.htm

Step 7. Pack your keep clothes and accessories back into the closet, sorted by color, type and function so you can find what you want at a glance.

Step 8. Take stock of your wardrobe. Do you really have nothing to wear?

Step 9. Look at your daily schedule. Do you have clothes that will carry you through all the events in your daily schedules? Write down the events that you really don't have anything to wear to.

Look through your appointments. Do you have something to wear for every one of these appointments? For every one of these functions? Take note of the functions or appointments which you need to buy clothes for.

Now go through all the events where you probably would not have anything to wear. What are the items that could take you through these events? List them down. Then go and shop for them.

Here are some basics every woman should own, in her current size.

#1. A little black dress. Every woman needs at least one of these versatile beauties. They can take you from day to night. For a dinner date, or a luncheon. A change of accessories transforms the look completely. You can find some lovely black dresses at http://www.buyclothing.net/little-black-dress.htm

#2. A luxuriously warm cashmere jacket. What could feel more fabulous than cashmere? Here are some wonderful cashmere jackets. http://www.buy-jackets.com/cashmere-jackets.htm

#3. A pretty pink shirt. Pink is a very flattering color. It brings color to your face. It makes you look pretty. A pink camisole would soften a severe jacket beautifully. It is versatile and goes with just about anything. You can find that at http://www.allpink.info/Pink-Fashion-Shirts.html

#4. At least 1 pair of boots. These spice up your outfit beautifully. Here are some gorgeous boots. http://www.shoes-mall.net/boots.html

#5. A gorgeous bag, like these croc bags. These give that touch of luxury which the current season is all about. This is where you can find these bags. http://www.bagsmall.com/croc-bags.htm

#6. A pair of leather pants which are very now. Even Martha Stewart wore a pair when Jay Leno interviewed her. You can get leather pants at http://www.buy-pants.com/leather-pants.htm

#7. A skirt suit for work. Skirt suits like these takes you right to the board room. You can split up the suit and wear the jacket and skirt separately with other tops and bottoms to stretch your wardrobe. Here is where you can find skirt suits. http://www.buyclothing.net/skirt-suit.htm

#8. A pant suit that can be worn as an outfit as a power suit, for presentations or separately with other tops and bottoms for a whole new look. You can find pant suits at http://www.buyclothing.net/pant-suits.htm

#9. A pair of ballet flats that go with practically anything. Pick a pair in a neutral color that goes with most of your clothes. Here are lovely ballet flats. http://www.shoes-mall.net/ballet-flats.htm

About The Author

Janice Wee

You can find more gorgeous clothes to replenish the ones you discarded at www.buyclothing.net

Dressing Tips For 50-Somethings You Must Know

Dressing Tips For 50-Somethings You Must Know

by: Bridget P. Allen

As the Baby Boomers in this country come of age, it certainly seems that 50 is the new 30! The typical thoughts and images of 50 year olds are certainly banished when these active individuals strive to live a fulfilling and exciting life. Most individuals who are apart of the Baby Boomer generation are reaching the age of retirement, and they have alternative goals and methods for their lifestyle. Additionally, most women in their 50s have keen fashion sense and style, always dressing their best in a variety of situations. If you find yourself in your 50s and unsure what items to wear for any function, look no further! These simple tips will allow you to dress for success for any situation.

1.) Tips on selecting clothes that show your personal flair

When it comes to finding items that should be in your wardrobe, look to find pieces that express your individual interest and personality. Consider shopping at unique shops or boutiques to find those one of a kind items that will certainly win you a great many compliments. Whether you choose to invest in a great jacket, sweater, dress, sweater, skirt, or anything else, you should work to adapt this unique item into a variety of outfits.

2.) Tips on finding items that best fit your body and your age

Even though you may feel like a teenager does not necessarily dress like one! If you find you are swapping clothes with your kids or grandkids, then perhaps you should rethink you choice in clothing. Conversely, you are certainly not ready for ?old lady? staples, so strive to find clothing that best fits your age and this point in your life. Furthermore, choose items of clothing that best fits your size and shape of your body. As we age, attention may need to be shifted from different parts of our bodies and onto more flattering parts, so strive to find items that spotlight your body in the best life possible.

3.) Accessorize! Acessorize! Acessorize!

Everyone needs a fun and funky accessory that makes a ho-hum outfit completely unforgettable! Regardless if you are looking for a piece of jewelry, super bag, great pair or shoes, or fashionable scarf, an accessory can make or break an outfit. Furthermore, you will be able to get more wear out of your wardrobe if you have a variety of accessories to keep your staple items looking different and unique.

About The Author

Bridget Allen has worked for many years in the fashion industry, at a senior level, and she has written an amazing totally free fashionista minicourse that will thrill, entertain, and most importantly educate you about what you absolutely need to know about fashion. Get the free course " Fashionista Essentials" now at http://www.i-stylish.com.

Buying Petite Clothing Made Easy

Buying Petite Clothing Made Easy

by: Bridget P. Allen

All you girls 5? 4? and under, fight for your right for high quality fashionable clothes! Many petite women find it difficult to find properly fitting quality clothes. It?s only recently that designers target petite women with fashionable clothing.

This year, fashion is all about you and your style. Fashion is about confidence. If you feel great in an outfit, others can?t help but feel your vibes.

In the past petite women had to settle for ill fitting regular clothes in run-of-the-mill sizes. But that?s long in the past. Today?s petite women find more and more stores devoted to meeting the needs of the short statured.

Petite framed women can wear just about any style and look slimmer and most importantly taller, by following a few simple rules.

Avoid bold, large patterns with heavy fabrics. Keep print in proportion to your figure. Smaller frames deserve smaller prints.

Avoid styles that draw the eye to the waist or hip area. These tend to make you look more round.

Avoid too much jewelry. Jewelry can overpower a small frame.

Wear light weight material when layering. Too much bulk bulks up the petite woman.

Avoid wearing contrasting colors such as black skirt and white top when wearing separates.

Wear the same color from head to tow to create a continuous flow. Blend similar colored shoes and hose to appear taller.

If wearing boots, make sure the hem of your skirt is long enough to cover the boots. This will create an unbroken line to help give a slenderizing affect.

Skirts should be slightly above the knee and always worn with heels. Below the knee skirts tend to make the short statured woman look stubby.

Heels are a must for the vertically impaired. High-heeled shoes guarantees that your legs will look longer and leaner.

So if you are yearning for pants that don?t drag the floor or shirts with sleeves the correct length, look in the petite section of your favorite store. You?ll have everyone turning their heads whispering ?Who?s that fab girl??

About The Author

Business Wear News You Can Use

Business Wear News You Can Use

by: Bridget Allen

The transition to business wear can be pretty tricky sometimes. You want to ?WOW? your co-workers without going overboard.

It is important to remember that not all casual clothing is appropriate for business wear.

In order to do this effectively, the sophisticated woman needs a few basic business wear essentials.

? First, you?ll need simple flat-front pair of black pants. Black dress pants are versatile and can be dressed up or down as needed. An additional pair of khaki pants is also advisable.

? How about a straight skirt hanging just below the knees? These skirts are flattering and can be worn with a multitude of tops. Casual skirts that are split at or below the knee are acceptable in most businesses. Never wear a mini-skirt to the office.

? You?ll need a sleeveless, fitted solid colored dress that can be worn with a cardigan.

? Brightly colored fine knit sweaters can be worn with either pants or a skirt.

? A black cardigan is chic and easy to wear.

? A sexy shell in a neutral color looks fabulous under a jacket.

? A crisp white shirt always looks smart.

? A classic gray or black coat is also needed.

? Black pumps with an elegant heel can compliment just about any outfit. Flip-flops, slippers and flashy athletic shoes are not acceptable in the office.

? A simple black bag (to match the black pumps) also compliments most outfits.

Remember that clothing that reveals too much cleavage, back, chest, feet, any of your stomach or underwear is not appropriate for the work place.

All clothing should be pressed and clean. No torn, dirty or frayed clothing is acceptable. The only picture or words that are acceptable on attire is the company logo.

On ?dress down? days, it is a good idea to keep it conservative. Wear nice jeans with a solid top and heels. Never wear anything which can be potentially offensive to others.

There are many fabulous combinations you can create with the few basic pieces. Use your imagination and your co-workers will be so impressed they?ll start asking you for style advice!

About The Author

Get the free course " Fashionista Essentials" now at http://www.i-stylish.com.

Fall 2006 Fashion

Fall 2006 Fashion

by: Mary Bailis

Fashion week is over in New York City and fall styles have been released. It always amazes me to be talking about fall styles when spring has not even sprung yet. Here it is! Colors are dark and neutral but accessories are sizzling and spruce up those colors of the evening. There is plenty to keep from this winter season and plenty to get rid of.

Let us start with colors. Think of nightfall when it comes to fall color according to Pantone. The colors are very dark and neutral. Black is always in, dominated the runways by far from other colors. Brown known this season as Italian plum is still big. You will see a touch of garnet, spicy orange and purple drab. You may have to look hard, but they will be there. There will also be doe, a taupe color and griffin, good old gray. The color that tops all and is a must have for the season is deep cobalt, otherwise known as navy. Navy is being paired with all of the above including brown. You will see navy sweaters with brown skirts. Black dominated but had a touch of one of the colors above added to the outfit. There was plenty of play with different shades of black; it is not just solid black this season. Find it in shears, embroidery, and used in all different ways.

So pack away your blacks and browns from this season and pull them out in the fall. Add to your wardrobe plenty of navy and a touch of gray. There will be a touch of animal prints. Leopard is always a popular choice but zebra is the season's hottest choice. Get a short zebra pencil skirt (along with a black one) with a black or brown sweater or a jacket with faux fur trim; add opaque black tights and knee high boots and you are on your way to being in fashion for the fall. Remember a little animal print goes a long way. You want it to accentuate your outfit not overpower it.

Spring fashions have brought in a-line skirts, full skirts and bubble skirts. These will be carried over into the fall so hold on to them. The fall will add mini and short pencil skirts. Black pencil skirts are a staple for your wardrobe. Shirt dresses and sheaths are back and looking very sophisticated. Dresses have been making a come back the past year and are still riding on that trend. Grey trousers are a must have addition. Pants waistlines are on the rise, still at the hips but not as low as they were. Pair them up with a great fabric belt with a fancy buckle to set it off. No more boot leg cut, skinny pants and jeans are in. Hold on to the jackets, they are still a big item. Velvet and suede jackets are hot as well as any with faux fur collars. Cashmere coats trimmed in faux fur or shearling will be a great luxury item.

Colors and clothing for fall are the styles of the night. So drab you say? Not really, they are sexy, feminine and sophisticated. Accessories and embellishments will set them apart and make them exciting. This will be the year for fabulous accessories that will bring those nighttime colors into the day. Of course, they light up the evenings also.

About The Author

Mary Bailis is a designer and owner of http://www.AlexiHandbags.com an online custom handbag and accessory boutique. She enjoys fashion, reading, being creative, exercising, nature and spending as much time with her three beautiful children.

mary@alexihandbags.com

Donald Trump?s Marketing Secrets Revealed!

Donald Trump?s Marketing Secrets Revealed!

by: Dan Lok

It's official!

Now in it's third season, Donald Trump's killer television series "The Apprentice" is officially a "franchise."

With new seasons in the making, a clothing line that carries "The Apprentice" brand, DVD's in production, and mega-fortunes to be made, it's no surprise that the king of real estate... a man who knows a good thing when he sees it... is involved.

I like Donald Trump a lot.

Mostly because I learn something new from him every time I watch him in action.

One of the barbs critics aim at Donald Trump is that he's a shameless egomaniac who can't get enough of the spotlight.

Well, they may call it egomania, but from my perspective... it's a brilliant business strategy.

I'll admit it: I'm a marketer.

My job is to make people sit up and take notice of my clients (and their products or services), and to deliver a "brand" message at every opportunity.

That's exactly what "The Donald" does.

If that makes me him an egocentric, self-congratulatory target for media pundits, who cares? Because it also makes him a "household name"?in households from Bangor, Maine to Bangkok Thailand.

Brand recognition is the foundation of every marketing strategy.

If you're a small business owner, YOU are your brand.

That means you must sell yourself as well as your product or service.

Trump understands the concept, and what's why you see his brand Trump on everything.

You've got to be willing to get name out there? Willing to say, "Hey look me!"... Ready to stand up for yourself, believe in yourself, and blow your own horn?

Loudly and as often as possible.

Have you noticed that each episode of "The Apprentice" includes a segment devoted to a current Trump project?

This as an opportunity for "The Donald" to billboard a success story.

Week after week, he tells millions of people, "I'm a great real estate giant and here's the proof." Take a tip from "The Donald"?

You've got to be your own full-time marketing campaign 24 hours a day... because nobody else will!

Especially if you're an entrepreneur.

When you're the own of a business, especially a new business, it's kind of like being a parent.

Before your business can "talk"... before your "little one" has grown and established a reputation that literally "speaks for itself"... you need to be the "spokesperson."

How long will this last?

You may not want to hear this, but the answer is -- forever. You must always be ready to carry the banner for your business and your success.

So, before you give Donald Trump "two thumbs done" for shameless self-promotion, consider how his ego... and his knack for savvy marketing... is a real asset to his business empire.

If it's good enough for "The Donald," it's good enough for me... and YOU, too.

The next time you sit down for the next episode of the "Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts" season of "The Apprentice," open your mind.

Instead of picking at the negative traits of "The Donald" or his "top guns" Carolyn and George, think about their success and ask yourself...

What can I learn from this guy? How does he marketing himself? How can I adapt this concept to me and my business?

The truth is, if you can't get at least a handful of "golden nuggets" from this super-successful entrepreneur, you may be hopeless.

What I'd like to do is share some of the key marketing insights I've learned from Donald Trump and "The Apprentice" that you, too, can use in your business.

Before we get to the marketing insights, however, there's a bigger business concept that you need to understand.

I'll give it to you the way I like best... straight... "Lok-ed and loaded" to blow your mind:

You have something to learn from people of any age, any background, any education, and any level of success.

The candidate on "The Apprentice" can't hold a handle to Donald Trump's success. Yet each week, they pull rabbits out of hats, rising (more or less) to meet the challenges presented to them.

Every new task makes them better in business as they evolve, refine strategies, and respond to what they're learning. There's no better formula for success than the flexibility and resilience they demonstrate.

So don't just focus on "The Donald" for your weekly dose of marketing magic.

Keep an eye on the candidates, too! You never know who's got something to teach you.

Apprentice Marketing Lesson #1 - Too Much Is Never Enough

Actually, "too much is never enough" was a successful slogan from the early days of MTV, but it could just as easily be the "poster child" for marketing. You can never connect with consumers too frequently.

There's a marketing truism out there: To sell a prospect, you'll need to make repeated contact. That's why most direct mail campaigns use a minimum of three messages, why magazines put as many as five subscription forms in each issue, and why "The Donald" says the word "Trump" as many times as he can in every episode of "The Apprentice."

Does it make a difference? Can it make "The Donald" even more successful?

Definitely.

In the 21st Century, every consumer is bombarded with advertising messages?up to 3,000 a day for some people.

After a while, they just tune out. Or, if they don't tune-out, consumers are often so distracted that they don't really hear or see a marketing message.

It's more effective to send three mailers to 1,000 prospects than one mailer to 3,000though the cost is the same. Another approach is a "timed" or "sequenced" campaign.

In this kind of campaign, message #1 is a teaser. #2 is the "guts" and a gift offer. #3 gives ordering instructions. The sequenced approach allows you to generate both expectations and recognition.

Prospects look forward to hearing from you.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you need to keep hammering away at the eyes and ears of potential prospects. But the main reason for this many not be as obvious as you think...

By repeating your marketing message over and over, you "imbed" that message in the consumer's mind. Then, when the consumer needs what you have to offer, they'll think of you first... even if aren't actively marketing to them in the moment.

The goal is to make yourself the automatic go-to solution for a problem whenever that problem occurs. The consumer's sub-conscious will do the driving.

Apprentice Marketing Lesson #2 - Sex Sells, But Too Much Sex Repels

The candidates chosen for "The Apprentice" are uniformly attractive, articulate, and the kind of people that most other people enjoy looking at.

The producers of the show -- including Mark Burnett who produces that other mega-hit "Survivor" -- know that sex sells on television.

Sex sells in marketing, too.

During the second season of "The Apprentice" when "The Donald" pitted the men against the women, tasks were routinely won thanks to sex appeal... women's AND men's.

(You may recall that the men's team used one of their attractive members to flirt with and win over a table of gay diners during a restaurant challenge.)

But if you weren't watching closely, you might have missed the episode where sex didn't sell -- big time... and THAT is the point of this mini-lesson.

In one of the last episodes of the second season, candidates were challenged to sell candy.

On one team, two blonde women donned matching red leotards and flashed -- their smiles only -- at male prospects.

Sales were brisk because, as we all know, sex sells... and for most men there's nothing sexier than a leggy blonde.

The other team was struggling, so with just minutes to spare before the end of a task, one team member offered to drop her skirt as a way to convince male passersby to buy her candy.

They bought... in droves.

They weren't buying candy, of course, they were buying sex... just like the guy who finds a car suddenly irresistible because of the leggy swimsuit model that's advertising it at the Auto Show... and just like the guys who bought from the blonde "twins" on the other team.

The problem with the "buy my candy and you can see my buns" approach is that it was over the top.

As "The Donald" pointed out in the boardroom, the candidate wasn't selling candy... she was selling sex literally, with a candy bar bonus.

That, my friends, is why so many marketers are referred to as prostitutes... and why the candidate who dropped her skirt was dropped from the show at the end of the task.

As "The Donald" put it so eloquently: You're fired!

The skirt-dropping candidate was fired despite the fact that she had fulfilled her mission -- to make money. Why? By over-selling sexuality, she left a negative over-all impression.

Sex is powerful stuff?use it wisely and sparingly.

Apprentice Marketing Secret #3: Cross-Promotion

I've talked about this concept until I am blue in the face, but I still meet prospective clients who stubbornly say, "My product is such a winner that I don't need to partner with other businesses and give away any of my profits."

That's insane!

Or more delicately "No man is an island"?and no business is either. There's not a company on earth that can survive without a constant stream of qualified prospects coming through the door.

So it doesn't matter what industry you're in or what product/service you make available, whoever you are...

Tying your product to another popular product, service, business, or person is always a winning marketing strategy.

"The Apprentice" has featured cross-promotions with Burger King, Pepsi, the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, and other well-know, extremely successful businesses.

If these super-corporations benefit from cross-promotions, doesn't it seem logical that your business can, too?

The biggest trend in high-end marketing today is film and TV cross- promotions. Ever since E.T. gave Reese's Pieces a huge boost, marketers have aggressively tried to get their products "placed" in films and television shows.

Having a good product or service is NOT enough... although it's certainly "Job 1." Quality and value bring your customers back for more. But how the heck do they do how wonderful your stuff is if they haven't even bought from you yet?

In order to make a sale, you need someone you can sell to. To achieve that you need effective marketing systems to get these people in your funnel in the first place.

Cross-promotion is the key.

Customers who are already "sold" on the business your partnering with become, essentially, pre-sold on you.

And cross-promotion allows you to expand your marketing reach without spending any additional marketing dollars.

Can you imagine how much Burger King would have to pay for a 15-second spot during "The Apprentice."

By appearing within the show in a carefully negotiated cross-promotion, Burger King gets all the gain (aka the audience) with none of the pain (advertising expenses)

What did "The Donald" get out of all of this? In addition to finding a company willing to let his apprentices take over their business for the day, consumers will now "think Trump" when they purchase one of the burgers promoted on the show.

Clever, huh?

You're Fired... Fired-Up, That Is

I've "distilled" the essence of just three of the effective marketing concepts that Donald Trump has accidentally shared on "The Apprentice." They're the same strategies he uses in his own business, but he's let the cat out of the bag and now his secrets are YOUR secrets

If you're inspired by what you've read here and would like to go deep into Trump's mind, "The Donald" has written several powerful books filled with stories, anecdotes, secrets, and amazingly effective techniques for making it to the top... and staying there through thick and thin.

*Trump: How to Get Rich

*Trump: The Way to the Top

*Trump: Surviving at the Top

*Trump: The Art of the Deal

*Trump: The Art of Survival

Did you notice that each book leads with the word "Trump"? He never misses an opportunity to promote his brand.

I told you "The Donald" was a master marketer!

And consider this: if you can beg, borrow, or steal just one or two ideas from a man who's sitting on a billion-dollar empire... ideas that could jumpstart your business empire... wouldn't it be worth 20 bucks? (Less if you get a second-hand copy on Ebay).

This is your chance to be "The Apprentice" of Donald Trump... to learn from the master... without worrying about getting fired on national television.

About The Author

Dan Lok is known as the "Website Conversion Expert", with a proven track record of selling over $17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. Dan has resuscitated copy that was previously in "critical condition" and helped his clients to double and triple their conversion rates? some as much as 417%!!! More than 150 websites have been "Lok-ed" and loaded for Internet action. Go to: http://www.WebsiteConversionExpert.com

7 Must Haves For A Beach Vacation Wardrobe

7 Must Haves For A Beach Vacation Wardrobe

by: Janice Wee

When you go for a beach vacation, the last thing you would want is to lug around tonnes of clothes. You can travel light when you go for a beach holiday, or anywhere warm. A capsule wardrobe of just 7 lightweight items are all you need, to stay chic throughout your holiday. Bring some detergent so you can wash each day's clothes after wearing it, and you should have enough to last through a long holiday.

With some clever coordination, 7 key items get you a myriad of looks. You look chic by the beach or in the restaurant. That capsule wardrobe goes a long way. The trick is to pick tops that go with all the bottoms in your travel wardrobe. Do that through your color scheme.

First of all, pick your color scheme. What colors look best on you. Pick 2 or 3 colors that make you look really good, and which go really well with one another. If you are uncertain, you could stick to just black and white, or a bright color and black. As long as all your tops and bottoms are within your color scheme, you can mix and match the tops and bottoms in your travel wardrobe easily.

Now for the 7 items.

#1 Your swimwear. This is where your beach wardrobe begins. You can match your swimwear with your skirts for new looks as you go from the beach, to the bar for a drink. That swim suit can double up as a body suit. A bikini top could double up as a midriff baring halter top. Choose carefully though. If you have a tummy, a one piece swimsuit that holds in your waist would minimize the problem. On the other hand, a string bikini would be really sexy on a good figure. Your swimwear something you should go to the mall to try on yourself. Pick one that looks best on you. Check your reflection in the mirrors, from all angles. Don't trust the salesgirl. See for yourself. Or get a pal you can trust for her opinion. This swimsuit or bikini is going to be worn with your skirts as well, so pick something in a neutral color, like black or white. You could also pick one in a color or print that would match the skirts you bring on that holiday.

#2 A lightweight, yet gorgeous dress like the ones found at http://www.womanht.com/discounts/womens+clothes-fullfile-dresses.htm A dress that you can easily roll up and pack into your bag. Ideally, it should emerge wrinkle free when you are ready to wear it. Or you could always hang it up in the bathroom when you take a hot shower, to let the steam smoothen the wrinkles in it. This is especially useful if you might end up going to a fancy restaurant for a meal, or an impromptu dinner date.

#3 A sexy top that flatters your body. The ones at http://www.womanht.com/discounts/womens+clothes-fullfile-tops.htm would do beautifully. If you have nice arms, a tank top, a strappy top or any top that is sleeveless would show off your arms beautifully. If not, go for cap sleeves or a long sleeve top that shows a little cleavage.

#4 A babydoll t-shirt like the ones found at http://www.buy-t-shirts.net/baby-doll-t-shirts.htm .The babydoll cut flatters the female body. Especially when worn as a top. It emphasises the bust, skims and slims the waist. It is feminine, but never tarty.

#5 A wrap skirt like these http://www.buyclothing.net/wrap-skirt.htm This should match with your top, your t-shirt and your swimsuit to create different looks. After a swim, put on the wrap skirt over your bikini or swim suit, and go for a drink.

#6 A ultra short mini skirt to raise temperatures further. The ones athttp://www.buyclothing.net/mini-skirts.htm are perfect for an ultra sexy look. Again, this can be matched with your swimsuit, top and babydoll t-shirt for 3 more new looks.

#7 A pair of high heel sandals that is pretty enough for the restaurants in the resort. If it is too cumbersome to wear on the beach, you can always go around barefoot. Just make sure you get a pretty pedicure (and manicure) to show off on the beach. A pair of metallic gold or silver toned sandals would be glamorous, and go well with everything.

About The Author

Janice Wee is the webmaster of http://www.womanht.com/discounts/ where you can get all your essentials at bargain prices. It is also where you can also get coupons to use for savings in a number of online stores.