Salsa and Tortilla are Taking on Ketchup and Wonder Bread Topic: Atlanta Georgia Promdress
When was the last time you bought salsa instead of ketchup? When was the last time you told your spouse not to forget to purchase tortilla for you? As more and more Hispanics are opening businesses in various parts of the country, they are spreading the latin taste wherever they go. In places such as California, New York, New Mexico, Texas and North and South Carolinas and Georgia, Hispanics can be found in the health care and service sectors. As far as taste is concerned, Mexican food has become as popular as chinese food. According to a recent survey conducted by ABC, "Salsa now outsells ketchup, Barrera notes, and tortillas outsell Wonder Bread. And that buying clout will only continue to grow as the population expands: Hispanics are expected to spend $1 trillion in the United States by 2010. Since Hispanics make up 14 percent of the overall U.S. population, they're also a growing part of the consumer market, which has helped fuel some of these new businesses." Another revalation of the survey is that Hispanics are not job-takers. They are also job creators. "The majority of these businesses are small, self-employed operations — only 13 percent have employees besides the owner. The greatest percentage, roughly three in 10, are in construction or other service sectors, such as repair and maintenance. There are also sizable numbers of Hispanic-owned firms in the fields of health care, retail trade (which includes mom-and-pop stores) and transportation, according to Census figures."
Posted by Fashionista Shopping Analyst
at 11:18 PM EST
Getting Ready for the Quinceanera & Prom Night Topic: Texas PromQuincenera Shop
Beautiful quinceanera
Way before you wear this elegant dress,
You had already rehearsed in your head
The mystique and value of a real woman
Now you are wearing the most sparkling prom dress
Just remember that you have the gloves, tiara
And parasol to prove that you are a true woman
Long after the dance is over, long after
The music stops, the merengue drums are silent
You will beam with pride, chica quincenera
So will your parents too!
You are celebrating the passage from nina
to mujer with great Latin style and family
Posted by Fashionista Shopping Analyst
at 1:01 AM EST
For sure, the ruffled look was in. Presenter Naomi Watts wore a one-shoulder soft pink Givench dress. Southern Belle of the ball, Dolly Parton, electrified her fans with a pink gown, a creation of Robert Behar of Paris. By the way, Dolly knows how to wear her jewelry too. It is being rumored that she had on $2 millions worth of diamonds. Rachel Weiisz wore a classic black dress as she walked on accompanied by Morgan Freeman who was smiling all the way to the podium. Huffman also wore a sweeping black gown with a plunging neckline. Sandra Bullock who got married to celebrity mechanic Jesse James wore an elegant strapless black gown. Keira Knightley, British actress, wore a taffeta, one-shoulder form-fitting dress designed by Vera Wang. She looked great in that dress.
No matter what the winners were saying, Reese Witherspoon connected with the watching public in her acceptance speech for Best Actress for the movie “Walk the Line.”
Posted by Fashionista Shopping Analyst
at 9:05 AM EST
As the prom season gives way to the wedding season, many wedding shops continue to do brisk business with school students who are trying to get great deals on fabulous dresses. For many of these kids and parents, prom shopping is never out of fashion. They will need a dress to participate in prom night in their Junior and Senior years. So they even recruit their best friends and parents to keep an eye open for the latest trends in gowns and formal wear. Young women do not leave anything to chance. Unlike the guys, they have ideas of which boutique will be graced or blessed by their shopping. After all, the dresses that come with the most details and current style are not cheap. Prom night expenses are something that most parents and prom participants must save for. Pink prom dresses with high neck are already in demand.
To get ready for the prom night here is a list of things that prom junior and senior can do
Guys can make reservations with a formalwear specialist to help them select their tuxedos and other accessories. In most towns, there exists a men's warehouse that carries top shirt, pants, tie and shoe brands. If you have no clue about how to choose a tuxedo that will match with your shirt and the rest of your accessories, it is time to make plans to see a personal shopper or formalwear specialist. Guys should not procrastinate. What do you want to wear? Single or double-breasted jackets? Let the formalwear doctor guide your selection. Do not wait for the last minute to try to make reservations for a limo. Restaurant reservations are also important if there is no catering in place. During the prom season, limos are hot commodities. If you are not sure what your date is going to wear in case you want to coordinate, get her best friend to help you out.
Avoid being in a rush to get into a prom store. Most prom shop owners will allow you to come in group to shop. Or they can block some time when your party can freely shop. At the same time, they also offer customized services and keep track of all the dresses and gowns sold to young women attending a specific school. This way, you will not have to be surprised by another prom girl wearing the same dress as you. On prom night, you should be unique. Your dress should be one of a kind too. Now prom hair is something that requires lots of attention. You may want to make an appointment with your beautician. Tanning is becoming more and more popular in various milieus. But in the Hamptons, the Carolinas, California and Florida, tanning is part of the whole prom preparation. Remember that your prom bill will include items such as dress, tuxedo, limo, tanning, beauty parlor, dinner, invitation materials, corsage, boutonniere, tickets to the dance, shoes, shawls, purses, jewelry, hairstyling, visits to salons, hiring of Sephora makeup specialist, manicures, pedicures, professional photo albums etc.
As prom season overlaps with wedding season, many store owners are pretty busy. So are their employees who are moving around the store for hours. In order to shop with ease, find out about the store's new schedule. Many shop owners find it necessary to extend their hours in the evenings. Some even open on Sundays in order to accommodate the greatest amount of teenagers possible. For 12 prom nights out of the year, dress shops, limo services, limo drivers, caterers, flower shops and many other ancillary businesses are very busy. A new phenomenon that arises with the arrival of the H2 Hummer superstretch limo which can carry 16 passengers. Get ready for the cost. Some limo services are known to rent them for $200 per hour. If you do not want to be placed on a waiting list, once again make your reservation very early. Depending on where you live, there is a specific month or time of the year when prom dates, brides and bridesmaids will bump into each other at local stores. For us around here, the whole month of May is hectic at the dress shops. Part of the getting-ready process is to consider some time for tryouts. Do not wait until prom night to become all teary about the length of your dress. Make sure you made appointments with a dress alteration shopkeeper. If you are lucky enough to know a mother who is good at sewing, then get her to work on altering your prom dress. Keep in mind that dress alterations workers are rare. Depending on where you live, you may not have anybody to do this specific work for you. Be ready to pay them. They charge between $30 and $40 a dress. The lowest I have seen is $25.00. If you are in a bind, make sure to contact somebody at your school district. They may have a list of contacts with alteration shop owners you can tap into.
