Lifestyle Zone

Lifestyle Zone. BY HEATHER TOSKAN - Simple, easy dressing is one of the joys of summer and dresses and skirts create the preferred mix of comfort and style.

"Women love the feel of the summer sun on their shoulders and legs after a long, bundled winter," says Hbc fashion director Suzanne Timmins. "In the summer our wellbeing is at its peak and we feel healthy and beautiful -- the perfect time to wear uber feminine dresses and flirty skirts."

Ease is the current buzzword as sleeveless shifts and chemises feature extra fabric for a roomier fit than last year's versions.

Draped jersey knit dresses include plenty of gathering and ruching for a soft silhouette. Dresses and skirts with tiered layers also flounce into style.

At-the-knee remains classic, but A-line minis are especially popular with the young and the leggy.


Printed and patterned ankle-length maxi dresses designers such as Missoni and Pucci call "patio dresses" look casually chic paired with flip flops and a sunhat.

However, the casual maxi can be easily gussied up with dangling earrings, metallic sandals and an armload of bangles to take you from the patio to the party in a wink.

"Mid-calf length dresses present another great fashion option that can also be easily dressed up and down," says Rita Lee, vice-president of merchandising for the Melanie Lyne chain.

Asymmetrical and hanky hemlines lead the eye vertically, making mid-calf lengths more flattering to those who find that traditional, straight hemmed versions add width and weight to the fullest part of their calves.

Fit and flared sundresses of all lengths that taper gently at the waistline and flare into flattering A-line skirts are popular, as are full '50s inspired skirts, cinched and belted at the waist, and fully gathered dirndl skirts with waistbands.

"This summer, skirts have a flirty silhouette that is slightly fitted through the hips, but is also soft and full," says Brigitte Martin, a spokesman for Reitmans. "Skirts are textured with embroidery and eyelet, as well as with light crinkle effects in the material."

Summer skirts and dresses run riot with colourful explosions of colour, pattern and print. Bright shades of red, coral, yellow, aqua, royal blue, lime, fuchsia and violet vibrate and intertwine colourfully on solid and patterned styles.

Lifestyle Zone. By Levi Reiss - An alphabetical guideline of how to get your sex life and perhaps your love life in order. Whether you want a committed relationship, a one-night stand, or something in between we provide suggestions, guidelines, and tips for getting and staying there. We focus on the positive, but don't ignore the mistakes that are so easy to make and not so easy to repair. This article focuses on belief, bold, and brains. Stay tuned.

We all want to improve our sex life; that goes for heterosexuals, homosexuals, and those in between. Virtually all of us feel we should be "getting" more and "getting" better. In fact we want both more and better. What’s the problem, I want it, you want it, what do you say we get together, right now? Alas, life and especially sex life is rarely that simple. There is no magic pill, perfume, potion, or pick-up line that will get you where you want to be before the evening, or if you’re particularly ambitious, before the afternoon, is over.

There isn’t even any article that will do the job for you, or transform a loser into a winner. And yet it is possible to improve your sex life whether you are in the midst of a great relationship, a successful swinger, a three-time loser, or just about anyone else. Sexual relationship success is partly common sense, it’s partly putting yourself in the other person’s shoes before putting…, and it’s partly something else. Well, you’ll have to read these articles to find out about the third part.

We have so many suggestions for improving your sex life that we are putting together an alphabetical list of what to do. Just so you don’t miss out, we are also putting together an alphabetical list of what not to do. Don’t let all your time, effort, perhaps money, and perhaps love, go down the drain by putting your foot in your mouth when what you really want; we all know what you really want.

B is for belief. In some ways this one is quite simple. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t find many people to believe in you, whether we are talking about sexual or non-sexual relationships. Of course, if you have been striking out a lot, it’s easy to lose confidence in yourself. I suppose that you could say a mantra such as I’m good enough… before hitting your favorite night spots. But it might make more sense to change venues.

B is for bold. Don’t be a namby-pamby. If you want to meet someone, go up to him or her and start talking. Let him or her know that you are interested. If the answer is a clear no, don’t worry about it, just move on. You should also be bold in moving the relationship to the next level. If she/he says, "Why are you rushing?" the simple answer is "I’m not rushing, I just want to get to know you." You don’t have to add that you mean know in the Biblical sense. For those who are not in the know, Biblical knowledge of someone is carnal knowledge. (Sounds like fun.)

B is for brains. Like they say, your most important sexual organ is between your ears. You were given brains, use them. This advice is particularly directed at the male members of the species. Don’t say something stupid. Don’t do something stupid. Of course when the alcohol is flowing this advice may be hard to follow. But it’s worth it. If you use your brains you sometimes realize that it won’t happen tonight but tomorrow is another day. But sometimes using your brains means you realize that it will never happen and moving on.