Munira Fidai

Petite fashion in Dhaka can be aptly termed as the shortest horror story ever, pun intended. Options are either not there or are very selectively available. As a result, a slight framed woman has to spend a lot of time and money either looking for trendy things in her size, or altering regular sized clothing to her desired length. Thankfully however, fashion experts have a handful of tips and tricks that can save the day and even steal the show, when used effectively.

Lady Diana was known to wear some truly colourful and daring clothes. During her lifetime, the princess wore plenty of designer wear such as Versace, Armani, Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Clarks. However, none garnered the kind of attention as a bold, black number that came to ever after be known as the ‘revenge dress.’

The supermodel recently divulged the contents of her handbag in her newest interview with British Vogue. From it, she pulled out a host of different paraphernalia, all of them essentials, at least to the lifestyle of a supermodel. Empty candy wrappers, grocery receipts, tangled earphones, and a forgotten tube of drugstore lipstick — these are some of the things one would find in their bag on any given day, right? Not Kate Moss. Her luxury sack contains a bottle of her favourite fragrance, and a skincare tool she calls her very own face gym, among other things!

How beds are shared in a particular culture says a lot about their customs, environmental conditions, values, and material wealth. Besides, who you share your bed with can determine the quality and the amount of sleep that you get, yet another testimony to the fact that sleeping patterns are as much a cultural factor as they are biological.

Adaptive clothing makes getting dressed and staying in the garments easy for people with a diverse range of needs. The community for people with disability is very wide and therefore designers must prioritise comfort and convenience over almost anything else for this genre of clothing. Thanks to technology and assistance from members of their target market, inclusive designers are now able to not only make functional clothes for the wearer; but also help their personality shine through their clothes.

Feel it or not, fall is here. And with the new season, TAAGA is here with its fresh tie-and-dye prints and snazzy designs. Keeping the hide-and-seek mood of the sun and clouds in mind, the brand’s collection is both summer-friendly and easy on the eyes, a perfect amalgamation of comfort and joyfully creative style. Dyes have been an indispensable part of TAAGA for as long as one can remember and the brand has routinely played it up with colours, prints and cuts that are experimental, playful and bold in equal measure. This time around, the creative minds behind the lively brand have worked with refreshing festive, vibrant, and soothing colours and patterns at the core of the TAAGA fall offering, in cuts that are both simple and unconventional.

Most of motherhood that is glorified — the process of giving birth, breastfeeding, the sleepless nights — is visible. What if we say that this is only the tip of the iceberg? The invisible and infinitely more extensive workload frequently goes unseen by the world and is most often, the root cause of why mothers feel tired all the time. We call it the mental load and all mothers can relate.

Children will test your patience in more ways than one, and on more days than one. They will squabble, irritate others, eat more sweets than necessary, get terrified of doctors and darkness, and so on and so forth. And for all these diverse problems under the sky, parents have but one solution: lecture. But is having a lecture for each incident all that handy? Research says, storytelling is a better option.

Imagine loving a baby to bits, being able to spoil them rotten but then having the liberty to hand their squalling faces to parents and breeze a carefree goodbye — sounds enviable? Because it is. Sometimes, it truly seems as if aunts have the best of both worlds. With all the fun but without the daily mundane responsibilities, aunts are the first links for children between family and the real world.

Pop icon Kim Kardashian posted before and after pictures of her contouring trick one decade ago, and the makeup world is still thanking her. The stage makeup technique has been a good friend to artists all over the world, and now, hairstylists have come up with hair contouring methods, which aim to define facial contours with tactically placed highlights and colouring techniques. What’s more, there’s one for each face shape so there’s room on the bandwagon for everyone.

A new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that doing both aerobics, up to three hours a week, and strength training, up to two sessions a week can result in lower mortality risks and better overall health than doing just one or the other. Regular physical exercise has plenty of health benefits, one of which is a longer life. Until now, most research showed that regular cardio or strength training interchangeably was the key to cardiac health, but recently, more and more experts are waking up to the benefits of pairing the two together for maximum longevity and health.

Florals and geometric patterns have ruled fashion charts for a reason. Worn short, mid length or long, the prints are versatile and can be styled easily. Think of jumpsuits with floral flounces, one-shouldered midi dresses in polka dots, strapless short numbers or long and breezy dresses in soft layers — the summer friendly motifs make almost everything look a little bit better.

In an age of hyper-consumerism, it is easy to get carried away buying too much of everything. If you are a parent, your child’s sweet requests often also have a part to play in filling the toy basket much more than intended at the monthly supermarket run. However, offering children fewer toys, rather than spoiling them for choice, has definitive benefits in the long run.

Long-COVID brain fog, mum brain or work burnout — there are quite a few reasons in today’s world that can bring intelligence levels to a drop. If left in that state, the mind, just like a person, can become lethargic and unwilling to get back to its original sheen. For a growth-oriented individual, low smarts could also mean a slowdown in their career. Fortunately, there are a number of ways one can constantly challenge their mind and keep it alert and focused.

Almost coming full circle, jewellery designers are now blurring lines between masculine and feminine pieces, designing baubles that have no motive other than to adorn their wearers. One such jewellery designer, Lora Khan, from 6 Yards Story, has made space for male customers in her new collection, Aura. The seed for this idea was planted by one of her friends who sensed a gap in the market for jewellery that men could wear. After much deliberation, Lora decided to present genderless jewellery to her customers.

Europe — the ultimate continent, the stuff of dreams and a reality for only a choice few. For an average Bangladeshi to be able to live and work in a European country, let alone flourish there is a thought that seems almost too good to be true, for most people at least. However, it is possible and Farzana Hai can tell you how!

Versatile enough to wear on traditional or western clothing, the boho trend is blazing a bold trail across the fashion scene and the magic seems to be catching on. One of the best ways to rock boho or hippie jewellery is to give it a plain canvas so that the outfit does not interfere with the bold interplay of colours, textures and designs of the ornaments.

Not one to compromise on service quality, and having received a number of accolades for the same attribute in recent times, Air New Zealand is now set to give its economy class passengers a smoother flying experience on mid and long-haul flights. Bunk beds for the economy class would mean a definitive goodbye to stiff necks and legs, armrest wars with the next passenger and guarantee generally happier clients. The concept of what they call the “Skynest” has been in conception for about five years now and is set to make its debut in 2024.

Wearing the national dress only on special occasions is a thing of the past. Women of today have rediscovered elegance and comfort in saris and have found their own ways to make it convenient for them. Jeans instead of traditional petticoats, sneakers, rather than heels, and most commonly and popularly, sleeveless blouses in place of traditional looks such as long sleeves, puffs, or three quarters. Here are 6 super funky ways you can don the sleeveless blouse and slay in it!

What do you do when wanderlust strikes, but you have just hit rock bottom on your wallet? Feed the lust, is what. Of course, travelling first class, shopping at branded stores and staying at five-star accommodation may not be on the cards for you but none of those things have anything to do with actual travelling. If you are already laughing, save the giggles for we may just change your mind by the end of this article.