By Sheila Dicks

On what occasions do you wear casual clothes? For some it may be running errands, attending kids soccer games, parent/teacher meetings, going to the movies, the gym, watching sporting events or having lunch with friends, etc. It seems that, many women don't put as much energy into building a casual wardrobe as they do a professional wardrobe and are left with nothing to wear. Take time to build a casual wardrobe and you will always feel more put together and comfortable.

1. Choose your outfits in your best colors. Start with 3 colors that look great on you and build around those.

2. For workout clothes buy a sweat suit that suits you in color and shape. You will always look great leaving the gym and won't be too embarrassed to stop into a store to pick something up on the way home.

3. Jewelry should not be worn with a bathing suit; both perfume and jewelry should not be worn at the gym.

4. Jeans are a great casual item and look better if they are in good condition and are more slimming if they are in a darker color.

5. Women find it difficult to get jeans to fit well and often wear jeans that are not very flattering. To find the perfect jeans for your body type takes a little work, time and patience and you may have to try on a good number of pairs before you find the right fit. You can read my article on "Finding Jeans that Fit" here: http://www.sheilasfashionsense.com/jeans.htm

6. Stay away from tight fitting pants or jeans if you do no have slim thighs. A looser fit is much more slimming and flattering.

7. Match your accessories to the theme of your outfit. A casual outfit calls for casual accessories.

By Jack Wogan

The public school uniforms issue was launched a long time ago, in the 90's. Ever since there have been many debates on the pros and cons of wearing uniforms or adopting a more casual dressing code. Since that time, the trend to introduce uniform policies for public schools and not only has grown in popularity. However, there are many issues that make room for this concept of wearing a uniform.

Some educators say that school uniforms won't prove our children's capacity of learning or staying focused on the process of learning. But, to be true, there is no real advantage in improving the children's performance at school by enforcing them to wear these uniforms. According to some professionals, uniforms create a feeling of unity and sense of pride. This might be true if students are feeling comfortable with wearing uniforms. But when a boarding school decides that they should ask them about this. They should get the parents involved, get the students involved. Let them vote, have them pick out style in which majority rules, give the students a choice.

These professionals also say that this would be easy recognition of someone belonging to the school. Keep intruders off the school ground and keeping the attending students in plain view. Uniforms should eliminate 90% of the peer pressure among the students with need of keeping up with the latest trends which in time will save the parents some money on buying clothing. Moreover, on the one hand, the students will have no worries of being bullied for their clothing appearance, and, on the other hand, they will have less hassle in the morning trying to decide what to wear.

People promoting uniforms in schools think that this dress code sets the tone of the classroom as a serious place of learning. These uniforms could impose discipline for the students as they prove to be less distracted by the clothing that they wear.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of problems that particular dress codes arise. Uniforms take from the students freedom of self-expression and their individuality. Uniforms can be expensive and, moreover, they are expensive to replace. Not everyone looks good in the uniforms and problems could arise for the overweight students as they are not able to find the right size for them.