OK, here’s the problem. You had a little too much turkey during the holidays, or maybe the dessert table was just a wee bit too close to your plate. Whatever the case may be, you have put on some weight. Now, you are dreading the New Year’s party you were invited to. No sweat! There are several things you can do to have your body ready for your little black dress in no time.

When you start your new diet, start with detoxifying your body. This means drinking water like you are dying of thirst. It helps cleanse the yuck from your system, and that’s a great way to start your journey to a cleaner, healthier and thinner you. The flavored water is a good choice, because people crave flavor. Nothing bland, please!

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Start walking! Walk everywhere. Mail box, store, or even just around town helps get your blood pumping and kicks your metabolism in gear. And don’t just mosey. Really get your body moving. It helps to envision yourself in that fabulous dress on December 31st, with your waist bulging out at the seams. Not a pretty picture, right? So let’s get going!

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Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fiber is essential for keeping things moving, if you know what I mean. Having a salad for lunch and drinking your water will help you drop weight. And a little secret: Carbonated beverages will keep weight on you. Not sure exactly why, but it has been proven to do so. So keep your water non carbonated, and be on the safe side.

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Start a new exercise routine. The same old same old will get boring and then you won’t want to keep working out. Find a partner to work out with you, or change your entire routine. Maybe some new music will spice it up enough to make it more interesting. Jazz up your exercises with some moves that are designed to work your core muscles. Dancing is great for this, and is way fun! Even if you are dancing alone, you can make it a great time and drop weight like crazy.

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Keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum is important. Alcohol will make you gain weight, and can keep weight on you, so wait until New Year’s Eve to have that cocktail you want so desperately. After you shimmy into your little black dress for the party, then you can let your guard down and have a few drinks. But as always, drink responsibly.

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Losing a few pounds isn’t all that hard to do. Losing a lot of weight can be a daunting task, but it can be done. As long as you stay positive and keep working on it, you will be ready for your party in no time! Don’t give up. Weight is not just something to gain or lose. It also needs to be maintained. When you reach the goal you have set for yourself, keep your healthy habits going. Then you can keep your weight pretty much at a constant, and won’t have to worry about the little black dress next time.

We all want the latest fashions and the best prices, right? Well sometimes the best prices aren’t right where we expect them to be. It can take some shopping around for it, and sometimes, it’s really tricky. Shopping online will take a lot of the stress and headache out of the experience, but can also take the fun out as well. If you and your girlfriends go out to do some shopping, you have to face the crowds, find a parking spot, wait in line, etc. But you also have that time to spend bonding, or like the rest of us, gossiping! Then you usually stop somewhere for lunch, which is a great way to refuel for the next round of mall hopping. A quick latte and your off on your next conquest for the perfect pair of shoes. However, the quiet calm of your own house can be all the excitement you need to fulfill your deepest darkest shopping desires. When you are making purchases online, you can find deals like you could never dream! And it’s the best way to find hot new items, before they are sent to local retail stores or shopping malls.

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So if your looking into purchasing something new for next year, then you may want to check your computer before you hit the road. And when you see what you think is a one of a kind deal, book mark it! Then check around to some other sites, see if they can’t trump the deal you just found. Another way to make the best of your shopping online experience, is try looking for items that are almost identical, but made by different designers. The price difference will blow you away! You can have the same look for so much less than what you would pay because it has a top designers name printed on the label. Sometimes shopping with your friends is the best route to take, because you can get their opinion on what you are buying. If something looks bad on you, they can give you constructive criticism. If one of them has seen a deal somewhere else, she can tell you and you will know where to find one for yourself. And even if you shop alone, at least you can try your clothes on first, and be sure of the fit. And plus, it’s instant gratification. You don’t have to wait for it to be shipped to your door. Or pay someone to ship it.

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Choosing which method of shopping is entirely up to you. Which ever you choose, shopping is supposed to be fun. If you are making online purchases, invite some girlfriends over to offer their support and insight. Make a game out of it! Life’s too short, so have fun!

We had the most fantastic response to our refer a friend christmas competition back in November. Thank you to all of you who entered and allowed us to contact your friends via email to introduce them to the Basically Black website. All you had to do was  send us email contacts of your friends who you thought would most appreciate our fashion “lifestyle” offering. For every name you gave us we entered you into our Prize Draw to win an outfit in time for Christmas worth up to £200.

We are pleased to announce the lucky winner drawn at random was Ms Carmel Bourke from Yorkshire. Carmel was very excited to hear that she had won and selected an outfit for her christmas party next week! Well Done Carmel! Please send us a photo of you at your party if you have a moment!

Did you know that you can tell the state of a country’s economy by the length of its skirts? I read in the paper the other day that hemlines begin to drop as recessions bite, and rise again when times get better: in the booms of the 20s and 60s, we got flapper dresses and mini skirts, but when economies plunged in the 30s and 70s, skirt lengths followed.

At last, a silver lining to all those gloomy business reports: we might be skint but at least our knees will be warm.
Personally, I think we’re all a bit less sheeplike about things like skirt lengths these days, but I do believe we look for different things when we’re buying clothes at a time like this. It’s a time for going back to basics, seeking out clothes that’ll work hard for our money, instead of one-season wonders that we’ll wear a few times and then get fed up with. We’re looking for timeless styles that we’ll never get tired of wearing, quality fabrics that’ll stay looking good, wear after wear, and versatile pieces we can dress up or down.
It’s a time to invest in the classics: a little black dress like this one , that’ll take you from desk to dinner with just a change of shoes and jewellery;

a beautifully-cut black suit like this one, with a skirt and trousers for maximum wardrobe mileage;

or a sleek black sweater you can wear with everything from jeans to a suit. You’ll love wearing them now, and you’ll still be wearing them – and loving them – when the credit crunch is just a distant memory.

1) Ray-Ban sunglasses…

Ray-Bans have been around for yonks, climbing in popularity over the decades (Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Audrey Hepburn) and climbing right back down again.

In the 1980s, it was The Blues Brothers and good-ole sofa-jumping scientologist Tom Cruise (in the film, Risky Business) who helped push the boat out where they were concerned.
Ray-Bans became cool again and sales shot through the roof.
In late 2006-2007, their popularity resurfaced what with the likes of Elle Macpherson, Drew Barrymore and Kate Moss seen sporting them.

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2) Madonna leggings…

Madonna, amongst many things, gave us platinum blond hair, a string of bad bad films, concave bras …and leggings.
Yes, back in the 80s, thanks to the Material Girl, leggings became all the rage. Skinny legs, dumpy legs, thunder thighs and knocking knees all rose to her call with energy galore.
As with most things, the love affair ended and leggings legged their way to rubbish bins, charity shops and the bottom of people’s wardrobes. They were so not cool anymore (wear it at home or at the gym, but the buck stopped there, really).
Over 20 years later and they’re back, but this time in different lengths and more colours than you can shake a burger at. Nowadays, fashionistas pair them up with dresses and mini skirts rather than t-shirts or short tops.

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3) Leg warmers…

Millions of women were right there with Irene Cara when she danced her heart out in the 80s film, Flash Dance – all decked out in her leotard and leg warmers, spinning, strutting and leaping round the room like her life depended on it.

So it’s little surprise that women went out in their droves and started rocking there own pair of legwarmers too.

It was only a matter of time before leg warmers would make a comeback and, yep, it happened a couple of decades later thanks to fashion houses like Chanel and pop stars like Rihanna giving it good PR.

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4) Men’s cardigans…

Val Doonican in his cardie sitting in his rocking chair and crooning the life out of me. NOOOOO.

Starsky (in a cardie) and Hutch prancing about with their guns. Someone PLEASE slap me awake.  (Thank you, kind person, for the black eye.)
Today’s cardigans are nothing like the old ones. Today’s cardies are modern, machine-knitted and everything. So it’s ok. Apparently.

As much as Mark Ronson, David Beckham and Daniel Craig may try to be shining examples of the modern cardigan, my dreams of Doonican in his rocking chair are too strong. I’m not convinced cardies won’t hurt me.

Please don’t hurt me, cardie. There’s a nice cardie. Good cardie. (as I inch my way towards the nearest exit).

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5) Bill Cosby sweaters…

The Cosby Show was a very successful 80s American sitcom about a family called The Huxtables. It was kinda like the anti-thesis of the sitcom, Married with Children. Mum was a lawyer, dad was a doctor and the children were well adjusted.

Dr Huxtable, played by Bill Cosby, used to wear these thick log-cabin sweaters. For that time and for the men that wore them, well, they were ok (ish), erm, I guess…for the 80s (I might add) – just not in 2008 (which has been happening recently – in New York of all places).

No matter how you ‘update’ certain looks, well, they still cry out ‘dowdy’. I really hope this attempted revival doesn’t catch on, but if it’s already hit New York, then God help us all.

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6) Bellbottoms…

Bellbottoms were very popular back in the late 60s and 70s. The wide trousers were initially part of the hippie culture, then spilled out into popular culture, running solidly through a big part of the 70s. The Carpenters, Sonny and Cher and Farah Fawcett regularly wore them so helped spread its popularity.

They made a comeback in the 90s and have never truly completely left. It only takes another Halloween or retro party to see people decked out in leather jackets, bad afro wigs and bellbottoms (or flares) walking drunkenly down the street.

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7) Stone-wash jeans…

Three people deserve the electric chair: the person who invented guns, the great but dangerous mind that invented nuclear weapons, and the idiot who came up with the whole idea of stone-wash jeans. Yes, Mr, Mrs or whoever you are, you’re in the same league as the first two, NOW SIT DOWN.

These jeans were hideous then (but unfortunately popular), are hideous now and always will be.

Painful memories. Painful.

Damn you, Urban Outfitters, for backing the comeback, you blind muppets. Pat yourselves on the backs for making a wonderful contribution to the world of fashion in the 21st century. Can’t thank you enough. Really.

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Ponchos…

With his pensive stare, that beard and the straw in his mouth, Clint Eastwood really knew how to rock a poncho in a spaghetti western. Standing completely still with ‘that stare’, you never knew when he was gonna pull out his gun from underneath it.

People went poncho crazy in the 70s. It was great for women who were self-conscious of their bodies. Rarely was there a woman that couldn’t fit into it as it was ‘one size fits all’.

Ponchos made a big return around 2003/04. Shops, teenagers and women were well into it.

However, I don’t know about you, (and there were some really gorgeous designs out there), but rather than covering up my wobbly bits, wearing a poncho made me feel like a cross between a bat and a shapeless so-and-so.

(…but lil miss adorable up there definitely knows how to rock a poncho. Too cute.)

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Have you noticed lately that all the stars have gone back to wearing the ‘little black dress’ or the ’simple black tee?’ No more loud, flamboyant colors and crazy cuts that are unflattering, even for the most beautiful women out there. Instead what we’ve seen throughout the summer are long, plain black maxi dresses paired with comfortable flip-flops or high-waisted jeans and a plain black tee. Any way you look at it, black clothes are not just for funerals anymore…They are the high point of fashion because anyone can wear black and look stunning while doing it.

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Black is a great color to wear, whether you’re going to work or going out to dinner. The fact is that black is the most versatile color out there because you can pair it with anything and pull it off. Have a big green handbag that doesn’t seem to go with anything? Wear black and make it work by accessorizing. Also, black is so simple to wear, but breathtaking if you wear it right. It gives onlookers a hint of mysteriousness paired with a sexiness that they won’t be able to ignore.

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On top of that, it is extremely flattering for any shape – whether you’ve got curves or not, black has the ability to accentuate your good qualities and play down the ones that you’re more self-conscious about. When you can draw attention to the parts of your body that you are really proud of that will give you more confidence and a leg up in the professional world. If you look good, you will get things done – you can be sure of that. Give your glamorous accessories a chance to shine. Think of black as a blank slate that you can add anything to and make it work. In these difficult economic times don’t let your wardrobe suffer. Accumulate black clothes that will go with anything and last through the changing styles of the seasons. Give your self and your wallet a break and buy clothes that won’t be out-dated by the end of the month.

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Be creative and give black a try. Remember you can pair any accessory you want with black and chances are that it will work. Keep a close eye on what the stars are wearing – everything is very simplistic right now. I know I have never invested in so much black clothing in my life and I’m loving it!