Pull & Bear October 2011 Lookbook

Fall has officially began and every style-savvy girl should start searching to update her wardrobe with covetable, season-appropriate pieces. For stylish, comfortable ideas, your first stop should be a quick peek at the latest Pull & Bear October 2011 Lookbook. Enjoy!

Chilly fall days are upon us, so it's time to start looking for the most coveted and coziest pieces in order to keep us warm and stylish all season long. Need inspiration? Just take a peek at the latest Pull & Bear October 2011 Lookbook and you'll certainly find something to update your winter wardrobe. As usual, the Spanish brand brings casual clothes and accessories for young people who are not afraid to stand out and avoid stereotypes.

Based on the hottest fashion trends but also on the uber-voguish streetstyle, the new Pull & Bear October 2011 Lookbook features affordable, fashion-forward outfits for you to tap into this season. Besides, the label stays true to its incredibly charming vintage flair and comes up with easy-to-wear, relaxed pieces.

Be prepared to enter into a real sartorial adventure and discover a covetable, practical approach to this season's wear. There are fluffy and slouchy two colored jacquard jerseys, cable stitch jackets with batwing sleeves, herringbone woolen blazers, openwork long jackets, check tops with bow, lace tube skirts, and print tees.
Moreover, since the dipping temperatures announce the official start of cold season accessories, Pull & Bear also serves up a plethora of comfy worker ankle boots, basic knee socks, heeled crepe ankle boots, feather hats, cowboy style belts, aran stitch look scarves, welt wedges, hats with bow, wedge boots with buckle, suede lace up shoes, and basic tights.

Josef Seibel Ranges Provide Comfort with Style

When the cold weather makes an appearance, the layers come out in force and style can be put on the backburner to be replaced with warm, comfortable fashion choices. But this season one footwear brand is bringing its style choices to the forefront and it refuses to compromise on its comfortable reputation.

A recent survey conducted by European comfort footwear brand, Josef Seibel, discovered that almost 45% of women who are planning to be on their feet a lot during the course of the day will always carry a spare pair of comfortable shoes, with a further 2% having those precautionary flats permanently on standby. The research also revealed that 32% of people had at least one additional pair of shoes at the workplace, for those 'just in case' occasions, with 1.6% having a choice of four or more footwear options.

No woman wants to be glued to their broken-in flatties, but the gorgeous-to-look-at-but-foot-crippling-stiletto alternative is not a viable everyday option in today's working environment. Josef Seibel has a reputation for long lasting, quality footwear and the answer to every woman's comfort versus style dilemma.

Managing director of Josef Seibel UK and Ireland, Martin Ingram, said: "Our statistics show that nine out of ten people find the spring and summer seasons easier to dress for and a staggering 88% therefore feel unhappy about their appearance in the winter months. Bridging the gap between style and comfort for over 100 years, Josef Seibel is a master at producing beautiful footwear and offers a fantastic selection of shoes and boots including timeless classics and new contenders, all of which continue to retain the brand's style with comfort reputation and outstanding quality".

London Fashion Week saw animal print, faux fur and military styling still performing strongly, which have all been incorporated into the winter Josef Seibel collection and, if height is a must, then choose between a chunky wedge or block heels to give you that extra oomph. For those seeking style, comfort and practicality when battling the elements, the brand still has an offering for you with their collection of waterproof, breathable and windproof boots, completed with lining for extra warmth!

A quarter of women admitted in the survey to never choosing style over comfort, but Josef Seibel women don't have to sacrifice comfort for trend driven footwear because the brand offers wide fittings, removable foot beds, sweat absorbing Arnepant insoles and its unique Airped system which acts as a shock absorber as you walk.

The Herman Cain moment: Ascent is logical extension of Obama presidency

"White people work for Republicans! Not African Americans.”
That’s what Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told me back in 1991 when I was a young staffer for a Republican member of Congress.
If black people aren’t supposed to be working for Republicans, then, by that same logic, black people certainly aren’t supposed to be winning straw polls in the Republican presidential race.
But that is exactly what Herman Cain has done.
The former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza is surging in national polls. His surprising success reflects the appeal of his traditional conservative views on the economy — including his 9-9-9 tax reform plan — and the way that the tea party movement, whose supporters generally back Cain, has upended the Republican Party.
But Cain’s candidacy is also the ultimate extension of the Obama presidency: A contender for the highest office in the land can be taken seriously regardless of race.
Despite the viability of a candidate such as Cain, there is a great irony to his early success. We are heading into a 2012 election cycle in which Republican and tea party conservatives appear eager to support a candidate, who just happens to be black, based on his convictions and ideas. The Democrats, on the other hand, appear willing to recycle the race card to keep this country’s first black president in office.
Before 2004, I never believed that we would see an African American elected president during my lifetime. Neither major political party had nominated a black candidate, and a serious and viable individual had yet to emerge that would change this. I have worked in politics for more than 20 years, and I have seen Republican candidates reluctant to reach out to communities of color, always thinking it was fruitless. I have also seen Democrats who appeared to take the black vote for granted.
I changed my mind in September 2004 after watching an electrifying speech at the Democratic National Convention by a little-known candidate seeking to become the junior senator from Illinois. I felt that suddenly the unthinkable had become possible — perhaps America was ready to move beyond its troubled history with race and elect a black man to the most powerful job in the world.
During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama competed and won in states where the percentage of African American voters was in the single digits compared with whites, Latinos and other ethnic minorities. He attracted voters based on the content of his message, not the color of his skin. Obama’s election in 2008 did not usher in a post-racial America. But eventually it did usher in Cain as a credible candidate.
Politically, the two men could not be more different, but their mutual success is inextricably linked. In the nearly three years since Obama was elected, dissatisfied conservatives have rallied around the tea party movement — citizens alarmed by the rapid growth of government and the reach of the president’s health-care reform law. From organic gatherings and rallies, the tea party grew into a political force whose candidates promised to rein in the federal government.
Cain, like Obama, has proved to be a telegenic and riveting speaker. At the start of their candidacies, few people thought either man had a chance. The mainstream media followed the campaigns of more established candidates such as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, N.Y., in 2008 and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney today. But unexpected early victories on the campaign trail shifted attention toward Obama four years ago. And now, Cain’s upset win over Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the Florida straw poll last month has changed the Republican contest.
For me, however, Cain’s surprising strength at the polls, corresponding with Obama’s sagging approval ratings, speaks volumes about where our two parties stand on race in America today. Republicans, desperate to deny Obama four more years in office, are seeking a nominee with the right balance of experience, knowledge and confidence to lead the nation through economic problems at home an d foreign policy challenges abroad.
In the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, released this past week, Cain’s supporters are the most committed to his candidacy, compared with supporters of the other GOP contenders. Seventy percent of Republicans polled said that the more they heard from Cain during the debates, the more they liked him. Given that the percentage of African Americans who identify themselves as Republican is approximately 10 percent, Cain’s support is overwhelmingly drawn from whites, Latinos and other ethnic minorities.
Conversely, Obama and some of his supporters have begun to use race as a wedge issue to bolster his reelection prospects. Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus have called the tea party movement and its supporters racist. In August, Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., the CBC’s chief vote-counter, told the audience at a CBC event in Miami that “some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.” He likened to “Jim Crow” the efforts of the tea party and its supporters in Congress to limit the size of the federal government. This was from a member of an organization that calls itself the “conscience of the Congress.”
I attended a tea party gathering on Capitol Hill last year, one at which racial epithets were allegedly hurled at Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and other black members of Congress. But from what I observed, I found the group to be respectful and nonthreatening. I was welcomed and praised for my conservative political commentary on television and radio. Where was the proof of systemic racism?
There will always be a fringe element in this country that is unable to accept individuals based on the color of their skin. But to me, continuing to paint the tea party as racist — even as Cain is surging — is simply more race-baiting by dissatisfied Democrats.
Equally problematic is the insinuation that black voters should blindly support the president. Cain himself made that criticism in a recent interview, when he said he thought blacks had been “ brainwashed” into supporting Democratic candidates for president.
Consider Obama’s speech to the Congressional Black Caucus gala last month. “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I am going to press on. I expect all of you to march with me and press on,” the president said. “Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying.”
Here, the president of the United States, speaking before a largely African American audience, elected to use imagery from the civil rights era to say in essence: “Don’t criticize me. Just keep working for me.” What is left unsaid here, of course, is: “Keep doing these things for me … because I’m black.” Perhaps the president feels comfortable with this implication, given the popular media narrative that Republicans and tea party activists are either implicitly or explicitly racist. Yet those voters are behind Cain’s growing popularity.
During his campaign four years ago, Obama generally refused to invoke race or racial imagery. Now he apparently feels compelled to do so to generate support for his policies and his reelection bid. I thought the Democrats had maxed out the race card and cut it up with scissors, never to be used again.
But it seems that Republicans and conservatives have taken a step forward to support a black candidate for the presidency, while Obama has taken two steps back by using race to divide Americans, rather than bring us together.

Halloween Dress-Up No. 1

Lady Gaga has inspired concertgoers to dig out their inner freak, so why not try a Gaga look for Halloween? (If you're a man, this costume idea would be even more fun.)
The Lady herself might wear ridiculously expensive designer outfits, but you can transform yourself into the "Bad Romance" singer on a dime. For costume pieces, think "household goods" - plastic bubble wrap, large garbage bags, etc.Cut funky shapes out of aluminum foil, glue them to your dress/bubble wrap/garbage bag-turned-dress, wear a blond wig (or spray-paint your hair yellow), and glue or stick some "bling" onto a pair of fabulous dollar-store sunglasses. Get some cheap glittery or metallic makeup from a discount store and let your imagination run wild.For shoes, check out the thrift stores and look for wedge heels or tall ankle boots. Carry a fake microphone and, just like that, you've got yourself a costume that will turn heads.

Just Melanie

Melanie Wilkinson, Staff Writer

As I wormed my way around the maze of racks, my senses were alive.

The smells were of leather and new vinyl.And the sights were fabulous.

Heels, wedges, flats.

Browns, grays, colors, blacks.

Yes, I had passed through the Pearly Gates into what I call Shoe Heaven.

I’ve never thought of myself as being much of a girlie girl . . . until it comes to shoes. I don’t know why, but I just love them.

To me, there’s no point in buying clothes or putting on clothes if the shoes aren’t already in play. They are the base on which everything else is built.

I found a pair of black slip-ons that would work with dress pants — just enough heel to keep my hems from dragging but just enough boring that they weren’t too over-powering.

They were shoes for blending in, business camouflage if you will. Those were the Occupational Shoes.

Around the corner I encountered a pair of black boots with heels. They were perfect. Just enough heel to stretch out my gnome-like frame, yet just enough width that I could run in them without injury.

They were high enough on the calf to wear with skirts, skinny enough to wear under jeans. And just naughty enough to make me feel younger. Those were the Hoochie Mama Boots.

As I ran my hand over the many different choices, I thought about what I already own. My mind wandered to the shoe pile at home (because I’m too lazy to actually put them on the rack in my closet as it was designed).

There are the Husker Boots — flat, brown numbers with red zippers in the back. I call them the Husker Boots because of the unexpected red zipper and their wearability at Memorial Stadium because they’re comfortable, warm and slightly fun.

Moving on, there’s the Everyday Sandals — a pair of well-worn, pretty well shot, wedge sandals that don’t expose too much of my hideous toes yet open enough to give my questionable feet enough air to breathe.

There’s the Zumba Shoes totally dedicated to working out (although there’s no longer any arch support of any kind); the New Year’s Eve Shoes I wore in 1990 (it was a significant year); and the Hippy Flats that are really only a piece of hard cardboard attached to the feet with some weird beading (I must have been in a questionable mood the day I bought those).

During my tour of Shoe Heaven, I had a premonition that I would find something so spectacular it would warrant a shoe name never before used in my podiatric vocabulary. I already had a variety of styles, colors, functions. What on earth would I find that hadn’t been thought of before?

As I gazed across the room, I saw a gathering of women in a particular aisle. I had to head over, knowing there was some sort of attraction there. When I saw the “Clearance” sign I understood the magnetic pull, but also dreaded seeing the poor, sad little leftovers that no one wanted.

This picked-over collection would hold sizes that no normal woman can wear, broken straps, shoes with no mates. Yes, while cheaper, this aisle likely only held the rejected and tainted.

It was still worth a look, I reasoned, as I browsed among the leathered degenerates. Just as I imagined, there was a reason why the prices had been slashed.

Yet, with a hint of optimism, I waged forward, determined there had to be something special. That’s when I thought I saw a rainbow, a burst of light and singing angels at the end of the row. Something leopard-like caught the corner of my eye and I was on a mission to further investigate.

As I neared the red box that proclaimed Candies (which was my favorite brand of affordable shoes in high school), I spied something so spectacular I couldn’t believe it was real. And I was equally stunned that Candies still made shoes — I thought they went out of business the same year I registered to vote. But there they were. What I always fantasized about.

A pair of cheaply made, cheesy, leopard print, peek-a-boo sandals mounted on a high wedge of happiness! “So much to love,” I said aloud as I caressed the smooth fabric cover that blended the piece into one chunky monstrosity of delight.

The box was worn, indicating it had been moved around a lot as other women laughed them off as a prank. Its placement at the end of the last aisle indicated it was next in line to put be put down, if not claimed before the final hour.

But would they fit? How much did they cost? Could I save them from their demise?

The angels started another chorus as I joyfully saw they were my size — not a half too big or a half too small — and the price was just what I fancied as it came in at a mere eight bucks.

I snatched them up and slammed the lid, to keep the high frequency beacon of joy from calling too much attention to the prize at hand.

At the cash register, my eyes sparkled as I told my husband I’d made a discovery of a lifetime.

“These,” I said gleefully, as I removed their cover, “are my Good Day Shoes.”

Knowing my strange need to name my shoes, he inquired as to what made them Good Day Shoes.

“I just know that every time I put them on, I’m going to have a good day,” I said with all certainty.

That was three years ago now. As the leaves fall and we start to transition from summer to winter wear, I remember fondly the day my Good Day Shoes and I were first united. And they have proven to be exactly what I called them.

Each and every time I don the Good Day Shoes, other people ask me where I got those “interesting shoes.” They don’t say they are “wedges of happiness,” but it still makes my day to hear that they are at least “something to see.”

A former male co-worker jokingly told me that if he was a woman, he’d “put those shoes on and never take them off” — I never told his wife.

Sure, the Good Day Shoes have suffered along the way. There was an extremely hot day two summers ago when the cheap soles actually melted as I walked on a hot highway as we covered an event. It wasn’t until I stood still for a few minutes that I realized my feet had actually stuck to the pavement as the soles melted onto the asphalt.

I promptly scraped them off and the two of us continued on. Sure, I can now feel gravel poking into my feet seeing how I left three-quarters of the soles on the corner of Highway 34 and the bypass — but I don’t care. The cheesy leopard print is still a vibrant, wild situation that makes me smile every time I look down.

And yes, for some reason, every time I wear them, I can thankfully say I’ve never had a bad day. Now some people actually know to call them by name — and I have at least one co-worker who has a pair of Good Day Shoes herself.

In a world where really good days are hard to come by, I think we owe it to ourselves to find something to prompt one — even if it’s as silly as clunky animal print coverings for our feet.

Fall's must-have accessories

Accessories can provide a woman's outfit with that perfect finishing touch — whether it is a scarf, gloves, shoes or jewelry, there is a certain way to make heads turn. For this upcoming season, feel confident while you strut your stuff with these must-haves:

. THE BOOTIE: For a petite frame, this shoe style is perfect; try a peep toe and pair with tights for a sexy, chic look.

. WEDGE HEEL BOOT: These shoes are new to the season, and provide you with more support, while keeping you on-trend.

. MENSWEAR INSPIRED: A heeled loafer or oxford in chocolate brown, black or camel are inspired by menswear but made for women; you should pair these trends with a feminine outfit to balance out the look.

. GLOVES: A key accessory that will finish any outfit, giving it a more polished look and keep you warm. The big trend this year is to wear gloves in bold shades like lipstick red and sapphire blue.

. SCARVES: Wear with a jacket or sweater to instantly add style to any outfit and draw attention to your face. Go for a pop of color or a bold print to dress up fall's classic colors.

. FAUX FUR: A great substitute for the real thing. Because it's less expensive and machine washable, women veer . more toward faux fur and many people can't tell the difference.

With this list of accessories, it is impossible not to dress fabulous for fall — be a trendsetter and try something new this season. Remember the right accessories can make your outfit.

Government drives a wedge into RTC union

The state government has finally succeeded in breaking the strike of RTC staff by holding talks with the leaders of National Mazdoor Union (NMU), the recognised RTC union.

After the talks held in the presence of transport minister Botcha Satyanarayana on Monday, the NMU leaders agreed to call off their 21-day long strike.

Later, the RTC officials and NMU leaders signed a memorandum of understanding in this regard.

After reaching an agreement with the government, NMU state leader Mahamood announced that the strike was called off keeping in view the problems faced by passengers.

Answering to a question, Mahamood said there was no Telangana Forum in their union and the government held talks with the state unit of NMU.

The transport minister said the Centre and state government had recognised the importance of Telangana issue. The Central government would take a decision soon on the T issue. The minister along with the NMU leaders hurriedly left the place after making the announcement.

While briefing newsmen on the agreement, APSRTC managing director B Prasada Rao said the government had agreed to consider the strike period as a special leave and also pay salaries to all the striking staff.

The government had also agreed to pay Rs15,000 to regular employees and Rs10,000 to contract employees as advance apart from festival advance of Rs 3,000 to all the staff.

Rao also said the NMU leaders urged the government to waive the Motor Vehicle Tax of Rs 375 crore on RTC buses as the organisation is in the red.

The NMU leaders also appealed to the government to withdraw cases registered against the RTC employees during the strike.

The government responded positively to the demand and promised to look into it. It also promised to consider regularisation of contract employees which came for discussion during the meeting. The RTC managing director warned that disciplinary action would be initiated against the employees who violate the norms of the agreement.

All the RTC regional managers were asked to seek police protection to run buses. He hoped that the situation would come to normal in a couple of days.

Though the RTC management and NMU leaders announced that the strike was called off, RTC employees of Telangana Forum opposed the agreement.

Telangana Forum convener E Aswathama Reddy told Express that some leaders in NMU had yielded to the money and other incentives offered by the RTC management. He made it clear that the strike would continue till the separate Telangana state was formed.

According to sources, there was a split in the recognised NMU. One group is in favour of calling off the strike, while the other is against the agreement reached by the NMU with the government.