WITH 2005 gradually opening its eyes to a fast paced world on the run each day, timing seems to be the name of the game. Tomorrow — the time that gives a man just one more chance, calls for a constant change, both in our attitudes and lifestyles.
Common sense states that if a shark stops swimming it sinks to the bottom of the sea. We, it seems will now have to live by similar rules what with newer and more diverse trends emerging in our lives time and again.
Trends are the fast-forward lists that come forth to us as a birth of an unprecedented idea or as a reincarnation of the age-old styles and strategies. Come New Year and all of us are enthralled at the idea of putting up a list of the 101 Top Trends. Perhaps what intrigues us the most is seeing the innovation and optimism bubbling up in so many arenas from fashion to business to kitchen remodelling. A trend may not come along each time to make it big into our lives but then, not every mountain has to be Everest. At the heart of each of the trend lies an idea, we may either be able to adopt the concept itself or just be inspired by the soul of it.
Fashion is one such arena where a constant check for newer ideas and trends is a must, because if we stop updating the way we look, we’ll disappear. However, thanks to the Internet we need not fret about this anymore as logging on to http://www.fashion-era.com/Trends/ fashion_trends_05_colour_autumn_2004_winter_2005.htm will take us into the coming era which calls out the general outlook for fabrics and textile trends. The first link takes us into a world of ‘Colours’ to look out for in 2004/2005 which comes complete with a multi-hued colour palette. From dusty apricot to hot fuchsia pink to mint green, the colours are back with a vengeance and all the more vying for your attention. The ‘Fabric trends’ mark the revival of the fur while the ‘Pattern trends’ call out to the Paisley motif and florals to form a kaleidoscope of patterns on our attires. Other links also set out the ‘Texture trends’, the ‘Knits trends’ and the ‘Techniques in Materials Trends’, thus making it the most comprehensive site to offer the latest and the hip in fashion.
While fashion continues its celebrations for everything feminine, the new fashion year announces a redirection in hair trends. After several seasons of springing curls and bodacious volume, the site http://compuserve.lhj. com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/MGHairTrends2005_11112004.xml forecasts a new message for the hairstyles of 2005: fresh and pretty, with rich tones. The site is all about versatility, being experimental and working with your hair and its texture for maximum results with minimal effort. Three kinds of hair looks are described and a detailed explanation follows on how to achieve them at home. From looks like ‘Natural Girl’ to ‘Face Off’ to ‘Windy Ways’ along with ‘Straight hair know-how’ and ‘Hair recipes’, hair styling it seems never got easier than this.
The lengths of the skirts and the cut of the hem might be subjected to trends but so is the diet and fitness which makes us look good in the new found attires. Top diet and fitness trends for 2005 are best explained at http://webcenter.health.webmd.netscape.com/content/article/98/104811.htm with its slogan for the year being ‘Low-carb is out; satiety is in’!
Think women are the only ones striving for a new look this year? Think again. Men’s grooming is now the fastest growing segment in the beauty industry, spending $14 billion dollars a year on beauty products. Market researchers predict the men’s toiletries segment is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.5 to five per cent through 2008 as is the annual growth rate of metrosexual males around us! To celebrate this, http://www.beautytipsonline.com/fashion_men.htm offers some low-maintenance fashion tips and style ideas for the Greek gods. It not only explains the Do’s and Don’t’s of dressing up but also lists some accessory tips for men. This site is indeed set to ‘make the man’!
Trends not only hit hard the fashion circle but also the business world. Predicting the future, even the near future, is a perilous endeavour in the lightning-round business culture. Some of these items are sure things and others are long-shot gambles. That’s by design. Trend reports can often seem a world away from the everyday realities of your business. But when a trend passes from fad to major consumer movement, you don’t want to be out of the loop. For as you consider what you want to accomplish next year, http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0, 4621,318062,00.html hunts for you the things that your customers want tomorrow. Among others the top-notch things are authenticity, multitasking memory loss and uniqueness. Another site that sets trends and anti-trends in businesses for 2005 is http://www.smallbusinesses.blogspot.com/2004/12/anti-trending-and-other-trends-for.html which sets out four macro level trends that affect society in general and businesses of all sizes.
In this hi-tech world technology is one area with the least predictable trends which can even shock the likes of Bill Gates. However, http://www.rediff.com/money/2004/dec/02top.htm offers six top technology trends that cover a wide range of technological advancements in many different arenas, from the medical field to home entertainment. This attempt may either make or break the world of technology in 2005.
Following trends is not a rat race; for many it’s an attitude, some adopt it as a lifestyle and those that do should log onto http://doityourself.com/kitchen/kitchentrends.htm that sets out the Kitchen Remodelling trends for 2005. From the choice of the colour scheme and the tiles, to the play of light, the usage of space and the choice of materials and accessories are all available for you and what’s best is that it’s just a click away!
For those who dare to indulge and spoil themselves with the New Year http://spas.about.com/ od/spareviews/a/topspatrends.htm covers the hottest Ten Spa Trends in 2005 — covering everything from the rise of online spa travel to super-opulent spa experience. With spas becoming a hot market buzzword and spa-inspired tastes and trends becoming interwoven into the daily Pakistani elite life, this site claims that 2005 will be a break-out year for spas!
It’s trends and more trends each year, with designers, entrepreneurs, IT developers and trend followers humbly straining their necks to see what is on the new horizon. What remains to be seen, however, is will these new trends sizzle, then fizzle, or stand the test of time? Timing, sure is the name of the game!
WITH 2005 gradually opening its eyes to a fast paced world on the run each day, timing seems to be the name of the game. Tomorrow — the time that gives a man just one more chance, calls for a constant change, both in our attitudes and lifestyles.
