Shopping

It's back to school season and that means it's prime time to shop for fall fashions. This year, if you live in a cool climate, you don't need to shop for boots, because a much more fashionable design now offers warmth and protection from the elements.

Summer's coming to a close, and it's time to start reflecting on all of those fond memories of beaches and margaritas, and while we're at it, let's not forget about the fashion. Summer 2009 brought some truly innovative and inventive fashion. A favorite summer staple, the flip flop popped up in a variety of forms that were fashionable, functional and wacky.

Leggings are all the rage, not that I need to tell you that. But, typically they are a modest trend that lends a level of conservative fashion to what would otherwise be scandalously short dresses and bare legs. But not all leggings are modest; some actually make a sexy fashion statement of their own.

It's rare to see someone walking down the street or sitting on public transportation without headphones or a pair of earbuds attached to their ears, because as a society we've really become iPod addicts. But, headphones and earbuds just aren't fashionable, so to take them from simply a functional necessity, one company has recently turned them into attractive accessories.

Sometimes the appeal is not the fashion itself, but what it's made from. Check out these strange, cool and innovative fashions which are all interesting for the materials used in the design, but not necessarily about the style of the fashions themselves.

You know that expression one man's (or woman's in this century) trash is another man's treasure? Well, there are companies that thrive on this old tried and true saying.

Have you ever found yourself somewhere just thinking, damn I could use a new pair of jeans? Good news, a denim vending machine might just make these desires come true.

Women get all the luck when it comes to customizing their own fashions - from clothing to purses and other accessories - our opportunities to put our own design stamp while someone else works the needle and thread, are virtually endless. Now, one company is allowing men to design their own fashions too.

As if Urban Outfitters isn't already well on its way to total global domination (within all the limits of human welfare standards and eco-friendly principles of course), they've introduced a new line of products to further expand their business, and these are accessories that can be coordinated with your outfit but won't necessarily be worn out to a dinner party.

The Kyjen Company has made a niche for itself producing a line of plush interactive toys for dogs.  Do the toys test intelligence, as Kyjen implies in its marketing?  Well... they do keep dogs stimulated and encourage hunting and hiding behaviors, natural instincts of dogs.

With August drawing to a close, you've only got a few weeks left to hit the beach this summer, but there is one bikini that I wouldn't recommend you wear when you're ready for some sun, sand and sea.

Despite the fact that an umbrella can be an adorable enhancement to a child's outfit when well-coordinated, it can really put a damper on their childhood antics when they lose the use of their hands and are forced to struggle to keep their umbrella upright against the wind. A fun and funky solution helps kids to be kids, and it's a fashion that's totally out of this world!