Sleepwear is where I personally draw the line – there is no style quotient in the land of nod and comfort is the only criteria. If you can’t wear itchy lace sets, that’s okay (I certainly can’t). If you dream best in boxer shorts and a tank, go for it. Shapeless, roomy, comfy PJ’s  are adorable and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

With sleepwear costing as much as outerwear, it’s usually the last item on my shopping list. Then again, this aspect of your wardrobe is extremely personal and best left between you and your bed sheets.

Victoria’s Secret has a super variety of sleepwear, but their quality is not high end. Not a bad place to get a cheap quick-fix if you need something fancy (or sexy).

How many times can you wear your knitwear items (pullovers, cardigans and sweaters) before you need to launder them? I have found that unless you’ve spilled, traveled, traipsed in muck, or perspired heavily, 4-5 times works well. Lighter coloured knitwear will need to be washed more frequently; while patterned styles survive a little longer. My cream cardigan needs to be washed every second time I wear it, but my cheetah printed one lasts a good deal longer.

This wear-to-wash ratio can be applied to any type of yarn, including cashmere, silk-blends, wool, viscose blends, acrylic and polyester. Pilling is unfortunately inevitable and can happen after one wear! Excessive laundering of knitwear can sometimes create pillage when inferior yarn was used.

Keep an eye on the entire family’s knitwear and make sure that it gets the proper attention. Appropriate wash care balances keeping knitwear items looking pristine with maximizing their useful lifetime.

Rising above your belly with style is not easy when it comes to jeans. The rise (distance between the crotch and the waistband) of a pair of trendy and updated denims is often still too low. But DKNY has the answer: a style called the “soho”. For women with a little extra around the midsection, their extra dark wash, slight stretch, boot cut hem and snugly contoured higher rise make them a smart, sophisticated, comfortable and current-looking option. And their affordable price of $48 makes them an even better find!

You’ll find  DKNY’s soho jeans in department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus.

Absolutely. Madrid’s Fashion week announcement to ban ultra-skinny models from it’s catwalks in September last year caused tremors in the fashion world. Models with a BMI (body mass index) of less than 18 would not be allowed to walk. Lanky 5-foot-9 models weighing in at less than 125 pounds (56kg) were therefore sent away. The ban was enforced in an attempt to promote beauty and health. Emaciated models in magazines and fashion shows are said to be linked to eating-disorders when impressionable young women try to emulate these looks, and consequently starve themselves to “super-model thinness”.

As a result, Milan, Paris, New York and London have also been forced to look carefully at the issue of underweight models at their fashion shows. However, fashion councils in various countries are not in agreement: 

“I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about discrimination against the model and what about the freedom of the designer,” said Gould, Elite’s North America director, adding that the move could harm careers of naturally “gazelle-like” models.

Organizers of London Fashion Week announced their position on Sunday, stating that ultra–skinny models would not be banned from Autumn 2007 collections next week.

“We believe that regulation is neither desirable nor enforceable. What will make a difference is the commitment of the fashion industry to change attitudes through behaviour and education.”

Does the fashion industry have a responsibility to portray healthy body images? Should the industry stipulate precise guidelines for “healthy looking models”? Should these guidelines be enforced? Regulation of this sort seems to infringe the freedom of the industry participants, but without it the models seem skinnier every year.

Despite the lack of regulation for next weeks trend showcase in London, the British Fashion Council has added that it would…

“…consult health and eating disorder experts, members of the fashion industry, the media and young women in order to create new guidelines for the fashion industry”

Whether designers select healthy looking models to walk their creations this week remains to be seen. I’m looking forward to watching the weight debate unfold. What are your views on the skinny model controversy?