NYC’s Fashion Week is less than a month away. An international showcase like no other, all eyes will be watching for the trends, looks, and collections that will define the Fall 2010 season. 

…which isn’t very helpful for all of us who are currently, in this season, enduring some of the most frigid temperatures in recent memory. We’re cold, frustrated, and trying to make it through these next winter months while clinging to some semblance of fashion sense. Just because it’s chilly, we shouldn’t have to look like shapeless snowmen/women. So in the name of practicality, let’s take a look at some clothing advice that will serve us now and in the days ahead, while we leave it to the industry experts to contemplate a (presumably) warmer, far-away Fall 2010 all they want.

If your loved one is killed in war, the United States President will send you a condolence letter. However, if your loved one dies by suicide while at war, then….the White House would prefer to save on postage and not say a single word to you.

It’s a remarkably cruel and insensitive policy, and it’s a policy that the Obama administration is allowing to continue. But they didn’t create it. According to CNN, this goes back to the days of the Clinton administration. Which means the Bush administration also upheld it. Why the blatant gesture of turning away from these families?

Lately, I’ve been catching up with some of my writers’ latest offerings. Some of them have been unfortunate disappointments, but amidst the letdowns, I have managed to find a new memoirist to add to my list of favorites. You should do the same.

What's the use of worrying? It never was worthwhile.
- George Asaf

It's true…what IS the use of worrying? Everything will come to fruition as planned. It will (or won't) happen, and it will be dealt with on a case-by-case scenario. What's the use of worrying yourself senseless? It'll just give you wrinkles! 

We live in an age and in a time where there is uncertainty. The recession, while harrowing, is only temporary. We'll get through it, just like our great-grandparents did during the Great Depression and, fast forwarding, like our parents a few decades after.

And so the day came. The dreaded day that would change everything. The day that would put my daily routine to a screeching halt. The day that would silence my gum reviews for the immediate future. What important day do I speak of?

Oh yes, you guessed correctly. 

THE DAY I GOT BRACES.

Despite often being overlooked, here are a few kitchen gadgets that have proven their worth during crunch time. Although never quite gaining the notoriety of the vegetable peeler or becoming as widely used as the food processor in home kitchens, these products demonstrate the same caliber of practicality and deserve to be mentioned, especially since they can help to make your life much easier. They’re not new or strange, but they are cool nonetheless and guaranteed to pay off in the long run—which is more than what can be said for many other kitchen gadgets (including some of the aforementioned):

Everything you do in life, every choice you make, has a consequence. When you do things without thinkin', then you ain't makin' the choice. The choice is makin' you.
– Mark Steven Johnson

Think about this one. Really think.

What does this mean to you? I know we’ve experienced a moment (or two…or three…or a lot) where we’ve made choices that have alienated everything that we know is right. And we’ve all had to face consequences that have ended up burying us two feet under–consequences that could have been avoided from the start.

With intriguingly quirky appeal and the convincing promise of getting the job done quicker and easier than you ever even knew you needed to, kitchen gadgets are an irresistible guilty pleasure. Frequently succumbing to their enticing, manipulative pull, unsuspecting impulse shoppers often end up overpaying for more (ultimately) useless objects destined for a week’s worth of use and then forgotten in the dark, cluttered confines of a generic kitchen drawer.

Starlite Shoes & Accessories

400 Glen Cove Ave
Sea Cliff, NY 11579

Off the beaten path is usually where the best experiences lay hidden.  Launched by Melissa Gaudesi, Starlite Shoes & Accessories is the latest hotspot for the fashion-savvy on the hunt on Long Island’s North Shore.