UK Flooring Direct Unveil New Designs

Homeowners and interior designers across the UK have rejoiced in excitement this week as one of the UK's leading designers of cutting edge flooring has unveiled a new range of products aimed at creating more comfortable, stylish, and energy efficient homes for their customers.Amongst the new range on offer customers can find designs that suit a varied taste in styles and practicalities. Amongst the range is the rustic engineered flooring that allows customers to keep a more rugged look and feel whilst enjoying the many benefits of modern design such as increasing insulation and protection from decay.

There is also a range of laminate flooring products which are perfect for offsetting a more contemporary style.The laminate designs come in a number of finishes from oak to redwood and there are a number of special design features that customers can choose from. As well as the unveiling of new products at their site UK Flooring Direct has also decided to look towards winter with a sale which will see some items reduced by as much as 70% off their original price.

As well as searching for some fantastic products customers will also undoubtedly find the site's pages to be very informative as their extensive product guide explains how best to use their products in the home.Homeowners and interior designers across the UK have rejoiced in excitement this week as one of the UK's leading designers of cutting edge flooring has unveiled.Wooden floors are renowned for their warm and natural appearance due to the knots and grain which appear on the exterior and make each floor unique. It is perfect for making a real impression in the home and is extremely versatile when it comes to styling.

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Dresses make bold statement beyond trends

Michelle Obama's inaugural gown, Coco Chanel's little black dress, Cher's Oscar get-ups. They make an impression on culture beyond fashion.InStyle fashion director Hal Rubenstein counts down his favorites in the new book 100 Unforgettable Dresses."Dresses are important for different reasons, but how they are unified is that they are not all simply about fashion," he said. "They hit us emotionally, psychologically or affect how we perceive beauty."A great dress can also jump-start a career, he said, and that's not just limited to fashion. Mrs. Obama's white, one-shouldered gown for the inaugural balls literally made Jason Wu a household name overnight, but stars as diverse as Phyllis Diller and Elizabeth Hurley have parlayed a splash of style into celebrity.

The Gianni Versace safety-pin gown that Hurley wore in 1994 for the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral is the first dress featured in the book."The Versace safety-pin dress is the greatest example of the power of clothing," Rubenstein said. "It made a woman famous overnight. Elizabeth Hurley was a pretty girl on Hugh Grant's arm who no one knew. The next day it was ‘Who's that girl?'??"Modern A-list celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker and Cate Blanchett join style icons Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy and Grace Kelly as women who successfully made fashion part of their identity, Rubenstein said.

Kennedy figured out how to use clothing as a political tool. With her appearance in France at Versailles in 1961 in an ivory gown with floral beading on the bodice by Hubert de Givenchy, she changed the world's perception of how a new generation of Americans might dress.Every dress in the book tells a story, and that's why, at 35,000 words, it's more for reference than for the coffee table, Rubenstein said."Three-quarters of these have been stuck in my head my whole life. I didn't need to find the 100 dresses; 75 of them just showed up in just a couple of minutes after I had the idea."


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Farmington bride appearing on 'Say Yes to the Dress'

Before Farmington bride-to-be Helana Koch walks down the aisle with fiancé Michael Brasley next September, she had to take one very important side trip first — to New York City's wedding Mecca: Kleinfeld Bridal. Chosen out of hundreds of applicants to appear on the guilty pleasure TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress," Koch lived the fantasy of brides across America and traveled to the Big Apple in search of her dream dress.Her "Say Yes to the Dress" episode, "Family Feuds," was filmed in May and will air on Friday night, Nov. 25, at 9:30 on TLC network.

"My aunt Kimmy and aunt Michele were the instigators," said Koch. "They filled out the application online while I was filling out engagement announcements."Koch's mom, Debbie Flora, could barely contain her excitement for her daughter."We didn't think we were going to get picked," Flora said, "but because we all live next door to each other and we're an Italian family — and we all know each other's business — they picked us. They told us when we were down there that we had a unique family."Unique indeed. With a mom, a Nana, two aunts and a cousin (with a baby) along for the ride, what more could a bride ask for on her special shopping day?

"It was a lot of fun," laughed Koch's mom, Debbie Flora. "We left around 5:45 in the morning,  and drove down to New York and then went to Kleinfeld. They filmed us for five and a half hours to get 10 minutes (for the show). Helana was locked in the dressing room, and we had sit on the couch the whole time."Koch said she honestly can't remember much about her part on the show."But those dresses were gorgeous," she oozed. "It's not like your regular bridal gown shop. It's the Mecca for bridal gowns — you can't imagine these high-end gowns. I think I tried on four different dresses in the time I was there."

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Free Dresses For Brides

War is tough on every relationship -- the long distance between lovers, the time apart, the high rates of veteran poverty and homelessness upon return.Given all those factors, it can be can be exceedingly difficult to plan a wedding. To help support service members and their partners in planning their Big Days, the Brides Across America program offers free wedding gowns to women in the army and fiancees of active service members and veterans.On Nov. 7, New York wedding boutique Bridal Reflections took part in Brides Across America and opened their doors to military brides to choose the free dress of their dreams.

One bride, Maria Soehngen, stopped by Bridal Reflections to start her search for the perfect gown. "It's a blessing to be here and it's so wonderful to be given back [to] for the sacrifice that my fiance made," she told HuffPost Weddings (her fiance toured Iraq from 2008 to 2009 during Operation Iraqi Freedom).The Per Una Speziale Sleeveless Floral Appliqué Dress is deffinately my favourite party dress. It will really bring the wow factor to the Christmas party.

Indeed, you may well be more sparkly than the Christmas tree with this highly embellished dress! This dress has gorgeous floral appliqué detailing which is then mirrored by sequin and bead floral swirls. The dress itself is chiffon which gives a sexy glimpse of the bust before the lining starts. This champagne coloured sleeveless dress is perfect for any Christmas party and is available in sizes 14 to 22 for $119.00.


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The Little Black Dress is trending again

If prints make you jaded, red appears tawdry, and bright colours only accentuate your bulge, then trash these trends and put on the Little Black Dress. It's safe, stunning and is back in vogue. Actors Deepika Padukone, Neha Dhupia, Soha Ali Khan and Malaika Arora Khan were recently spotted in black on the red carpet at a bash organised by Kwan in Mumbai. "Recently, we saw colours like peaches, crèmes, whites and beiges on the red carpet. But black is again making it's entry in a much classy way," says stylist Anju Mathur.

So what's bringing black back? Designer Payal Jain says, "Black is the most versatile colour and a safe option for red carpet events. The LBD is classic and a must-have in every woman's wardrobe."Also, wearing black saves you from the hassle of picking complementary accessories, as the bold colour is a statement in itself.  "A cocktail ring or a statement neckpieces along with stylish pumps paired with the black dress are enough to make you rock the party. Black dresses in lace, chiffon and lycra look very appealing," says Mathur. For a party, add a little twist to your black dress. Go for a ruffled, bandaged or ruched dress with shoulder straps.

And as for the length, keep it just above the knee or on the kneeIf you don't have great toned legs, then wear a pantyhose. Stockings pair well with a black dress.Do not wear too many jewellery pieces with the black dress. A statement neckpiece, cocktail ring or chandelier earrings is enough to accessorise your look.As for footwear, pumps, ankle strap sandals and sling back sandals look great with the Little Black Dress.


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Must-have clothing items for Sacramento's rainy seasons

Fashion can be fun for men and women alike. The menswear for fall and winter has me excited for new looks. I like to start with shoes first, since you can never have too many shoes.A good pair of boots are a must have for the fall and winter seasons in Sacramento. The menswear this season is rugged mixed with clean-cut details. Men cannot go wrong with brown leather, wingtip lace-up boots that extend past the ankle. Barclay or felt desert boots with any neutral colors from brown to navy blue, to more loud colors such as a red or royal blue, are a style of boot that I like for men and women. Junior marketing major Marley Shimamura gave her fashion advice for men.

"Men should wear boots, cuffed skinnys with selvage showing and wear leather jackets," Shimamura said. "Also scarves - accessories are just as important for men."Selvage is the part of your clothing that shows where it was sewn together, which typically has heavier threads.I am really digging the menswear this season, but not just for the men. Women also look great in the men's style and can play it up with more accessories and maybe some leggings or tights. When picking out your a new pair of boots for the winter, women should look to menswear for inspiration - the lace-up is great for any style. Women have more selection to choose from with the boot stopping at the ankle, just past the ankle, mid-calf or just below the knee. Shimamura expressed her love for boots.

"I'm a boots fan, whether it's mid or to the knees," Shimamura said. "I throw boots on pretty much everything, but when I dress professional I will wear Oxfords."Seng Bang, junior child development major, said she likes boots with wedges. Sara Ixta, sophomore business major, said she prefers flats."Flats are important because you can wear them with anything, dresses or jeans," Ixta said. "The best place to go is Urban Outfitters because they have cheap ones, but they are up-to-date."Adam Sonnenberg, senior therapeutic recreation major, said he likes to wear his Adidas Sambas because they are waterproof, athletic and he can still go running in them.


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All the bridesmaid dresses do not have basement strict similarity

Marriage requires more than the noble beauty of the bride, but also to coordinate with the bridesmaid dress theme. However, this role is not nice to be a bridesmaid, you need to play wherever he goes, but we can not get the bride thunder. If additionally to fly the beautiful wedding invitations by hand, if the composition bridesmaid is something to be feared. However, the appropriate choice of bridesmaid gowns, but also a beautiful wedding in the countryside. Wedding this year, dress, to emphasize only the elegance and luxury in the degree of penetration of the hem cascading scale asymmetric acorns random in nature and to act freely in the seam, hold coordination of this principle, as can be the bridesmaid of honor a happy marriage.

The dress of the maid of honor and the whole style of wedding dress wedding coherent, that is the wear of vital importance for the bridesmaid dress. But the observance of this season of life in the Empire style, the life form, style bra, better get in a position to express bridesmaid elegant side. Free Bra-style dress with a delicate and tender, and the life of a band or bands in the three times this year's bridesmaid gown style is a hot dress. If you could wear a long dress in the winter, the festive atmosphere, an event in the spring and summer you can also feed a smaller room to dress, skirt with pink satin, with thin layers of perspective dig out the yarn.

The soft tissue may also be on the blue dress on the tail long or short paragraph should be applied, seem very pure crystal, with a little busy and innocence.In addition to color, fabric and stitching details at the center of the style, stylish bridesmaid dresses and beautiful velvet, superb set Chiffon, classical or romantic lace the propagation of light, increased sense of silk hanging from the solid material and the adaptation of the elegant tailoring, it can lead to subtle light bridesmaids to trust the distribution of the charm of the honor. The silk dress fight has always been the preferred material is a smooth texture of silk, the banquet was under the lights, the look is more of a feeling of luxury.


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Tolentino dresses Gwendoline Ruais for Miss World

Hollywood designer Oliver Tolentino was honored to be the first Filipino designer worn by the Philippines' bet in the Miss World contest in what may be several decades.On November 6 in London, Gwendoline Ruais became the highest Miss Philippines to rank in 37 years when she was named 1st Runner Up (Miss Venezuela won). Gwen wore a red flowy chiffon Oliver Tolentino gown with a slit in the leg that was made expressly for her for the pageant. The gown had a bodice beaded with red Swarovski crystals and a nude skin back. This was a personal honor for Oliver because it's the first time a Filipino designer has been allowed to create clothes in many decades under new country manager Cory Quirino.

Coincidentally, the first 1st Runner Up 37 years ago was Evangeline Pascual who hails from Orani, Bataan. Oliver, also from Orani, is a distant cousin of Ms. Pascual.For the pageant, Gwen also wore an Oliver Tolentino pina & abaca modern terno for the national costume portion of the TV show. In addition, Gwen was photographed in about a dozen of Oliver's outfits while she was in London. She wore Oliver's dyed-blue pina skirt and blouse outfit to depart Manila and arrive in London, a silver sequined long gown when contestants were photographed along the Thames River, a green chiffon for the first charity event, and a raw silk cocoon cocktail dress at another event, among others.

Oliver somehow found time to make Gwen's outfits before returning to Los Angeles from Manila where he was honored as the Samsung 2011 MetroWear Icon of the Philippines by Metro & Metro Society magazines, in conjunction with the ABS-CBN TV network, last October 24.As the MetroWear Icon, Tolentino presented a 75+-piece collection at the Sofitel Hotel Harbor Tent in a solo gala attended by the rich and famous of Manila society. Oliver chose charities Bantay Bata and Sagip Kapamilya to benefit from the invitation-only event. Ironically for Oliver, a designer from Bataan province who now dresses celebrities in Hollywood, this was his first gala in Manila.

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Trade Law, Trade War, and the Case of Multilayered Wood Flooring from China

Antidumping and countervailing duty measures are the most commonly invoked forms of "contingent protectionism" permitted under World Trade Organization rules. Those rules allow member governments to maintain and administer national antidumping and countervailing duty laws to remedy – through the imposition of customs duties – the effects of imports determined to be sold at unfairly low prices (antidumping) or determined to be unfairly subsidized by a government (countervailing). But imposing "remedies" under these laws is contingent upon certain conditions being met.

Two core conditions are that the administering authorities need to demonstrate that the imports in question are being dumped or subsidized, and that those dumped or subsidized imports are causing or threatening material injury to the domestic industry.A determination expected tomorrow from the U.S. International Trade Commission offers a case in point. The Commission will vote on the question of whether dumped and subsidized imports of multilayered wood flooring (MLWF) from China are causing or threatening material injury to the U.S. MLWF industry.

An affirmative determination could invite Chinese retaliation because the evidence of a causal connection between imports from China and injury to the U.S. industry is weak to non-existent. If the U.S. government is going to stretch or skirt the evidentiary standards established by domestic law and international treaty, the Chinese government may be inclined to do the same. (In fact, the Chinese government is already alleged to have broken those rules – and the United States is seeking recourse in the WTO – when it imposed antidumping and countervailing duties on U.S. chicken exports in 2010.)

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How to wear a dress

The calendar has now rolled over from Frocktober to Movember - and I'm rather joyously reunited with my jeans - but after wearing a dress every day for a month they're still very much on my mind.In case that all reads like Klingon to you, I'll explain. Movember is the fund-raising drive in aid of prostate cancer research, where chaps get sponsored to grow moustaches during November.  Frocktober is the girls' version - although some brave and marvellous boys do it, too - where you get sponsored to wear a dress every day in October, raising funds for ovarian cancer research.

I think it's a wizard wheeze and embraced it enthusiastically, raising funds and learning a lot in the process. Such as how many dresses I have accumulated over the years that are still perfectly wearable. Who knew?But once you've worn the same three on rotation for a few days, you do dig deep in the back of your wardrobe looking for inspiration.  I could wear frocks I had always categorised in my head as ''cocktail'', ''party'' and ''best'' any old day, if I played them down with a light cotton cardigan and a daywear shoe.I also found out how good it felt to wear my very best dress - the most divine Paul Smith shift in floral print-scarf silk - just to go to the post office.

I felt super duper and was delighted when I bumped into a very stylish male friend.Usually I'm horrified if anyone I know sees me in my working comfies. Especially if it happens on consecutive days, as it could well be the same jeans and T-shirt as the previous one. The shame - but this is the slut rut you can fall into when you work alone and wearing dresses for a month got me out of it. I'm in jeans now - because it's a novelty - but I'm not going to back slide.Because it's not just that the actual clothing is nicer than a droopy old T-shirt and skanky jeans, you also have to take more care with your hair and make-up when you wear dresses. You must live up to them, or you look like you haven't finished getting dressed. You have to hold yourself properly, too.

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Discover the Exceptional Beauty and Value of Wholesale Flooring

Laminate flooring is popular because of its beauty, wide range of colors, and durability. Laminate is the perfect choice for heavy traffic and other areas where dent and scratch resistance is required. Recent advancements in the manufacturing of laminate have made them the most stain resistant and durable of all of the types. Laminates are available that look like hardwood, but are more resistant to wear and tear. Another popular style of laminate floor is the stone look, which is remarkably accurate.Hardwood floors are the epitome of beauty. The rich color and natural beauty of hardwood has been prized for centuries.

Installing hardwood can increase the value of a home, as well add a sense of style. Advances in hardwood floor manufacturing and finishes have made wood more versatile and easily maintained than before. Hardwood is available in solid or engineered types and can be purchased pre-finished or unfinished, with the color and finish added later.Durable and beautiful, ceramic tile has always been a popular choice in bathrooms. Today's ceramic tile offers a variety of colors, textures, and stain resistance, making it an excellent choice for any area of the home.If you are looking for something truly unique, look at natural stone flooring.

Quarried directly from the earth, no two natural stone tiles are alike. Natural stone offers distinctive, genuine beauty. Marble, onyx, granite, and travertine are types of natural stone tile.Wholesale floor sellers are in a unique position. They have the ability to purchase overruns, liquidated, and replaced flooring products in large quantities from retailers or other flooring outlets at a reduced price. By passing the savings on to you, you can purchase beautiful flooring at a fraction of the price charged by retail flooring stores. In most cases, flooring manufacturer warranties still apply.


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Mondo to exhibit state-of-the-art flooring ideal

Mondo, the global leader in sports flooring, will feature four of its sports flooring products at the National Recreation and Park Association's Congress and Exposition 2011 this week at the Georgia World Congress Center (Booth 2212) in Atlanta.At the exhibition, Mondo will display a selection of products that are ideally suited for park and recreation facilities, including its Sportflex and Mondoten multipurpose sport surfaces, and its Mondoturf artificial turf system with its groundbreaking 3NX fiber and Thermo-bonded backing.

A versatile, Greenguard-certified surface, Sportflex is designed to meet the needs of indoor and outdoor multipurpose applications. It boasts more than 20 years of proven performance and durability, making it the industry standard for multipurpose use. Sportflex was engineered to withstand static and rolling loads, such as bleachers, tables and chairs, and its life expectancy of 20 or more years is unparalleled in the industry. Stain resistant, Sportflex does not require any coatings or specialized maintenance.

Mondoten is a unique, factory-engineered, high-performance system that can be used for a variety of sports, including indoor and outdoor tennis, and multipurpose outdoor applications. It also can be used for permanent or temporary installation, and for competitive or recreational play. Mondoten combines an acrylic coating system and a shock absorption layer to provide consistent and true ball bounce for the life of the surface. The flooring provides excellent grip and traction in all weather conditions and is biomechanically engineered to reduce player fatigue and injury.


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