NewsTaco

Think back to the height of the Golden Age, the birth of the Cuban revolution, the premiere of Lucille Ball’s television acting career. That’s right! Think back to the fifties. The decade where women could finally wear pants!

While the decade has passed, its fashion trends are making a comeback.

The fifties birthed hoop skirts and a-line dresses in patterned fabrics. Women wore dresses more casually with saddle shoes, or oxfords. They sported one piece, apron-style swimsuits with ruching. These trends are back.

A-Line Dresses

The fifties-style dress is tight in the bust, has a high waist and a flared skirt. The cut is flattering on almost every body type, and comes in a variety of lengths. For summer, go with a bold color or an interesting pattern.

Ready for summer, but not ready to buy a brand-new summer wardrobe? Looking for a way to dress warmer, but it’s still 50 degrees and raining? Look no further!

This week’s fashion tip is all about summer’s most versatile color. No matter what your style, skin tone, mood, or occasion, coral is a great color to perk up up any outfit from spring to summer. To show you how, here are three ways to style coral – for three different looks (in order from left to right, first to last), using three different summer trends: the maxi skirt, the pop of color, and the monochrome.

Coral by NicoKrei featuring a short sleeve tee

The Free Spirit:

This outfit is for the eclectic artist, the adventuresome explorer, or the natural flower girl. If ever this summer you go on a trip, to a concert, or just a walk around the park, try throwing on a bright coral tank or loose-fitted coral t-shirt with a dark maxi skirt.

Not only will the skirt keep you warm (should summer weather not quite be caught up to summer style), but it will also be a staple trend item in your summer wardrobe. Pair this combination with an embellished sandal in gold, pewter, or cognac. Add some bright gold-tone bangles and earrings, and you’re ready for any adventure to come your way!

The Casual Prep:

This outfit is for the simple minimalist. Without layers or many accessories, it’s no fuss to put on for eating lunch, running errands, or going to a movie. Pair some muted coral shorts or trousers with a plain white tee (shirt). This summer is all about color blocking, or combining two to three contrasting colors in one outfit.

For your pop of color, add something in teal or turquoise, like loafers or boat shoes. The two colors compliment each other, so you can be a bold color blocker without going color-crazy. Keep the rest of your accessories neutral. If it’s chilly (or you just love scarves), add a patterned scarf in gray or beige. And stay neutral with your jewelry, should you choose to add any.

The Pretty in Pink:

This outfit is for the uber-effeminate. If you have a date, a special occasion, or just feel like dressing up for a weekend, this outfit is flirtatious, classic, and really effortless to put together. Pick out a coral dress – in cotton or jersey for a day outing, or in lace or silk for an evening event. Then the rest is easy.

Outfitting monochromatically is sleek and stylish. So think Emma Pillsbury, pick out another color in the coral family (blush, peach, rose, or orange if you’re really daring), and stick to that color for all of your accessories. For a chic look, try pulling all your accessories in shades of pale pink. If you are feeling especially dainty, add a pair of rosette earrings and a skinny belt; they are both ample and inexpensive. Add patent leather pumps or flats, and you will be ready to audition for Glee in no time (or at least ready for a special summer day).

Follow Nicole Kreisberg on Twitter at @NicoKrei.

[Images Courtesy Polyvore]

Groupon is a social buying company that has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past year and an interesting report this week makes the case that social buying will become especially lucrative for Latino customers.Groupon started in November of 2008 in Chicago and offers its services in U.S. cities across the country, but also in Vancouver, Toronto, London and elsewhere. Basically, Groupon offers one daily deal in each city and if enough people sign up, the deal makes; it’s called social buying because it involves people getting their friends to get in on the deal (using social media, for example) so they can get the discount at a restaurant, spa, gym, hotel, etc.

Groupon takes a percentage of each deal, customers get discounts, businesses get more business and everyone seems to win. In a blog from Being Latino, Carlos Macías notes that Latinos stand to gain both as business owners and customers. Here’s why:

1. Economic growth is led by Latinos: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “the number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States increased by 43.7 percent to 2.3 million, more than twice the national rate of 18.0 percent between 2002 and 2007.” Like most immigrants, Latinos are natural entrepreneurs.

2. Social media is dominated by Latinos: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project determined that 18 percent of Latinos use Twitter compared to 13 percent of Blacks and 5 percent of Whites. Also, Latinos are closing the gap on Internet usage. Just ask Being Latino or Latinos in Social Media (Latism) for some traffic data. Your jaw may drop.

3. Purchasing power: A recent report from the Selig Center for Economic Growthat the University of Georgia Terry College of Business says that despite the recession, the Latino market is expected to grow 50 percent, from $1 trillion in 2010 up to $1.5 trillion in 2015. We are working and spending, a lot!

4. Acculturation levels: The old notion that Spanish is the only language to connect with Latinos in the United States has been debunked. A white paper from comScore says that 70 percent of Latinos prefer to surf the Internet in English. Companies like Groupon just need a little seasoning on cultural intelligence and voila! This could be one of the best business opportunities of the decade.

5. Mobile Internet is also our turf: Sharing the top spot with Blacks, English-speaking Latinos are “the most active users of the mobile web.” So far, we text, take pictures, and access the Internet, among other things. The next frontier? Shopping online using our smartphones.

Omg, if you’re at all like me, you have no money to spend this Christmas! Good news is, there’s really nothing that I want that’s really all that expensive. We at NewsTaco thought it’d be cool to share our gift ideas just in case you’re having to gift for one of “those people” that has impossible taste. This is hopefully one in a series, let us know what you think, or where you will be getting your regalitos this year.

• Half.com is a GREAT place to get music! I just bought two CDs (I still get those!) by Los Amigos Invisibles for $10 total with shipping y todo. I’m planning on getting a Half.com gift card for my little brother — but don’t tell him!
• Speaking of music, I also just purchased a great album by Latino rocker Omar Rodríguez Lopez at his website. I’ve listened to it a few times already and it’s AWESOME.
• The battery on my iPod is starting to die, too, which sucks but Apple’s refurbished section offers products at sometimes steep discounts — te lo juro — I’ve bought stuff from there before. It’s often just stuff that’s never been used but was returned.
• If you’re trying to gift for a girl/young lad/old-person-trying-to-be-young (like me) you would be good to go to Forever 21.They have ridiculously cheap accessories that are really beautiful and fashionable.
• Also, one cool gift idea is to frame postcards of cool stuff (frames come cheap at thrift stores and dollar stores, y’all) and then give those away as gifts. I bought some cool Lotería postcards at Café Press last year and did just that, this year I’m stumped, though.
• If you still haven’t read Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, “The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” that’d be a great present, too.
• And, of course, my New Year’s Resolution this year is going to be to go back to doing ab work, so I need a medicine ball, which apparently aren’t cheap, but you can get at most local sporting goods stores.

What are your Christmas gift ideas? Or Hanukkah? Or New Year’s? Or celebrate capitalism gifts?

[Image Via IllustratedInk]