So you are experiencing a jean crisis and can't seem to figure out which pair is right for you. Don't give up! Help is on the way!

It's tough to locate the right pair of jeans whether you're plus size, petite, tall, or normal, so we could all use a few pointers.

Finding the proper pair of jeans isn't always simple. There are simply too many different styles to pick from. You can locate the perfect pair of jeans if you remember some of these pointers.

Here are some helpful hints:

It's critical to determine the sort of ones you'll be wearing before trying on the pair of pants to wear. This is due to the fact that the heel usually determines how the denim will fall or lie. 

It's also worth noting that most jeans aren't pre-shrunk when you buy them. Asa result, make sure to account for some shrinking. 

Low-rise jeans sit low on the waist, giving you the perfect opportunity to flaunt your abs!

Boot-cut jeans have a wide leg opening and are loose through the leg.

Flare leg jeans have a large, flared opening at the leg.

Stonewashed jeans ar light and look to have been worn in.

Distressed jeans feature holes, shredding, and crinkles to give them a worn-in look.

A pair of dark jeans are excellent for a night out.

Not all jeans are suitable for all body shapes. When choosing jeans, keep your body type and denim style in mind.

Traditional five-pocket design jeans that aren't overly tight are best for full-figured body types.

A bootcut jean will help to elongate your legs and balance your physique. Always go for a darker pair of jeans.

Jeans with a small flare at the leg opening look excellent on slimmer body shapes. Jeans with a a low height and pockets are also terrific options.

Athletic people have slim hips and long legs. Bootcut and low-rise jeans are both flattering.

Today's jeans aren't only for lounging about in.  Designer jeans are stylish and adaptable, and they readily move from day to night.

Spring is not a difficult season to dress for and the options for elevating your Spring look are endless. Spring is one of the most simplistic fashion seasons of the year and warmer than winter weather, Spring allows for fashion to include dresses, lighter blouses and skirts. Spring style often includes florals, leaf prints, bright and bold colors and even this season's standout crochet. Choose floral patterns and pastels to celebrate the season. Spring dresses include maxi dresses which are longer and cover more skin but still allow for a spring look. Also, t-shirts paired with mini skirts or midi skirts are easy ways to stay on trend. 

With stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams sitting in the front row, Alessandro Michele’s nostalgic clothing designs inspired by old Hollywood glam shined just as bright during a Gucci fashion show in Los Angeles.

Jared Leto and Macaulay Culkin were among the many models who calmly pranced down the Walk of Fame runway at the Gucci Love Parade on Tuesday night. It was such a splashy spectacle that the event shut down a few blocks of busy Hollywood Boulevard.

That gave the models enough room to strut out of the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre before walking down both sidewalks alongside a star-studded audience that included such popular figures as Salma Hayek, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Lindsey Vonn, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, James Corden, Dapper Dan, Tracee Ellis Ross and Tyler, the Creator.

With his new collection, Michele brought his love for old cinematic wardrobes to life with cowboy hats, feathered gowns, faux fur coats, diamond tiaras, crop tops, wide leg pants and voluminous dresses. He offered a mixture of colors through his models who wore lavender, teal and hot pink suits along with metallic and gold gowns. Black was another color of preference.

Some models wore chunky silver platform shoes, patent leather flats and white pointy boots. Another popular accessary was face jewelry around the nose and cheekbones.

The Italian designer also featured small to plus-sized models.

“I think with fashion, you have a duty to give a voice,” Michele, the creative director of Gucci, said after the show. “I see beauty everywhere. It’s something which is organic and natural.”

Leto, who will star in the upcoming film “House of Gucci,” drew applause while he walked the runway sporting an oversized double-breasted blazer with no shirt, laced leather white pants and white boots. Culkin wore a colorful jacket with a blue Hawaiian-styled shirt, brown slacks and a white Gucci belt.

For Michele, it was a dream come true to unveil his work on the boulevard of stars, where he said holding the show reflected his “uncurbed love for the classic world.”

“It’s a bit like home,” said the Italian designer, who recalled hearing about the glitzy Hollywood scene from his mother, who worked in the film industry as an assistant at a production company.

Michele said his mother would talk about Marilyn Monroe’s diaphanous voice, Rita Hayworth’s special black satin gloves and Veronica Lake’s velvet hair. They were living on the outskirts of Rome at the time, and her stories felt like a fairy tale.

“It’s a place I love,” he said. “There are elements that are close to me and my heart. This city is an inspiration.”

(Gucci’s star-studded fashion show shines bright in Hollywood: APNews)

Women in sunglasses and body-hugging designs sashayed down a sleek, black runway beneath an Eiffel Tower glowing orange in the night.

Wisps of fringe swished from the hem of a lemon-yellow creation, its model clutching a shiny handbag adorned with safety pins.

The eyes of the couture world were fixed even more than usual on France’s always-chic capital in recent days, as designers showed off their latest work for Paris Fashion Week after going mostly virtual for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Models wear creations for Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show presented Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

While most of this season’s 97 shows remained online as the country recovers from another wave of COVID-19 infections in the summer, about a third did opt for a physical return to the runway, including industry heavyweights from Chanel and Hermes to Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent.

They chose an eclectic collection of iconic backdrops — alongside the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral and serene Seine River; the tree-lined 16th-century Tuileries Garden in central Paris; the glassy, bulbous orb of La Seine Musicale concert complex. After one show in the fashionable Le Marais district, models strutted into the streets outside to enthusiastic cheers from surprised bystanders.

On hand were thousands of camera-happy onlookers as well as New York fashion editors newly able to cross the Atlantic after pandemic travel restrictions between Europe and the United States were relaxed.

The event also wasn’t lacking for star power, with the likes of Gillian Anderson, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Catherine Deneuve, Roger Federer, Giveon, Vanessa Kirby, Demi Moore and Rosamund Pike making appearances.

French first lady Brigitte Macron joined top officials one evening at the Hotel des Invalides for the showing of a new collection by Italian designer Fabio Porlod featuring female amputees and women who have been injured. The Defense Ministry called the initiative “part of a charity evening whose funds raised will improve the living environment of seriously wounded war victims, victims of attacks and people hospitalized at the National Institution of Invalides.”

Are you looking for a lightweight jacket that gives you a certain amount of coolness? Then you can't avoid the denim jacket! Here you will not only find out where the jacket has its textile roots, but also everything about styling, trends, and care!

What is the denim jacket?

There are now so many different denim jacket models: But what is the denim jacket all about? 

The classic denim jacket is waist or hip length. You will find metal buttons on the patch breast pockets, on the sleeves, and in the middle to close. It has a collar that is folded down. Two longitudinal seams on the front emphasize the figure. Adjustment tabs on the lower collar are also typical.

By the way: denim is actually a cotton blend. The fabric becomes much more durable than your T-shirts with a special weaving technique.

The history of the denim jacket

The denim jacket was originally developed for locomotive drivers. The robust fabric and the wide cut were perfect for the hard work. In 1946 the denim jacket was easily available to the masses for the first time - and started a wild fashion career: Elvis, hippies, rockers - for all of them, the jacket was a symbol of freedom and rebellion. Of course, patches and embellishments could not be missing. In 1967 Levi's designed the "Levi's Strauss Trucker Jacket": New were the longitudinal seams on the front, which emphasize the waist. This finally made the denim jacket a fashion piece that has become an integral part of the fashion world.

How does a denim jacket have to fit?

The classic denim jacket should fit loosely, and the bottom hem should either be tailored or end on the hip. In the meantime, however, the jacket is available in so many different versions that the fit always turns out a little different, anything you like is allowed. However, there is a law on jeans jackets: the bigger and wider the fit, the more casual it looks. So if you want a light jacket for a more chic outfit, choose a classic cut. Otherwise, there are no limits to your styling. 

These are the 6 biggest denim jacket trends

The Classic

Waist-length, loose in the waist with a relaxed fit on the shoulders: the original cut is timeless and just always works. We particularly like the combination of light rock and casual sweater.

Cropped

With this trend, the denim jacket ends at waist height or even directly under the chest. The short version of the denim jacket is particularly cool when the hem is slightly frayed at the bottom. The cut especially emphasizes the middle of the body: You can reinforce the effect by combining a pair of high-waisted pants.

Straight Cut

Wondering what is the difference between this model and the classic denim jacket? The classic denim jacket has a much wider cut at the waist and sleeves. The straight cut plays around the figure more, and you look slimmer. In addition, this rather simple version can really be combined with everything. 

Oversize & Boyfriend

Oversize jackets have been with us for some time now. Of course, there is also the denim jacket in the oversized edition. The trend originated in the 90s. In recent years, hardly anyone has escaped the nostalgia of the 90s vibes in the fashion world.

The boyfriend style is a bit oversized but is trendy as well. The style suggests you are wearing up your significant denim jacket, hence the term “boyfriend” style. 

Black and White

You don't just have a choice when it comes to the cut of the denim jacket: black and white brings color variety to your jacket selections. Another advantage is that you can also wear them on items of clothing that might have been less suitable for the blue color. The outfit looks particularly stylish when the black or white can be found in another piece of clothing.

NEW YORK (AP) — Upscale department store chain Nordstrom is getting into livestream selling, the latest U.S. retailer to jump on the trend that has been already popular in China.

The move, announced Wednesday, is part of the Seattle company’s overall strategy to shift more of its business online.

Nordstrom will kick off its livestreaming channel with a Burberry virtual styling event on Thursday. The presentation will focus on how to wear Burberry runway looks and style them by mixing and matching with other pieces from the collection. On Friday, shoppers can tune in to learn the latest skin care and hair care tips for at-home beauty rituals. And on April 8, customers will learn how to style jewelry. During the livestream selling events, shoppers can buy products and participate in a live chat.

Livestream selling is taking off in the U.S., ushering in a new way for Americans to shop online. Instead of searching for what they want, they pick up their phones, sit back, and click to buy if they like what they see.

“Livestream Shopping enables us to stay closer to the customer with interactive and engaging experiences that allow for discovery, personalization and service at scale,” Fanya Chandler, senior vice president at Nordstrom, wrote in a blog post Wednesday.

This mode of shopping was expected to ring up nearly $5 billion in sales last year and reach $25 billion in 2023, according to retail data firm Coresight Research.

The pandemic is helping to feed the craze. Business owners with closed stores had taken to livestreaming to sell all sorts of items. At the same time, tech companies, including Facebook, Instagram and Amazon, have made it easy for businesses to livestream from their smartphones.

Online shopping giant Amazon has been experimenting with livestreaming for five years, but in 2019, it offered a free app allowing businesses that sell goods on the site to livestream from their smartphones.

______

AP Retail Writer Joseph Pisani in New York contributed to this report. (Associated Press) 

If you’ve been in the olive oil section of the grocery store lately, you’ve likely been confronted with a lot of choices. Possibly even a wall of olive oils, with different symbols on the bottles and a whole lot of brands to choose from.

For most of us, the world of olive oil is a bit of a mystery, and you may find yourself with the same kind of uncertainty you feel in a wine store when contemplating the plethora of bottles lined up.

My friend Ted called me up a while back and asked, “Should I buy the extra virgin olive oil, or should I go with something more experienced?” Yes, the jokes about extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) are easy, but the fact remains: There is a lot of confusion about which olives oils to buy and how to use them.

So let’s get into it. What kind of olive oils should you keep on hand, and which should you use when?

First, let’s dive into the meaning of extra virgin, virgin and pure olive oil.

The term extra virgin, which also might be labeled cold-pressed, refers to oil made from the first pressing or milling of fresh, young, green olives.

According to Vincent Ricchiuti, a fourth-generation farmer in Fresno, California, who founded Enzo Olive Oil, “One of the most important things for quality and freshness is how fast you get the olives from the tree to the mill.” His organic olives go from the tree to bottle within 24 hours.

A variety of olive oils are displayed at a grocery store in Waterbury, Vt. (AP Photo)

The flavor of extra virgin olive oils can range widely. Olives, regions, weather… all affect the taste and quality, just like wine. Good-quality extra virgin olive oils usually have pleasant notes of bitterness, and different oils will have more specific flavor nuances: You may hear yourself using words like peppery, grassy, vegetal, sweet or almondy. The intensity of flavor varies from delicate to assertive, though good extra virgin olive oil should always taste fresh and clean. The color may range from a rich glowing green to golden yellow.

Pure olive oil, which also might be labeled simply olive oil, is a blend of olive oil refined because it doesn’t meet the qualifications of virgin olive oil plus some virgin or extra virgin olive oil, added for flavor and color. This oil is best used for cooking and frying, as its flavor tends to be blander and less nuanced than extra virgin olive oils.

Joseph R. Profaci, executive director of the trade group the North American Olive Oil Association, says, “While extra virgin olive oil is the most prized grade for good reason, we need to keep the door open for consumers to use lower grades of olive oil if that is what fits their taste preferences and budget.

“Home cooks who are accustomed to neutral-flavored, highly refined seed oils but are curious about the potential health benefits of olive oil might want to start with regular olive oil or even light-tasting olive oils. Think of them as a gateway into the category.”

Very good extra virgin olive oil is best used in cold preparations, rather than cooked, to get the most out of its singular flavor. Think about salad dressings, and drizzling over any finished dish, from soups to fish to crostini. If there is a harvest date on the bottle, check that it is from the previous fall’s harvest.

Some cooks hesitate about using good olive oil because of its reputation for having a lower smoke point, the temperature at which it begins to burn. Francesca van Soest, technical sales and marketing manager for Australian-based Cobram Estate, says, “There has been this unsubstantiated rumor that you cannot cook with EVOO because of its smoke point for far too long. If you go to Europe, everyone has been cooking with extra virgin olive oil for millennia, so why do we believe that we can’t here?”

Rolando Beramendi, founder of the California-based Italian food importer Manicaretti, adds, “you just need to be very good friends with your flames” when you cook with olive oil and make sure the temperature doesn’t get too high.

Where to splurge on expensive olive oil and where to economize?

Shop for olive oil at stores with high turnover, so it hasn’t been sitting on the shelf for months. Besides local grocery stores, there are of course online and specialty shops that sell a wide variety of artisanal, small-batch extra virgin olive oils that can be pricy but singular.

“As far as the money you are spending, think about that we are quick to buy a $35 bottle of wine, and drink it in the same meal. But a $35 dollar bottle of olive oil (stored properly), can last for months, so you’re getting more than a good bang for your buck,” says Beramendi.

If you use a lot of olive oil (and dear reader, that would be me), proper storage is less of an issue because you will use it up before its quality really declines. The best way to store olive oil is sealed, in a cool, dark place (if you store your olive oil by the stove, don’t!).

A variety of olive oils are displayed at a grocery store in Waterbury, Vt. (AP Photo)

Some manufacturers bottle their olive oil in dark or even opaque bottles to prevent light from accelerating oxidation of the oil. Light, heat and air are the enemies of stored olive oil. Stored properly, good extra virgin olive oil will last for months, and a more commercially produced one should last for at least a year, though once opened it will start to decline more quickly. If it smells or tastes rancid, toss it.

Quality olive oils come from all over. Italy is one of the most famous producers, but so are Greece, Spain and, in recent decades, California. Good olive oil is also produced in countries as diverse as Australia, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco and Croatia. In Italy alone, Sardinia, Sicily, Umbria, Tuscany, Apulia and Liguria are among the regions revered for their distinctive oils.

Most olive oil-producing regions have third-party verification and accreditation, and Van Soest urges buyers to look for those seals on the bottle to avoid any adulteration or mislabeling of the oil.

The world of flavored olive oils is also robust. Enzo makes two lines: Infused ones are made on a larger scale from a combination of extra virgin olive oil mixed with organic essential oils such as garlic, basil and Meyer Lemon. Then there is the pricier “crush” series, where raw ingredients, such as locally grown clementines and Fresno chilies, are crushed with the olives.

Of course, as with wine, cheese or chocolate, to start to learn about olive oil is to scratch the surface of a deep and ancient food tradition. But just by experimenting a bit, and maybe spending a few extra dollars, you’ll see the delicious results right away.

(Apnews.com)

With nominations set and just over a month until showtime, details are trickling out about the 93rd Oscars and neither sweatshirts nor Zoom made the cut.

“Our plan is that this year’s Oscars will look like a movie, not a television show,” said show producers Jesse Collins, Stacy Sher and Steven Soderbergh in a statement Friday. They’ve enlisted Emmy and Tony Award winning director Glenn Weiss to direct the live broadcast on April 25.

Although considerably scaled down from a normal year, the producers have said they are committed to holding an in-person event at Los Angeles’ Union Station for nominees, presenters and limited guests. There will also be a live component at the Dolby Theatre, which has been home to the Academy Awards since 2001.

But unlike the Golden Globes, which combined in-person and Zoom elements in its bi-coastal broadcast, the Oscars are not making a virtual element possible for nominees who either can’t or don’t feel comfortable attending. The producers said they plan to treat the event like an active movie set with on-site COVID safety teams and testing protocols.

And, yes, they expect attendees to dress up.

We’re aiming for a fusion of Inspirational and Aspirational, which in actual words means formal is totally cool if you want to go there, but casual is really not,” producers said.

The 93rd Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC on April 25 starting at 8 p.m. ET. (via AP)

HONOLULU (AP) — Tourists are traveling to Hawaii in larger numbers than officials anticipated, and many are wandering around Waikiki without masks, despite a statewide mandate to wear them in public.

Hawaii’s “Safe Travels” program reported that about 28,000 people flew into and throughout the islands on Saturday, the highest number of travelers in a single day since the pandemic began, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday.

Before the pandemic, Hawaii had about 30,000 arrivals daily. When quarantine rules were put in place early in the pandemic, arrivals plummeted and the state’s tourism-dependent economy tanked.

In October, state officials launched a pre-travel testing program that allowed visitors to sidestep quarantine rules. But travel remained sluggish until the second week in March, when spring break tourists started arriving in the islands.

Travel company Pleasant Holidays president and CEO Jack Richards told the Honolulu-Star that the agency’s bookings increased 30% over the last two weeks.

“We haven’t seen travel demand for Hawaii this strong for over a year,” Richards said. “I thought we would have a U-shaped recovery; it’s V-shaped. January and February were terrible, but we’ve gone from zero to 150 mph in two weeks.”

Hawaii News Now reported that officials are receiving complaints about visitors not wearing masks. With a few exceptions, people in Hawaii are still required to wear masks while in public.

“I’m a believer that if you’re outdoors, you can remove it,” said Glenn Day, a visitor from Indiana.

Visitors said rules in their home states are different than those in place in Hawaii.

“We carry our masks around and if we walk into an establishment we’ll wear one, and if people look like they’re uncomfortable with us around, we’ll put one on. But otherwise, like I said where we come from, people are really not required to wear them,” Wisconsin visitor Larry Dopke said.

“I’m not wearing one right now, I’m outdoors,” said Todd Hasley who was visiting from Idaho. “Boise city has an indoor mask mandate. The rest of the state has a mask recommendation.”

Some lawmakers expressed concern about a possible backlash from residents.

“I think we’re all going to have to be prepared for a potential surge in tourism,” said Hawaii state Rep. Scott Saiki, a Democrat. “I think we have to be prepared because the public may have a response to a sudden surge.”

Such a reaction could hinder economic recovery.

“Pushing back against tourism is the same thing as telling your neighbor they shouldn’t have a job,” said Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaii’s Economic Research Organization.

Hawaii requires all visitors and returning residents to get negative pre-travel COVID-19 tests before flying to the state to be exempt from the 10-day quarantine rule.

The island of Kauai has additional measures that will be in place until April 5. All visitors to Kauai must either spend three days on another island or quarantine at a county-approved resort for three days and then get second, post-arrival tests.

Violating the state’s coronavirus mandates, which are outlined in Hawaii Gov. David Ige’s latest emergency proclamation, is a misdemeanor that is punishable by up to a $5,000 fine, a year in prison, or both.

Each island county’s police are responsible for enforcing the rules. Messages from The Associated Press seeking comment from the Honolulu Police Department regarding enforcement of mask rules in Waikiki was not immediately returned.

Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, said in an email that the city recently put up banners throughout Waikiki reminding people to wear masks and remain socially distanced.

“These banners provide a tool to help Honolulu Police officers do their jobs in gaining compliance with COVID-19 rules,” Sakahara said. “The majority of residents and visitors are compliant with the rule or are cooperative when informed of it.”

However, some residents have also opposed wearing masks. Two people were arrested and two others were cited during a weekend anti-mask rally in Waikiki.

Hawaii has had among the lowest rates of confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — Regal Cinemas, the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S., will reopen beginning April 2, its parent company, Cineworld Group, announced Tuesday.

Regal had been one of most notable holdouts in the gradual reopening of cinemas nationwide. For nearly half a year, its 7,211 screens and 549 theatres in the U.S. have been dark. Doors will open early next month with attendance limited to 25% to 50% capacity in about 500 locations.

Cineworld also agreed to a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Beginning next year, the studio’s releases will have a 45-day exclusive window at Regal cinemas, roughly slicing in half the traditional period. That doesn’t apply to Warner releases this year, which are streaming simultsneously on HBO Max when they open in theaters.

We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros.” said Mooky Greidinger, chief executive of Cineworld. “This agreement shows the studio’s commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100-year relationship with Warner Bros.”

Regal’s April 2 reopening coincides with the release of Warner Bros.′ “Godzilla vs. Kong.”

The agreement is the latest in a reordering of the theatrical marketplace —sea change accelerated by the pandemic but viewed as long-in-coming by some analysts given the rise in streaming services.

Universal Pictures last November agreed to deals with AMC and Cinemark — the first- and third-largest chains — to shrink the theatrical window to 17 days, or three weekends. Greidinger at the time said the company didn’t see “any business sense” in that model.

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday said it would release several of its largest upcoming films, including the Marvel movie “Black Widow” simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+.

In the United Kingdom, where Cineworld is targeting a May reopening, the Warner agreement shortens the theatrical window to 31 days but can be extended to 45 days if a film reaches a certain box-office threshold.

About half of North American theaters were open as of last week, according to data firm Comscore. In the past few weeks, theaters have been allowed to reopen in New York and Los Angeles — the two largest U.S. markets — for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

“With capacity restrictions expanding to 50% or more across most U.S. states, we will be able to operate profitably in our biggest markets,” said Greidinger.