The Return of the Lady & the Gentleman, with Some Proper Cocktails Thrown in. Also, Extreme Bags. Some Fashion & Style Trends Spotted by Najwa Moses of Styleaholics & The In List Videopodcast. FASHIONTRIBES TREND BLOG & PODCAST

PODCAST - The Return of the Lady & the Gentleman, with Some Proper Cocktails Thrown in. Also, Extreme Bags. Some Fashion & Style Trends Spotted by Najwa Moses of Styleaholics & The In List Videopodcast. FASHIONTRIBES TREND BLOG & PODCAST - MP3 File

Najwa Moses, the exceptional NYC stylista & star of The In List Videopodcast on Styleaholics.com - humorous, cross-cultural, in-your-face edgy'tainment from happening spots around Gotham, and interesting & offbeat interviews with groovy types - noticed these trends recently:

EXOTIC DESTINATIONS "Everyone is taking exotic and extreme vacations. I know someone going to the Phillipines, South Africa, Costa Rica, a sweating farm new age thing, and even someone going to Japan to teach for a year. Everyone's going all over the place and exploring the world." Why this sudden wanderlust? Naj is of the opinion that part of it is youth - being young, single, unattached makes it a good time to head for points unknown. The other reason is a deeper social trend. "It probably started with 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami - everyone is much more aware of the world as global place. Instead of being closed up, people want to really explore other cultures, foods, and people."

EXTREME BAGS From the teensiest iPod case to giant totes, cool kids are opting for extreme baggage that's anything but moderate. "There are these really really tiny bags for ipods and phones with fun patterns like geometrics, and then there are these really huge, huge bags - in all shapes: hobo, satchel, shoulder, and suitcase pieces. And what's different is that girls are wearing huge bags out at night. You didn't see that before."

LADIES & GENTLEMEN Unisex ain't all that at present. "Now it's about the return of the lady and the gentleman. Women are wearing dresses, heels, and flowers in hair. Men wearing suits, vests, even in the hip hop world. It's in everything from clothing, to how you wear you hair, even to using clean language."

MAKE MINE A PROPER COCKTAIL A chocolate martini? Please. Cosmo? Hell no. "People don't want flavored martinis anyone. They're ordering different types of retro drinks like white wine spritzers, mango smoothies with rum, fun fruity drinks, and older classics but with a new twist like a Jack & coke, but the coke is vanilla coke." She's also noticed people ordering staples of the classic cocktail era such as Sidecars and Highballs. As an offshoot of the return of the lady & gentleman, Naj theorizes that ordering cocktails, and the resurgence of bar culture in general is a sign of a new maturity. "It comes with age, and with it, you want to order something adult & enjoy a cocktail."

THE LATEST IN-LIST Look for the newest episode to drop bright and early on Tuesday, July 11th. The clues for this week's show: tune in to find out what musical performance, artists that haven't yet hit the mainstream, and alternative music have in common. Check it out at Styleaholics.com

- Lesley Scott

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