Munira Fidai

It is not uncommon for parents of young children to wish their children would grow up faster and not need their parents quite as much, especially after his fourth public meltdown, or on her third consecutive nightmare interruption in a night. However, here’s presenting the biggest contradiction of them all: parents miss this connection when it’s gone. Mothers, especially those whose children have hit puberty or flown out of the nest, often feel the absence of this kind of connection much more acutely than others because they have understood how fleeting it is.

Length, sleeve and neck; there is a lot to play around with when it comes to the nifty kaftan. V-necks, or boat necks, squared or ballooned sleeves, long kameezes or shorter resort wear, the kaftan enhances any chosen style. The loose cut of the garment makes ventilation possible, and this attribute makes it one of the top choices of attire for those living in hotter climates. Comfortable to boot, women have been known to be partial to kaftans as sleepwear too!

There is much on the Internet regarding puberty and its effects on girls. Not enough has been said about its effects on boys, however, even though it is just as hard becoming an adult male. For those raising boys, especially, this can be a truly daunting time as puberty catches them off guard and a parent is never fully prepared to see the changes that transform their innocent, often needy little boy into a sullen, outspoken teen.

In the news recently for her botched Botox and badly filled lips, Donna Donatella Versace is far more than just a ruined facial surgery. Behind the droopy eyes, undefined lips, deceptively smooth forehead and lifted brows is an indomitable force that serves as the creative mind at the fashion house, Versace.

Call it a post-COVID phenomenon or a general obsession over the ins and outs of celebrities’ lives, people have started exhibiting weirdly obsessive curiosity regarding celebrity hygiene. Milena Markovna, better known as Mila Kunis is one such celebrity who has been in the limelight recently for what some may call ‘oversharing’.

All dream vacations have a beach run. On the one hand are popular holiday beach destinations that are economical to travel to and at the same time, somewhat clean and safe, and on the other, are those that are less popular but infinitely more beautiful. Here are 5 picks that are a whole different ball game — or shall we say beach ball game — altogether.

Petite fashion in Dhaka can be aptly termed as the shortest horror story ever, pun intended. Options are either not there or are very selectively available. As a result, a slight framed woman has to spend a lot of time and money either looking for trendy things in her size, or altering regular sized clothing to her desired length. Thankfully however, fashion experts have a handful of tips and tricks that can save the day and even steal the show, when used effectively.

Lady Diana was known to wear some truly colourful and daring clothes. During her lifetime, the princess wore plenty of designer wear such as Versace, Armani, Chanel, Dior, Gucci and Clarks. However, none garnered the kind of attention as a bold, black number that came to ever after be known as the ‘revenge dress.’

The supermodel recently divulged the contents of her handbag in her newest interview with British Vogue. From it, she pulled out a host of different paraphernalia, all of them essentials, at least to the lifestyle of a supermodel. Empty candy wrappers, grocery receipts, tangled earphones, and a forgotten tube of drugstore lipstick — these are some of the things one would find in their bag on any given day, right? Not Kate Moss. Her luxury sack contains a bottle of her favourite fragrance, and a skincare tool she calls her very own face gym, among other things!

How beds are shared in a particular culture says a lot about their customs, environmental conditions, values, and material wealth. Besides, who you share your bed with can determine the quality and the amount of sleep that you get, yet another testimony to the fact that sleeping patterns are as much a cultural factor as they are biological.

Adaptive clothing makes getting dressed and staying in the garments easy for people with a diverse range of needs. The community for people with disability is very wide and therefore designers must prioritise comfort and convenience over almost anything else for this genre of clothing. Thanks to technology and assistance from members of their target market, inclusive designers are now able to not only make functional clothes for the wearer; but also help their personality shine through their clothes.

Feel it or not, fall is here. And with the new season, TAAGA is here with its fresh tie-and-dye prints and snazzy designs. Keeping the hide-and-seek mood of the sun and clouds in mind, the brand’s collection is both summer-friendly and easy on the eyes, a perfect amalgamation of comfort and joyfully creative style. Dyes have been an indispensable part of TAAGA for as long as one can remember and the brand has routinely played it up with colours, prints and cuts that are experimental, playful and bold in equal measure. This time around, the creative minds behind the lively brand have worked with refreshing festive, vibrant, and soothing colours and patterns at the core of the TAAGA fall offering, in cuts that are both simple and unconventional.

Most of motherhood that is glorified — the process of giving birth, breastfeeding, the sleepless nights — is visible. What if we say that this is only the tip of the iceberg? The invisible and infinitely more extensive workload frequently goes unseen by the world and is most often, the root cause of why mothers feel tired all the time. We call it the mental load and all mothers can relate.

Children will test your patience in more ways than one, and on more days than one. They will squabble, irritate others, eat more sweets than necessary, get terrified of doctors and darkness, and so on and so forth. And for all these diverse problems under the sky, parents have but one solution: lecture. But is having a lecture for each incident all that handy? Research says, storytelling is a better option.

Imagine loving a baby to bits, being able to spoil them rotten but then having the liberty to hand their squalling faces to parents and breeze a carefree goodbye — sounds enviable? Because it is. Sometimes, it truly seems as if aunts have the best of both worlds. With all the fun but without the daily mundane responsibilities, aunts are the first links for children between family and the real world.

Pop icon Kim Kardashian posted before and after pictures of her contouring trick one decade ago, and the makeup world is still thanking her. The stage makeup technique has been a good friend to artists all over the world, and now, hairstylists have come up with hair contouring methods, which aim to define facial contours with tactically placed highlights and colouring techniques. What’s more, there’s one for each face shape so there’s room on the bandwagon for everyone.

A new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine has found that doing both aerobics, up to three hours a week, and strength training, up to two sessions a week can result in lower mortality risks and better overall health than doing just one or the other. Regular physical exercise has plenty of health benefits, one of which is a longer life. Until now, most research showed that regular cardio or strength training interchangeably was the key to cardiac health, but recently, more and more experts are waking up to the benefits of pairing the two together for maximum longevity and health.

Florals and geometric patterns have ruled fashion charts for a reason. Worn short, mid length or long, the prints are versatile and can be styled easily. Think of jumpsuits with floral flounces, one-shouldered midi dresses in polka dots, strapless short numbers or long and breezy dresses in soft layers — the summer friendly motifs make almost everything look a little bit better.

In an age of hyper-consumerism, it is easy to get carried away buying too much of everything. If you are a parent, your child’s sweet requests often also have a part to play in filling the toy basket much more than intended at the monthly supermarket run. However, offering children fewer toys, rather than spoiling them for choice, has definitive benefits in the long run.

Long-COVID brain fog, mum brain or work burnout — there are quite a few reasons in today’s world that can bring intelligence levels to a drop. If left in that state, the mind, just like a person, can become lethargic and unwilling to get back to its original sheen. For a growth-oriented individual, low smarts could also mean a slowdown in their career. Fortunately, there are a number of ways one can constantly challenge their mind and keep it alert and focused.