natyu

Every year, the Colombian city of Cali hosts a 'bio-fashion' show featuring environmentally-friendly creations made from fruit, leaves, flowers etc. The aim is to promote eco awareness and allow designers to let loose their creativity.

And these aren't just regular clothes with a few fruits and branches stitched on for effect -- even shoes made from twigs and flowers are displayed! We take a look at the 2010 instalment, plus some desi outfits closer to home that have followed the same principle in recent years.

These clothes are truly are "fresh”... so fresh that you probably do not want to keep in your closet too long. So fresh they will wilt and eventually disintegrate over time. What are we talking about? The Bio Fashion show in Cali, Colombia, featured gorgeous pieces for men and women that were made from leaves and flowers.

I love origami. It is a fun and enjoyable art form and can expand the world for many people in different ways.

Origami is the ancient paper folding technique from Japan. It is widely used around the world today as an art form, simple decoration, a design model for technology and architecture, and overall one of the best gifts for anyone of any age.

When I was much younger, I was a very shy child and it was difficult for me to make friends or even stand out in class among other more social children. One thing that helped me get out of my shell was origami. I would just sit quietly folding different origami models that I learned from my father.  Once a model was done, I would place it on my desk and start another one.  The one folded paper object was enough to grab the curiosity of some children and from there, new friendships were made.  The other children would ask me what I was doing and even request certain objects, and I would show how to make certain things like 3D tulips or cranes.

The Mandarin traditional attire, Qipao, known also as The Cheongsam, is an offshoot from the conventional dresses of the minority Manchu ethnic people in China. In fact in the good olden days, it meant lengthy gowns usually adorned by the Manchurian and Mongols.

During the Qing Dynasty of 17th Century, the Chinese traditional dress had lengthy gowns without collars, having narrower cuffs which looked like the hoof of a horse. The buttons flowed down along the front left, having 4 slits and a tight-fitting waist. Usually people used to roll up cuffs, and bring it down only when they were on expeditions like battles or hunting. Chinese winters are severe and the cuff served well to give protection from cold weather. On each side left and right and front and back, the gowns came equipped with slits reaching knees. Since the dress was fitted tight to your body, with a waistband to tighten it, the lengthy dress was able to even carry food and utensils within it while hunting. Importantly Manchu Qipao was worn with a waist coat which had various options like front buttons, or twisted fronts or fronts appearing like a lute. ?

If you like castles, you'll love Germany, for Germany has castles the way Venice has canals, or Norway has fjords, or the Napa Valley has wineries. There are literally scores of them, virtually in every German state and seemingly on every other hilltop, especially along the river Rhine. There are schlosses, which are essentially castles or palaces, and there are burgs, which are castles or fortresses; and then there are festungs, quite simply, fortresses.
Here are ten of the most famous German castles, the must-sees, the "great castles" of Germany.

1. Schloss Neuschwanstein
Schloss Neuschwanstein is perhaps the most picturesque, the most recognizable of Germany's great castles. This is the one that inspired the magical castle at Disneyland, the one with interiors that resemble scenes from Wagnerian operas. Perched high on a hill in an alpine setting in Schwangau, along Northern Bavaria's Romantic Road, the castle follows a distinctly Romanesque style.
Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany is commonly known as "New Swan Stone Castle" is regarded as one of the most beautiful castles in Germany plus famous castles in Germany.

If you think you are pure gothic then I really want you to realize that nothing is wrong with whom you are.  The fact that you are different from other groups of people you might know does not mean that you are living in a wrong way, or that you are a weird person.

As a gothic person you are a very special and wonderful human being. There is no one else in this world just like you.  Gothic and punk things are wonderful expressions of personality.  In fact it is good and even better not being a causal person like all the other people in this world. A gothic person is standing alone against the crowd seeking to be unique and this is an amazing thing. People who chose to be gothic made a very special choice in their life. However they have to pay a social price for it, it is like the price tag on new gothic clothing. Sometimes you might feel loneliness and so different from the other people that you will come up with the question: why I need it? Won't it be so much easy to just be a regular person like every other else?