Having been on the receiving end of flu symptoms for nearly a week, I figured I was more than qualified to write about this sobering epidemic. Sitting in my home office (still out of work), I’m taking a few minutes to write…in between the mindless hacking that has wreaked havoc on my skull, as well as crushed my ribcage. Yes, that would be the “cough” that comes at the tail end of flu virus. As if you hadn’t already endured days of high fevers, aches, and pains, you now feel as if you’re chest has now accumulated 3 gallons of toxic mucous that you’ll never get rid of. Try as you might, it becomes clear that this stuff must be taking an extended vacation in your lungs. Seemingly similar to pine sap, this sticky substance refuses to give up it’s room in the 5 star hotel it’s using for the duration of it’s luxury getaway.

We have a cure for almost anything that ails you, but with all the billions spent on medical research, we still have not figured out a way to combat the Flu. Ok, I’ll admit that we do have flu shots which may or may not work, and we have some new anti-virals on the market that cut the duration of these flu symptoms for a median average of 1 day. One day? This would mean that everyone with the flu would have to get out of bed, go out into public with those that aren’t yet infected, and see a doctor to be prescribed a $10/piece pill that will reduce your symptoms by 1 day. Now you’ve infected 10 other people in the process. The flu costs this country more each year in lost wages/workforce layouts than any other medical illness. Not to mention, we are now shutting down our public schools when over 10% of the schools population has been infected with the “bug.” Even the “special pill” requires a doctor’s signature to get your 10 day cycle. Why not make these little pills readily available without a prescription so we don’t have to jump through hoops for that 1 good day we’re going to have. I would be confident in saying that the majority of those infected are the ones that ended up at their doc’s front door looking for these meds. Common sense tells us to stay as far way from your doctor’s office when an epidemic hits. And if you were one of the fortunate ones that didn’t get it from your Dr’s office, I’d love to know what super secret hand sanitizer you used, because if the flu comes a knockin’ on me next season, I’ll be brushing my teeth with the stuff.

Just a quick note from the customer service department at CB’s Limited:

It is barely half way into prom season and we are already receiving complains about other retailers taking money and not delivering, canceling orders after two months, shipping incorrect merchandise/not taking it back, and sites selling “knock offs” of designer brands.

Be smart when buying online, whether it be formal wear, electronics, books or cd’s. Look for a phone number and physical street address from the place you are buying from. Would you buy something if you could not get in touch with the person selling it? If you can not find these two simple things, something is wrong. It does not matter how reputable the site may look, if you can not contact them, chances are you are going to have a bad experience. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is also a good indicator of a reputable company, so look for the logo on sites you shop, and click it to verify that the business is legitimate. We hope this helps, and happy shopping out there!

Is this the hottest little girls pageant dress in the country?! According to Tiffany, it is! We noticed traffic pick up on style 3407 starting mid-January when a bunch of southern pageants were announced. And it has certainly lived up to expectations. Expect to see more unique layered colors like Key West (pictured), South Beach, and Miami one showing up nationwide. We have also heard that Tiffany has increased production on the girls line due to higher demand. So be sure to check back on the site for new dresses which should be added over the summer.

There are more and more e-commerce sites popping up for Prom dresses every day. Those of you browsing the web to search for that special dress for your upcoming prom are having a tougher time knowing who is a legitimate and trusted retailer. We have all heard horror stories of customers being sent copies of popular styles, or even having a retailer take payment and never send the customer the item(s) they ordered. As retailers, we would often hear that a potential customer called a particular vendor of ours to “check” our credentials. Many of retailers in the industry realized that shopping for a Prom dress should not be such a “scary” ordeal. Realizing this, an association of trusted Prom retailers was formed to help give the public confidence in the prom buying process. The Prom Websites Association is a growing group of valued retailers in the Prom and formal wear industry. The retailers on the list must pass a strict set of rules before being approved as a member of the association. All members must have been in business AT LEAST 5 years (most have been in business over 10 years), and must have a “brick and mortar” establishment that accepts walk in customers. Other mandatory criteria included below:

Membership Criteria
Websites must:

• Be authorized dealers of the designers they sell on their website
• Be a member of BBB (Better Business Bureau) online
• Use Scan Alert or similar hacker prevention
• Have an SSL certificate
• Use Secure Server to process credit cards
• Allow customers to place online orders
• Allow customers to speak to a customer service representative by phone
• Sell new, authentic merchandise
• Provide customers with a delivery timeframe in accordance with their special event wear date
• Provide a tracking number for their shipment
• Have a physical store
• Have been in business a minimum of 5 years
• Be in good standing with their wholesalers and customers
• Complete the application process and be accepted by the association

Members that fall below this criterion or who have credible complaints are removed.

The designers of the Bravo channel’s Project Runway may have met their match…16-year-old girls! In episode seven of the fourth season, (New) Jersey Prom-goers were allowed to review the designers’ portfolios and then choose the designer that could most closely reflect their personal style.

The challenge proved to be just that for Christian Siriano. The 22-year-old from Baltimore was paired up with a fiesty, outspoken and opinionated (wait, she sounds just like Christian!) teenie bopper. The end result landed Christian in the bottom two, but proved to be good enough to earn him another week on the runway. However, Kevin Christina’s creation did not.

The judges said Kevin’s short, red, halter dress was ‘cheap’ looking and the unfinished hem bothered Michael Kors, who also commented that the dress looked matronly. Poor Kevin is sent packing just weeks before the anticipated Fashion Week. Other disappointments included Rami Kashou’s olive green gown, deemed too old-fashioned for his client. And Ricky Lizalde’s ruched, beige cocktail dress was sloppy to the judges, who also thought the color choice was poor.

And the winners are…Sweet P didn’t really seem to connect with her client, but in the end she made some executive decisions about the color of the outfit and she came out in the top three! Sweet P and Victorya Hong both created sophisticated and elegant looks, sure to please teen girls and the fashion world alike. Victorya was named the winner of this challenge, designing a vibrant blue mini-dress with a bejeweled neckline. The judges said the gown was very modern and an excellent exhibition of her abilities.

Overall, the judges weren’t wowed by any of the prom designs. They usually have a top three, this week they barely scraped up a top two with Sweet P and Victorya. The prom industry is a vicious one! This challenge seemed to bring all the designers back down to earth, even if only for a moment!

You’ve seen them strut down the runway in barely-there lingerie or designer clothing, with all eyes fixed on their 20 inch waists and seamless physiques, but why this line of work? Why would these women choose to subject themselves to rigorous workouts, insane diets and not to mention to cruel criticisms from the rest of the world? For the fame? Maybe. For the fortune? Definitely! It is estimated that Victoria’s Secret model, Gisele raked in over $15 million in 2005 alone!

Forbes Magazine ranks Gisele as the highest paid model in the industry, followed by model turned reality show host Heidi Klum. The 34-year-old has really accelerated her career with the hit designer reality series, Project Runway. The show is in its fourth season and ratings are better than ever. Forbes estimates that Klum makes more than $7 million per year.

Also on the list are Tyra Banks, Kate Moss and Adriana Lima. At an estimated $6 million per year,Tyra Banks has her hand in just about everything. Though her modeling career was officially put to rest, Banks is producer and host of her own talk show and she has three more projects in the works including a made-for-tv movie. Kate Moss made an estimated $5 million and last is Lima with an estimated $4.5 million.

For those of you that haven’t been to prom yet, CB’s has written a short guide to get you familiarized with planning for that special night. Our prom planning tips guide will help you get up to speed and make your pre-prom planning a lot easier.