How to Style Maxi Dresses

How to Style Maxi Dresses

 

Maxi dresses have become a seasonal summer staple. Pretty, versatile and suitable for almost every body, maxi dresses transform easily from a daytime beachy cover-up to a glamorous formal shift. Maxi dresses are long, flowing dresses that usually hit between the mid-calf to ankle region of the leg. The choice of color, pattern, fabric and accessories will help you style your maxi dress appropriately

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Maxi dress
• Accessories

Suggest Edits

1. • 1
     Choose a suitable fabric. Cotton dresses are the most comfortable and will create a casual look that is perfect for hot summer days. Choose a dressier fabric such as silk or diaphanous material for a formal, evening look.
   • 2
     Pick a color or pattern. When choosing a pattern, standard fashion rules apply. Horizontal stripes will make you appear wider, while vertical stripes will give you a taller silhouette. TheChicFashionista.com recommends choosing a solid color for styling ease. With a solid color, you are free to accessorize and personalize the look to suit your style. A solid black maxi dress is a blank canvas to personalize for both day and night.
   • 3
     Choose a more fitted maxi dress if you have a petite body shape. A petite frame can often look dwarfed in a long, flowing maxi dress. Instead of a flowing shape, choose a maxi dress that is fitted to the body. An A-line style dress is a good choice for petite women.
   • 4
     Accessorize your look. Anything goes when it comes to accessorizing a maxi dress. A solid color allows you more freedom to play with earrings, necklaces, shoes, belts and wrist wear. A popular trend for maxi dresses is a long, tribal-inspired necklace worn with chunky wrist bangles. Gladiator sandals, espadrille wedges and open-toed heels are all popular choices for maxi dress footwear.

 

 

 

The Best Places to Live in Australia

The Best Places to Live in Australia

 

 

Australia is made up of six states and two territories: Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. The total population of Australia is about 22 million in fall 2009 and is mainly concentrated along the coast. Because of its hot summers, mild winters and miles of beaches, Australia is commonly perceived as one of the best places in the world to live.

Related Searches:

1. Big Cities

   • Chinese New Year in Melbourne, Victoria

     In Mercer Consulting's annual Quality of Living survey, Australian cities consistently rank in the top 30. This survey is based on a number of factors, including life expectancy, safety, Gross Domestic Product and international relations.
     Despite its notoriety, Sydney is not the capital of Australia. That title belongs to Canberra, which rarely appears on "best of" lists when it comes to Australian cities. However, there's no denying that Sydney is the superstar of Australia, ranking 10th in Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living survey. With a population in 2009 of more than 4 million, nearly 1/5th of Australians call Sydney home. Besides being a hub for business and tourism, Sydney is famous for its beautiful beaches, such as Bondi, Coogee and Manly.
     Threatening to eclipse Sydney's fame is Melbourne, which ranked 18th in the Mercer survey. As the capital of Victoria, Melbourne's 2009 population is nearly as large as Sydney's, at 3.9 million. Melbourne is known for its cafe culture, boutique shops and vibrant arts scene. It is considered by some to be the nation's sporting capital and has experienced significant growth in population and employment.
     The coastal city of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, lies 1,700 miles west. Perth ranked 21st in the survey and is the hub for business and government for the whole western side of the continent. In 2009, Perth had a population of 1.5 million. As a result of its location in the isolated west coast, it has more jobs on offer than other cities in the area.
     The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2009 Liveability survey also issues an annual list of the world's best cities; the EIU ranked Melbourne 3rd, Perth tied for 5th, and Sydney tied for 9th.

   Small Towns

   • Esperance, Western Australia

     "Australian Traveller" magazine conducted a survey to find the 100 best towns in Australia. A short list of 300 towns, all with a population of less than 45,000 as of 2009, was whittled down to the top 100. The final results were chosen by a panel of 12 people, all with different preferences, all having seen most of Australia.
     When it comes to small towns, Yamba, New South Wales, is representative of what the Australian coast has to offer. Contrary to the beaches of Sydney, where you have to arrive early to claim your bit of sand, the 11 beaches of Yamba are uncrowded. Perhaps this is why Yamba was chosen as number one. According to Yamba's official website, it has a wide selection of local businesses and arts events and prides itself on its "village feel."
     The "Australian Traveller" number two pick is Esperance, Western Australia, described by the magazine as being "insanely beautiful." It has arguably the most spectacular coastline in all of Australia and a Mediterranean-type climate to boot, as stated by the Visit Esperance website.
     Rounding up the magazine's top three is Port Douglas, in tropical north Queensland. One hour north of major city Cairns, Port Douglas is well-situated for access to the Great Barrier Reef, with a marina, rain forest habitat and plenty of beaches to choose from

Australia still the best place to live

Australia still the best place to live 

Australia still the best place to live

 

AUSTRALIA and Canada dominate the top ten most liveable cities in the world, according to a new index revealed today.

Vancouver, host of the Winter Olympics, topped the latest annual survey by The Economist.

It scored 98 out of 100 on a comparison of stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment.

Canada's Toronto and Calgary also scored, while Australia had four cities in the top 10 - Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranked 140 cities on 30 factors - such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education - using research involving resident experts and its own analysts.

Los Angeles ranked at 47, New York at 56 and London took 54th position.

Zimbabwe's capital Harare scored as the world's worst city, with a rating of 37.5.

Top ten cities were: 1. Vancouver 2. Vienna 3. Melbourne 4. Toronto 5. Calgary 6. Helsinki 7. Sydney 8. Perth 9. Adelaide 10. Auckland

Bottom ten cities were: 1. Harare 2. Dhaka 3. Algiers 4. Port Moresby 5. Lagos 6. Karachi 7. Douala 8. Kathmandu 9. Colombo 10. Dakar

100 Best Towns in Australia

100Best Towns in Australia

Click the links below to check out each 100 Best Towns entry: 

Towns 1-50

Towns 51-100

Yamba NSW Esperance WA Port Douglas QLD Broome WA Port Fairy VIC Beechworth VIC Byron Bay NSW Apollo Bay VIC Strahan TAS Margaret River WA South West Rocks NSW Bright VIC Alice Springs NT Lorne VIC Mallacoota VIC Hahndorf SA Burnt Pine, Norfolk Island Mission Beach QLD Daylesford VIC Noosa QLD Portsea VIC Bowral NSW Fremantle WA Kangaroo Valley NSW Broken Hill NSW Nelson Bay NSW Bellingen NSW Leura NSW Queenscliff VIC Mudgee NSW Mossman QLD Jindabyne NSW Katherine NT Airlie Beach QLD Echuca VIC Angaston SA Mataranka NT Coffin Bay SA Robe SA Tilba Tilba NSW Swansea TAS Seal Rocks NSW Pokolbin NSW Cooktown QLD Port Lincoln SA Longreach QLD Silverton NSW Huskisson NSW Streaky Bay SA Penola SA

Jabiru NT Stanley TAS Lightning Ridge NSW Merimbula NSW Albany WA Marysville VIC Tamworth NSW Clare SA Birdsville QLD Bermagui NSW Richmond TAS Coral Bay WA Denmark WA Atherton QLD Picnic Bay QLD Seventeen Seventy QLD Mollymook NSW Rutherglen VIC Coober Pedy SA Karumba QLD Nguiu Settlement NT Tamborine Mountain QLD Mt Gambier SA Kuranda QLD Dorrigo NSW Walhalla VIC Mildura VIC Berry NSW Eumundi QLD Exmouth WA Dunkeld VIC Parachilna SA Sofala NSW Tumut NSW Ross TAS Augusta WA Kingscote SA William Creek SA Wisemans Ferry NSW Halls Gap VIC Hervey Bay QLD Derby WA Bridport TAS Wollombi NSW Evans Head NSW Adelaide River NT Nain WA Kalgoorlie WA Eagle Bay WA Deloraine TAS

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About the 100 Best Towns in Australia

Here at Australian Traveller, we’re very lucky to be able to get out and see much of the country. But everywhere we’re asked the same question: what is our favourite town? Everyone here has a different opinion. So, for our fourth birthday, and the fourth of our popular “100 Things” editions, we set out to answer that much-debated question. Which is the Best Town in Australia? And boy, did we open up a can of worms.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How else can you explain the mullet, the Hypercolour T-shirt or the Kia Sportage? For some people, the perfect town is a largely untouched seaside hamlet. For others it’s anywhere with a quintessential outback pub full of hard-living characters. So we decided to simplify things a bit. We created a shortlist of around 300 towns we liked, all with a population of less than 45,000 – some with fewer than 50. We then created a Judging Panel of 12 people who’d been there and seen almost all of Australia. We made sure they represented different tastes; we had fashionistas, grumpy old men, sports nuts, tourism industry experts, travel writers, and even some well-travelled normal people. That would keep the research experts happy.

But then we had to ask the right question of our panellists. So we made it very simple and open. “Regardless of where the town is located, would you recommend a good friend drive an hour out of their way specifically to visit this town?” They then gave each town a rating, and added a few suggestions of their own. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, we totalled the votes and came up with a list.

Then we poured ourselves a stiff drink. A strange thing had happened. Places that polarised opinion didn’t do as well as places that had mass appeal across all demographics – Byron Bay, for example, had as many fans as detractors – but by the end we had an amazing list. That’s right. The best town in Australia is not Beechworth, Margaret River or Strahan. It’s Yamba. That’s right, Yamba. And we are willing to make a small wager that you didn’t think the best town in Australia was Yamba. Or that the second best was Esperance.

But once we poured ourselves a few more stiff drinks, it started to make sense. Esperance is utterly beguiling. It is a magnificent place. And so is Yamba. And that’s the key. These top towns often have highly commercialised neighbours, much in the public eye. But they also have that “X" factor. They are unique, they are still beautiful, but they are often hidden gems.

So the question has been answered. We asked our experts to recommend to their friend the top places to take some time out on their next trip. And Australian Traveller is the travellers’ friend.

As always, we recognise that a project of this nature is open to debate, and we welcome it. So if your favourite town isn’t here, whether you’re from Bathurst, Bowen or Busselton, let us know via editor@australiantraveller.com and tell us where we got it wrong. We’d love to hear from you.
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Canada - The World's Best Country to Live in

Canada - The World's Best Country to Live in

Canada - The World's Best Country to Live in

Vancouver is Third in World in Annual Quality of Life Survey

Vancouver ranked third overall in the 2005 annual "Quality of Life Survey", published by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. This year's score matches Vancouver's previous score in the 2004 Quality of Life survey.

Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland were tied for first place with scores of 106.5. Vancouver's score was 106, which tied it with Vienna, Austria. Other Canadian cities, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal , and Calgary took 14th, 20th, 22nd and 25th place, respectively.

All five Canadian cities in the survey were praised for their relatively high levels of "personal safety and security" and for being in a politically stable country, according to a report from CBC News (see below).

• Vancouver 3rd in world in quality of life survey
  CBC News, March 14, 2005
• World-wide quality of life survey
  Mercer Human Resource Consulting, March 14, 2005

For almost a decade (up to the year 2001), Canada was ranked number one among 175 countries in the United Nation's Quality of Life survey.

Canada still manages to maintain a relatively high standard today. According to the 2004 UN Human Development Index, Canada was ranked fourth overall. (Read detailed 2004 information on Canada from the United Nations web site.)

What is the United Nations Human Development Index?

The United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) examines the health, education and wealth of each nation's citizens by measuring:

• life expectancy
• educational achievement -- adult literacy plus combined primary,
• secondary and tertiary enrolment; and standard of living -- real GDP per capita based on PPP exchange rates.

The UN also computes a Gender-Related Development Index that extends the HDI to take into account gender differences in the ranking criteria. Canada ranks well in this category: 2nd in 2002, 1st in 1997, and 2nd in 1996.

Canada has the best educated people and the highest literacy rate in the world. Canadians live longer than anyone on the planet, except people in Japan and Iceland.

Vancouver, the best city in the Americas

In a similar vein, the Geneva-based Corporate Resources Group compares more that one hundred major international cities in their annual 'quality of life' survey. Rankings are compiled by using 42 factors covering political and economic stability, crime, pollution, health, environment, education, infrastructure and leisure facilities.

In 2004, Condé Nast Traveler magazine voted Vancouver the "Best City in the Americas" at its annual Readers' Choice Awards ceremony held in New York. Vancouver won the top spot over Victoria and Quebec City.

What the UN says about Vancouver

• In the 1996 UN HDI Survey, Geneva placed first, but Canadian cities were well represented. In particular, the five Canadian cities surveyed all placed in the top 13: Vancouver (2), Toronto (4), Ottawa (6), Montreal (8), Calgary (13).

1996 U.N. Global Glimpse of Human Development
Top 10	Bottom 10
1. Canada	165. Central African Republic
2. Norway	166. Mali
3. United States	167. Eritrea
4. Japan	168. Guinne-Bissan
5. Belgium	169. Mozambique
6. Sweden	170. Burandi
7. Australia	171. Burkina Faso
8. Netherlands	172. Ethiopia
9. Iceland	173. Niger
10. United Kingdom	174. Sierra Leone

best place in to live in canada

best place in to live in canada

best place in to live in canada

Why Vancouver is the best place to live in Canada

According to the London based Economist Group of Economist magazine fame, Vancouver is not only the best place to live in Canada but is actually the best city in the world to live in. There are many organizations that rate the best place to live, but the Economist ranks high on both the internet and through its internationally distributed print media.

The Economist also ranked 111 countries. There are, no doubt, a few curious souls wondering what flags fly over the unfortunate 110th and 111th places. I’ll give you a hint; I don’t want to slander other statehoods but if you have a company transfer sending you to Haiti or Zimbabwe you may want to reconsider your corporate allegiance. 

Interestingly, though the Economist ranked Vancouver as the top city worldwide, they only ranked Canada in the top 15 of nations. If this seems questionable, you might find the United Nations 175-country Quality Of Life survey more accurate. Under this measure Canada has held an incredible decade-long position as the undisputed best place to live. 

The majority of “best place to live” ratings are based on factors such as political stability, healthcare, income, culture, environment, education, infrastructure, housing, climate and recreational activities. This list fluctuates slightly from year to year as top cities in Switzerland and Australia jockey with Vancouver. However, when I wrote this, my birthplace here in the most southwestern part of Canada was still number one in the Economist’s best place to live in list.

If you’re wary of the Economist or the United Nations, I offer my personal view: having traveled to a number of major cities in Canada and the United States, my most compelling reason to rank Vancouver tops is that I have no desire to leave for another attractive North American metropolis or quaintly appealing small town.

Vancouver is green—not in a severe social or political vein, but quite literally and naturally green. I love trees and from most points in the city I am only a few minutes from several huge, regional parks that are densely forested and environmentally protected. Most days I cycle or walk for an hour or more into these vast and peaceful refuges. The residential neighborhood I live in also has boulevards lined with magnificent, old trees.

Vancouver has water—tons of water, pouring from the skies, surging in from the ocean, and running by in rivers and streams from surrounding mountains and lakes. The summers are mostly warm and sunny yet foliage stays green from the cool precipitation that falls with abandon in the winter and intermittently the rest of the year. Streets and surroundings are regularly washed clean by our area’s fresh rains. The salt water that splashes Vancouver shores is temperate and teaming with sea life while providing a sparkling playground to marine enthusiasts.

Vancouver also has incredible community; the high standard of living here has attracted people of all nationalities for decades. The Canadian ideal of a multicultural society has blossomed on the west coast with colorful cultures from all over the globe thriving in harmony; our ethnic mix is an example to the world that peaceful coexistence is possible. While English is the predominant language, the wide-ranging tongues spoken are astounding. Just one of the many benefits of this diversity is the incredibly varied foods available in both restaurants and markets. I’ve probably eaten and socialized in most of the 175 countries the United Nations trudges through—without ever leaving this city!

Here it is possible to choose from such dissimilar outdoor activities as skiing, golfing, hiking, tennis, cycling or sailing, sometimes all on the same day, and all within the metropolitan area. Theatre, sport, music, art, the list of entertainment is diverse, endless and even overwhelming. I am incredibly grateful for where I live and warmly invite anyone who has never visited to experience the accredited best place to live—Vancouver.

If you are considering a home purchase in Canada, you can view select houses for sale by clicking the tabs located in the upper left of this page. I also maintain another web site with a larger list of Vancouver Condos and Houses on the Westside of Vancouver

Canada’s Best Places to Live 2011

 

What makes a city or town a great place to live? Can a community’s “livability” be measured? MoneySense believes that, to a certain extent, it can.
Canada’s Best Places to Live 2011 is based on data compiled from 180 Canadian cities and towns with populations over 10,000 people. Cities were rated based on home affordability, climate, prosperity, crime rates, access to health care and lifestyle, with subcategories in each area. Points were also given for the categories of transit, ammenities and culture. These categories are not included in the online list but are included in the full spreadsheet available for download.
Scoring highly on this list is not unlike being a scratch golfer. A community need not be perfect in every category. Being above average in all categories is enough to crack the top 10. Having excellent health-care options and a low unemployment rate will certainly help a city’s chances, but these are cancelled out if it’s too dangerous to walk the streets at night and the air quality is terrible. Consistency is key.
This year, for the second time in a row, our top city was Ottawa with a score of 71.7 points out of a possible 105.