The modern woman now has an option to look stylish as the latest gown hits the market.

As the latest fashion trends catch up it’s the rage of the mums-to-be which seeks to change with time. The latest black Six-Way Dress has become an outfit for the glamour quotient.

It boasts of different forms such as a casual dress for the beach or as an elegant gown. The adjustable straps can be worn strapless, as a halterneck, one-shouldered, have cross-over straps or as a cap sleeve dress.

It has been articulately crafted in order to maintain the bust support comes handy for the breast-feeding mothers and keeping it clean is very easy as it is machine-washable.

A new study claims that people anticipating taking a break to go on a vacation are happier than those who have no traveling plans.

"Vacations are linked to a number of positive feelings." said Jeroen Nawijn from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences and his team.

The researchers have learnt how vacations impact happiness among 1,530 Dutch adults, 974 of whom took a vacation.

A new research has revealed that women who have fuller and firmer lips are perceived more years younger than they actually are. As discovered by Unilever scientist David Gunn, even with a few wrinkles and some grey hair, women with a plump pout can get away with taking many years off their age.

For the sake of study, over 250 women were analyzed, including set of twins, and it was discovered that thin lips are a genetic trait instead of a result of the environment. A large variation in the thickness of lips was found among women over the age of 60.

New York, January 11 : Dutch designers have come up with a unique dress, which allows wearers to partly colour it as per their desire.

The "Color-In" dress is available in a black and white geometric pattern.

It has a box of multicoloured fabric markers that owners use to draw all over the shift.

"The concept of the dresses make it possible that the cloth is partly designed by the person who wears it, which hopefully makes them more valuable to the wearer," the New York Daily News quoted Berber Soepboer as stating on her Web site.

She added: "When clothes are cared for, people tend to wear it longer."

Christmas turned better for the John Lewis department store chain as shoppers making beelines to push seasonal sales. The group sold goods worth more than £100m during the five week festive trading period, reporting 13 per cent hike in sales compares to the corresponding period last year.

Group's sister business, Waitrose too performed well making the store to call it as best ever Christmas and clearance trading. Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis, expressed, "We have seen excellent sales during Christmas and Clearance."

Washington, Jan 4 : With the New Year comes new resolutions, but we often end up breaking those promises and wait for next year.

Now, G. Alan Marlatt, director of the University of Washington''s Addictive Behaviours Research Centre has offered some tips for keeping your resolutions.

1. Just make a few resolutions

Washington, Jan 2 : Are you searching for a good New Year''s resolution? Well, US website LiveScience has come up with 10 to pick from, and has also provided scientific reasons as to why you should keep them.

10 Have more sex

Besides making you go mad, sex has many apparent health benefits. Studies suggest romp can boost a person''s immune system and reduce stress.

9 Brush and floss

The plus point of good dental care: reduced tartar and plaque, fewer cavities, and avoidance of gingivitis.

8 Use the sun sensibly

Although the sun provides vitamin D, more than enough sunshine may raise cancer risks.

7 Drink less

Washington, Dec 23 : A new study has shown that teenagers who listen to music that contains references to marijuana are more likely to use the drug.

The survey involving 959 ninth-graders showed that students who listen to music with the most references to marijuana are almost twice as likely to have used the drug than their peers.

"Interestingly, we also found that exposure to marijuana in music was not associated with other high-risk behaviours, such as excessive alcohol consumption,” said Dr Brian Primack, lead author of the study and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Pitt''s School of Medicine.

“This suggests that there is a real link between the marijuana lyrics and marijuana use," Primack added.

London, Dec 19 : Britons are expected to spend 4billion pounds this weekend shopping for last-minute Christmas presents.

Traders reckon today will be the busiest shopping day of the year on the High Street.

“This is the most important weekend of the year. We’re expecting a total of 4bn pounds to be spent, with shoppers splashing out more than 2bn pounds of that today,” the Daily Star quoted a spokesman for the British Retail Consortium as saying.

The top gifts for children will be Transformers, Power Rangers and Peppa Pig toys, and other favourites will be the Slanket, which is a cross between a sleeping bag and a blanket, iPods, perfume, lingerie and 18-year-old Joe McElderry’s X Factor single.

New Delhi, Dec 19 - Fashion evolves every season. The year 2009 offered a melange of casuals and formals for that killer look, be it checkered shorts and Jodhpurs or velvet jackets and high waist skirts. IANS takes a peek at the Top 10 trends:

1. Checkered shorts: If you thought hot pants made a statement this season, think again! Knee-length checkered shorts - the kind Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif wore in the hit film "New York" - was the most common casual wear that young girls flaunted, especially the collegegoing gang.

Washington, Dec 19 : Emotionally mature students may get more positive benefits from sex than their less-mature counterparts, says a new study.

In the study on emotional experiences and sexual behaviours, which included oral and penetrative intercourse, University of Alberta researcher and doctoral student Andrea Dalton and her supervisor Nancy Galambos surveyed first-year students over an eight-month period and found that maturity has an influence on the emotions connected with sexual experience.

Washington, Dec 17 : Partners who support each other''s ideal selves go on to have a wonderful relationship together, reveals a new study.

The researchers have dubbed it the ''Michelangelo phenomena''.

Just as the sculptor chisels, carves and polishes away flaws in the stone to reveal the ideal form, skillful partners support their loved ones'' dreams, aspirations and the traits they hope to develop.

The research team studied how people grow toward their ideal selves over time as a result of how their partners treat them.

Los Angeles, Dec 17 - An estimated 15 percent of American teenagers have received nude or sexually suggestive photographs on their cell phones, according to a study Wednesday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

The study about the tech-fueled trend called "sexting" said that boys are as likely as girls to send "sexts," while teens who pay for their own cell phone bills are more likely to text salacious shots.

Washington, Dec 16 : A new survey on "sexting" has revealed that nearly one out of seven American teens carrying a cell phone has received nude or almost nude pics.

The Pew Research Center''s Internet & American Life Project, based on a telephone survey of 800 adolescents and 800 parents, also found that 15percent youngsters between 12 to 17 have received sexually suggestive photos or videos on their cellphones.

However, a mere 4 percent accepted to sending a nude photo.

About 4 percent of 12-year-olds received such images, compared to 30percent of 17-year-olds.

It was also found that sexually explicit pictures were sent as part of a romantic relationship or one that is wished-for.

Washington, Dec 16 : Attractive people tend to have more social relationships and therefore an increased sense of psychological well being, reveals a new study.

The study led by University of Georgia and the University of Kansas researchers suggests that the impact of our attractiveness on our social lives depends on the social environment where we live.

Attractiveness does matter in more socially mobile, urban areas but it is far less relevant in rural areas.

In urban areas, individuals experience a high level of social choice, and associating with attractive people is one of those choices.

New Delhi, Dec 15 - United we stand, divided we fall - that seems to have been the motto of the Indian fashion fraternity in 2009 as they put aside their differences and opted for a single major fashion event in the capital.

Last year there had been chaos in the fashion world after another fashion week had started parallel to the Fashion Design Council of India's (FDCI) Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW).

Designers were losing business not only because of recession but also because international buyers were avoiding shuttling between two different venues. This in turn led to bad business.

Melbourne, December 12 : Punters have a reason to rejoice because wine is apparently cheaper than water and Coke in Australia.

Woolworths'' large-format liquor chain Dan Murphy''s was offering 82,000 750ml cleanskins at the price of 1.99 dollars apiece as compared to 2.25 dollars for Pump 750ml water bottles and 3.07 dollars for 600ml of Coca-Cola.

"In my 15 years in the wine industry I can''t remember a time when drinkers enjoyed better value for money," the Daily Telegraph quoted Dan Murphy''s merchandise manager Steve Donohue as saying.

Donohue added: "You are paying less and getting just as good quality."

Washington, Dec 9 : In the world of fruit flies, being sexy can be a curse, especially for the ladies.

A new research has shown that the most attractive female fruit flies are constantly harassed by mates, affecting their fertility.

The harassment could lead to smaller families and affect fruit fly evolution, say researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Study''s lead author Dr Tristan Long, from the University of Toronto in Canada, says in many species, including fruit flies, males find large-bodied females ''attractive'' because they have greater capacity to produce offspring.

Beijing, Dec. 7 : Over 87 million Chinese bought goods on the Internet this year, about 24 million more than last year.

According to The China Daily, this was an increase of 38.9 percent year-on-year.

Most online shoppers are students or white collar workers between the ages of 18 and 30, with a monthly income of 1,000 Yuan (146 dollars) to 3,000 Yuan (439 dollars).

The survey also found that more women shop online than men, and that clothing and home-use products are the most popular goods bought online.

Melbourne, Dec 4 : A major cruise liner has come under fire for encouraging passengers to consume alcohol by introducing "all you can drink" packages.

Celebrity Cruises passengers will have the option of purchasing a package allowing them unlimited drinks from 20 pounds per night, and they will be able to choose from beer to premium wines.

The company''s website states that it promotes "sensible drinking" and a spokesman says they are simply responding to customer demand.

"We knew that, number one, customers were interested in (drinks) packages," News. com. au quoted Scott Steenrod, director of food and beverage operations for Celebrity Cruises, as telling industry website cruisecritic. co. uk.