Clothes and fashion
Móda, oblékání a styl

Shopping

Shopping is part of our everyday lives. Some people enjoy it, and will wander around shops only to have a look, with no particular goal, others hate shopping and find it very unpleasant. For shopping may also involve stress, for instance during summer or winter sales. Special offers result in stressful behaviour and overcrowded shops. The same happens at Christmas. That is why, for some people Christmas is no longer a feast of peace but a feast of eating and drinking.

Most people, however, shop in huge supermarkets. More and more huge shopping centres are being built on the outskirts of towns that offer everything under one roof: stores, cafés, restaurants and sometimes even cinemas, hairdressers and other services. Naturally, they can offer what small shops cannot afford: the opening hours are longer, there is enought parking space, a free childcare centre, and many more.

In most shops there are counters with cash registers on it, supermarkets usually have got checkouts. The customers use either shopping baskets or – better – shopping trolleys, the latter make the client spend more as they are so big and seem to be so empty. The surprise comes when it comes to paying. In clothes shops there are fitting rooms. In shops there are usually rows of shelves with products. After having paid for the goods you are given a receipt that gives you a guarantee and possibility of taking the goods back and getting a refund.
You can pay either in cash, by cards or cheques. Some shops offer buying on credit. Some chain shops also offer customer's cards for loyal customers. They can either collect points for products they buy or use the card for buying the products and pay only, say, once a month the whole sum. The invisible money that is on such card also makes you buy more.

Shopping arcades are convenient and comfortable especially when it's raining outsider. A chain store is a shop with subsidiaries in many towns.
Harrods is a famous British department store, very expensive and very luxurious. 

Fashion
Fashion has developed throughout the centuries, fashion trends keep changing. What was in yesterday is almost unacceptable today. But the fashions of today are quite tolerant , do not prevent anyone from wearing anything. Everyone may wear what they like and what they feel suits them.

Some people find it very important to wear expensive brands of clothes. But what may be even more important it that everyone should find his/her own style. But the main thing is that you are happy about what you wear and feel comfortable.

The word fashion does nor involve clothes only, but also hairstyle, make-up and accessories. These include shoes, handbags, gloves, belts, scarves, head scarves, hats, caps. Jewellery – ear-rings, neck-laces, bracelets, pendants, rings etc., sunglasses or umbrellas. Something you carefully choose to complement your clothes will always prove successful. The main thing is that the two things match.

There are many different hairstyles to suit different faces - oval, round, square, rectangular, and people usually want to be original. Everybody has different type of hair too. Some people have straight others have curly or wavy hair. Women like wearing their hair in a bun, permed or blow-dried, and small girls in plaits or pigtails with ribbons or ponytails. Some people have a hairdo with a fringe and a parting while others wear long fllowing hair. The fashion changes very quickly. Some teenagers even wear dreadlocks. Men can have a beard, moustache or are clean-shaved, bald men used to wear wigs. Youngs boys usually wear their hair short.

Weather and fashion

What we wear also depends on the season of the year. In the summer, we normally wear shorts, T-shirts, light short-sleeved shirts or shirts without sleeves, girls and ladies wear light dresses, blouses, skirts, short trousers or shorts and various tops and T-shirts. And the most important piece of summer clothing is swimming costume, of course. Popular summer footwear includes slip-on shoes or sandals.
In winter, when it is cold, warm clothes are inevitable such as cotton vests, various sweatshirts, pullovers, poloneck jumper, winter jackets or coats, furs, scarves, sloves and caps. Legs are protected with knee-socks or warm socks, warm winter boots or high-heeled shoes for ladies. For rainy weather it's convenient to wear some waterproof clothes like anorak, raincoat or cape and to carry an umbrella. In the country we can put on Wellington boots.