Would Ronaldo Succeed At Madrid?

Real Madrid’s desperation to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United just doesn’t show any signs of abating. The Los Merengues are ready to pay a whopping £70 Million as transfer fee and also ready to offer a contract worth £20 Million a year to bring the Portuguese whiz to the Bernabeu. But does the Real Madrid hierarchy understand how Cristiano Ronaldo can actually integrate into the current system and deliver at the Los Merengues?

Cristiano Ronaldo was a fairly unknown quantity until the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Portuguese started his goal scoring exploits in the 2006/07 season and this exactly coincided with the departure of Ruud Van Nistelrooy to Madrid. Manchester United boasted of a top quality centre forward in the form of Nistelrooy who was their main target man in the opposition box.

The Red Devils hugely relied on him to get the goals but with his departure United lacked a clear target man with Rooney playing the role of deep lying attacker. This situation allowed Ronaldo to drift from the midfield and play the role of a target man and he ended up scoring 23 goals in the 2006/07 season. The following season saw Ronaldo converted into a complete second striker on paper and on the field he was the main target man with Rooney and Tevez playing supportive roles. It was no surprise that Ronaldo ended up scoring a phenomenal 42 goals that season.

Real Madrid currently have two of the greatest goal poachers in their line up in the form of Raul and Nistelrooy and if Ronaldo does happen to join the Los Merengues it will be difficult for him to repeat his goal scoring exploits at the Bernabeu. If the Madrid faithful are looking for Ronaldo to be the goal provider rather than the goal scorer bad news, Ronaldo provides less than he scores and if they are looking for creativity in the midfield then Madrid have plenty of options in the form of Robinho, Robben and Sneijder. Ronaldo is just surplus requirement.

At Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo was given the full freedom to roam the pitch while at Madrid a similar role is given to Wesley Sneijder. If both are to play in the same team then there is a very little chance of them forging a successful partnership, a similar case to that of Lampard-Ballack in Chelsea, Lampard-Gerrard in England and Kaka-Ronaldinho in Brazil. Further the arrival of Ronaldo could only complicate things in the dressing room with Sneijder and Robinho clearly displeased with Madrid’s public pursuit of the Portuguese, all the recipe for an impending disaster.

Cristiano Ronaldo was enhanced by likes of Rooney, Tevez, Scholes and the Los Merengues clearly lack players of such quality. Real Madrid have produced certain high profile transfer flops in the past like Michael Owen, Saviola, Cassano and Baptista to name a few who just couldn’t adapt to the style of football at the Bernabeu. If Ronaldo does complete his switch to Madrid it will be a challenge for him to adapt and deliver or be a part of the ever growing list of high profile transfer flops.

Hurray!! For Heidiwood?

by Julia Bray
Have you noticed all the celebrities coming out with fashion lines inspired by their own wardrobes? The Hills' drama queen Heidi Montag is trying to show her flirty and fashionable side through her recently released line of clothes and jewelry. After reading about her line Heidiwood, debuting at Anchor Blue stores, I decided to check out Heidi’s clothes for myself. At first I was a little skeptical of her ability to design a whole line of clothes, but after taking a look at the site I have to say she didn’t do a bad job! Her collection is actually affordable, cute, and sexy. But Heidi’s not the only celeb to jump on the fashion bandwagon. Ashlee Simpson launched her fashion line through Wet Seal today, the same day as her CD release.

What do you think? Are celebs capable of creating good fashion lines without any previous experience in the fashion industry?

No Sweats!

by Amanda Falzon
I recently just got back from a two week European vacation in Italy and Malta. It was definitely a culture shock being away from home for that long, even though I have friends who have been abroad for whole semesters. The food is fresher, the people were very friendly, and the fashion was awesome.

In Florence, I got to go to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum! I had the time of my life. One thing I noticed though, and I noticed this when I was abroad in Paris back in March, no one wears sweats when they are outside. The style of dress is still very artsy and creative.

Women wear jeans but always dress them up with cute heels and a dressy top or they wear skirts and dresses. I even saw women riding their Vespas to work in heels! Men wear jeans with dress shoes, a nice button down, and a blazer. This was how they normally dressed. I was very impressed with the fact that the people put so much effort into how they looked during the day and it’s not just that they are trying to impress anybody with how well they dress, it’s just a way of life. I personally love to get dressed up and do it every chance I get, so while I was abroad I left the sweat pants back in the States. The picture above is of my sister Laura and I at the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

So girls tell me what you think of this lifestyle? If you had the chance to dress up everyday and didn’t need a special occasion to do it, would you? Tell me what you think.

Clothing Confidence

by Whitney Portnoy
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very adventurous when it comes to the clothes I wear. Sure, I like reading about fashion, and I like shopping (occasionally) but as much as I liked all those cute dresses and trendy tops, I never really wanted to wear them on a day-to-day basis. Isn’t it easier to wear jeans and sneakers? I’m much more comfortable that way, so why go through all the hassle of dressing up if I’m just spending the day running errands?

I started working at a clothing store last month. I applied there because I loved their clothes, and even had a few things from the store, but I didn’t wear some of the things I had on a regular basis because I was worried they were too “dressy” to be in my everyday rotation. All the skirts I liked to wear were pretty basic, and I didn’t feel like getting that dolled up just to go to class.

That changed pretty quickly once I started working there! Not only do we get a great discount, but I’ve noticed that I’m picking up a lot of style tips from the people I work with. I really like a lot of the clothes we carry, and I figure that if everyone else can wear a cute dress or dress up a great top and a pair of jeans with some accessories (one of the little lessons I’ve learned) without needing a special occasion to, then why can’t I? I’ve had a lot of fun mixing and matching different pieces, and seeing how I can make my cute-but-still-casual style work with the clothes in the store.

In the end, I think it all comes down to trusting yourself. Your own personal style can be anything you want, and you can pull off any look as long as you wear that dress and those brightly colored shoes with a little bit of confidence.

So tell me, what’s your favorite style?

Little Black Leggings

Like the little black dress before it, black leggings have become a true wardrobe staple. This season designers are giving a fresh look to these classic pants and I'm obsessed with these:

Kova & T
Break out your inner wild child with Kova & T’s Oxy leggings. 80% nylon 20% spandex, these elastic waistband leggings with cut out heals add the right amount of Alice Cooper edge to any outfit. Throw on these latex like leggings by creators Dasha Zhukova and Christina Tang and be ready to rock and roll.

LnA
After California girls Lauren Alexander and April Leight made the perfect t-shirts which leave devotees of the brand with few reasons to change, they decided to tackle the cult obsession that is leggings. With a satin like finish, LnA’s nylon and spandex leggings come with super cool banded zipper accents in your choice of seventeen different colors. Whether you have a date with your crush or a day of shopping with friends, you can’t go wrong when you go LnA..

American Apparel
Go-to legging center, American Apparel has the best in metallic leggings for the more daring of fashionistas. Available also in high-waisted cuts, those who wear them are guaranteed to sparkle. Straight from the company that knows basics best, choose shimmery leggings from an assortment of fun glittery colors.

I pair leggings with flowy blouses with bows, military jackets, or simple tees. Right now I’m rocking in latex leggings, how do you wear them?

The Thrill of the Hunt: Surviving Sale Season

by Drew Taylor
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and no, I’m not talking about the holidays – summer sale season is upon us once again! Living in New York last summer, I found myself overwhelmed by all the amazing deals – and so did my Dad, when he noticed my dwindling bank balance. Luckily I’ve learned a thing or two to help me navigate through that shiny array of clearance racks. Here are my three top tips for super-shopping:

1. Before you shop the store, shop your closet. Take stock of everything in your wardrobe before you hit the sales. If you’ve got 25 pairs of ballet flats, maybe you don’t really need another – unless of course they’re Lanvin, the last pair in your size, and 75% off. In which case, you have my blessing (and complete envy).

2. Follow the 24-hour rule. If you’re ever on the fence about an item, leave it. If you’re still thinking about it the next day, wishing you had bought it, you can always go back and snag it. Which leads me to my final rule…

3. Only buy what you really, truly, love. It can be really easy to get sucked into buying something just because it’s a great price. But that discounted designer jacket isn’t such a bargain if it doesn’t fit well, or if you don’t feel amazing when you put it on. If you’re never going to wear it, it’s just taking up prime real estate in your closet where pieces you actually do love could go. A well-stocked wardrobe is based on quality, not quantity!

Happy bargain-hunting,