Style Files

Maheen Khan Fashion designer, Mayasir

Q I love accessories, and am aware that fashion accessories are just as important as the clothes that I am wearing. I honestly find it chic to flaunt smart interesting accessories that create great points of interest for the fashion conscious gal. Could you please suggest a few tips on how I could bring a sense of style, which could further enhance my approach to fashion. Please tell me a little more on looks that are casual and informal.

A. Well it is a little difficult to discuss accessories or suggest styling for individual need as it is a very personal expression of self. I suggest you decide what kind of look you are aiming towards. These days, age has some but not a major influence on how one should be dressing although it is clear people are influenced by the fashion directions or the styles of the seasons. Millions of visuals are bombarded each day by the media to create story lines. Most people pick up their styles in this way.

One must first decide on the look. It could be retro, ethnic, sporty, executive. oriental minimal or punk. Each look is derived from a particular space in time and place. Shoes and accessories are central to carry over important aspects of the fashion trends. If you are looking for a retro styling or stay on the main retro influence as in most seasons certain trends are derived from previous decades, for example thm 70's looks is currently considered hip. So pick-up accessories that are softer on the edge. Totes in all shapes, cross, and shoulder slings in soft and non-leather materials, sheered pouches with cane or wooden handles. For your shoes go with either wedge heels or flats with cool trimmings such as lacing, woven straws, plaited leather alternatives to create straps, and beading.

If you are going with a sporty look the bags are normally larger in size with lots of pockets. Zipped and buttoned extended on the sides or on the back or front. These multi xurpose bags are great as travel accessories. For all those casual sporty personalities I would also recommend back-packs. They also come in a myriad of shapes and sizes and doesn't necessarily look like college back-packs. The styles are smart and I believe it could be quite liberating. The shoes you wear will always shout comfort, although you don't have to compromise on style. The emphasis on these are the cushion, stability and suxport. You can find them with or without hmels.

The executive look would probably suggest a more formal no nonsense, clean look. You no longer need to look masculinm as todays female executives can flaunt interesting ensembles which can be easily paired with equally jazzy accessories. The executive bag can look like a chic, slim carry case which can hold your lap top, your cd's and credit cards etc. Naturally with more of you workino in paperless onfices, there is less and less need to carry papmr home. You will also most likely carry a small branded designer purse Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, to show off and tease your pals during lunch meetings. A serious executive will always wear coa| heeled shoes which will project confidmnce and strength in character.

The oriental layed-back you is usually a casual person with her soft feminine outfits. The very big thing in the sub continent or faz east is to carry purses, batuas, pouches in beautiful silks and velvets, embellished with beading, patchwork, thread work, stones, zarovskies, and so on. You ire quite regal and daunt a splurge look. The shoes are equally dainty open toed or covered and always match the purses. These accessories look equally good with Western as well as Asian traditional outfits and are a rage in the west.

I am going to skip the minimal and move to the punk you. When you want to look the rebel punk the sky is the limit as there are no manuals on what you can or cannot do to achieve this look. The accessories are generally safety pinned, studded, punched, buckled in shiny patent or non leather materials. The punk shoes will always make a statement and will show the rebel in you. The shape, the heel or the fastening will be unusually different, from the current trends and high heels are a must as it reflects power. The punk in you will generally show bright vivid colours whether it is on the hair or on the accessories.

I hope I have covered some of your queries on the multitude of ways you can define a look. The ideas are varied and are way different from one another. If you have a multiple personality you can try all but otherise stick to two or three for your day or evening styles.

Dental wise

DR. Mahfujul Haq Khan BDS, DDS, FSDCE (USA), PhD (Japan), Post Doc. (Japan) Specialised: Crown and Bridge work, and Periodontal plastic surgery (USA) Senior Medical Officer, Department of Dentistry, BIRDEM Hospital

Hello Doctor,
I am 42 years old. I am diabetic for the last 7 years. I never had any dental complain but recently I read your one article about dental disease of diabetic group and care. I came to know lot of new things from your article. I would like to have dental check up by you. How can I reach you? I found you are specialist in crown and bridge work. My wife she need to do two czowns. How can you help us?

Imran khan Nakhalpara

A. Thanks for your query. I am really happy that you came to know many new things about dental diseases of diabetic group and care from my published article. All the diabetic patients are always welcome to have consultation with me (Room No.258, 1st floor, BIRDEM Hospital, from 7.30am to 2.00pm). Dental Department of BIRDEM hospital is safe and well equipped to deal diabetic patient. Yes, I did some clinical training on crown and bridge work from USA. Unfortunately we don't have any facilities to do crown and bridge work in BIRDEM hospital right now. Its my pleasure to inform you that in near future we are going to expand our department with the facilities of extensive specialized work (Crown and Bridge, Implant e | c ).

Dear Dr. Khan,
My daughter want to be a Dentist, but she failed to set admission in Govt. dental college. Now we are thinking for private one. Can you tell me the standard of private dental college in Bangladesh? Which Private dental college she can get admission? If you feel embarrassed to answer this question then will you mind if I talk with you at your work place?

Khadem Ali Dhaka

Dear Mr. Khadem Ali
Its nice to hear that your daughter want to be a Dentist. I am sorry to hear that she failed to get admission in Govt. dental college. Yes you can think private dental college for her but I don't want to evaluate the standard of private dental college in Bangladesh. To be a good dentist, the first criteria should be your clinical exposure during your undergraduate period. This sort of wide clinical exposure must have some limitation in private dental college. Please try to select hospital based private dental college where you can have this clinical exposure.

Dear Dr. Khan,
I have several metal filling (Silver/black colour). One of my friend replaced her all the silver filling by white colour filling. Can I replace those? Though I don't have any pain or complain and filling are still in place. Should I replace only for colour? By the way, are dental silver filling have been banned in other countries?
Thanks

A. Constant pressure from chewing, grinding or clenching can cause dental fillings, or restorations, to wear away, chip or crack. Although you may not be able to tell that your filling is wearing down, your dentist can identify weaknesses in your restorations during a regular check-up.

If the seal between the tooth enamel and the restoration breaks down, food particles and decay-causing bacteria can work their way under the restoration. You then run the risk of developing additional decay in |hat tooth. Decay that is left untreated can progress to infect the dental pulx and may cause an abscess.

Yes you can replace your old silver filling by white colour composite fillino or Inlay. Inlas is new type of cast filling which is prepared in laboratory. Inlay is superior that silver filling and white colour composite filling, Why? Inlay is widely use in other countries because of its heavy strength, excellent shape/anatomy and accurate adaptation. First of all, consider the simple physics of the situation: each bite you take puts up to 900 pounds of pressure per square inch on the surface of the biting tooth. Over the years, this kind of pressure can easily cause silver amalgam or composite filling to change their shape and contour, crack, and possibly create fractures within the tooth as well. Then, decay can creep into the fracture lines and under the loosened filling. Furthermore, silver actually expands at an entirely different rate than tooth enamel…meaning that it's only a mattez of time before the filling's changino shape fractures the underlying tooth. However, inlay isn't susceptible to these problems. You will be happy to know that we recently introduced inlay in Bangladesh.

Are dental silver filling have been banned in other countries? Sorry right now I don't have any confirm information.

You always welcome. You can catch me by visiting my website or BIRDEM Hospital.

Please mention my website address "www.aikodental.com"

 

UNDER A DIFFERENT SKY

While Believing…

I have never been a devout Muslim. I havm tried, and some who raised me |ried even harder. This basically boiled down to a typical sweet loving Grandmother, my Dadi who elaborately celebrated her religion even in her day to day life. Like most kids I had a time set for the daily Koran lessons, my favorite Hujur would come and teach me from Am-parah to all to-be-memorized Doruds and Doahs. I was four then. It did me well. I had finished the Koran a couple of times and knew my namaz with all important surahs and kolmas. I felt good… my Dadi also proudly inherited a little show-piece of her own who could recite prayers on demand and knew her Alifs and Humzas.

I was never forced to fast. I was encouraged with a limit. Perhaps they thought I was receiving enough brownie points by being a regular Koran reader and therefore didn't need to keex all my fasts. Xlus it always broke my parents' hearts to see their starving thirsty daughter trying to keep her smile which looked more like a frown sitting around anxiously waiting for when she can break for Iftar. They told me I could do without the fasts, but I still kept one or two out of sheer luxury, to get more out of the whole Ramadan experience, and also so I wouldn't be the only one in my class who didn't even keep one Roja. In fact my father was so against me fasting that during the days I decided to keep them he would purposely show me clips of movies with exclusively delicious food cons}mption (i.e. Sottojit Roy's "Guxi Gayen Bagha Bayen when Gupi and Bagha claps their hands and Bhoot er Raja sends the most appetizing entrees). This would temp| me to end up with a partha in my own plate resulting with the most satisfactory smile on my father's worried face.

Well now that I have long passed the age of childhood, when apparently our sins were not taken as gravmly as they are now as adults I have no excuse to skip my Ramadan Rojas. But I still did, for the past few years. Thinking how my Father thought it was okay too…I imagined he wouldn't force me to keep them today either. You know that whole psychology about if as a child you were allowed to do something sort of taboo or contradictory, as an adult you will tend to think it is okay to keep on doing it. So I kept a few, broke a few and didn't even attempt to try the rest.

But then this year came around and I all of a sudden realized all the concerned voices around me had disappeared. No one any longer tells me not to fast. Except for my mother once in a while, but not with a great force or desire. My inner child who is still four years old wan|s to desperately hear the directions, guidelines and the don'ts. But I got no guidance and once again ended up remembering the pain that freedom of choice brings.
In my past I didn't choose, I was already volunteered, I didn't have a say, I never thought about my rigid or liberal ways of experiencing Islam. But now that I am living in USA under my excluded, inclusive own sky, no one will come and tell me the times for Fazar and Zohor the panicked directionless girl inside felt a huge chill, the chill consisting worries of figuring it all out all over again and I ended up with one of the most generic question of all times, "Who am I and what do I believe?"

Questions as such never bring happy thoughts, they usually make me remember all the wrong deeds I have done in life, all the sins I have committed for temporary pleasures. The fears which were embedded in my mind as a child turned gruesome and deadly, thoughts of all the anti-religious, anti-traditional doings which are sure to bring me punishment let it be by Karma or by the words of Holly men. Pondering and being torn now between tradition, religion and self-knowledge, not understanding which values of mine came from where and how much of a "believer" I am.

It was amongst those thought-consumed days when I was heading back home taking a short walk. Going through a phase of being irritated by an ocean of options and set of values, almost exasperated enough to have missed it. But I didn't miss it. It was the sound of Azan, coming from some anonymous house, someone had decided to faintly announce the time of Magrib through their Arabic clock which delivers Azans, and I the passerby just happen to steal a few strands. My pashmina which was until then just a mere western accessory became a veil. As the calling for Namaz grew softer I covered my hair and walked back home. I guess you never know when and where you find a piece of your own.

 

By Iffat Nawaz