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Say ‘High waisted jeans’ and what springs to mind? For me, I think it has to be Debbie from Men Behaving Badly, in her knitted jumper, scrunchie, heavy make up and gold jewellery. Nineties fashion – you’ve got to love it, it’s making a comeback. For many years during the last decade of the 20th century, jeans with a high waist were the order of the day.
It seems fashion changes every day, each season bringing it with it new ideas, new trends and new faux pas. Yet, some items remain popular throughout the years. Take leggings, for example, which have been loved by women and girls everywhere since the 1980s. Or, consider the classic stiletto. Sexy, glamorous and with just a hint of danger, these shoes have always been associated with stylish dressers who know how to use their femininity to good effect. But out of all the fashion staples, the jean is undoubtedly the most well-known and long lasting.
Think back if you can to the dusty expanses of the American mid-west. Sometime in the mid nineteenth century, the likes of German born Levi Strauss, and Jacob Davis, his business partner, were busy developing a new type of overall trousers to be worn by manual workers. They were using a particular type of material – stretchy and hard wearing denim. It was these overalls which would go on to become the prototype for the first jeans. A legend was born, out from the hooves of wranglers’ horses and the clanging sound of the factory bell.
Jeans since then have been designed and made by some of the world’s finest fashion labels. Think Wrangler, Gucci, Armani, Diesel, Burberry and Prada to name but a few. They have a universal appeal for young or old, rich or poor, slim or not-so-slim. Today, we are faced with a wide array of styles of jeans to choose from, including flared, skinny fit, or high rise. Recently, high waisted jeans have come back into fashion.
Do not be alarmed. These are not the creations of some ‘90s obsessed fashion avenger. They are beautifully cut and stylishly designed jeans which flatter and shape the female form. Similar in look to the skinny jeans, high waisted jeans have the advantage of finishing further up the waist. This has the effect of flattening the midriff, pulling in any wobbly bits and generally lifting your posterior. What could be better than a pair of jeans which instantly knock pounds of your figure?
So, you mustn’t be worried that high waisted jeans should be confined to the past. The reality is that these jeans are the next big thing, and will improve not only your figure but your confidence when you wear them.
Author Bio:
Lottie Morrison is a Men Behaving Badly Fan with a taste for fashion-forward clothes; this season she will be modelling her high jeans and loving every second.
Arguably one of the best and most acclaimed horror/sci-fi game series of all time, Visceral Games wow their audience with what may be the final entry in the series, Dead Space 3.
Fans of the previous games will feel their knees tremble as protagonist Isaac Clarke is forced to go to the homeworld where the evil markers originate, to permanently extinguish the threat and make the universe a safer place.
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Setting
Dead Space was originally set on an abandoned, space-mining colony ship. The sequel was set on a massive space station. The third game expands the opportunity for fresh terror by shifting the setting onto a frozen planet and abandoned research facilities, seemingly paying tribute to The Thing.
The final act takes place in a strange, alien underground city. The first few levels are played on a space ship of sorts, and the shift to the alien, frozen planet is done beautifully, with a stunning sequence of crash-landing the space ship onto the surface of the planet.
Gameplay
If you liked the behind-the-shoulder third-person gameplay from the first two games, there isn’t much difference, and it’s still as much fun. The biggest change is with the weapons system. Instead of having set weapons that you can upgrade, you can now interchange every single part of every single weapon.
This means that the options of what kind of weapon you wield are potentially limitless. Strap on a stasis module to your flamethrower, for instance, to make enemies slow down and freeze while you burn them alive.
All the best features from the old games are present – the insanely paced cut-scene sequences that allow the player to get involved are still present. New to the game are beautifully crafted sequences where Isaac has to grapple his way up or down vertical surfaces on the frozen planet, fending off aliens as well as dodging falling debris and boulders.
Verdict
Sure, the game does have a little more action over horror, but who’s complaining? Dead Space 3 still packs in the scares deftly, there’s plenty to be frightened about. It’s never looked so luscious and stunning – light and shadow have been utilised perfectly, and the soundtrack is so good that you’re terrified before you even pick up the controller.
The one thing that does keep you going, despite being too scared to do so, is that it’s a breathtakingly beautiful game. Sure, we’re talking about hideous, constantly morphing alien zombies, but they come packaged in a setting that’s so stunningly rendered, you can’t help enjoy the nightmares afterwards.
