Ami Boomsma sat in a salon chair for more than an hour Friday, hoping for the perfect ‘up-do.’

What she ended up with was something that wasn’t too fitting for a wedding or a trip to the prom.But Boomsma wasn’t upset—not at all.In fact, she planned to flaunt her extreme blonde wrap-around look shamelessly before hundreds gathered Friday night at Thousand Oaks Golf Club in Grand Rapids.

Boomsma couldn’t have been more excited.

“We’ll see if I can fit in the truck without smooshing it,” she said, laughing at the up-do— a combination of her own hair and fake hair—wound together and pointing straight into the air. “It’s something totally out of the ordinary.”

Totally out of the ordinary it was—and totally appropriate for Friday night’s event: A hair and fashion show sponsored by Serendipity Hair Designs, of Belmont.

The second-annual event this year included a combination of more than 60 male and female models with distinctive hair, make-up and clothing. Organizers raised $8,500 last year for the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Michigan Chapter and hoped for similar results Friday.

Kim VanOeffelen, who co-manages the salon with her husband, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis several years ago.

To see her staff come together to host an event that supports research was a huge encouragement and inspiration, VanOeffelen said Friday afternoon, as she applied the final touches of hairspray to one of her own braided creations.

All around the salon on Friday, girls gathered as salon workers spent the day creating the looks they’d spent months visualizing and perfecting.

For them, the fashion show was a field day of sorts—a chance to go all out and think extreme. Some sought out the social media site Pinterest for ideas while others flipped through fashion magazines.

The result was a show featuring several categories of style with matching hair and clothing.

Boomsma’s blonde wrap-around—a “tornado” look—was meant to symbolize wind. She walked a runway Friday night with others representing “ice” and other earth elements.Lauren Hazlett, 26, of Grand Haven took to the runway in a black and white wig accentuated with matching balls of feathers tucked into place.Hazlett’s aunt also is fighting Multiple Sclerosis and was her inspiration.

“You get to be something that’s totally out of your element,” she said, explaining the importance of supporting a meaningful cause. “Every small effort, I think, somehow makes a difference.”

The retailer turned on the charm, treating shoppers to a free sparkling wine, live music from a string quartet and traditional high tea fare.In an increasingly competitive retail market where traditional stores are being forced to compete with online shopping, Westfield has been upping the ante with extravagant in-centre events.To launch the fashion parade, pop star Paulini Curuenavuli warmed up the crowd with performances of two songs, demonstrating that she was one of those rare artists who sound better live then when recorded.

The fashion show featured the key colours and fabrics of the autumn/winter seasons, including burgundy and teal and plenty of faux fur and felt.

Men’s fashions were also showcased, with muted colours creating extra interest for otherwise conservative ensembles.

Westfield has another fashion event planned for today, with television celebrity Charlotte Dawson, Who Weekly editor Kate Halfpenny and Westfield stylist Trish Murray hosting a fashion question and answer session at 2pm.

[Olga Kendis, Model]:
“The problem exists not only in Israel but also abroad. I am sure that there are many other girls who suffer from a very young age and no one knows about it. Especially in modeling and television – we give as an example!”
Five percent of the whole population of women in Israel suffers from anorexia, as opposed to one percent among men.
[Eli Dalal, Deputy Mayor]:
“We are interested in good looking and healthy models. In any case, this is an excellent law, a groundbreaking law, and I sincerely hope that other countries will follow along.”
[Eli Dalal, Deputy Mayor]:
“Undoubtedly this will set an example for all models to follow a path in which models are healthy, and do not wind up in a state of near death, Heaven forbid!”
The fashion show presented evening gowns, decorated with lace in colors of black and white, silver and gold, and short light dresses in shades of orange, turquoise and floral designs.

The show was attended by reality television actors and people who work in the fashion industry in Israel.

The local fashion and modelling industry is taking huge strides this year.
The Bholoja Art Technology and Educational Foundation (BATEF) Top Models Agency is singlehandedly ensuring that this happens and changing the landscape of modelling and fashion from what we know it.
Celebrated musician ‘Bholoja,’ who is the country’s symbol of song, art and culture had that in mind when he established BATEF, a project that aims to engage the Swazi community and offer an opportunity to develop and showcase new creative skills through Art.
In order for BATEF to continue to bridge the gap between unemployment and youth empowerment, a modelling academy was established which is a department that teaches modeling tactics to aspiring models in the country who then are introduced to an International Modeling Agency based in Italy.   This department was established to ensure that the out of school youth or the worst performing in academics but have modelling features are connected and are able to find jobs internationally or even locally by modelling during local fashion shows as well as ushering guests during functions like the state dinners and other corporate functions.  The models are taught on how to behave or take care of themselves as well as general models’ discipline.
BATEF Top Models will host a fashion show at the Happy Valley Resorts on April 27 showcasing the subscribed models within the Modelling Academy.
The purpose of the fashion show is to raise funds to procure furniture and learning materials for the institution.
20 models under the academy will hit the runway during the show.
The list of models included seasoned models such as Futhi Dlamini, Lungile Maseko, Njabuliso Dlamini, Ncamsile Nkambule and Zandi Matsenjwa.
It will be the first modelling assignment for some models such as Simphiwe Tsikati, Lindelwa Ngubane, Nothando Simelane and others. The fashion show showcasing winter ranges from local retail outlets and designers such as Nkosingipile Zondo (dressed Miss Swaziland this year), Gazibo (Mbabane designer) and others.
Entertainment under the Future Paradise stable has also been fused into the lineup.New Model Today International’s Gianfranco Iobbi from Italy is expected to be present during the event. Iobbi, who is said to have discovered US star Charlize Theron, will be here to scout for models to sign with overseas agencies.
The dress code is formal or smart casual.

Overwhelmed by spring’s bright colours and patterns? Unsure how to wear the new feminine silhouettes? Get fashion advice right from the top, when the Bay’s fashion director, Suzanne Timmins, comes to town to talk trends Saturday at the Bay’s Southgate store.

Spring is all about colour — big, bold colours, colour blocking and pastels, she says. But even those who are colour-averse can pick up on the trend.

“Invest in a colourful handbag; put on a colourful lipstick, or nails. Just one little pop. You do not have to be walking in head-to-toe in orange if that’s not your thing, but if it is, great.”

Black pants and a white shirt paired with a beautiful, bold bag or shoe is an easy way to incorporate colour. “Do not buy a black handbag this spring. It’s not the time to do that,” she adds with a laugh.

If you are going to wear a mix of brights, stick to three, maximum, Timmins adds. A coral jacket, a bright pink top underneath and turquoise pants are as far as you want to go, so don’t add a purple shoe, she advises.

Another interesting, new way to mix colours is to keep them all in the same family, she suggests. For example, aquatic colours of green, turquoise and royal or sunny, warm colours like coral, pink and yellow, go naturally together. “Keep it all in tones on the same side of the colour spectrum.”

The same goes for pastels, she adds. “It’s combining levels of your pastels. If you’ve got a pastel denim — a lavender jean, then a little bit stronger lavender-coloured top or a bright pop of lavender, so you’re mixing brights and pastels together within the same colour family.”

Prints can be a little more complicated, says Timmins. “Everybody can put on a printed blouse, but how do you wear the printed pant, for instance? How do you mix prints?”

With so much use of colour and print, don’t forget about using nudes, in shoes or bags, to easily complement your outfit.

Age isn’t really an issue when it comes to wearing colour or prints, says Timmins. Neon is probably not great on a 75-year-old, but then, a woman that age would likely have a hard time finding a style she’d like in neon, since it’s geared to a younger market.

Prints, too, are good at any age. “I think prints are so personal, I don’t think there’s a print that’s age appropriate … I think the garment shape needs to be a little more age-appropriate, not the print itself,” she says.

Another big trend for spring is the feminine silhouette, in fitted and flared dresses and longer, shapely styles. It also means manicured nails and red lipstick, the kind mothers never used to leave the house without. “Those days disappeared somehow in the late ’60s and ’70s so it’s a trend that’s kind of a fun one for a lot of women who’ve never experienced such a thing,” Timmins says.

At the other end of the spectrum is the “summer nomad” look, featuring relaxed pyjama pants, open-knit sweaters and neo-tribal prints, she says. Loose and easy pants replace last year’s maxi skirts, paired with flat sandals, natural leathers and accessories in wood and gold.

The “sport lux” trend is another one Timmins is highlighting for spring. “It’s the idea of sport details and influences, but in chic clothing, so not for the gym but to go to the office, or go to a party.”

It would include dresses with zipper or mesh detailing, a fitted sheath with a racing stripe down the side, or a light, silky anorak worn as an overcoat, to a cocktail party.

Timmins will be offering trend tips and showing some of the latest styles for spring Saturday at the Bay Southgate in the ladies wear department, starting at 1:30 p.m.

The best of both worlds – today’s reigning world, at least.

Yuna Ito is of mixed parentage, Japanese and Korean.

The personable 28-year-old recording artiste, born and raised in Hawaii and now Tokyo-based, is in town to attend Men’s Fashion Week 2012 (MFW).

Tonight, she will perform in the music part of the fashion week and you’ll hear why popular songbird Celine Dion sang a duet with her.

Ito told The New Paper: “Celine Dion was in Tokyo for her world tour. She heard my cover version of My Heart Will Go On and asked me to duet with her!”

She said Dion was “sometimes like a mother, sometimes like a sister to me; I learned so much from her”.

And, “she called me ‘baby’ all the time”.

Ito’s repertoire is Japanese pop, and she doesn’t see K-pop as competition, calling it “great” as it means more music to go around.

And just as well too, for she was sandwiched by Korean hunks.

No shortage – all at least six-footers – of those hot guys with the two-one-syllable names.

Soo. Lee. Heo. Tae. Kim. Gha. Why am I suddenly hungry for Seoul food?

This year’s MFW is bigger and better, and the runway’s not just given over to models in designers’ seasonal collections, but also to musicians of regional standing.

Besides Ito, there’s Kamiji Yusuke, Bie Kpn, Royal Pirates, S Jung, Megan Lee, H Zett M, 8eight, Eli T, and the dance group Freekzy Nutz.

Hullo, and the designers?

No slack there either. Among them were Songzio and Spencer Hart at the opening show on Wednesday, which saw a full house of 700 as it was a charity night.

We found a couple of the Korean hunks with four-lettered names.

There was Sung Hoon, leading actor in “house drama”. He must mean the soaps. “Yes, television story”.

And supermodel Hyuk “for MCM show” (the closing gala presented by top label MCM).

Plus Se7en, the K-pop mega-superstar.

“It’s my lucky number,” he explained his name, before dashing off into Hall F of the Sands Expo Convention Centre.

Singapore men, you’ve a lo-o-o-ong way to catch up – on Korean hunks, Thai fashion, Japanese pop.

The Vice Presidents of both the China Fashion Association and National Garment Association, spoke at Mercedes-Benz fashion week in China on political ties through fashion, highlighting that the Chinese market continues to increase its demand for Italian brands.

Big brands make sure to make a big show of their presence in China.

The Louis Vuitton flagship store, for one, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in China with a grand re-opening after a year’s worth of remodelling.

Burberry hosted a world first holographic fashion show streaming it live in all their stores around the world.

In February Prada got none other than the Pet Shop Boys in Beijing to rerun their Spring Summer fashion show. Months later they took over four storeys at a Hyatt Hotel for a fashion show and after party.

Bulgari, Chanel, DVF, Louis Vuitton and Zegna have all made extra efforts to reinforce their history by displaying retrospective exhibitions.

Versace and Marni are also in the loop.

A typical scenario is that a brand goes to China either to have their goods manufactured there, or to expand their market, since many from China’s large and growing population quickly entered middle and upper incomes. Modessa is a prime example, whose Lebanese designers have their operations and stores in China.

“China’s been the clothing factory of the world for some time,” said Chinese designer Qi Gang, whose creations featured bright colours, sequins, fur and feathers.

“But as our economy develops, we are also becoming a country of famous brands, big brands. This trend is unstoppable,” he told Reuters TV.

In a funny twist, however, Chinese brand She Ji Sorgere seems to find the comfort and prestige of Italian tailoring more appealing and expressly has their clothes made there. Their name reflects their intentions: She ji meaning “nation” in Chinese and Sorgere “born” in Italian. Caruso, a luxury menswear manufacturer is their link in Italy.

She Ji Sorgere first revealed their collection during the Peking Fashion Week.

The concept behind She Ji Sorgere proves how much Italian and French designers and tailoring are appreciated in Asia.

Pierre Cardin, who is already quite established in China with multiple licenses sold there, opened a fashion show in late March to bring publicity to a huge project planned near Venice and possibly re-created in China.

His 240-metre-high “Light Palace” will be made up of three glass towers rising 780 feet high, linked by six giant discs visible from the outside. The premises will include gardens, lakes, swimming pools, ten restaurants, 1,500 apartments, cinemas, conference rooms, theatres, stores, a helicopter landing pad and a university, according to Mr Cardin himself.

Obsessed with he gargantuan project under the designers’ name, he expertly manipulated light in one of his designs (see hat in photo gallery above) and just for fun designed futuristic fluorescent lighting dresses.

The obsession seems mutual between French and Italian design houses on the one side and Asia on the other.

There are two cliches about Italians that generally hold true. One is that they dress well.

Another is that they make great wine.

Now the two industries are joining forces in a publicity push designed to capture the US market and boost Italy’s global wine exports. Italy already comes first in terms of volume of world exports, with a market share of 22% as of 2010. According to Coldiretti, Italy’s Agricultural association, Italian wine exports rose 13% from 2010 – 2011 to a value exceeding 4 billion euro. This is an all time high. On the flip side wine consumption in Italy is falling and the country has become increasingly reliant on exports to buoy up the industry. France – Italy’s long-standing rival, comes first in terms of value.

Istat, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, identifies the closure of 2011 with a general levelling off of wine exports, in keeping with the economic climate. Italy remained flat at 4%. Istat issued a word of warning: ” Italian exports are still largely concentrated on the ‘old world’, that is Germany and the US, who account for over 900 million euro each. In terms of knowledge of the market, this is positive; but with regards to Italy’s impact in emerging markets, it is negative. Instead of being seen as a protagonist, Italy looks like a support act.” France is no longer the only threat. Pressure is mounting from relative newcomers like Australia, South Africa and South America who have carved out a name on the international stage with fine tasting wines and appealing prices. Italy’s primary market is the US where it dominates with a 33% quota. This is good news. The US is the largest export market and it is predicted that they will soon become the largest group of wine consumers in the world with a net value of 45 billion dollars. But aggressive competition from new wine-producing nations coupled with the global economic downturn is making Italy nervous. It is time to wheel in the big guns. There are few better ways to grab attention in the US than with celebrity endorsement. Better still are celebrities from the world of fashion whose very presence beside a bottle of wine, or on a wine label, could spark a buying frenzy.

“As soon as you say ‘Prada and Brunello’, ‘Ferrari or Maserati and Brunello’, it makes a very vital association, especially for consumers around the world that might not know the differences in the wine,” said Cristina Mariani-May, co-CEO of Banfi, who produce the full-bodied Brunello red. Altagamma, Italy’s luxury industry body, is getting behind the push for celebrity endorsed wine with a photo exhibition of Italian luxury products, including wine, to start in Shanghai this summer. Altagamma Chairman, Santo Versace, brother of Donatella Versace, explains: “It is clear that fashion is more eye-catching, better known around the world. Wherever we go, we bring along our Italian wines and make them known.”

Italy has long used its VIPs – or they have used it – to cement the association between lifestyle and wine. Roberto Cavalli, himself a Tuscan, produces wine from his Tuscany vineyards and embosses the bottles with leopard print and RC logo’d labels.

Salvatore Ferragamo sidestepped fashion in the early nineties for the more relaxing pursuit of crushing grapes – to deluxe standards, and Diesel boss Renzo Rosso has his very own Diesel Farm on which to lovingly harvest his crop. Versace, Missoni, Valentino, Blumarine and Alberta Ferretti have all put their names to special-edition wines. And Giorgio Armani went one step further by inaugurating the opening of a Tokyo wine bar with 300 bottles of Italian wine. In other words, wine is the ultimate jet-set hobby and there are countless high-profile evangelists clinging to its cause. This is likely to resonate in emerging markets like Russia, China and India, where knowledge of Italian wines is at present, limited but celebrity knowledge high.

This year’s VinItaly in Verona – the biggest international wine conference in the world, saw a marked increase in the number of Chinese, Canadian and South American buyers. Along with Russia and India these emerging markets have large and young populations who are receptive to Western influences. What works in terms of marketing in the US will likely do well when rolled out there. The VivaVinoLA wine conference, set to take place in Los Angeles in May, will further bolster Italy’s presence in the US.

Organised by the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, this year’s fair features 150 wine producers.

Collectively, they will emphasize the uniqueness of Italy’s diverse wine-producing territories. “If wine consumption in the US continues to rise, it’s due to two categories of consumer: the young, and women – especially in the 21 – 33 year old age group. The American consumer prefers Italian wine not only for the taste, but above all for the sense of culture and tradition that the bottle transmits,” explains Letizia Miccoli, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce.

If this is the same demographic who would buy Roberto Cavalli clothes, Italy is on to a winning deal.

“Any time you want to make a change it’s not going to be easy,” says Vanja Vasic, whose take on fashion is outside the box. “It’s going to be a struggle. I think that Canada is very young still and we do have an issue sometimes supporting our own and I think we’ve always been like that.”

Vasic would know. The 30-year-old is the executive director of Fashion Art Toronto and brains behind FAT Arts and Fashion Week. From its humble beginnings in 2005 as a two-day runway event known as Alternative Fashion Week held in a now-defunct bar on King West, FAT Fashion Week has expanded with more than 200 national and international designers, photographers, musicians, and video and fashion installations exhibiting over four days.

As Vasic sips on her latte in the lounge of the Drake Hotel, it’s obvious that she and FAT Arts and Fashion Week have come a long way from their rebel beginnings, managing to survive Toronto’s predictable fashion sensibilities since FAT’s inception into the Toronto fashion scene.

Inspired by London, England’s alternative fashion scene, Vasic saw FAT as the answer to Toronto’s mainstream, commercially oriented fashion weeks. The goal was to bring in designers who embody alternative concepts, from House of Etiquette, which combines latex in places you would never imagine, to the minimalist designs of Pedram Karimi.

“I wanted to explore fashion creatively,” explains Vasic, who began FAT as a 23-year-old second-year Ryerson fashion design student. She sought out help from the Fasion Design Council of Canada when launching Alternative Fashion Week in 2005 but was turned down. The event has been her own DIY project since. “I always kind of saw myself looking at fashion through all these different art forms — going out, exploring and researching, and finding the concept behind the clothing.”
Seven years on, FAT Fashion Week’s annual presentations haven’t lost their lustre for conceptual ideas, eccentric garments or latex, for that matter. Plus, its industrial warehouse space in Bloordale Village screams unsolicited ’90s rave. All of which has made it a mainstay event in the Toronto fashion scene.

“Xtra magazine called us the bad girl and we still like to see ourselves as the bad girl,” says Vasic, who’s retained her commitment to what has seemed at times a fledgling project. “I think the people that are followers of the festival still have that feeling but I think that it’s just, like, gone to a next level.”

“FAT is more a fit for my work because I don’t want to just focus on the business side of the fashion. I want to be more artist than business woman,” says visual artist and second-time FAT designer Mitra Ghavamian, whose conceptual garments were inspired by the fabrics and way of life of the nomadic Ghashghaei tribe. “I’m very honest to my audience and I want them to know that fashion is not just shallow. FAT allows me to be creative without any limitation.”

For first-time presenter Nicole Roscher of Berlin label Von Bardonitz, whose designs verge on gothic and androgynous elements with a collection of unisex wear, FAT Fashion Week is a place for Canadians to experiment with their sense of fashion and push their boundaries.

“I think it’s important that people get more [of a] chance to express themselves” says Roscher, a model turned avant-garde designer whose conceptual clothes have found a niche audience in cities such as Taipei and Hong Kong. “If you go on the street you always see the same and I would love [it if] the people opened themselves and tried more things out.”

While FAT Fashion Week tries to push Canadian fashion away from the sale rack at Urban Outfitters, Vasic hopes that the event will continue to evolve with the possibility of joining Toronto Fashion Week if the opportunity presents itself.

“We have to bring in designers who are more professional, more interesting, and more conceptual and continuing to connect internationally with designers and organizations,” says Vasic, who’s trying to put Canadian fashion on the map. “It’s hugely important because not only are you bringing attention to Canada … but you’re also sort of having that exchange of ideas between countries and I think that’s huge in fashion.”

With his razor-sharp suits and immaculate style, Aquascutum owner Harold Tillman has come to symbolise the aspirations of the British  fashion industry.

Then last week he was forced to sell his Jaeger retail business and his 160-year-old Aquascutum brand collapsed into administration,  closing its factory in Corby, Northamptonshire.

However, this weekend Financial Mail can reveal that about 50 different approaches have been made for the brand, including home-grown entrepreneurs and Far Eastern  businessmen.

Administrators believe the interest will almost certainly result in the sale of the label and hope to agree preliminary terms with a preferred bidder by Friday.

Though Tillman had uncharacteristically gone to ground last week, friends say he will have been heartened that the brand into which he put so much effort and millions of his own money in a doomed bid to rival Burberry, might actually live to fight another day.

Eric Musgrave, former editor of British fashion bible Drapers and author of Sharp Suits, said: ‘It is a tragedy we will regret if the Aquascutum factory is allowed to disappear. Should a buyer emerge, do not be surprised if it is a manufacturer from the Far East that recognises the opportunity.’

Musgrave said he had already seen a growing awareness of the ‘style of the English gentleman’ among Asian consumers.

Burberry, Britain’s biggest luxury label, said last week that it sold more in the Far East than it did in Europe. Leather goods label Mulberry is showing signs of following its success.

Tillman recognised where the demand was coming from but he struggled with the legacies of the business – a brand that still fails to register with young people and a need to modernise and reduce the costs of manufacturing in Britain.

The Corby factory was closed quickly last week because it is understood stock was piling up and the stricken business had no hope of selling it.

The failure of Aquascutum is all the more disappointing because Tillman knew where he should be going, unlike many manufacturers and retailers that are failing to capitalise on demand for British labels in potentially lucrative markets such as Japan, China and South Korea.

The fatal flaw of Tillman’s plan to revive Aquascutum lay in the fact that he did not have the rights to market the product in most of these lucrative Asian markets.

Banks said: ‘The reality is that demand from the Far East will come and will increase from places such as China. Anybody brave enough to get involved will prosper. It is a great shame that we aren’t pushing “brand GB” to capitalise on that.’

And although Top Shop billionaire Sir Philip Green and David Alliance, chairman of home fashion shopping giant N Brown, are looking for more British factories, Financial Mail understands there are only an estimated 50,000 workers in the British clothing manufacturing industry – well below the 1.2 million of 1976.

However, administrators for Aquascutum at FRP Advisory fear that the factory may remain closed even if the rights to own the brand are sold.

Meanwhile, sources said Tillman has struggled with the Aquascutum business since he bought it in 2009 and was unlikely to mount his own rescue attempt, even though he is a friend of the ‘retail ratpack’ that  includes Green and former M&S boss Sir Stuart Rose.

Last week, Tillman was also forced to sell his Jaeger retail business to Jon Moulton’s private equity vehicle Better Capital, but retains a ten per cent stake.
However, though his frontline retail businesses have slipped through his grasp friends said that support for his work as chairman of the British Fashion Council, which runs London Fashion Week, remained strong.

‘There is no question that Harold has done a good job with London Fashion Week and the fortunes of the show have improved under his stewardship,’ said one.

He may have stumbled with his own labels, but as a champion for the wider British fashion industry he still has many loyal supporters..

Dating site users may not be in love with the results of a new study of online dating. In a 64-page report published online in February in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, a research team led by NU social psychology Prof. Eli Finkel cast significant doubt on the effectiveness and validity of matching techniques touted by online dating services.

Finkel and his team studied online dating site services through patented matchmaking formulas, interviews with the CEOs, books published by the founders and more than 400 psychological studies.

“What I like to say is that there are two ‘original sins’ that are essentially fundamental flaws of online dating site,” Finkel said.

First, he said, there is an over-dependence on browsing through profiles to find a partner. This research shows that people cannot determine who will be compatible based on a single online description. Second, almost all of the dating websites have purported use of “algorithms,” the formulas that match partners from surveys. Finkel argued, though, that after comprehensively reviewing the literature, there is no formula.

“If these websites had one, it would be a boon for singles,” he said. “That’s the holy grail.”

Most websites focus on matching similar traits, Finkel said. One such website, eHarmony, has a patent on its algorithm. Other sites, such as PerfectMatch.com and Chemistry.com, supposedly use a combination of similar traits and complementary traits.

“They don’t publish their algorithms, so it’s impossible to know what actually exists,” he said.

Even combinations of similar and complementary traits are unlikely to promote relationship well-being and longevity, Finkel said. Although it is commonly said that opposites attract, Finkel said that is not clear from available data. Psychologists have yet to identify certain psychological variables in which partners should or should not be similar.

In the past, scientists have shown people have lower divorce rates in same-race or same-religion marriages than in cross-race or cross-religion marriages, the study authors note. Finkel said although this is why some people use online dating services, the websites market more vaguely.

“The algorithms don’t claim that they work because of race or religion,” Finkel said. “They claim that they have some sort of deeper psychological pairing.”

What’s concerning to Finkel, he said, is that he believes the services are producing more homogenous relationships and marriages. Browsing through profiles induces “an assessment mindset, causing users to commoditize potential partners,” the study authors wrote.

Though online dating is not perfect, Finkel said, he believes it is beneficial for some people who might not have as many opportunities to meet others. For a single 30-year-old living in the suburbs, it can be a great way to start, Finkel said.

“Sometimes Cupid goes on vacation, or takes a long nap, or kicks back for a marathon of Lifetime original movies,” the study authors wrote. “Instead of waiting for Cupid to get back to work, people sometimes join dating sites to take back some control of their romantic lives.”

For those people, Finkel’s main advice was to be active immediately after receiving the list of partners.

“Browsing profiles forever won’t help,” Finkel said. “Having an algorithm select someone is not great either. Seize the opportunity to get offline and just set up a 20 minute coffee date with one of them.”

Actress Courtney Cox is appealing for potential suitors to step up and ask her out – because she realises “it’s time” for her to move on from her estranged husband David Arquette.

The former Friends star split from Arquette in 2010 and, while the actor has now found happiness with TV reporter Christina McLarty, Cox admits her love life is basically non-existent.

Appearing on shock jock Howard Stern’s satellite radio show on Wednesday, Cox said, “I’ve not had a man since David… No guy’s asked me out. I’m not saying I’m not ready to have a make-out session, it just makes me nervous. I don’t like to go out in general.”

She adds, “I have sexual feelings, there’s ways to deal with that. It’s time for me to get out there. It’s not easy to meet people. They don’t call me.”

And Cox isn’t sure if she’s strong enough emotionally to open up to a new man: “I’m really not ready… it’s hard. I was in a marriage for a very long time… I’m just not there.”

The actress did confess to one romantic encounter, admitting, “I’ve made out with one guy” – although she remained coy when asked to confirm reports of a fling with her Cougar Town co-star Josh Hopkins.

But she’s still close to Arquette and admits that even he has encouraged her to start dating.

She adds, “He even says to me, ‘Courteney, it’s time, get out there.’ He’s comfortable with whoever that would be with.”

LONELY singles looking for love online could be risking more than just a broken heart as Internet dating scams had tripled last year.

Many involved smooth-talking con men preying on vulnerable middle-aged Singaporean women.

After claiming to be from countries such as Britain and Australia, they often spend months persuading their victims to deposit money in an overseas account. Once they have the funds, they vanish.

The scams first appeared in Singapore about four years ago.

There were 62 last year, a rise from 21 in 2010. Most of the victims were female, with those over 40 the most vulnerable.

They included Susan (not her real name), who lost about S$18,000 (RM43,485) to a man she met on the Date In Asia website.

He claimed to be an Australian, named Sam, working for a bank in Kuala Lumpur.

The pair chatted on the phone and swopped text messages for about three weeks before Susan, 43, decided to meet him last July.

When he arrived at her home in Hillview Avenue, she saw he had brought her a burger – which she now suspects was drugged. After eat­ing it, she passed out for 12 hours.

When she woke up, Sam had stolen her personal documents, including credit cards, and spent about $18,000 on Apple products and jewellery.

“It didn’t hit me, I was not suspicious,” the corporate communications officer said. “I had never met such people in my life. Now I want to forget the whole thing.”

Police said it was hard to retrieve the money once it had been sent abroad.

That is why it is important to report such crimes early.

Internet dating ruses are classified as commercial crimes, a category that also includes kidnap scams.

These often involve foreigners calling families in Singapore, pretending a loved one had been snatched and then demand a ransom.

The “kidnappers” sometimes or­­der the relatives not to hang up until the money has been transferred. Fearing for their loved ones’ safety, the victims usually do as they are told.

There were 44 successful kidnap scams last year, in which the families actually transferred the money. This was a surge from just nine in 2010

Men spend far more time looking at photographs rather than reading the online profile on dating sites, a new study has revealed. On the other hand, women give more importance to reading the profile and pay less attention to the pictures.

AnswerLab, a consumer research company, conducted

the study in one day at a coffee shop in San Francisco, California.

The study asked 39 patrons who identified themselves as interested in dating the opposite sex to take part in the study, the Discovery News reported.

Participants including 18 women and 21 men, looked at dating profiles from Match.com and eHarmony.com on a laptop. The results showed that men spend 65 percent more time looking at photos than women.

Women, on the other hand, spent 50 percent more time than men on actually reading the profiles. The researchers collected data using the Tobii X1 Light Eye Tracker, a new, portable model of eye tracker.

The device works by shining an infrared light at the eye, creating reflections, which are, in turn, recorded by a camera.

Using the recorded pattern of reflections, the program calculates the angle between the cornea and pupil, which is used to calculate the angle of the gaze.

Combining the angle of the gaze and the distance between the eyes and the screen leads to accurate tracking of the eye’s movements.

Although people might not know it, our eyes are constantly moving, making quick adjustments to take in details.

Only the very small, central portion of the eye, called the fovea, is capable of really seeing details.

And as you look at something complicated, like a dating profile, with different text elements, photos and advertisements, your eyes make rapid movements so the fovea can briefly focus on each of the different elements that catch your eye’s attention.

Each tiny focusing event is called a fixation.

Because the eyes make this tiny movement when we study objects or read, the eye-tracking systems is able to figure out what we looked at, precisely, and for how long.

Advocacy groups say one third of teenagers are or have been in a violent or abusive relationship.

For just the third time, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence is marking February as teen dating violence awareness month, hoping to draw attention to the problem. The group says sometimes teens are unwilling to seek help or report it. The coalition says one in three teens in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner. It says 57-percent of teens know someone who has been abusive. That’s why the group is trying to raise awareness. The group says it’s trying to provide support to current victims and is encouraging healthy relationships among teens.

When we told viewers on Facebook we were looking into the issue of dating violence the stories slowly started coming in.

“My son’s father wanted my son killed while I was pregnant. I was only 16 then,” wrote one woman.

“The neighbor boy thought he owned me. Looking back, I could never understand why people didn’t step in,” said another.

“He hit me so hard one day that it chipped my tooth. He once hit me with a bat…” “He would always tell me how sorry he was and it wouldn’t happen again,” explained another victim.

Then we heard from Greg Schreiner. The 19 year old man in Eau Claire says he was to blame for verbal abuse in his teen relationship a few years ago.

“I always went on her Facebook and email just looking thought her personal stuff and harassing her about people she was talking to just to get information,” says Schreiner.

He says looking back he knows it was wrong and says he knows people can change, that’s why he wants to share his story. He says he changed his ways and regrets the choices he made while in high school.

“If you know someone who is being abused you should speak up because you could save somebody’s life,” says Schreiner.

The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence says teen dating violence is higher than all other forms of youth violence but the group says it’s under reported. Local officers say they don’t hear much about it.

“This is always a topic where it’s hard for people to come forward. They might be embarrassed or they don’t want to get anyone else in trouble but as we look at domestic violence little things lead to bigger things and this is where we encourage the kids to seek out a teacher, find a parent, seek out the school officers or their councilors and tell them what’s going on,” says Lt. Chad Hoyord with the Eau Claire Police Department.

The coalition says if the abuse goes unchecked it will likely continue as teens grow up. That’s why it wants to address the issue.

As the sun sets on the golf course outside the Palm Court Café, the party inside has already started. The drinks are two for one. The music is blaring. A DJ plays the Cupid Shuffle and a dozen ladies rush to the dance floor. It’s 6 p.m. Do you know where your grandma is?

If she lives in the retirement community of Kings Point, she might be at this resident-only hot spot. Especially if she’s on a date. Or on the prowl.

With more than 5,000 unmarried residents, the dating scene in Sun City Center is far from dead.

But it can get a little interesting.

For every single man there are three single women, according to the 2010 Census. The average age is 74.

On Thursdays, a DJ plays music from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Club’s cafe. And, according to residents, it’s one of the best places to meet new people in this usually quiet community.

Gracie Swagel, 66, met her boyfriend there.

One year ago today, a friend introduced her to Rick Razick Sr., 77.

“He was sitting at the bar,” Swagel said. “He brought me a rose and took me to dinner.”

Razick had seen her around the community before, but the retired Air Force pilot hadn’t been interested then.

“There were plenty of women here,” Razick said.

What changed?

“She got me hooked,” he said. “She’s very nice to me.”

For Swagel, a widower, it took a lot of courage to get back into dating.

“The whole world changes when you lose a spouse,” she said. “The hardest thing was to get started.”

The couple plan to have an early Valentine’s date to celebrate their anniversary.

“We don’t know how it will work out,” Swagel said, “but we are happy here and now.”

If it sounds a lot like dating anywhere else, that’s because it is, said Mary Haverstock, 79.

Haverstock’s husband passed away soon after they moved to Kings Point a decade ago.

Since then, she has learned a few things about dating as she ages.

The women are still the same.

“It’s very much like high school with the jealousy,” she said.

The men still have the ability to drive the women crazy.

“They are not that much different from when they were young,” she said.

What has changed? Dating becomes something you do for yourself again, she said. There are no parents to check in with or other people to worry about.

Haverstock loves dancing, so she often comes to the Palm Court Café on Thursdays and takes a few turns around the dance floor.

If a man catches her eye, at least she can see how he behaves before she agrees to go out with him.

“One of the nice things about it here is that you can meet men in a group setting,” she said. “If they are a gentleman, you learn that before you agree to a date.”

Bobbi Burnette, 55, agrees with the jealousy part. She moved to Kings Point with her husband when she was 53 and she says she was immediately lambasted because of her age.

“I moved here and the other women hated my guts,” she said.

She is now divorced. She quickly found that dating her neighbors wasn’t something she was interested in.

“A lot of the men are looking for a nurse or a purse,” she said. “I’m not either.”

Then there are the women so desperate to find a man in the unevenly split community that residents often refer to them as the “casserole brigade” in hushed tones.

“There are women who look in the newspapers to find out whose wife passed away,” Burnette said. “Then they’ll go bring him a casserole.”

Burnette is now dating a man who lives outside the community.

Jack Keller, 78, and Carol Carter, 71, met in Kings Point. Both have been married before. Keller is a widower and Carter a divorcee.

They try not to take things too seriously.

“We have a lot of fun together and we laugh,” Keller said.

They often go to the horse races or dancing. Sometimes Carter cooks.

“She puts a slug on a plate,” Keller joked.

He pursued her, attracted to her appearance and her kind nature, he said.

For Carter, it came down to one kiss.

“I kissed him, and when I kissed him, that was it.”

In some ways yes — and in others, maybe not, according to a study on online dating released by the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

“Romantic relationships can begin anywhere. When online dating arrow strikes, you might be at church or at school, playing chess or softball, searching for a partner at a party, or minding your own business on the train,” the authors write. “But sometimes online dating goes on vacation, or takes a long nap, or kicks back for a marathon of Lifetime original movies. As a result, people go through stretches of time when desirable potential partners seem out of reach.”

Many online dating sites purport to have an advantage over random real-life encounters in that they employ special “algorithms” that can help people find their “match” — weeding through all the people who wouldn’t be compatible in the first place. But this practice might be grossly misleading and even counterproductive — especially since none of these formulas has undergone rigorous scientific review — according to the study.

“The ready access to a large pool of potential partners can elicit an evaluative, assessment-oriented mindset that leads online daters to objectify potential partners and might even undermine their willingness to commit to one of them,” the authors write in the study led by Eli Finkel of Northwestern University. “It can also cause people to make lazy, ill-advised decisions when selecting among the large array of potential partners.”

It’s reminiscent of other work by Finkel, which found, among other things, that such apparently trivial distinctions made a difference. For example, women go for men who gaze away from the camera — the broody, mysterious look — while men respond to women who smile at the camera, because it triggers what Finkel called “men’s ’sexual over-perception bias.’”

But the fact that these sites provide singles with unprecedented access to others who also want to date means that singles have far more opportunities to meet and form a lasting bond than they would otherwise, the authors point out. If there’s interest, the trick might be to take things off-line as quickly as possible — because a face-to-face interaction is a better way to “get a clearer sense of their romantic potential.”

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