Sybil Connolly and CREATE Irish Designers at Brown Thomas

Thursday 29 August 2013

Hello lovelies!

So on Tuesday the 27th Brown Thomas decided to get the ball rolling on the run up to Dublin Fashion Festival ( September 5th-8th!) with a exhibit on celebrated Irish designer Sybil Connolly and also hosted the event CREATE which showcased 13 up and coming Irish designers.

Sybil Connolly on the 24th January 1921 and was brought up in County Waterford. At 17 she moved to London to pursue her interests in fashion and studied as a dress maker at Bradley & Co. During her career Connolly worked with Tiffany &Co., Tipperary Crystal, Brunschwig & Fils, and Schumacher and even the 

glamorous first wife Jacqueline Kennedy wore a Sybil Connolly 

creation when she sat for her official White House portrait.



The exhibit was brilliant with the chance to get up close and 

personal with some of Connolly's beautiful creations.


The woman herself, Sybil Connolly.












A sketch book of some designs.



As if that wasn't enough Brown Thomas added to this celebration of Ireland's fashion history with a celebration of Ireland's fashion future. CREATE consisted of 13 top Irish designers who have been granted a precious month of floor space on the 1st level of the Brown Thomas Dublin store.



I chose a few of my favourite collections to photograph and share with you.

Let's start off with KDK Sisters founded by sisters Dairine and Keira Kennedy. This is a luxury cashmere scarf collection inspired by the Iirsh wilderness and floral tones. I especially loved the bold use of colors used in patterns that brought about an earthly aesthetic.





 

Willow & Clo is a hand crafted jewellery line established by Chloe Townsend, a goldsmith who works with semi-precious stones and metals to create stunning ethereal pieces. 




Dorai was created by Maria Dorai Raj who based her jewellery collection on minimalism and balanced clean lines. These pieces are beautifully contemporary but also so simple and effortlessly classic.




My favourite piece from the whole exhibit, pity I'll have to break my bank account to buy it. :(

Lisa Ryder showed off her 100% vegan leather goods collection with a strong emphasis on a both creative and wearable line, something that can be hard to achieve for a lot of designers and can be a cause for their down fall.



Not a big hat fan myself personally I was very impressed by Martha Lynn's modern and youthful collection, particularly the use of brilliant pink and structured lines. I guess she learned from the best after working with millinery legends Philip Treacy and  Stephen Jones.





There is something very distinct and original about Irish fashion and design which is why I was seriously excited to check out this event and learn more about our national fashion talent. Serious props to Brown Thomas for supporting Irish design talent.

That's all from me, thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

Autumn/Winter 2013 Trend Report

Monday 26 August 2013

Hello lovelies,

So I thought it was about time I did a fashion type blog because I've missed them oh so much. Today I'm going to be going through some of the main trends that appear to be sticking around with us as we move into these cold months, (Only 4 months to Christmas!).

Punk It Out
Boohoo Rebel Trend
Boohoo

Perhaps the big shots in New York who organised the Met Ball Punk: Chaos to Couture were on the right track as even now it's clear this edgy punk trend will be here to stay as mega high street super-brands Topshop and Primark (that's Pennys for all you Irish readers) have quickly caught on to its potential. If you're looking to pull of this look think classic English urban attitude crossed with tartan and 90's grunge. I recommend investing in a good black leather skirt, a strong plaid/checked shirt and some studs.

Primark AW13 campaign shots
Primark

The Coat
Richard Nicoll

Of course it's obvious that every season another 'must have' coat comes into view, last year if I can remember it was camel? Well this year it's the minimal sheath coat. Straight lines, clean and crisp tailoring and no funny business.

Marks and Spencer

Sugar Plum Fairy
Simone Rocha

This fairy tale trend is so sweet it could possibly give you a tooth ache. Talk about looking at life through rose tinted glasses this trend is all about sherbet shades of rosy pinks, baby blues and pastels of just about any colour. Accessorize with patent leather loafers, rose golds and a lovely pair of cat's eyes sunnies! And if your're still unsure about how to work this look ask Mui Mui, Lanvin and Jonathan Saunders for inspiration.

Topshop


Texture, texture, texture
Mui Mui

This Autumn/Winter to give your look a bit of interest try adding a spot of texture. Everywhere from the high street to the catwalk styles were adorned with combinations of furs, leathers, and ruched fabrics. Luckily this trend can easily be adapted to your everyday style and customised.

Marc Jacobs

I'm sure I've missed out on numerous trends but these 4 numbers are a few of my favourites. If you have any particular suggestions for what is a must buy for this season don't forget to pop it in the comments I'd love to hear them.

 I don't know about  you but I'm seriously excited to start wearing cosy warm jumpers and wrapping up in a hat and scarf, bring on the bitter cold!

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

All photos were sourced from the internet as I do not own them.

Life Changes

Saturday 24 August 2013

Hello lovelies!

Ok so it's quite a different post today as I thought I'd try out doing a little 'life update' post. As thousands upon thousands of Irish secondary students will know in June 2013 I sat the Irish Leaving Certificate, an exam that has the potential to map out the rest of your life for you. These exams area seriously stressful and can really take it out of the best of people. Fortunately I survived the ordeal and moved on with my summer filling it with travel and friends in a futile attempt to forget that in a few weeks time I would get my results....

Wednesday August 14th came around like a lightening bolt and all of a sudden I found myself driving up to my old school to collect my fate, wrapped up tight and served in a brown envelop with a side of anxiety.



In my opinion grades and results are not the most important things in the world and my approach to the Leaving Cert was very relaxed which is why I didn't think I was going to do well. However I was absolutely over the moon to receive 3 A1's, 3 A2's and a B1 in my exams. That amounts to 595 points out of a possible total of 625 so it was safe to say I was one happy girl.

Getting that amount of points meant that I was offered my first choice of university courses which was Business and French at Trinity College Dublin. I'm not entirely sure if I'll love my course but I'm so excited to get into the university student lifestyle. New friends, new classes, new experiences and tonnes of societies and clubs to get involved in. Yesterday I got my welcome email from Trinity and it got me all excited and ready to start choosing my extra course modules (law, political science or sociology? You tell me?). Freshers week starts September 16th!

On another note as you may have seen last year around this time of year my brother attended his debs which is like an american prom but slightly more formal in that the girls usually wear long flowing dresses and the guys buy corsages. Well, this year it's finally my turn to take a whack at the debs and on Tuesday September 3rd I'll be getting all dolled up to dance the night away with my friends. Here are a few hints as to what I'll be wearing but don't worry I'll be posting up a few photos of the day.





Only about 9 more days to go! My friends have put in so much work and I know it'll be worth it.

Right so if you've lasted this long I'd like to first of all congratulate you for getting through all that and also I'd like to reassure you that I'll be back to the usual posts ASAP. Look out for a university haul coming soon.

Ciara xxx

The last of my London Adventures...Lake House Fun

Saturday 17 August 2013

Hello lovelies!

So this blog is going to be my final 'London Adventures' post which is sad because that means I have to stop living in the past and embrace the present. A lot will be changing in my life these coming months and hopefully it will be a change for the good. However that is for another post entirely, today I am here to write about my final few days in England living it up in the Cotswolds staying in my aunt's absolutely gorgeous lake house.

Now I didn't know what to expect when my aunt talked about the house, was it going to be a rickety wooden construction or what? Because I do not do creepy crawlies! Let's just say I was very very pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Think luxury hotel crossed with an easy spa feel. My jaw was literally hanging open for a good 20 minutes that's how gorgeous this place was. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the actual house because I thought that might be invading my family's personal space but I did take a few of the lake on which the house sat!





If you're in the market for a little slice of heaven this place is the place for you. There's a perfect little gym which was almost empty every time we went there and also a swimming pool, sauna and spa to top it all off. And if you're into something a bit more physically challenging you can go kayaking, sailing or even swimming in the lake (which is a lot harder than it sounds trust me!). 






It was such a peaceful end to such a busy month for me and I would go back there in a heartbeat. One of my favourite things about holidays are the late nights you spend chatting around the dinner table in the silence of the night.







So that's the end of my wonderful month of London, I hope you enjoyed getting to find out what I got up to while I was there and all these posts weren't completely boring! Please stay with me because I have so much more planned for this blog :)

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx

 
And of course the hugest of 'thank you's to my fabulous aunt who made it all possible for me!




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