`90s Fashion - 2FM with Dave Fanning

Is this familiar? Take a trip back with me tomorrow as I discuss `90s fashion with Dave Fanning on 2FM from 10am.

St. Patrick's Day Post-mortem

Researching Christian Louboutin today. Glad I abstained from a visit to Uncle Arthur yesterday!

Behind-the-Scenes - Irish Designers Shoot

Where the magic happens...

Irish Designers Photoshoot - Irish Examiner

Pick up today's Irish Examiner Weekend magazine for a special St. Patrick's Day photoshoot where we pay tribute to our best designers. 

Sinead Doyle – The Tailor

Structured pleats and cap sleeves lend a regal air to this captivating Victoriana creation.  The Joanne Hynes collar speaks of a modern oligarch.
Distressed linen dress with silk lining and Liberty print cotton detail, Sinead Doyle at Project 51 €495
Emerald green glass, crystal, Perspex and diamond chain collar, Joanne Hynes at The Luxury Hall Brown Thomas, €520

John Rocha – The Master Craftsman

Texture form and detail merge in three-dimensions of hand-tucked raffia; a master class in craftsmanship.
Natural raffia headdress, from a selection at John Rocha
Natural raffia sleeveless jacket, from a selection at John Rocha
Natural raffia embellished sandals, from a selection at John Rocha

Joanne Hynes – The Individualist

Leather meets embellishment into this Edie Sedgwick-inspired shift accompanied by a suitably Warholian crystal rabbit necklace.
Leather dress with appliqué  leather and crystal tiger woman, made to order by Joanne Hynes €1800
Patent leather and Swarovski crystal bunny pendant, Joanne Hynes at BT2 Grafton Street €195
Dries Van Noten ‘Ripcord’ sandals, Brown Thomas €595
 

Emma Manley - The One to Watch

Urban romance finds expression in a gentle juxtaposition of chiffon, blush leather and hardware details.
‘Hail’ studded dress, Manley at Bow €550
Studded cuff, Úna Burke at Project 51 €89
Dries Van Noten ‘Savage’ sandals, Brown Thomas €795

Umit Kutluk - The New Kid on the Block

Feathers and beaded lace find updated proportions in this texture driven two-piece.
Lace and pearl beaded dress, Umit Kutluk at Design Centre €740
Feather skirt, Umit Kutluk at Design Centre €550

Matt Doody – The Dress Whisperer

Sumptuous swathes of silk make this Kerry native’s gowns worthy of a goddess.
Triple silk boat dress with silk veiling tie, Matt Doody €1,750
Dries Van Noten ‘Savage’ sandals, Brown Thomas €795

Eilis Boyle – The Romantic

Undulating metallic lace hewn with grosgrain bows – whimsical, quixotic and utterly charming.
Lace dress, Eilis Boyle at Bow €1,100
Lanvin ‘Lancelot’ ballet flats, Brown Thomas €320

Credits
Shot on location @ The Factory, 35a Barrow Street, Dublin 4; 01-4306964; www.thefactory.ie
Stylist and shoot producer: Annmarie O'Connor – 087-9764920; www.iblogfashion.blogspot.com
Photography: Miki Barlok – 086-2237081; www.barlokphoto.com
Models: Clare @ 1st Option – 01-6705233; www.1stoption.ie
Hair: John Geaney @ John Geaney for Hair – 021-4503788; www.johngeaney.ie
Make-up: Karen Fitzpatrick – 086-6010702; www.sculptbykaren.com
Shoot Assistants: Bríd Ní Laochdha and Roisin Ní Laochdha

Stockists
Bow – Powerscourt Centre 01-6040044; www.bowpowerscourt.com
BT2 – Grafton Street 01-6056747; www.bt2.ie
Brown Thomas – Grafton Street 01-6056666; www.brownthomas.com
Joanne Hynes  – online at www.joannehynes.com; info@joannehynes.com
John  Rocha – Havana, Donnybrook 01 260 2707; www.johnrocha.ie
Matt Doody  – Powerscourt Centre 087-2322382; www.mattdoody.com
Project 51 – South William Street 01-6795551; www.project51.ie
Umit Kutluk – Design Centre, Powerscourt Centre 01-6795863 / 01-6795718; www.designcentre.ie

 

The Christian Louboutin '20 Ans' Collection

Tomorrow sees the launch of the Christian Louboutin '20 Ans' anniversary collection at Brown Thomas. The 20-piece capsule honours the cult cobbler's twenty years in the business with signature foot candy like the feathery La Pluminette and the free-standing Bow Bow Bow. Foot candy never tasted so sweet. Yum....

Brown Thomas S/S 12 Contemporary Collections

Brown Thomas showcased its s/s `12 young contemporary collections in-store last night at a special catwalk show for customers and press. Brands such as The Kooples, Zadig & Voltaire, Sandro, Helmut Lang, Acne, Raoul, Edun and Marc by Marc Jacobs made the runway edit which bore a distinctive insociant cool hallmark. Big credits to Paula Hughes for styling, Michael Leong for hair and MAC make-up. The plaited mohawks were a big hit. If only I had long hair. Sigh...

Clothing, the Cosmos and Other Conspiracies

The older I get, the more I make peace with the fact that I'll never be one of these 'today I'm wearing' gals: that rare breed of glossy fashion fodder - perfectly coiffed, perfectly turned out, with a carefully-curated look we are led to believe happened 'organically'. My 'look' is generally one of fear before 9am and grave concern at approximately 9:10am when I grasp the semantic nuance between 'throwing something on' and looking 'thrown together'. At this point, I normally reach for something black and a big mug of black coffee.

On the occasions that I get it right (which generally involve good lighting and a few hours of preening), the universe can be found to conspire against me. I'm beginning to take this cosmic spite personally, if not for the fact that its frequency is scaring me into thinking I'm being singled out by sartorial fate. Let me explain.

Last night I had a dinner party to attend and as chance would have it, the cab arrived early prompting me to fast-forward my half-finished attempt at getting dressed. Having been a bit heavy-handed with the deodorant, I slipped on my MiH light blue oversized shirt only to find the spray had seeped into the material, leaving me to look like Christy Moore after the Siege of Venice. Futile attempts were made to dry the offending stain with a hairdryer before I was forced to leave.

On the way out, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and arrived at the soiree with my arms stuck to my sides for the duration of the evening. To add insult to proverbial injury, I discovered whilst cleaning out the fridge today that in my haste, I grabbed the wrong bottle - offering my host instead a half-empty Pinot Grigio that had been left festering on the door rack. Needless to say a rather hearty apology was made on my behalf this evening. 

So yes, I seem to have more luck dressing others than myself. That being said, I savour the days when it all seems to fall into place. But as luck would have it, those are generally the occasions when I have nowhere to go.

Louise Kennedy S/S `12

Louise Kennedy showcased her s/s `12 collection today at her Merrion Square headquarters. Celebrating a bygone era of Hollywood glamour and elegance, the 53-piece strong line drew inspiration from style icons of the `50s: Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis and Empress Soraya. Vivid brights and souffle-light pastels found expression in metallic tweed tailoring and fluid jersey separates; while her asymmetric 'Yomiko' dress and French lace finale gown proved true crowd pleasers. A masterclass in modern nostalgia.

Louise Kennedy: 56 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland. Tel. +353-1-662 0056. www.louisekennedy.com