Olivia Danielle Boutique, 19 Church Street, Athlone
090 6472707
090 6472707
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
LFW Highlights by Fashion Capital
The opening commenced last Friday with a dark shadow cast over by the untimely death of designer Alexandra McQueen. An icon in the industry and true master of his art, McQueen was honoured with a remembrance wall in the BFC tent at Somerset House. This soon became the centre of attention and hundreds of messages were posted.
Sarah Brown, the wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, officially opened LFW accompanied by Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council. Mrs Brown said the week-long event would be a "reflective time with sadness at the passing" of McQueen.
Despite the pensive mood, there were plenty of canapés and champagne at several receptions. The fashion-familiar sound of champagne corks popping off
set a bit of the gloom.
The long list of prestigious catwalk events set for the next five days emphasized that London's talent pool is still deep. Anticipation built for shows by Paul Smith, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and other stalwarts. FC were on fire this season with a fantastic team of journalists and photographers ensuring our readers were the first t
o review the top designer collections each day, all of which can be found here. Members of FC will soon be able to access a full gallery of each of the shows this season.
Collections that really stood out for us included PPQ, Julien Macdonald, Jaeger, Belle Sauvage and Ziad Ghanem particularly for its unconventional models and theatrics!
It was also fantastic to see some of our very own designers showcase this year. Samantha Cole, Whereareyounow? Josie and Alice Palmer all took to the catwalk. Cole opened the On/Off show on day one with an eerie all white collection. There were her signature angular pieces with high collars and geometric lines and Palmer hit just the right balance between experimental and commercial.
Yan To, who was recently featured in the Metro, presented his A/W 10 collection entitled Haringey which was produced at Fashion Enter’s factory The Wor
kshop and Beautiful Soul took a prime position in the Esthetica exhibition.
Over the week key trends emerged dictating what will dominate next season’s wardrobes. Here’s your insight on what to look out for:
Key Trends
The longer length
Jersey hobble skirts and satin maxi skirts provided interesting new proportions to play with next season and outwear was often seen sweeping the floor
The belted trench
An autumn classic this was revamped in deluxe or hi-tech fabrics – silk gazar, Spanish lace and high-shine patent.
Velvet
The fabric of choice for many of the long skirts, unstructured jackets and evening dresses.
Aviator Jacket
Usually cropped and in sheepskin or marbled leather with fluffy shearling collars
Emroidery
Whimsical embroidery flowers, butterflies and birds adding texture and interest to a garment – replacing last seasons sequin craze
Asymmetric shoulders
The new one shouldered dress provides a strong and dramatic look
Leather and fur revisited
Dresses with lace or satin insets gave leather a lighter new look, and fur trims were in abundance!
So there you have it. London Fashion Week is over for another season. We hope you enjoyed the coverage on FashionCapital from the fantastic team including journalists Rivkie Baum, Emma Westwood, Lynsay Mcconachie and Annette Traczyk and photographers Andy Espin and Gabriel Corcuera.
Designers embrace power of fashion's blogging crowd
LONDON (Reuters) - Designers are embracing a growing crowd of internet-savvy fashion followers taking catwalk glamour beyond the coveted front row, with many young creators welcoming a trend they say brings them closer to consumers.
After years of shunning the internet, a changing luxury market has forced even top fashion houses to welcome the world wide web and, more recently, a burgeoning blogging and micro-blogging, or "tweeting," culture.
For young designers like 29-year-old Canadian Mark Fast, showcasing his collection of body-molding knitwear at London's fashion week, the blogosphere offers a voice to new opinions and a platform for the startup brands themselves.
"It's a great way to reach many more people," Fast said backstage, as models and dressers swarmed ahead of his show.
"Everyone has an opinion -- it's nice to hear what these people are thinking, to give them a voice. Why not?"
Fast has become a darling of the controversy-hungry blogging crowd after choosing larger models to showcase his collection alongside the more traditional, long-limbed size zeros, a move he says that is more about diversity than ruffling feathers.
Mary Katrantzou, who showed her collection of structured dresses in dramatic, 18th-century inspired trompe-l'oeil prints alongside Fast, said bloggers offered her useful input, but most critically, put her in direct touch with consumers.
"It is a new way of getting in touch with people and finding out what they feel about your clothes," she told Reuters.more
By Clara Ferreira-Marques and Basmah Fahim
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
From the Blogs
Wednesday's Roundup of The Irish Fashion and Beauty Blogs
Rockin Fashion: Elle Style Awards 2010
God this really is a busy couple of weeks where award ceremonies are concerned. Music, Film, Fashion you name it..... But one thing is for sure, London is most definitely the place to be this week. With all the stars descending in town for more
Stylefish.ie: Whats in Store from M&S
One of our firm favorites on the high street Marks & Spencer’s have unveiled their new Spring Summer more
TheSavvyShopper.ie: 20% of SS10 at LK Bennett
WhatSheWears.ie: Ask the Stylist: Communnion
My daughter is making her First Holy Communion this year, and I haven’t a clue as to what should I wear. I’m a young mum (30) and I just had a baby a couple of weeks ago so my figure is a bit bigger than usual . I haven’t a clue as to what would be appropriate so… any ideas? more
Stylebible.ie: Dylan Bradshaw Launch Night
The young and the beautiful stepped out in force last night to join acclaimed hairstylist Dylan Bradshaw to celebrate the launch of his über cool flagship salon in Dublin city centre. The impressive three-storey Georgian building was centre stage of South William Street, with over 500 guests enjoying the exquisite interior of the salon. Owner and host Dylan Bradshaw was joined by his wife Charlotte in welcoming guests throughout the evening as they enjoyed the mouthwatering canapé and champagne reception and mingled their way through the extensive 6000 sq ft salon to the beats of super cool tunes. more
White Rabbitt: Thrifted Ralph Lauren Pants
Last week I bored everybody to death posting about my newly acquired fondness for the slouchy pants. Well, I am back to my subject again! This time it is about a vintage pair of Ralph Lauren high waisted, carrot shaped, super soft cotton trousers I bought in a Charity Shop for €5
OffShoot: I all Edge
I think I'm taking this whole lux grunge thing a bit too far but with the spring summer collections taking over the shops I've very little time left before I'll be expected to wear nudes and florals SO I'm making the best of grey and black and studs while it's still acceptable and before I look like an annoying angsty teenager. Saying that, if I did have a couple hundred quid to splash out on a pair of shoes I'd most certainly be buying these, sure they're mens shoes I dont think I care.
more
Beaut.ie
It’s fairly safe to say that we’re obsessed with nails at the moment. After all Owen Wilson himself has drawled that “nails are so hot right now“: and that has probably had something to do with the rise of the Reverse French, the Chanel Catwalk creations and lace manis among others. Owen usually gets most trends spot on.more
The Stylebitches
Introducing the musical stylings of ‘Crystal Swing’. (No prizes for guessing where they get either part of their name). Never have I been more inclined to emigrate. The mere thoughts of encountering these folk in a seaside bar whilst drunk in Kilkee some New Years Eve makes me shudder to my very core.
Whisty Blogs Fashion: Harpers Bazaar Shoot
I love this shoot, I’m sure I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t go a bit gaga for the dark romanticism of this pair of vigilantes. The bank-robbing rampage of Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow during the Great Depression epitomised rebellion and thus appealed to the disillusioned, unemployed public of America. Their story has continued to influence popular culture; in the late sixties Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway portrayed the pair in a critically acclaimed film. Since then the story has been even more romanticised and glamourised turning the couple into a pair of 20th century Robin Hoods more
Stylefish.ie: Whats in Store from M&S
One of our firm favorites on the high street Marks & Spencer’s have unveiled their new Spring Summer more
TheSavvyShopper.ie: 20% of SS10 at LK Bennett
WhatSheWears.ie: Ask the Stylist: Communnion
My daughter is making her First Holy Communion this year, and I haven’t a clue as to what should I wear. I’m a young mum (30) and I just had a baby a couple of weeks ago so my figure is a bit bigger than usual . I haven’t a clue as to what would be appropriate so… any ideas? more
Stylebible.ie: Dylan Bradshaw Launch Night
The young and the beautiful stepped out in force last night to join acclaimed hairstylist Dylan Bradshaw to celebrate the launch of his über cool flagship salon in Dublin city centre. The impressive three-storey Georgian building was centre stage of South William Street, with over 500 guests enjoying the exquisite interior of the salon. Owner and host Dylan Bradshaw was joined by his wife Charlotte in welcoming guests throughout the evening as they enjoyed the mouthwatering canapé and champagne reception and mingled their way through the extensive 6000 sq ft salon to the beats of super cool tunes. more
White Rabbitt: Thrifted Ralph Lauren Pants
Last week I bored everybody to death posting about my newly acquired fondness for the slouchy pants. Well, I am back to my subject again! This time it is about a vintage pair of Ralph Lauren high waisted, carrot shaped, super soft cotton trousers I bought in a Charity Shop for €5
OffShoot: I all Edge
I think I'm taking this whole lux grunge thing a bit too far but with the spring summer collections taking over the shops I've very little time left before I'll be expected to wear nudes and florals SO I'm making the best of grey and black and studs while it's still acceptable and before I look like an annoying angsty teenager. Saying that, if I did have a couple hundred quid to splash out on a pair of shoes I'd most certainly be buying these, sure they're mens shoes I dont think I care.
more
Beaut.ie
It’s fairly safe to say that we’re obsessed with nails at the moment. After all Owen Wilson himself has drawled that “nails are so hot right now“: and that has probably had something to do with the rise of the Reverse French, the Chanel Catwalk creations and lace manis among others. Owen usually gets most trends spot on.more
The Stylebitches
Introducing the musical stylings of ‘Crystal Swing’. (No prizes for guessing where they get either part of their name). Never have I been more inclined to emigrate. The mere thoughts of encountering these folk in a seaside bar whilst drunk in Kilkee some New Years Eve makes me shudder to my very core.
Whisty Blogs Fashion: Harpers Bazaar Shoot
I love this shoot, I’m sure I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t go a bit gaga for the dark romanticism of this pair of vigilantes. The bank-robbing rampage of Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow during the Great Depression epitomised rebellion and thus appealed to the disillusioned, unemployed public of America. Their story has continued to influence popular culture; in the late sixties Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway portrayed the pair in a critically acclaimed film. Since then the story has been even more romanticised and glamourised turning the couple into a pair of 20th century Robin Hoods more
Summer Macs available at Olivia Danielle Boutique
Oliva Danielle Boutique,19 Church Street Athlone, 0906 472707Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Spring Summer 010 at Pink Champagne Boutique
Over one year on and Pink Champagne, Clonee, is still going strong! Fantastic new brands (see below) in stock now, all offer something different and something to suit all wallets, more importantly!
Fabulous dresses from day wear to occassion wear to suit all ages. Once again, we will be involved in an ongoing campaign 'Boutique Alliance' in association with Assets model agency throughout Spring/Summer. Exciting newspaper shoots and magazine editorials to come, along with ongoing fashion shows, Ireland Am Fashion slots and features on Xpose!
An exciting year ahead at Pink Champagne!!
Fabulous dresses from day wear to occassion wear to suit all ages. Once again, we will be involved in an ongoing campaign 'Boutique Alliance' in association with Assets model agency throughout Spring/Summer. Exciting newspaper shoots and magazine editorials to come, along with ongoing fashion shows, Ireland Am Fashion slots and features on Xpose!
An exciting year ahead at Pink Champagne!!
Brands Include Ronen Chen;Filles Des Sable;Rinascimento;Culture;St. Martins - new;Fred - new;Pomodora;Madeline;Kate Cooper - new;Derhy;Aftershock;Fever
Pink Champagne Boutique, Main Street, Clonee, Co Meath 018026768
Pink Champagne Boutique, Main Street, Clonee, Co Meath 018026768
Monday, February 22, 2010
From the Blogs
Mondays Roundup of the Irish Fashion and Beauty Blogs
Stylefish.ie: Debenhams Launch Size 16 Mannequins
Angela Scanlon: Interview with Jewellery designer Merle O' Grady
Merle O’Grady set up her own label after gaining experience with Tracy Boyd and Pauric Sweeney, among others. With both Beyonce and Rihanna as fans of the label already, this girl’s Sworovski-encrusted star is most definitely on the rise. Merle will be showing her AW10 collection at London Fashion Week from 19th-23rd Feb more
Soooali.com
There are a couple of exciting things in the pipeline for soooali.com. I’ll be sharing them with you soon. Nobody believes this top is from River Island and honestly, when I first saw it, I didn’t too. It has all the elements of vintage. The shoulders are pretty cool huge but to me, that’s a good thing. This bag is my dog personified. It’s lovely to cuddle on the way home if you’ve had a bad day or as a pillow!more
Nickys Rags Tales: Marc Jacobs does gentle and stylish for Autumn 2010
Marc Jacobs presented an altogether more gentle collection in New York last week for Autumn Winter 2010. With Period references from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond it seems that Marc Jacobs has succeeded in shunning the fast moving modernity and has managed to produce clothes that are flattering. Skirt were calf length and there was little flesh on show
Stylebible.ie: Let the Gift Guru help you with your Gift woes!
With an around every corner, i.e. birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baby, valentines, mother’s day, father’s day etc etc (phew) it’s important to have someone helpful on your side for fun and quirky tokens at reasonable prices. We were pretty excited to read about Gift Guru, which is an online gift company with a fantastic selection of gifts suitable for just about anyone and any occasion. Gift Guru was set up by Mary Leahy & Oonagh Levis who have many years experience in the gift market, being the owners of the very successful company Town & Country Hampers. more
Whatshewears.ie: IFTAS
The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) welcomed the cream of Ireland’s creative talent from the world of film and television as they gathered in Dublin at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel on Saturday night (February 20).
TheSavvyshopper: €20 blowdryes at Zoo
Yes, you read correctly ladies.Shay Dempsey’s Dublin hair salon are offering €20 blowdrys Tuesday to Friday with selected stylists.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Boutique Buzz
Boutique Focus: Bella Sola
Bella Sola, located in Newcastle West, Co.Limerick is a haven for lovers of stylish ladies clothing and shoes.Joan Cahill, the proprietor, named the boutique after her daughters, Isabella and Sophia.
Bella Sola has a welcoming ambience and is beautifully designed with a strong Italian influence. Joan has always had a passion for style and travels throughout Europe to source fashion ideas and footwear.Bella Sola stocks a variety of labels ranging from smart casual to glamorous sophistication.
This sophisticated boutique rightly prides itself on it’s outstanding customer service by combining individual attention with top quality style advice and tips.
Joan’s philosophy is “shopping for that perfect look should be an experience, not just a shopping expedition”.
If you’ve entered a fashion store and found yourself not wanting to leave, then Bella Sola is a must for you! The ambience and style is simply otherworldly. Browse through stunning collections and you never know what treasure you might pick up.
Bella Sola is known for it’s exclusive designers and luxurious brands.
Visit us soon. We’d love to meet you!
www.bellasola.com
Leblas
The New Fashion Designer for Contemporary Jewellery and Accessories
Leblas is a fine jewellery boutique that fuses together traditional techniques with modern design and sustainable practices. Winner of Coutts New Jeweller Award 2009, Leblas was founded by Clare Winfield and award winning jewellery designer Arabel Lebrusan.
The Leblas jewellery collections range from unique contemporary designs to classic and inspirational pieces, made from 100% recycled silver, 18k gold, and platinum, by artisans in Spain. Its diamond collections, including wedding, engagement and commitment pieces, are made entirely from conflict-free traceable Canadian diamonds and precious stones. Leblas designs statement necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and redefines the concept of “classic” by beautifully crafting modern designs for today’s jewellery fashionistas.
Key contemporary jewellery pieces include: the Sequin ring adorned with diamonds, Black Silver Filigree necklace, and Harlequin pendant encrusted with semi-precious gem. Each handcrafted design demonstrates a mix of modernity with timelessness, keeping in mind the importance of delicate yet daring feminine appeal.
Its bespoke service allows customers to sit down with the designer and let their imaginations run free with designs straight from their dreams. The sky is the limit with these made-to-order gems, from tiaras to one-of-a-kind statement pieces, Leblas designs jewellery to match every customer’s taste.
Leblas also acts as a stockist to other designer jewellers including: SHO, Missoma, and Francesca Sibylla Augusta. It carries ethically hand knitted scarves from Lily Cole’s “The North Circular”, and bags from the eccentric “Lie down I think I love you” brand.
In order to strengthen its relationships with current and potential clients, Leblas makes a continuous effort in creating intimate events, where customers can personally come in to mingle and shop, as well as offering personal shopping, jewellery re-design, and jewellery cleaning services. All collections can be purchased in-store and from the website (www.leblas.com), with free worldwide shipping.
Leblas understands today’s society shifts for more socially responsible products, and is making changes by designing distinctive but classic pieces for today’s budget conscious consumer. It is a must-shop jewellery boutique destination located on the infamous Sloane Street.
FiFi Belle
This season sees elegant footwear brand FiFi Belle launch its Spring/Summer collection. Drawing on her own struggle to find larger sizes, FiFi Belle’s founder, Aoife, launched the collection in 2008 to address the gap in the market. Each pair is beautifully hand-crafted using the finest leather to create glamorous pieces irrespective of size.
FiFi Belle, which derives its name from the French for ‘beautiful’, caters for feminine feet ranging from 6-11. Studies found that those with larger or wider sized feet were not served well by mass market production. So whether it’s gorgeous, flat ballet pumps you are after or sophisticated heels, FiFi Belle ensures style without compromising comfort.
With striking lace shoes and gorgeous lacing & ladylike details, FiFi Belle is the perfect wardrobe update!
This season’s must have, ‘Block Colours’, also feature in the collection, allowing the wearer to easily reinstate minimalist elegance with an edge. Aoife, the founder of FiFi Belle says “The most rewarding part of my business is the satisfaction I bring to my customers who thought they would never get to wear fashionable shoes due to the size of their feet”. Shoes are splashed with exquisite detail, using Swarovski diamonds and shocking pink soles, making sure your feet grab attention for the all the right reasons.
FiFi Belle takes pride in giving women with larger feet the option of chic footwear and this season’s collection is the brand’s best yet. Now there is no excuse to follow the other 88% of women who wear the wrong size, with an endless choice of smart, sophisticated, yet stylish shoes, having larger than average feet has never been so ‘in’!
Top International Model Jodie Kidd is the latest celebrity to be spotted wearing FiFi Belle at this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. (Jodie Kidd takes a UK9 in footwear) Buy online http://www.fifibelle.com/
FiFi Belle, which derives its name from the French for ‘beautiful’, caters for feminine feet ranging from 6-11. Studies found that those with larger or wider sized feet were not served well by mass market production. So whether it’s gorgeous, flat ballet pumps you are after or sophisticated heels, FiFi Belle ensures style without compromising comfort.
With striking lace shoes and gorgeous lacing & ladylike details, FiFi Belle is the perfect wardrobe update!
This season’s must have, ‘Block Colours’, also feature in the collection, allowing the wearer to easily reinstate minimalist elegance with an edge. Aoife, the founder of FiFi Belle says “The most rewarding part of my business is the satisfaction I bring to my customers who thought they would never get to wear fashionable shoes due to the size of their feet”. Shoes are splashed with exquisite detail, using Swarovski diamonds and shocking pink soles, making sure your feet grab attention for the all the right reasons.
FiFi Belle takes pride in giving women with larger feet the option of chic footwear and this season’s collection is the brand’s best yet. Now there is no excuse to follow the other 88% of women who wear the wrong size, with an endless choice of smart, sophisticated, yet stylish shoes, having larger than average feet has never been so ‘in’!
Top International Model Jodie Kidd is the latest celebrity to be spotted wearing FiFi Belle at this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. (Jodie Kidd takes a UK9 in footwear) Buy online http://www.fifibelle.com/
Jodie Kidd in Fifi Belle
Kate and Ava SS010
‘’Kate and Ava’’s colourful SS 10 collection is bringing some much needed sunshine to Ireland this season, it has already arrived in boutiques nationwide.
Drawing inspiration from Africa and the 1970’s has created an interesting mix of prints and colours.
Woven and embossed fabrics, gold and printed metallics, silk crepe, silk chiffon are all incorporated with pink, peach, amber, blue, lilac to create an uplifting collection of separates.
Loosely tailored jackets and structured dresses are present as always in wardrobe staples colours in black and blue. Prices range from 150- 400 EUR
Their designs are classic but maintain a modern freshness. The Kate&Ava woman exudes confidence and knows what she likes. As designers they do not follow trends but refine their collection each season.
www.kateandava.ie
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