Irish Examiner Millinery Photoshoot

CROWNING GLORY
Bijou garden parties, whimsical weddings, champagne galas or race meets – wherever you go this summer, you need little else but a hat to make an entrance. Make sure yours gets them talking!

Shot 1 – Gatsby Girl
Frieda
Lace and Swarovski crystal hat, Edel Ramberg €POA
Waterfall diamond earrings, Boodles €7,150
Blossom pink gold and diamond long necklace, Boodles €9,900
Gloves, stylist’s own
‘Becca’ shoes, Nina Divito €585

Shot 2 – Tea for Two
Anya
Vintage mink and lace hat, Edel Ramberg €385
Vintage sable stole, stylist’s own
Yellow beryl and diamond earrings, Boodles €7,980
Yellow beryl ring, Boodles €6,400
Fingerless lace gloves, Glovedup.com £45
Inta
Philip Treacy hat, Design Centre €1,239
Raindance long strand earrings, Boodles €19,800
Double row Raindance collar, Boodles €POA
Large Raindance ring, Boodles €35,000
Vintage lace gloves, Jenny Vander €28
Manolo Blahnik shoes, Brown Thomas €495

Shot 3 – Travelling in Style
Anya
Swarovski crystal heart hat, Tootsie Royale €POA
Amethyst and diamond Tonneau earrings, Boodles €3,800
Amethyst and diamond Tonneau pendant, Boodles €2,750
Amethyst and diamond Tonneau ring, Boodles €2,850
Gauntlet gloves, Glovedup.com £75
Miu Miu bejewelled patent peep toe shoes, Covet €80 to borrow for 3 days
Frieda
Leopard print pill box hat. Tootsie Royale €110
Raindance large loop necklace, Boodles €POA
Raindance droplet earrings, Boodles €6,800
Gauntlet gloves, Glovedup.com £75
Mary Francis bag, Alila €195

Shot 4 – Dressage
Frieda
Riding hat, Linda McKay €490
Firefly earrings, Boodles €16,000
Black organza bolero (worn as a neckpiece), Bonzie Crotty €145
Cotton grosgrain ribbon (worn as bow), A. Rubanesque €2.50 per metre
Glitterati stud earrings worn on bow, Boodles €6,600
Gloves, stylist’s own
Manolo Blahnik ‘Napoleana’ boots, Brown Thomas €960

Shot 5 – Vanity Fair
Frieda
Philip Treacy pink floral spray, Design Centre €989
Morganite spaghetti earrings, Boodles €7,370
Kunzite and diamond cocktail ring, Boodles €8,650
Scarf, stylist’s own
Inta
Silver embellished disc detail headpiece by Sarah Mc Gahon, Covet €75 to borrow for 3 days
Glitterati diamond earrings, Boodles €6,600
Blossom white gold and diamond long necklace, Boodles €9,900
Large Roulette diamond bracelet, Boodles €17,000
‘Livi’ shoes, Nina Divito €585

Anya
Bejewelled combed headpiece by Brett O' Mahony, Covet €80 to borrow for 3 days
Ribbon, stylist’s own
Lace ribbon (worn as bra), A. Rubanesque €28 per metre
Cuff, Bonzie Crotty €67

Shot 6 – Brideshead Revisited
Frieda
Lace ribbon (worn as headband), A Rubanesque €28 per metre
Pearl necklace, stylist’s own

Shot 7 – Portrait of a Lady
Anya
Vintage lace pillbox hat, Linda McKay €390
Diamond Lagoon earrings, Boodles €17,600
Red silk wrap (worn as neckpiece), Bonzie Crotty €48

Credits
Stylist and Shoot Producer: Annmarie O'Connor @ iblogfashion@gmail.com; 087 976 4920
Stylist’s Assistant: Catherine Glasheen
Hair: Susan Corcoran @ John Geaney for Hair - www.johngeaney.ie; 021 450 3788
Make-up: Kate O’Reilly using MAC Make-up- info@kateoreillymakeup.com;
Models: Anya, Frieda and Inta @ 1st Option www.1stoption.ie; 01 670 5233
Photography: Miki Barlok - www.barlokphoto.com; 086 223 7081
Location: The Westbury Hotel – www.doylecollection.com; 01 679 1122


Special thanks to The Westbury:
The Westbury Hotel, part of the Doyle Collection www.doylecollection.com.

Dessjslava Hats @ The Loft Market

Fascinators are dead. It's official. You know why? Because I'm going to make it my business to kill the damn trend off. No more randomly placed single or multi-feather race day abominations I say. There are so many plausible headwear options out there without looking like you pillaged your local florist or Dublin Zoo. If Philip Treacy is too steep for the aul pocket, Catwalkgenius.com have some mighty fine millinery from Tour de Fource; as does The Loft Market's newest tenant - Dessjslava - whose 20s and 30s haute couture hats have me swooning like a lovesick teen. My advice? Pay a trip to Powerscourt Town Centre and check out the goods. Divine!

Hair of the Matter

There's nothing like a good brouhaha - especially when it involves politicians. Oh how we love to see the mighty crumble in this country. The latest 'scandal' in question involves none other than a $410 beauty bill allegedly clocked up by Mary Harney on an official trip to Florida. In the broader context the bill was red-flagged due to excessive spending by government officials. In isolation, it's small beans = €300. Would we rather our political representatives dock up to Cape Canaveral looking like the poor 'Oirish' cousins? After spending a morning at 'Leaders' Questions' in the Dail, I can tell you I'd be more than happy to shell out my taxpaying euros on sharpening up our political posse. Most of them looked like they slept in their clothes over summer recess. Surely a few bob for a wash and blowdry isn't a misappropriation of funds? It should be considered willful negligence not to do so. Case in point: Nicholas Sarkozy's security unit fashionably upstaged Cowan & Co on the French PM's July visit. It's time for serious sartorial measures. Let the $410 be waived I say. Lord knows we could use the help...

Scare Cut

Oh what a tangled web we weave... It seems that I've been less than honest and am now paying the price. I blame my hairdresser. She's the one who went on holiday. Had she been here to tend to my follicular needs, I wouldn't have had to resort to someone else's scissors. Depsite my damn near good excuse for straying (grown out fringe + upcoming TV appearance), had I exercised some patience, I would have been spared what can only be described as prison hair. Long story short (excuse the dody pun), I asked for my fringe to be pixied by my clandestine scissorhands. "Like Victoria Beckham?" he asked. "Yes, like that," I replied. To which he added, "Great. Let's just 'reshape' it." Alarm bells should have rung like bastards here. "Reshape" is often maverick hairdresser term for "cut the bejaysus out of it". Regardless, I left him to his own devices, confident he would behave in manner of my long-term tress tender. Alas, when I raised my head to greet my newly shorn head in the mirror, I saw Posh's long lost brother Victor Beckham. It's now two weeks since said incident and my hair is growing in in its normal freakish fashion....wide. So now I have short fat blunt hair. Nice.
If you need to find me, I'll be hiding under the biggest hat I can find for the next two months.

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images