Ireland's Most Influential in Fashion 2010

I just received an email from Irish model Faye Dinsmore whose blog Faye is running Ireland's Most Influential in Fashion 2010 awards. "You're on the shortlist," informed the e-missive of my nomination for Ireland's Top Fashion Blogger. "How sweet!" I thought. I've since taken a look at the rather stellar award categories which boast all sorts of categories from Top Editor to Photographer and Magazine. It's a really positive idea given the 'Ho-hum. Life sucks. We have no money,' climate at the moment. Log onto her site Faye and vote for your favourite fashion influences. While you're there, take a stroll around her blog entries that detail the everyday happenings in the life of one of our own homegrown fashion exports.

The Silent Gallery

Shh!! Don't tell anyone but Irish designer Eilis Boyle has created an online pop-up shop in time for the Christmas shopping season. The Silent Gallery has ironically become the worst kept secret in fashion; in part due to my own loquacious nature. Anything this good can't be kept shtum. And by good I mean superlative cashmere scarves, bow clad arm warmers and shrugs that feel like a big cuddle on a Monday. Be sure to log on now and check out Eilis' virtual cabinet of curiosities. It's only open until December 10th so don't miss out.

The Silent Gallery @ www.thesilentgallery.com

Designer Eilis Boyle's Fashion Flash Mob

10th collection from Eilis Boyle on Vimeo.

~ A few words from designer Eilis Boyle ~

What?
'Earlier this year while chatting with Aisling Farinella I mentioned I had started working on my 10th collection. She said we should do something special and came up with the idea of doing a fashion film.  So she put together a dream team Rich Gilligan, Christine Lucignano, Zara Cox, Caitlyn Leckey and Fergal Brennan. We shot the film in a day.It was an exercise of the creative community coming together to make something different.'

Why?
'We wanted to do something new and video seems to have an important role in the industry at the moment. In a few minutes you can communicate a concept, a mood and it translates really well online.'

Who?
'We decided that we would do a simultaneous online launch, working with a lot of our virtual friends and colleagues. When the idea was proposed on Silent Storyteller people responded immediately and to date there are around 27 blogs from Australia to Canada who are taking part in the simultaneous launch.'

For more details log onto www.silentstoryteller.typepad.com.

The Dirty Fabulous Gals are Back

Come visit our favourite Fabulettes Kathy and Caroline at their new Wickow Street digs. Fall in love with the same fabulous edit of vintage finds...only now in the centre of town!! I could gush for Ireland but I will let the pics do the talking. Am I excited. Er, just a tad! Squeek!

Dirty Fabulous, 21 Wicklow St, Dublin 2 (above Molton Brown). Tel: 01 611 1842

Kathy and Caroline!

Maison Martin Margiela Dot Com

 

Fashion's most avant-garde design house - Maison Martin Margiela - launches the first MMM e-boutique on October 1st. As the 18th flagship store for the brand, the virtual space will parlay the Margiela ethos of no two spaces looking alike. Expect AW/11 collections for men and women played out in a post-modern space of photonegativity, processing codes and a retro MS-DOS font. (Note: I'm thinking the MMM design team are Douglas Coupland fans). Even more exciting is the limited edition of its ‘5 zips’ leather biker jacket reinterpreted in glassed indigo cotton denom for the first time since 1999. Only 100 are available for men and women and are available exclusively online at www.maisonmartinmargiela.com.

Margiela himself may have officiallyleft the building but it looks like the love for Belgian eccentricity is still very much open for business.

The Marylebone Hotel, London

You'd think I'd be done clacking on about London Fashion Week but a special thanks needs to be extended to The Marylebone Hotel. My boutique home away from home made running between shows and filing copy into the wee hours very easy indeed. This could have something (i.e. everything) to do with their stellar hospitality from a bottle of wine and fruit platter on arrival to nightly stealth drops of hot chocolate and shortbread; not to mention the velvet walls, Temple Spa aromatheraphy products, Jo Malone candles and built-in bathroom LCD TVs. Did I mention it's only 2 minutes from Oxford Street...with the feel of a bijou village. Oh, they're Irish too. Are you sold yet? Why not take a look at these pics (my iPhone drops weren't exactly Stephen Meisel quality) or log onto www.doylecollection.com for more deets.

Drawing Room - check out the zebra chairs!!!

Penthouse Suite

Break Out Area

Foyer

Studio Suite

Nice Place to Chill!

Chris & Tibor iPad Cases

Granted I may not have an iPad...just yet; but that does not stop me from leaving saliva marks on my laptop screen. Just take a look at these slick-as-Rick iPad cases by Chris&Tibor. These limited ed leopard print patent leather beauties are bound to make you the envy of the envied. My bet says iPad buff Coco Rocha has one in every colour.
Get yours while you can from Christibor.com or TheCorner.com.

Do Not Adjust Your Set...

We are experiencing technical difficulties. Do not adjust your set. Blogger.com is messing with my mojo and has plum gone and introduced a new template designer which has wiped some of my layout design. So if you are a link on 'Sartorial Sites' and have noticed er...you've gone missing; I have not wantonly deleted you. Please also note, this hoo haa has extended to bolding, italics, links and general formatting. Major apologies. Will have to sort this out...somehow. Interns? Anyone?

Sheika Chic

A few weeks ago I Blog alerted you all to the outre sauvage-ness of Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned of Quatar and her tone-on-tone maxi dresses. Rihanna must have gotten wind of Sheikha's megawatt style and decided she wanted a piece of this here fashion monarchy. Fancy a it yourself? Check out Asos.com. Turbans not included...

The Louloubelle Road Trip

Louloubelle bags are going on the road! From May 20th - 30th, designer Louise O'Leary will be packing up her VW camper van with oodles of Italian leather totes and clutches to sell at discounts of up to 75%. Look out for the pop up sales which will be hitting up Waterford, Cork, Galway, Newcastle West, Dublin and Westport. The 100th customer gets a free bag! Excited? But of course! Log onto www.louloubellebags.com for further deets.

Clickini Time!

I received my summer bikini in the post yesterday from Clickini.com. It's a Pistol Panties two-piece - very Betty Paige. I positively squealed with excitement when opening the gorgeous packaging. The high-waisted bottoms are perfect for a pear shape and feature a cheeky cut out and bow at the back. I'm thinking vintage sunnies, wedges and a pitcherful of Margarita to complete the look. Only six weeks and counting until I head off to sunnier climes. Until then, I'll be striking sexy Vargas girl poses in the mirror.

Truvo.ie - Guest Judge

Check out my guest judge appearance today @ Dublin's Bow Boutique for Truvo.ie. Log on and share your opinion on local finds too!

Truvo.ie

Ever wondered where to find the best bling, quirky labels, designer discounts, fashionable fabrics, race-worthy hats and hard-to-find haberdashers? Well, look no further. Truvo.ie is a community review website for local services - a bit like your own little black book where users bring you the ultimate little black book. Speaking of which, I've delved into my own box of tricks to bring you my top fashion finds. What's more, I'll also be guest judging the site's must-enter competition for a group trip to Lisbon. Sign up now, start posting and be in with a chance to win. It's the contact list you'll wonder what you ever did without!

Wonderland Magazine

Check out the new issue of Wonderland Magazine featuring über-rad pixie cropped actress Carey Mulligan. How she reminds me of Edie Sedgwick. Nice reading of a Thursday evening. Quite. Now where's my cuppa...

And Another One...

"The fashion circus rolls on for another day, with two of Britain's best loved designers showcasing their collections for Autumn/Winter 09. Annmarie O'Connor takes us through the key trends from Nicole Farhi and Luella."

From the Archives - Oh Dear

Just came across these vids on youtube from my earlier presenting days. Thankfully my hair and ability have come along since then! :)

"Annmarie O'Connor hosts the must-see collection of AW/09 from British fashion royalty, Vivienne Westwood. Featuring interviews with Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud and international supermodel Alice Dellal. "

Poorlydressed.com

Fashion gaydar is most acute in San Fransisco these days. That's because our Neil is temporarily domiciled in the foggy Californian city while seconded on work. Ever the style-phile, Neil has managed to fulfill his sartorial duties by keeping the Irish fashion fraternity in fun finds. Remember - he was the one to discover People of Walmart and now its kissing cousin Poorlydressed.com. This is why he gets his own section. I cannot lay any claim to this content - it would be tantamount to intellectual property theft. Neil - you're so next season. Touché!

The gmail reads:

New site to waste time over:

http://poorlydressed.com/2010/03/10/fashion-fail-optical-illusion-fail/

And here...

http://poorlydressed.com/2010/03/08/fashion-fail-tight-end/

And here...

http://poorlydressed.com/2010/03/06/fashion-fail-beautiful-day-for-a-bike-ride/

Actually, that last guy is kinda famous in Hollywood, he cycles around sans knickers.

And am ordering this for the next cold snap:

http://poorlydressed.com/2010/02/08/fashion-fail-back-away-slowly/

Oh and here:

http://poorlydressed.com/2010/01/02/these-boots-are-made-for-standing-around-by-the-trash-can/

And lastly here...I vote for the polka dot.

http://poorlydressed.com/2009/12/30/jes%E2%80%A6jes-one-more-cinnamontini-kay-guyss/

Face Hunter does Dublin

Swiss street style blogger Yvan Rodic - a.k.a. Face Hunter - hits Dublin next week to join the Nokia Young Designer of the Year judging panel and to sign copies of his new book. If eye candy is what you crave, you'll be in diabetic shock after feasting your clappers on over 300 images from one of the net's nattiest blogs. Be sure to get your signed copy of Face Hunter at Noble & Beggarman Books, South William Street, Dublin on Thursday 25th March 6-8pm.

Image courtesy of Thames & Hudson.

I Blog Fashion and The Style Scout

It was the last day of LFW. Suffice to say I was knackered (see: coffee cup). Sore feet, back-to-back deadlines and a runny eye from the cold made me look a bit wilted. Despite this, a lovely man known as The Style Scout kindly asked if could he take my pic for his blog. He liked my rockabilly hair. I liked the fact he didn't notice said wilting. For the record I'm wearing an Oasis biker jacket, Italian cashmere scarf, Armand Basi One genie pants, Vivienne Westwood bowling bag, D.I.Y cut-off gloves and ribbon brogues - both from Topshop; rings from A|wear and H&M and Ellenet hairspray. Sleepy stare - model's own.

Image compliments of The Style Scout. Thanks Mr. Scout. x

Naag.com

I'm sure you've heard the chit chat around the water coolers about Naag.com. No? I bet you're kicking yourself you've been stepping out to Starbucks then. On the not-so-QT, Naag is an online fashion mag due to launch around April/May with a bi-coastal vibe about what's new, crushable and worth obsessing about. Look out for killer vids, slick shoots and editorial bought to you by best mates and co-founders Fiona Byrne and Agyness Deyn. Also look out for a wee accessory shoot styled by me. Very excited. Very excited indeed.

Image: Wise Girls Whispering