Dublin City Centre retailers such as BT’s, Clearys, Arnotts and Jervis Shopping Centre showcased their collections to the media and we also found out about cool arts events happening around the city this summer.

Here,  I am pictured left with stylist Aisling Farinella on my right. Aisling and I talked about her love of vintage clothes and I hope to have a guest blog from her on WhatSheWears.ie some time soon.

I mingled with some Irish fashionistas such as Laura from Whistyblogsdublinfashion, Rosemary MacCabe of The Irish Times fashmob and The Savvyshopper Sinead van Kampen, who does the weekly shopping slot on Ireland AM.  Also I got to meet Sonya Lennon (from RTE’s Off the Rails) to ask her about what she wears.

What She Wears

I wore a cream jacket from Almost Famous, bought in Lara boutique (borrowed from my sister), a navy Topshop T-shirt,  high waist navysailor pants from River Island and Ash ankle boots, which were a birthday present from Mr. M. from Serena in Sandymount, Dublin 4.  My quilted navy bag is from Penneys and blue ring was a present from Cathy at the Prboutique who I brought along as my plus one to the event.

I’m all about wearing seasonal nudes but think that cream against my Irish complexion just made me look too pasty and washed out in this picture (which later appeared in The Dubliner Magazine – morto!), so I’ve have decided to keep my nudes to accessories only from now on.

You can catch the social pics from the event here and the catwalk pics from the Dublin shops here.

Image: Jason Clarke.

My husband would love to wear a white linen suit and panama hat to a wedding in Naples this September.  As I am not a fashion trend follower but more of a follower of hippy/vintage/bo ho styles, I really need us both to look reasonably sane.  Can you advise what we should do as a couple, can he hire such a suit to bring with us and what shall I go for?

Thanks for your Ask the Stylist question. I read this one with gusto, as I myself had a destination wedding, in Gozo (Malta) and a group of guys turned up in panama hats. It’s a great look!  One of them even checked with us beforehand to see if it was OK to wear white…a white linen suit that is! The Italian wedding sounds fantastic and I’m very reminiscent and excited writing this.

It’ll be hot where you’re going (mid twenties at least), so you’ll need something stylish and comfortable.  Men in dark heavy suits tend to stand out a bit as they look very uncomfortable in the heat.   I think you can also be more adventurous when it comes to colour as it’s so sunny, so you can really go for it with bright colours you may not normally wear.

For Him

Yes, your hubbie would be spot-on in a linen suit (Debenham’s is your best bet) or a linen waistcoat/waistcoat (try Topman) instead of a jacket is also a good look.
Other than suits, guys can go for blazers (in lighter colours) and open white linen shirts with slacks.

For nicely tailored suits, try Zara. There may not be linen and the fit is quite slim fitting, so won’t suit a larger fella. ( But you can shop online on http://www.zara.com/ from today!).

Suit Rental Ireland

A linen suit is probably not something that your man will wear again, so try Blacktie for renting a suit – if they don’t have linen they should have a lightweight suit in a neutral colour (think oatmeal or light grey) with a white shirt  – you can always introduce the linen via the shirt  (Marks and Spencer’s have long and short sleeved lined shirts).   Suit rental will cost you approx. 80-100 euro whereas buying the suit will be double that.

Panama hats

The Hat Shop, a booth on the ground floor of St Stephen’s green shopping centre in Dublin stocks Panama hats, the colour you choose will depend on the rest of the outfit.  There have been some straw trilby hats ( in brown or cream) in Urban Outfitters over the summer and Topman is another option.

Pashmina

Italian churches are strict and catholic when it comes to covering your shoulders, so a pashmina, wrap or shawl is key and you may need it again in the evening, if chilly. Penney’s do cheap and cheerful pashminas for less than 10 euro. Otherwise, try Tie Rack (there’s one at the airport).

Italian Wedding

Some women wear the same style dress they would wear to an Irish summer wedding – but  tend to go for brighter colours and in general the style is a bit more laid back. The colours can be super bright,  with maxis in particular giving that laid back island/coastal feel.

Boho Maxi Dress

For your own style preferences, I’d suggest a bright maxi dress.  Halston Heritage certainly has that 70’s boho look boxed off with their maxis (Brown Thomas and Harvey Nichols are your go-to shops).   If that label is out of your reach, as it is for most, the kaftans shape of this purple one from Asos makes it a good option and a ringer for the designer equivalent. The fabric on this is not silk though and you’d need to be tall (well over 5.4) to pull it off – I’m 5.2 and it’s far too long for me.

Silk maxis with skinny straps look fantastic but sometimes require a great figure. The Grecian (or Neapolitan in your case!) look is a great one and Monsoon have some beautiful silk maxi dresses, as do Debenhams.

Alternatively, a simple maxi in jersey material would look modernday hippie – this  House of Fraser purple dress would look great with gold gladiators or wedges if you need more height. Team it with a neutral coloured pashmina and a gold, double strapped hair band (from Accessorize).

Vintage

You could splash out and rent a vintage maxi from Covet.ie (from 140 euro a dress rental).

If a maxi doesn’t rock your boat, then you could opt for a vintage Mad Men look which would look very “Roman Holiday” appropriate in Naples. The blue and white print 50’s dress that Scarlett Johansson wears on Mango.com looks much like this season’s Prada version but comes in under 100 (and it’s currently in store).

Sunglasses

Shades play a bigger part in your outfit as you’ll be wearing them a lot, so splash out! Sunglasses Hut at the airport do good deals, like 25% off when you buy a second pair, so if you don’t have any nice ones, make time for some airport shopping!

Beforehand, do your research on the sunglasses hut website and check which sunglasses shape suits your face shape.

Enjoy x

Competition

Harvey Nichols Dublin is delighted to offer two lucky WhatSheWears.ie winners a ticket each for the winner and a friend to this exclusive evening that promises to be the event of the season! 

To enter to win, subscribe to the WhatSheWears.ie weekly newsletter, then send an email to giftbag@whatshewears.ie entitled Fashion’s Night Out and include your contact details. The winners ( x 2 ) will be notified by email by Tuesday 7th September.

Harvey Nichols Dublin Exclusive Autumn Winter 10 Fashion Show 

It’s one of the biggest style celebrations in the world and for the first time ever Dublin will be taking part in Vogue Fashion’s Night Out 2010 on Wednesday September 8.

Fashion’s Night Out is the brain child of Anna Wintour (Vogue USA) and is internationally organised by Vogue magazine with some 16 countries involved, including Australia, Russia, Taiwan, America, France, Italy, Turkey, The UK and Ireland.

Harvey Nichols Dublin will be joining in the global celebrations by staging it’s Autumn Winter Fashion Show in creative collaboration with acclaimed Irish artist Helen Steele to coincide with hundreds of global events. Inspired by the international flavour, Harvey Nichols Dublin will showcase designers from all over the world to the delight of Ireland’s Fashionista’s.

At the Fashion’s Night Out event, guests will also be able to buy exclusive Vogue merchandise, including special edition T-shirts and tote bags designed by sought-after illustrator and printmaker Sanna Annukka.  Harvey Nichols and Vogue invite WhatSheWears.ie readers to an exclusive Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Show on Wednesday 8 September 2010 from 7pm.  Join us for a champagne reception followed by a runway show featuring key looks from the new season collections. A limited number of tickets at €15 are available and redeemable against purchases made on the evening*.

 A word of warning though – get in quick if you want a seat, tickets really do sell out in a matter of days.

Booking is essential, please email dublinevents@harveynichols.com or call 01 291 0413. Book your post show dinner at the First Floor Restaurant, please call 01 2910488.

*Winners tickets may not be redeemed in the First Floor Restaurant, Café, Bar, Foodmarket or Wine Shop and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts or offers.

Welcome to the “behind the scenes” blog on WhatSheWears.ie (WSW).  It’s an informal “this is what I do” from me, Anne Marie Boyhan, the editor, of WhatSheWears.ie – of what goes into putting the site together -  events, collection previews, and a sprinkling of stuff I get up to…for good measure! This won’t take away from the daily (Mon-Fri) posts on WhatSheWears.ie and I’d love to hear if you want to see more (or less) of something.. just let me know at editor@whatshewears.ie. Enjoy x

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a blogger event in London town to view the HP Touch 300, a new touch screen PC by Hewlett Packard. Monica, from Edelman UK, the PR people who look after HP, was first to greet me and truth be told, I nearly mistook her for T4 host, Jameelia Jamil.

Monica from Edelman London wearing Mango

During a 24 hour pit stop tour of London, myself and 30 others from around Europe got to meet and greet, drink some bubbly, play with HP’s newest computer and stay at The Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch which also happens to house a Gary Rhodes Restaurant, Rhodes, W1. ( Whatever happened to his Dublin restaurant? Seems like a distant memory now…and I only ate in it the once.)

 Food and hotels are other great loves of mine and you’ll catch some reviews of the latter here on WSW’s Behind the Scenes.

As events go, the venue was cool (or “uber cool” they’d probably say in fashion circles!).   360 degree views, a VIP lift whisking you up to the event room on the 31st floor (below) and sleek interiors – “Rath-er” as they say in London and much to my liking if I do say so myself!

31st floor Paramount Building

I met some cool internet and fashion peeps such as Ondo Lady, Miggy Loves the Internet,  Sophie Eggleton, and Emilio Sosa, a finalist from Project Runway 8 and HP Ambassador, who showed us how he uses the HP touch to design on. I got my pic taken with Emilio too, forgive the silly name badge on my shoulder.

P.S What She Wears: Grey studded top by Gracia from Zuku by KSO. White jeans from Topshop

This is not the first time that HP have reached out to the fashion world (even though there were techie and arts and bloggers there too) as, back in March, Project Runway contestants were challenged to create fabric patterns on HP PC’s and turn them into actual clothes designs.

In May, HP also did collaboration with Sex and the City 2 and got huge product placement through sexy Samantha using one of their computers.

And now,  for New York Fashion Week, Diane Von Furstenberg is collaborating with HP on a Fashion’s Night Out event to be held at her Meatpacking District (NYC) studio. Visitors will be able to play in what’ll be known as the “HP Experience Lounge”, where one can play with new HP technology along with posing in DVF in a photo booth and printing the images out on wireless printers.

DVF HP Fashion’s Night Out Event

All images: Anne Marie Boyhan from her iPhone except DVF HP Fashion Night Out courtesy of Fashionista.com

Just like us ladies, jeans are also a stable part of men’s wardrobes. For both guys and girls, jeans can tend to be a flippant purchase because we have been buying jeans for so long we think we have it nailed. And in case you missed it, here’s the ladies guide to how to choose the perfect pair.

But styles change, body shapes alter and a re-vamp at your old favourites may be in order.  With this in mind I thought we could give our guys a few hints and tips on choosing the right pair to look good in this season.

I know for some guys the whole process from first sight to stuffing the receipt in the bag can take about 10 minutes! Although figuring out what suits them may take a little longer at first, when they find the best pair for their shape they can then go back to the 10 minute purchases. So let’s get down to brass tacks.

Firstly they need to keep three things in mind – The Fit (how the jeans sit on the body) The Cut (the shape of the jeans) and The Wash (the colour and finish).  Having the focus on these three elements, combined with the knowledge of their body type, the result should be a pretty flawless one.

Tall and Lean

If your man has been blessed with a great physique they have a few style options to choose from. The straight cut will show off this great physique to its best. The bootleg shape is also good particularly if they are wider on the hips as it will balance out their shape.

They can also opt for the wide leg jeans but really only recommended for casual wear, as their physique won’t fill them out completely. As a result, the overall look of baggy jeans works best with tees and runners.

Slim and Slender

If he wants to achieve the ‘Ziggy Pop look’ then his slim physique is good for this style.  If however he would prefer a more regular fit, a slightly flared cut will give good balance to his slender frame. If he (or you!) would like the illusion of a bit more meat on the rear, choose styles with bulky pockets.
Advice him against wide leg styles as a slender frame can tend to look a bit lost in this style.

Sporty Athletic

A loose fit jean works best for the sporty athletic body as it gives shape to their muscular shape without over emphasising it. Tighter styles tend to make him appear over-bulky.  If he would like to show his rear off a bit more, back pockets that are small and far apart work well as it gives a defined shape.

Heavy Build

Wide leg styles also work really well for this physique. If there‘s a little more of your man to love, then this style will help conceal love handles and a wide waist.  Ensure the fit is not too baggy as this will make him appear larger than he is. Large back pockets that are close together will give the illusion of a smaller rear.

So give him a little nudge to get out there and shop for a great pair of jeans this season (print off this guide perhaps?), and while he’s at it, throw in a pair for you to boot!  And if he finds the crème de la crème of jeans, encourage him to buy two pairs! With a pair in dark and medium wash he’ll be covered for lots of looks.

Related Article

Guide to finding the perfect pair of jeans

A collection of specially commissioned Oxfam t-shirts called ‘We Are Tee’ designed by leading Irish designers including Peter O’Brien, Eilis Boyle and Joanne Hynes were also introduced. The project will help support Oxfam’s Climate Change and the collection of t-shirts will be on sale during the festival weekend. 

The Face of the Festival, TV presenter Karen Koster  joined other glamorous guests including Brendan Courtney, Irish fashion designers Jennifer Rothwell, Sinead Doyle and Heidi Higgins, Louis Copeland, Clodagh McKenna and stylist Angela Scanlon, amongst others.

The Dublin Festival of Fashion, a concept created by Dublin City BID (Business Improvement District), will take over the capital’s leading shopping districts, from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd October. Visitors to the city will enjoy extended late Friday night shopping, followed by two fun-filled days of fashion and beauty master classes hosted by top industry professionals in leading salons, shopping centres, department stores and boutiques. Outlets across the city will also offer once off events and discounts for the duration of the festival.

Watch out for models strutting their stuff down Grafton Street and Henry Street as the highlight of the weekend is the first ever fashion catwalks coming to life. Three daily shows translating the seasons key trends will feature everything from high street to high end to retro vintage, all selected from the stylish retailers of Dublin city.

What She Drank: Ice Tropez, a pink San Tropez-born drink that’s just arrived in Ireland
What She Ate: Marshmallows, strawberries and pineapple dipped into chocolate from a huge chocolate fountain
What She Wore: Stylish summer brights and LBD’s. Check out the ensembles for yourself in the pics below

Images: Kieran Harnett

Related Articles

 Party People: Heels in the Fields

Party People: SATC2 Charity Screening

Aine Bodley Kathryn Ryan

Greg Koster Aisling Brennan

Jeanette Healy Katie Prior

Jennifer Rothwell Robert Ingram

Sonya Burke Shona Griffin

Suzie Houlihan

Teodora Sutra

Clodagh McKenna

Dearbhla Lennon

Emma Brindley Sophie Gleeson

Jaclyn Maher Heidi Higgins

Linda and Laura Collins

Noel Sutton Brendan Courtney

Roy Horgan Angela Scanlon

Susan Lord Sarah Wagstaff

Louis Copeland and Richard Guiney

From the exclusive London locations of Sloane and Jermyn Street, where this luxe British designer label started out, Hackett menswear has opened an outlet boutique in Ireland at Kildare Village .

Hackett is all about the spirit of rugby, rowing and car racing in a collection which goes back generations. The “gentlemen’s outfitters”, as they like to be called, is both traditional and modern (think “back in vogue country tweed”), stylishly tailored suits and shirts, through to chunky knitwear.

For a smart suit for your man, you’d pay €750 in Hackett in the UK, but at the outlet in Kildare Village you’ll pay €500.  Favourites from their current outlet stock include this check shirt (pictured, RRP 120 Euro, now 80 Euro) and these fabulous leather gloves pictured, (RRP 150 Euro, now 100 Euro) which also come in butter soft brown leather (80 Euro).

And the best thing about new shop openings are the discounts that come with them. Until Sunday 29 August there will be an additional 30% off all stock, and from 30 August ‘til 05 September there are even more savings with an additional 20% off. Suits you sir.

Hackett , 21-26 South Anne Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 6770429

Hackett Outlet, Unit 12, Nurney Road Kildare Village, Kildare Town. Tel: 045 520520

I’ve seen a few maxi skirts around this summer and they look great on holidays and in sunnier climates. Are there any maxi skirts suitable for an Irish autumn? I quite like the idea of one but don’t know where to look. M.S.

That’s a good question. The maxi skirt is set to be a big hit this autumn and indeed has an autumal look, as opposed to the holiday feel we’ve seen already this summer.

As seen on the AW catwalk by many designers, the best maxi, in my opinion, was the tailored look from Aquascutum. Good news for fans of this label as they’ve recently opened their first Irish store in Kidare Village, which means that while you may not get the latest collection, you will get your hands on the designer brand at huge discounts.

With the maxi skirt, you can go for a grunge or glam look. Petites and shorties needn’t worry either – you can wear this long silhouette with wedge boots or heels, height and comfort are what are called for here.

Jersey Maxi Skirt

A simple option for wearing this look is  a jersey maxi skirt and Topshop were first to the high street with a Rick Owens inspired black jersey fishtail skirt (£40). The jersey maxi is also a great weekend look – Myleene Klass wears hers running about town with a pair of converse.

Pleated Maxi Skirt

Jersey skirts might be too clingy for some, so you might want to try a pleated style. Acne, the “of-the-moment” Swedish label  which recently landed in Brown Thomas, have a cool black and floral pleated maxi dress (£385). For the non flowery fans, Acne also has a plain pleated skirt in khaki green (£279 and also available online at Farfetch.com)

Sequin Maxi Skirt

For super glam evenings, there are always sequins. River Island has a metallic pewter sequin skirt (£50), which you could team with a white vest for understated, on-trend evening glamour.

Nude Maxi Skirt

Nude, beige and camel colours will stay au currant this autumn winter, so what better way to wear the nude maxi skirt than half casual, half formal like Nicola Roberts did at Harrods two days ago when she re-launched her pale skin make up range,   Dainty Doll. To steal her style, try this Nude Seam Detail Maxi Skirt from ASOS (£26.00).

Animal Print Maxi Skirt

There are some great prints out there that would look great with a plain top. I’ve seen this look at festivals and it will work equally as good in colder climes.

For example, this grey feathered print against a black background (pictured, Dorothy Perkins, £25), would look nice with a black or grey top.

The same styling principle applies to animal prints – this one from New Look (pictured, £23), would look great with a slim fitting jersey top, and with its elasticised waistband and stretch fabric, it will be super comfortable too.

So whichever maxi you choose to work this season’s long-length silhouettes, with all the choice that’s available in the shops right now, you’ll be sure to find the perfect fit.

Pictured left to right: French Connection pearl necklace, All Saints choker, Topshop earrings.

This summer, it is all about layering and stacking up the jewels. Without emulating the complete Mr T look, you can still afford to go a little over the top!

Double necklaces, layered bracelets and stacked rings are all a great look. You just need to know when enough is enough. This doesn’t mean being conservative – you can still have a dramatic look; it’s just about getting the balance right.

Although jewellery choices are mainly based on your own taste, I am going to give you some guidelines to follow that will help you choose the best pieces for your skin tone, face shape and summer look.

Skin tones

When it comes to what metal works best for you, it can very much depend on what you like and the overall look you are trying to achieve. Although you shouldn’t always just be limited by the rules, the right colour can really make you glow.

Cool skin tones – Skin tones with rosy or blue undertones work well with silvers, white gold and platinum.

Warm skin tones – Skin tones with a peach or yellow undertones work well with gold, rose gold, brass and copper.

Neutral tones – If you have olive or dark undertones you can wear both gold and silver.

Like your haircut, there are certain styles of earrings and necklaces that will complement and enhance your face shape. If you feel you have a cross between a few, just follow the more prominent shape of your face.

Sweetheart shaped face

For the sweetheart shaped face, choose earrings that are wider at the bottom as this will help to add balance to the narrowest point on your face. Opt for a pair of teardrop earrings, chandelier or triangular shapes, like these from Topshop.

A choker style necklace is a good style for you as it will soften the shape around your chin. If you prefer a longer style necklace choose a long wrap style that will circle around twice, keeping one part closer to the neck.

Long shaped face

With a long shaped face, go for short or round earrings. Chokers work well on you because they draw the eye up and widthways giving the appearance of a shorter face. Check out this great style from All Saints, it comes in 2 colour ways.

Round shaped face

Long lean earrings will help elongate a round shaped face.  A long necklace, like these from All Saints, will also work really well on you to draw the eye downwards.

Oval shaped face

An oval shaped face is suited to both long and short earrings. You can experiment with some fun shapes, long spiralled earrings, hoops, cute studs and teardrops will all look great on you. You can equally have fun with necklaces as most shapes will suit you. Love this sculpted neckpiece by Malene Birger at Net a Porter; even better, it’s on sale!

Square shaped face

For a square shaped face, earrings with a round edge will look good on you because it help soften the angles of your jaw line. Go for a great pair of hoop earrings. You can also choose long styles just make sure they are not square or have sharp angles.

You also need to choose necklaces that will add softness; pearls can help soften up the angles. There are lots of ways to wear pearls you don’t have to take the traditional root of just one string, you can layer them up with another necklace or wear chunky pearls. Love these from French Connection.

Bracelets and cocktail rings

If you are not an earrings or necklace kinda gal, then go for a bracelet or a cocktail ring. This alone can really jazz up an outfit. I am also a fan of brooches, they can be used as a clasp on a fur shrug, liven up a scarf or work well to nip in a dress at the side waist if it’s a little big.

Here are couple of my favourites:

Net a porter

House of Harlow, Nicole Ritchie’s jewellery range

Asos

Monsoon

Earrings and necklace together?

If you would like to go all out and wear statement earrings and a necklace, then opt for a necklace at chest level or below. Don’t team earrings up with a choker as there will just be a little too much going on around your face.

So go ahead, be a little adventurous. Jewellery can really transform an outfit. From the words of celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe “Jewellery is a conversation piece. So get talking.”

Images left to right: Prada skinny belt, Prada knee high socks, Celine skinny trousers, Christina Hendricks

I have a confession to make.

While most are frolicking in the intermittent sunshine that summer in Ireland provides – I dream of dark nights, sumptuous velvets and heavy coats. For me, the summer is just a countdown to autumn/winter – not the constant rain and the daylight that lasts for an hour a day but the fashion – the exquisite fashion.  Fashion is always darker, more dramatic and more desirable in the depths of the winter.

This season, the fashion gods have decreed that the 70’s and 50’s are back and there is an intense fascination with the simple silhouette. Now, instead of suggesting a complete trend immersion this season – why not take a few choice items from the catwalk trends and work them into your wardrobes?

Mad Men

Prada and Louis Vuitton focused on highlighting the female form, taking their cue from TV show ‘Mad Men’ and the crazy curves of Christina Hendricks (pictured right). These collections focused on nipped in waists with tight figure hugging corsets, kitten heels and full skirts.

The Mad Men style dresses are just gorgeous – Mango have one (£49) that’s just like the Prada version in blue and white hues, and it’s modelled by the face of the moment, Scarlett Johansson for Mango’s ad campaign.  

 I don’t know how practical the rest of the trend is though - for starters, corsets are instruments of torture and in my humble opinion, kitten heels are the most ferociously unflattering and awkward shoes ever.

But the details that Miuccia (Prada, of course) choose to accessorise her vision were great – knee high socks are practical, cute and sexy. Wear yours over a pair of black tights and team with a short skirt for casual chic.  Topshop have some well-priced ‘rib over knee socks’ in grey and black for €8.

Skinny Belt

Prada also revealed the skinny belt this season.  Thin belts are ideal for bringing a layered outfit together. They don’t distract from the clothes due to their slimness, but give an outfit a unified look. ASOS have a practically identical alternative to Prada’s and for only €8.

Trousers

Celine’s collection was a lesson in simple austerity and was largely based around a dark palette and it left me with an overwhelming desire for skinny black trousers (pictured second from right).

Of course we have all embraced the skinny jean at this stage but this season is all about trousers – and skinny trousers are one of the most important trends. (For non skinny fans, Gap have just launched a trousers line which come in various styles from bootleg, to straight, cropped and curvy. Note that as of this week GAP are now shipping internationally, WHOOP!).

How to wear Skinny Trousers

Unlike jeggings, which require covering your crotch, skinny trousers don’t and look best when teamed with volume on top, be it a voluminous blouse or basic tee’s with the addition of a chunky knit.

Get your skinny trousers from Whistles, they have a fab pair called the ‘Anne Marie’ with zip detail at the ankles for £110. Our editor will be chuffed that there’s something fashionable named after her!

Related Article

Ask the Stylist: Jeggings