It’s January, you’re broke and pay day seems like a gazillion miles away but we couldn’t resist rounding up the best designer looks from what will shortly be landing in Brown Thomas.

We also asked some fashwan insiders (Laura Whiston, Brendan Courtney, Becky Gray and our own Gillian Brett) what their look of the day was.

So beat off the January blues with a ray of spring summer with this clip and some featured looks in the gallery below. If they are way out of your price range fear not – there will be a multitude of similar looks on the high street (cue Zara) come summer time.

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Photos: Photocall Ireland

Perfume is a fail-safe Christmas present and to save you wading through a sea of scents,  we’ve tried and tested lots to come up with the ultimate Christmas perfume list.

For Her

Bottega Veneta EDP

The leather handbag label’s first perfume, this scent is both decadent and subtle. Smells like real leather – in a good way.

Tom Ford White Patchouli

After years of average celebrity endorsed perfumes, trust Tom Ford to get it right.  This deep complex patchouli scent is simply heavenly – one spritz at the Tom Ford counter and you’ll be won over too. €55, Brown Thomas.

Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia

Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia smells of just-ripe pears, blended with delicate white florals mixed with woody Patchouli – a fresh autumnal perfume and a favourite in the WhatSheWears office since it hit the shops last year. €80, 100ml, Brown Thomas.

In fact any of the Jo Malone scents make great presents – the smaller 30ml  bottles make great stocking fillers and birthday presents – a gift any woman is proud to carry in her handbag.

Hermès Kelly Calèche

Hermès Kelly Calèche perfume promises to evoke the soft leather smell of Hermès handbags with subtle floral accents, this is a feminine fragrance with universal appeal.  €74.50 Brown Thomas.

For Him

Beckham Signature

Beckham signature is one of the many fragrances David and Victoria Beckham have created under the dvb fragrances brand.   A complex woody scent, this is a subtle yet sexy smell for your man’s Christmas stocking.

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

Vetiver is a plant extract used in aromatherapy and in Tom Ford Grey Vetiver it’s a smoky, woody scent.  And as with a Tom Ford suit, this fragrance is classic, manly and stylish.  €60, Brown Thomas.

So get out there and inhale.

Last week we caught up with Angela Buttolph, fashion guru, author and Contributing Editor of Grazia Magazine in The Shoe Rooms of Brown Thomas Dublin, to find out her must have shoes of the season.

Angela is a top style expert, who is known for her weekly fashion features in Grazia, hosts A Week of Dressing Dangerously and Fashion Victim Rehab on BBC TV and regularly broadcasts her shopping advice on BBC Radio 1’s Morning Show.  Buttolph is also the author of Kate Moss: Style Icon, a style biography about the fashion icon of a generation.

So without further ado, here are Angela´s top shoe choices for AW11, how to style them and if you hurry, you can buy them for yourself,   just in time for the winter wedding and party season!

Look 1

Model Yomiko wears an outfit by The Kooples and boots by Acne.

“Doc Marten style boots are THE boots of the season for autumn winter 2011”.

Look 2

Tartan dress by Carven with Brian Atwood ankle boots

“Style tip: start with the shoe and then choose the outfit. After all this is what SJP and Alexa Chung do.  Grazia´s Style hunter always looks for amazing shoes to photograph. A great shoe nails the look”.

Look 3

Isabel Marant top, leopard print bag and glitter shoes.

“Digital prints and especially clashing prints are all in this season. Wear with a pair of clashing shoes. This look would definitely get into Style Hunter” Angela says.

Look 4

Jumpsuit by Whistles

“This is a great look to pull off the minimalist trend. Alexa Chung would wear these patent brogues with tux jacket.”

Look 5

Tory Burch Shoes, Marc Jacobs top and  flared jeans by Rachel Zoë.

“I´m obsessed with the 1970s trend and the studio 54 era, especially all the tan leather!”

Look 6

YSL tribute shoes worn with an off the shoulder, leopard print dress with balcony sleeves by Rachel Zoë.

“If you only buy one shoe this season, this is the one. It´s all about the late 70s disco look”

Look 7

Acne Aviator jacket, skirt by Raoul.  Kurt Geiger boots.

“The Aviator jacket is still in season and is worn here with a midi skirt.  Hanna who does Style Hunter for Grazia loves these skirts and you and don’t need to be skinny to wear them either.

Style Tip: Wear tall ankle boots with a midi skirt, and socks peeping out.  This look spells out cool and edgy – be sure to wear your shirt buttoned right up!”

Look 8

D & G Kitten heels

“A pencil skirt worn with kitten heels is irresistable to most men!”

Look 9

Cape and skinny trousers, both Marni. Dries van Noten perspex heels.

“Style tip:  Short trousers make ankles look skinny. This Marni cape is offset by a skinnier silhouette on the bottom half”.

Look 10

Shoes by Kurt Geiger, Whistles skirt.

“The long, pleated midi skirt in chiffon is quite the Carrie Bradshaw look.

Everyone in the Grazia office bought the Whistles short pleated skirt this summer – this is winter version. You´ve been warned..get it before it sells out!”

-    Noreen Boyhan

Hundreds of stylish shoppers strolled Grafton Street after-hours, sporting designer goodies, getting their pictures taken for “Vogue” and dancing the night away in what was every fashionista’s dream for Fashion’s Night Out on September 8th.

Now in its third year worldwide, the shopping extravaganza is the brainchild of Vogue’s Anna Wintour and it’s the second time Dublin paid tribute to the chic evening.

Check out this video (2 mins 12 seconds) of what went on in Brown Thomas, one of two stores in the capital which played host to a night of the pastime we all adore—shopping!

Pictured L to R: Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, model Isabelle Traber in Mary Katrantzou and WSW’s Ann-Marie Proudfoot.

IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art,  celebrated the culmination of its 20th Anniversary with Art of Fashion last Friday.  

Brown Thomas unveiled a specially curated exhibition, which featured a spectacular retrospective installation of internationally celebrated fashion designer Mary Katrantzou’s signature prints.

The private champagne reception took place in the ornate baroque chapel where models on pedestals shifted from one high heeled foot to another as fashion editors, journalists and artists marvelled at the Katrantzou lampshade skirts and digital print creations.

Read our interview with Mary Katrantzou herself over here.

What She Drank: Rose Champagne

What She Saw: Photographers and attendees alike gushing over Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin as she entered the room

See more pictures in our gallery below

Irwin & Jordan has been worn by some of the world’s most stylish women; including Natalie Imbruglia, Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller, Rachel Bilson, and Jessica Biel.

The woman behind the label, Zoe Jordan, daughter of Formula One supremo Eddie, was in Dublin today to launch their pop up store at Brown Thomas.

The label mixes Savile Row tailoring, contemporary cuts and heritage fabrics – think tailored jackets and slouch waistcoats, a delicate lace t-shirt (pictured right), darling dresses and cropped silk trousers – creating an eclectic look that pushes the confines of every piece of its collections.  If simplicity is the ultimate sophistication then Irwin & Jordan is the embodiment of that simplicity.

WSW Style Tip: Our favourite piece from the spring summer collection is a lace top (€265, pictured) . It’s the perfect feminine accompaniment for the contrasting masculinity of tailored trousers – wear with black ones now and white trousers come summer time.

Availability: Irwin & Jordan SS11 will be in Brown Thomas Dublin for one month from 28 February. See the full collection on http://www.irwinandjordan.com/

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Collection We Covet: Peter Pilotto

Collection We Covet: Lanvin for H&M

Pictured: Sophie Leopard Print Dress €470

Apollo crop T-shirt €195,  leather shorts €695

Polka dot-print swing dress €470

Cool American actress Chloé Sevigny has teamed up with hip label Opening Ceremony for the third season in a row and the collection is new to Ireland and available exclusively at Brown Thomas, Dublin.

Fashion favourite Sevigny’s latest collection for Opening Ceremony features tea dresses, cool prints and easy chic tees which offer breezy buys for those who enjoy low-key luxe.

This season Sevigney channels a nineties version of herself with an emphasis on five prints, and five dress styles; paisley, leopard, polka dot, houndstooth, and floral.
The dresses range from body con to babydoll with each one inspired by a friend of Sevigny’s and is named in her honour.

As well as the dresses, the collaboration also includes reversible baseball jackets, cropped cardigans and print t-shirts Fans of Chloe´s style know she just loves printed shirts.

Not just limited to apparel,  Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony has to die for shoes too; her amazing wedges are new to The Shoe Rooms at Brown Thomas with prices starting at €320.

WSW tip: wear one of Chloé Sevigney’s print t-shirts (€195) with a pair of high-waisted denim trousers for a seventies inspired look that’s oh so now. Acne have an ideal pair (€190) Netaporter.com.

Image credits: Brown Thomas

By Siobhan Lam

One of my absolute favourite colour combinations of all time is the powerful pairing of aqua blue and dark navy – in my humble opinion this is the most stunning and complementary colour combo EVER.  No doubt many would disagree but to me it positively screams SPRING! NEW! BRIGHT! BEAUTIFUL!

Designer label Peter Pilotto kindly took this information on board and incorporated it into their stunning Spring 2011 line.

The collection is no one thing, - it referenced sportswear, menswear, the beauty of a stark white palette, as well as the “chic minimalism of Seventies Yves Saint Laurent and his playfully polished lady”.

Draping and prints also featured heavily in this collection – the label teamed their intriguing yet always wearable prints with cropped biker jackets – a playful way to bring any outfit from day to night.

Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos are the design duo behind Peter Pilotto; they met when they were both studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

The fashion label was launched in spring 2008 and since its launch it has been recognised as a rising authority in the fashion world, it is renowned for its use of vibrant prints which are often created through taking inspiration from natural elements – celebrities such as Kate Bosworth (pictured), Michelle Obama, Kirsten Stewart, Claudia Schiffer, Rihanna, Sienna Miller and Kim Kardashian are all fans of the label.

A lot of attention is being paid to Prada and Celine this season, which is understandable, nobody does block colour and neutral shades quite like them – however if you have a extra couple of shekels this season and want to invest in a piece that will be just as desirable and relevant now as it will be in ten years time, look to Peter Pilotto – the future fashion power.

Peter Pilotto silk dresses start at €1375 and are available in Ireland at Brown Thomas.

Possibly the most fabulous prints seen throughout the whole of London Fashion Week last year – Mary Katrantzou had us hooked from day one.

Just last week saw us raving about Greek-born, London-based designer Mary Katrantzou’s spring summer collection , which is available at Brown Thomas (pictured) by the way.

The 1000+ a dress designer collection, though very desirable, is not within everyones reach, so shout hip hip harray for her second collection for Topshop which hits stores on 14 February!

Taken from the vibrant prints used in her S/S10 show, Mary was inspired by the spiralling beauty of artisanal blown glass. The bright turquoise ‘Persian Drum’, and sophisticated cream and brown ‘Zebra’ prints swirl across two simple silk shift dresses and matching silk scarves.

For a limited time only in Topshop’s Oxford Circus store, the designs will be available as seven exclusive nail designs that Mary has worked on together with nail salon of the moment WAH for an all-out print and colour explosion.

Mary studied at Rhode Island School of Design before transferring to Central St Martins to complete a BA and then an MA in Textile Design. With sponsorship from Topshop New Generation funding, she has shown her own mainline collection during London Fashion Week for the last four seasons and is currently working on her fifth collection to be shown the Topshop Show Space for AW11.

The capsule collection features print silk dresses £120 and printed silk scarves £50.

Picture gallery of Mary Katrantzou for TopShop

• Nails: Available in Topshop Oxford Circus from 18^th Feb – 4^th March, costing £55
• Stores: Oxford Circus, Brompton Road, Selfridges, New York and http://www.topshop.com

Pictured L to R: Victoria Beckham Dress No.75 €1670, Stella McCartney blouse €295 and skirt €345,  Mary Katrantzou print dress €1050.  

After attending the lovely designer offerings of Brown Thomas last week, it is our great pleasure to bring you their spring summer 2011 collections.

Have a look at our footage direct from the front row (4 min 25 sec). Unfortunately, some of the models were literally on top of us!

But hopefully you get a feel for spring with looks from D&G, Prada, Celine, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Alexander Wang and Carven.

My personal favourites of the show included the modern minimalism of Stella McCartney’s over sized blazers, the understated simplicity of Celine’s white shirts and the masculinity of the borrow from your boyfriend oversized shirts from Dries van Noten .

An Alexander McQueen white Grecian dress wowed most of the front row while Mary Katrantzou emerged as a one to watch for 2011 with her digital print dresses (pictured above) which, I felt, had a hint of McQueen’s 2009 digital print collection.

Halston Heritage, a lust after label coveted by many last year due to Sarah Jessica Parker’s involvement, showed two silk jumpsuits for spring 2011, key to the 70’s trend that’s “in” this season. These were beautiful to look at in purple and pastel blue but pretty unforgiving on most figures.

The Victoria Beckham dress collection finished the show but the mostly cream or dusty pink collection of shift, mini and floor length (in black) dresses just didn’t do it for me this season, in contrast to last season’s lovely reds and nudes.

Image credits: Brown Thomas