By Gillian Brett

It is with great honour that we announce the sartorially gifted Roxanne Parker as our first ever guest editor.

With over 10 years experience in the fashion industry, Roxanne is one of Ireland’s most eminent style experts. She has an incredibly artistic vision and the unique ability to build an enchanting narrative around her fashion editorials: “When possible I like to create characters and build a story about who they are, where they live, what they are like and where they hang out. I want my stories to grab the viewer and spark their imagination. I find this approach helps me to imagine original shoot ideas,” Roxanne reveals.

Her style credentials speak for themselves as she lists Prudence, Confetti, Tatler and The Independent as clients, as well as frequently lending her fashion expertise to TV3’s Ireland AM and Xposé and RTE’s The Afternoon Show.

Roxanne was recently crowned ‘Best Stylist’ in the judges award at Ireland’s Most Influential in Fashion Awards and she has just been announced as the new fashion editor of every Irish woman’s style bible, Social & Personal magazine (her first issue hits the stands in June).

We’re delighted Roxanne managed to take time out of her insanely busy schedule to do a little Guest Editor work with us. Read on for all of her stellar selections for the summer season…

Spring/Summer Designer Collection
Roxanne is going all girlie this season by embracing feminine silhouettes and pretty details. This season she is lusting over “Victoria Beckham for sculpted dresses, Prada for stripes and printed skirts and Isabel Marant for easy, breezy, off-duty cutie weekend wear- particularly her sweet baby pink denim short.” 

Highstreet Shop
For her summer garden party ensemble (doesn’t everybody have one?), Roxanne is hitting the highstreet. She plans to tick off the colour blocking trend by teaming bold blazers with bright dresses choosing “Zara for their cheap and chic colour pop blazers and great leather bags and Warehouse for their pure silk summer dresses and sexy studio 54 inspired jumpsuits.”

Sunglasses
We weren’t surprised to learn that our guest ed has an affinity for Prada’s unique new style of sunglasses. Always keen to push the fashion/art boundaries, Prada commissioned three artists to create quirky illustrations for the label’s new limited-edition ‘Minimal Baroque’ sunglasses range. “I love the simple yet glam black over-sized frames with the quirky design detail of the loop at the side,” praised our honorary editor.

Accessory
For a touch of glam in the office, Roxanne adores the Chanel iPad cover. Mixing technology with taste, this luxury accessory is “The chicest way to tote your iPad around town! This quilted baby with iconic inter-locking C’s will ensure you will look the business at all your meetings!” ($1,555, available at Chanel boutiques.)

Jewellery
In terms of summer adornment, she’ll be paying homage to the all-important seventies with Nicole Richie’s haute hippie jewellery line, House of Harlow. “70′s style jewellery is perfect for this summer.

I’ll also be wearing anything turquoise and my bespoke pearl-claw ring by my jewellery designer brother Carl Parker.” Carl’s incredible pieces can be found in the Castlecomber Estate yard in Co. Kilkenny. You can also have a peek at them online before making your visit on www.carlparkerjewels.com .”

Make-up
Roxanne has every woman’s dream scenario: a best friend who happens to be one of the country’s top make-up artists. “I have been lucky enough to be used as a guinea pig for my close friend, make-up artist Ken Boylan’s brand new make-up range, Ken Boylan make-up, so I’ve been using and loving this line for the past few weeks!

There is nothing Ken doesn’t know about make-up and this is really reflected in his carefully chosen collection which will feature limited edition seasonal colours as well as all the basics. My favourites are his delicious rage of coral lipsticks- so pretty and summery.” The range is being launched in September,  check out www.kenboylan.com
 
Skincare Secret

Despite her hectic schedule and long days on shoots, she always manages to look refreshed and well-rested. Her secret to eternal youth: Jan Marini Bioglycolic facewash. “This ‘cosmasutical’ cleanser exfoliates using glycolic acid, derived naturally from sugar cane,  instead of a gritty, abrasive exfoliant leaving my skin plump, clear and youthful- I’ve used it for the past 7 years and SWEAR by it!!”

Dress
Every woman has her all-time favourite dress and for Roxanne it’s an envy-inducing beige Azzedine Alaia fit and flare dress which she bought in Havana Boutique in Donnybrook, Dublin.

“This stunningly cut dress with a flattering flared skirt by the 80′s ‘king of cling’ fits in with this season’s trend for nudes, while it’s classic cut mean it will be a wardrobe favourite forever.” Chic and timeless: perfection.

Jeans
Finding a pair of jeans that flatter your shape can lead to lifelong brand devotion. For our guest ed it’s Topshop’s Moto Leigh ankle grazers which she owns in jet black. “These skin tight, ankle flashers are the perfect way to show off fashions new erogenous zone – the ankles.”

 Shoes
The most important part of any ensemble, shoes can make or break an outfit. Though they are sometimes treated as an after-thought, Roxanne knows the right footwear is fundamental. She wears quirky “Buffalo leopard print cowboy style ankle boots for off-duty weekend wear” and glams it up in lust-worthy “YSL Tribute sandals in tan” for a high-fashion evening look. She also cites “Nando Muzi, available from Cocobelle in Hibernian Way” as her staple shoe for the summer wedding/race season.

Handbag
A woman’s handbag is the most obvious indicator of her true style persona. It turns out the elegant Ms. Parker is a closet rocker. Her favourite bag is “Alexander Wang’s Brenda Zip chain leather bag- I’m a bit of a rock chick at heart and this distressed washed leather bag has a rock sensibility fused with the practicality of being a really wearable cross body bag, perfect for everyday use.”

Perfume
During wintertime, it’s the classic Coco Chanel perfume that captures Roxanne’s nose and heart. She likes to flirt with summer fragrances however and reveals that her “current fragrance crush is Theirry Mulger’s Womanity- it’s really unusual with woody, smoky under-tones that get you noticed for the right reasons.”
 
Hairstyle
This summer, a plumped up, seventies-style, bouffant (as sported by Cheryl Cole, Sarah Jessica Parker and Elle Macpherson) is the trendiest hairstyle. Roxanne doesn’t settle for anything less than “A big bouncy blow-dry with plenty of back-combing.”

Her voluminous do is created by Paul Davey at Davey Davey salon. “Paul knows how to give me ‘monied’ looking hair so I walk out of the salon feeling like a million dollars!!”  Book in for the star treatment with Paul at Davey Davey, 23 Dury Street, D2  – see www.daveydavey.com for opening hours.

See more of Roxanne Parker’s Picks in the gallery below

Dannii Minogue X Factor 16 October

Dannii Minogue wore a nude coloured Victoria Beckham from her autumn winter 2010 collection – it may look familiar to you as Posh herself wore it to Elton John’s Oscar party earlier this year.

Dannii teamed her dress with nude shoes and gold jewellery.  Luckily she got rid of the weird ponytail hairpiece that she wore last week and instead opted for a sleeker style – though she’s still opting for lighter hair this series.

X Factor: Sunday Week 2 Dannii Minogue In Antonio Berardi

Hurrah for change. On Sunday night, Dannii Minogue swapped Australian designers in support of British ones when she wore a Brit designer for both nights of X Factor Week 2 !

Dannii then followed the footsteps of Victoria Beckham again on Sunday night when she wore an Antonio Berardi dress (he’s been one of Victoria’s favourite designers since the get go).  The velvet strapless dress with sheer blouse underneath is from the Antonio Berardi  autumn winter 2010 collection.  I simply loved her chic curls although I’m still not gone on her lighter hair colour.

Cheryl Cole X Factor Week 2

Although Cheryl’s hair was very “du jour” with her Alexander Wang fishtail plait, it just looked wrong and the red colour was very chav indeed.  For the second week in the row, Cheryl wore De Grisogono diamonds and black on both nights of the  X Factor Live shows.

On Saturday’s X Factor, Cheryl wore an Azzaro autumn 2010 jumpsuit from their collection teamed with Black bow detail Miu Miu Mary Jane shoes – not something that is easily pulled off and I’m afraid to say that in this case, it wasn’t.

X Factor Week 2 Cheryl Cole Sunday night

Appearing in black again, Cheryl’s dress on Sunday night was by Versus. The emphasis was on the pleated and flared skirt and she finished her look with the same Valentino sandals she wore last week!

Dannii’s sleek and chic look was the the clear winner for me this weekend. Cheryl’s “high fashion” choices and hair colour are just not suiting her.

So what did you think? Who were the style winners and losers this week?

And as for the contestants, here’s what some of the female solo  XFactor Contestants wore on Saturday night X Factor Week 2

What Treyc wore

Dress – KT
Shoes – French Connection
Bracelet – Freedom at Topshop
Ring – Topshop

What Rebecca wore

Dress – Lisa-Marie Fernandez at Net-a-Porter
Cuffs – Erickson Beamon
Ring – Freedom at Topshop
Shoes – Kurt Geiger

What Mary wore

Jumpsuit – Evans
Earrings – Earring Boutique
Shoes – New Look

What Katy wore

Dress – KTZ
Shoes – Kurt Geiger
Necklace – DNK

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Alexander Wang plait

Accessory Report: Brian Atwood Shoes

Collection We Covet: Victoria Beckham AW 10

Our X Factor focus, as of the past few weeks, is on the only remaining female contestant – Stacey Solomen. She is visibly getting skinnier by the week – her long pins are in the spotlight dress after dress as she is styled in short numbers (thank God that the long, debs-like caramel coloured dress from week six is gone) and I have to say she looks great!

Stacey’s dress on Saturday 28 November was the Diane Von Furstenberg Persal embellished velvet dress and is available online on Net-A-Porter. Not a huge fan of the current velvet trend myself, Stacey was not the only one with great legs wearing a velvet dress on Saturday night apparently; our favourite muse here at WhatSheWears.ie – Amy Huberman – wore a short green plush velvet dress with Christian Louboutin ankle boots at the rugby players dinner, following Ireland’s win over South Africa.

For her second performance on Saturday night, Stacey wore last summer’s most popular colour and style in the form of a coral maxi dress. You can buy a very similar version online on ASOS (£55, €68 approx) and it also comes in green or black.

Sunday saw Stacey is a sparkly pink dress, the same one as a white dress she wore a few weeks ago. It’s from French Connection and is now sold out but still available in the sleeveless version, (drop sequin dress) and in navy in the raindrop dress style.

Dannii Minogue

Dannii must be related to J’Aton Couture, as she wore their designs again on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November.

As always, I was eager to see which hair style she would rock up in, and on Saturday it was loose curls held back with a hair band – nice!  The white J’Aton Couture number showed off a great cleavage, which was overshadowed by her luxurious David Marshall Deco Earrings (£7,680).

On Sunday, Dannii appeared again in the same designer, and once more in a one shouldered style – this time a structured, bubble pink J’Aton Couture dress with black opaque tights. Quite a futuristic style, her hair resonated the Jedward quiff (I wasn’t a fan) but overall I think the dress converted her into her best dressed look to date.

Cheryl Cole X Factor 28 November

Cheryl Cole’s look on Saturday didn’t go down well in the usual Cheryl style stakes so I’ll move onto her dress from X Factor, Sunday 29 November. It was a one shouldered dress by Stéphane Rolland, from his autumn 2009 Couture collection. Rihanna wore a design by this couturier at the Glamour magazine Women of the Year Awards earlier this year.

With only two more episodes to go, who will you go dressed up as, to the X Factor Final parties everyone is talking about throwing?

X Factor contestants outfits Saturday 28 November, Sunday 29 November

Stacey, First song (Take That) Saturday 28 November
Dress -  Diane Von Furstenberg
Shoes – Carvella
Jewellery – Mawi at Start Boutique

Stacey second song  Elton John
Dress – Issa
Shoes – LK Bennett
Jewellery – Mawi at Start Boutique

Stacey Sunday 29 November
Dress – French Connection
Shoes – Carvella at House of Fraser

Lloyd
Shirt  – Caroline Massey at Topman
Jeans – Topman
Boots – Topman
Bracelet – Links of London

Lloyd Elton John performance
Suit – Chris Keer
Shirt – Diesel
Shoes – Hudson

Lloyd on Sunday 29 November
Shirt – Topman
Vest  – Topman
Jeans – Topman
Bracelet – Links of London
Boots – Topman

Joe Take That song
Jacket  – Armarni Exchange
T-Shirt – River Island
Jeans – Diesel
Boots – Topman
Bracelet – Links of London

Joe,  Elton John song
Shirt -  Zara Man
Jeans – Diesel
Boots – Topman
Bracelet – Links of London

Joe on Sunday 29 November
Shirt -  Religion
T-shirt – River Island
Jeans – Diesel
Boots – Topman

Danyl Take That song 28 November
T-Shirt – Topman
Belt – All Saints
Jeans – Topman
Boots – Hudson

Danyl Elton John song
Jacket – Peter Werth
Shirt – Diesel
Trousers – Diesel
Boots – Topman

Danyl on Sunday 29 November
Jacket – Antony Price at Topman
T-Shirt – April 77
Belt – All Saints
Boots – Hudson

Olly, Take That song
Shirt  – Fred Perry
Waistcoat – Penguin
Trousers – Penguin
Shoes – Zara man

Olly, second song 28 November
Shirt -  Dolce and Gabanna Gold
Trousers – Topman
Shoes – Christian Dior

Olly on Sunday 29 November
Cardigan – Merc
Shirt  – Fred Perry
Tie – Topman
Jeans – All Saints
Shoes – Topman

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Ingrid Hoey is one of Ireland’s leading stylists to the Stars, having styled the likes of Boyzone and the new pop phenomenon Industry.  She is currently styling our favourite muse du jour, actress Amy Huberman. Read more about what we think of Amy’s style here.

Since Amy is such a fashion frontrunner and Ingrid has supported WhatSheWears.ie from the get go, we are jumping for joy that Ingrid will be joining us as our Guest Stylist once a month, starting today!

Hoey, pictured here centre, worked as a stylist and buying director for 8 years whilst in F.X. Kelly Menswear where her first styling job was Boyzone for the IRMAS. A couple of years ago she went on to set up Butterfly Style. Ingrid’s training is mainly hands on which we think is the best. She’s also trained in visual display and merchandising with Armani in London. Find out more about the services Ingrid offers including personal shopping and wardrobe analysis on www.butterflystyle.ie.

And now to the juicy bits, the style tips…

Sequinned Blazer

My favourite look right now is the sequinned blazer. Diane von Furstenberg’s (DVF) version is the one all the starlets have been wearing.

This jacket is so wearable you can throw a black version over a soft grey or white skinny jean,  a long vest top with super high heels and clutch and you are ready to go (as seen on Rachel Bilson here right). Roll up the sleeves too, just like Rachel does.

Alternatively try a sequinned blazer over a dress for a more girlie look. This is worth buying now as it will see you through to autumn and beyond.

A dream buy in the sequinned blazer department is this gold DVF number worn by Whitney Port (second from left).

For more affordable buy, try this amazing gold version from Topshop online for £180 (€205).  Zara also have an amazing white and black version for the monochrome lover amongst you.

Ingrid Hoey’s Covet of the month

My covet of the month are these fab Kenneth Jay Lane earrings for €115 from Cocobelle, Royal Hibernian Way, Dublin 2.  Psst…. Cheryl Cole (pictured left) wore these same earrings when she was meeting Gordon Brown!  Some select pairs have just arrived from New York into Cocobelle this week. Ladies form an orderly queue….

Forget the spandex revolution from the Eighties which probably frightened you off the style – in 2009 this bodysuit-like dress has made a comeback. 

Take the Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole for example.  Her signature dress style is known as “Body con” which is short for body conscious. With a figure like hers who would blame her for showing it off.

The vampy Samantha from Sex and the City Look is a going out dress that will turn heads wherever you go. The “body con” dress is a figure hugging look, which may seem hard to imagine wearing at first, but by keeping your hair soft and your accessories limited, it can give a nod to the Eighties without looking fancy dress.

The most renowned “Body con” type dress is perhaps the Herve Leger bandage dress. We wrote about it back in February where we found a fabulous imitation of the dress for €70. Catch up on the article here.  Of course, there is more to Bodycon than a Herve Leger type bandage dress…

Jonathan Saunders Bodycon dress

Sienna Miller showed off her body at an Awards ceremony in Las Vegas wearing a futuristic looking Bodycon dress by Jonathan Saunders.  Quite an unusual choice for Sienna  Miller who’s statement style is normally boho (bohemian), her minimal jewels allowed the dress to take centre stage while black sandals by Sergio Rossi showed off her legs (OK so the dress was a tad on the short side but they are great legs aren’t they?).  The body-con number had quite a severe pattern, not something I myself would’ve picked off the peg!

Alexander Wang

The actress Diane Kruger rocked up to an art party in New York wearing a Bodycon Alexander Wang Stretch Mesh Combo dress (€795). The black and turquoise colours were an amazing combination. To go with her dress, Kruger accessorised with a Chanel bag and suede, pointy shoes.

To find your own version of Bodycon, look to Reiss which has both dresses shown above:

(Far right) Luca cobalt blue Body con dress Reiss (€153) also available in black.
Celina Cream coloured sexy cap sleeved dress Reiss (€164). This dress is ideally worn under a blazer.

Coast and Oasis have similar, less expensive offerings. Enjoy showing off that figure girl!

Whether you’re planning on splashing out on a single swimsuit or stocking up on a bikini, it’s always nice to know what’s out there before making any summer swimwear decisions.  You may think its a bit early to be thinking about holiday wear, but now is the ideal time to start planning your holiday wardrobe.

These days you can find lots to cover up your swimwear (more on that later), but for the moment choose your main piece with care.

2008 saw the rise of the one piece swimsuit.  Take fashion forward Cheryl Tweedy (pictured centre) who opted for a animal print revealing one piece.

So, why chose a one piece swimsuit over a bikini?

A fitted one-piece will flatter your figure and is seriously foxy right now.

There are plenty of minimizing “miracle” swimsuits which contain micromesh to draw you in in all the right places.

Check Marks and Spencers and Figleaves for a great selection, although our favourite shop for swimwear in general has to be Victorias Secret.:

The underwire on Victoria’s Secret suits give great support to bigger busts. This is the key to swimwear, you have to wear underwired cups!  Non wired bikinis or swimwear are for A cups or less.  Note that for Victoria Secret cup sizes, always order a cup size down from your normal cup size. Other benefits include:

Ruching detail will hide any bulges you may have.

For an extra slim factor, add a skinny belt to your swimming costume, to emphasize your tiny waist.

Take this red, very sexy retro bustier swimsuit (pictured right) from Victorias Secret (€50 plus postage and packaging). It is also available in black and the halterneck straps are removable. Look pin up perfect in this curve flattering suit that evokes timeless glamour. This very one is featured in April 2009 issue of (American) Vogue, page 246.

Otherwise, go for this plunging hot pink monokini (€74)  by Kenneth Cole also from VS (pictured left).

WSW tip # 1: Chip into a pool with friends and order your swimwear online from Victorias Secret. This will save on the shipping costs and the end result will be well worth it.  We have seen nothing like their selection, quality or colours here in Ireland.