We have just recovered from the Galway Arts Festival and without drawing a breadth, Race Week, as it’s known locally in Galway, is now upon us.

Undoubtedly THE social event of Ireland’s sporting calendar, the Galway Races, is taking place this week from 26th July-1st August.

The place is a flutter with fashionable ladies as well, and to take the pressure out of the sartorial decision making process in the run up to the Festival, Joanne Hynes will be having a Pop-Up Boutique in the Galway Brown Thomas store this week.

This month’s Style City Galway  is aptly brought to you by none other than Galway born Irish fashion designer, Joanne Hynes herself. We are delighted to have Joanne collaborate with WhatSheWears.ie!

Since opening her own concession on the second floor of Brown Thomas Dublin in 2009, Joanne has seen a phenomenally successful couple of seasons and is the hot topic of conversation among the movers and shakers of Dublin and beyond.

Read on to see what the Irish designer has to say about Galway:

High Street

If you are looking for staple high street shops then Shop Street in Galway has everything within walking distance of one and other. If you are a high street girl then you will find Topshop, A Wear, New Look and the recently opened Miss Selfridges. The high street is always right on trend with new deliveries every couple of weeks.

Vintage Finds

If like me, you are a lover of all things vintage and antique in terms of clothing and jewellery then Galway has some amazing niche little stores.

I recommend TEMPO antique on 9 Cross Street for diamond rings and vintage Rolex and Cartier watches for women and men.

COBWEBS stock fantastic costume pieces including my personal favourite Kenneth Jay Lane, they are situated across from the famous Spanish Arch.

As a youth and a teenager when I lived in Galway I adored the Army and Navy Store.  As a rebel back then –I always looked for something really different and bold and found some great military sweaters and jackets here.

TWICE AS NICE, located on the historical Quay Street is a little diamond -you’ll easily spot the shop as they always have some garments of interest hanging outside on the entrance arousing curiosity in passersby.

Downstairs you will find a selection of beautiful antique jewellery and linens. They are ideal investment pieces to mark special occasions. Take a walk up the wooden stairs to find an intimate collection of clothes and unique accessories. You will not find any of these unique pieces on the high street. With a predominantly classical, feminine feel to the pieces on offer you are guaranteed to be inspired.

Pop next door to the WOODEN HEART to buy your love a Claddagh Ring, which is, in my opinion one of the most beautiful rings in the world with real history and tradition.

Contemporary Lifestyle

For something a little bit different hit the BORN STORE, which opened in May of this year, over looking the canal at Newtown Smith.

BORN is Galway’s newest lifestyle store and someone recently described it as ‘if Brown Thomas and Urban Outfitters had a love child this is what you’d get’. Catering for both men and women from teenagers right up to the thirty something’s, BORN stocks more than 100 brands.

If you are looking for the fashion heavy weights then BROWN THOMAS is the place to go. It has four floors of luxury stocking leading international designer collections in menswear, women’s and cosmetics.

I love the cosmetics on the ground floor which houses concessions for BENEFIT, MAC, DIOR and CHANEL.  The staff are very friendly and you could have a quick make over or touch up before the Races if you book in beforehand. I recommend Sinead at DIOR - she is wonderful and can master the dark eye look!

Dressy

The wonderful thing about Galway is the array of varied independent boutiques where you are bound to discover a hidden treasure.

DEMORA on Cross Street is located just around the corner from TWICE AS NICE (that’s the great thing about Galway- everything is just five minutes walk from each other). DEMORA is a designer boutique with some great statement pieces. They stock a select range including Joanne Hynes and Deirdre Morahan the store owner is always very helpful.

Food

So you’ve been walking the streets of Galway, searching out all the must have pieces for this seasons wardrobe, you are going to need a quick bite to eat to regain your energy levels.  The city has countless cafes and restaurants that cater to every desired cuisine.

GOYAS is located on Kirwan’s Lane, is a hidden hideaway haven for hungry shoppers. It is popular for homemade treats and freshly baked goodies prepared on site daily, the caramel squares and lemon meringue pies are to die for. They make undoubtedly the best soya milk hot chocolate -these are even better than hot chocolates that I have had in New York!

For something more substantial, try Sam Bailey’s food hall and cafe situated looking out onto Eglinton Street. Desserts include New York style cheesecake with berry coulis, homemade tiramisu, homemade pie and cupcakes, whilst watching the world go by. There are daily blackboard specials too which is really sweet and a long list of green teas.

Night life in Galway

People come from all over Ireland to sample Galway’s night life and the summer is peak season with the crowds for pubs and clubs overflowing onto the streets.

If you are looking for something less mainstream the Roisin Dubh is the city’s premier indie and alternative night spot. It has promoted and supported Kate Nash, The Blizzards, Fight Like Apes, Declan O Rorke, Republic of Loose etc.

It is famed for hosting the Dirty Pretty Things final show on their farewell tour. Also expect to see some home grown Galway bands performing like the up and coming Kanyu Tree and Disconnect Four performing on a regular basis.

The g Hotel

I don’t get to Galway that often but if I do I like the g hotel for a cocktail. You can rotate from one room to the next for added entertainment! Each room has a different theme and plenty of groups of friends pop along for afternoon tea.

Afterwards you can pop out the back door to the Eye Cinema which is connected to the g, to watch an art house movie. I recently saw a Let the Right One In, a film by Tomas Alfredson’s based on the book by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist.

For all queries or advice on the Joanne Hynes range please  email info@joannehynes.com or visit her website www.joannehynes.com.

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Race Day Dresses – any tips?

What to Wear to the Races

Well I’m glad to report that I’ve survived my first ever trip to the Galway Races.

And what a day it was. The sun shone on Ladies Day and there was no sign of a recession at all with glamorous ladies clamouring in the Champagne tent for Moet at €95 a bottle (the cheaper option was sparkling wine for €75!).

While we pottered around admiring the fashion, stopping only to talk to Daithi O’Se from TG4, the general conclusion was that the style was top notch and the ladies went way out of their way to dress for the occasion.

In saying that we nearly never got there. The races kicked off at 2pm and at 1pm we were still on the Dublin side of Galway stuck in non-moving traffic.  So,with no helicopter in sight to rescue us, we had to think on the fly and ditched our car in Oranmore (8km from Galway city) at my friend Elaine’s house. We got ready in a jiffy and Elaine kindly gave us a lift to Ballybrit racecourse.

Collecting the car the next day was another story but at that stage we didn’t want to miss the goings-on, so we sashayed our way across the uneven gravel in our five inch stilettos in time for the second race.

The winner of Best Dressed Lady competition wore a fuchsia pink daisy hat from Jack L boutique in Dalkey with a Pucci style print dress from Malahide boutique Neola. Not the best dressed on the day we thought to ourselves, but she certainly stood out. The lucky lady won an €8000 diamond necklace, €2000 worth of shopping vouchers and €2000 in cash. Another lady who stood out in the style stakes for us was Karen Koster (from TV3’s Xpose) who wore a lilac dress and matching coloured hat.

We didn’t see many horses but word amongst the 42,415 race day goers was that none of the favourites came in so it was a great day for the bookies.

While Bertie Ahern took over the Meyrick Hotel, we were onward bound to the Radisson Hotel which was awash with mad hats, bare flesh and a party ‘til dawn. We’ll definitely be back for more next year.

For anyone still in the mood for dressing up and admiring more Ladies Day glamour, The Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show takes place this week at the RDS in Dublin from 5 – 9 August.  Blossom Hill Ladies Day takes place on Thursday 6 August. All images taken by Anne Marie Boyhan/WhatSheWears.ie.

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Race Day Dresses – any tips?

Following the popularity of our recent article on What to Wear to the Races, we’ve decided to go in search of dresses in particular. Bear in mind that you could also wear these dresses to a summer wedding.

Some girls started their outfit search for Galway Races Ladies Day months ago. Dubbed the most stylish (and most fun) race meeting in Ireland, there is sure to be some competition at Ladies Day on Thursday 30 July.

But if you haven’t found your ideal dress, don’t despair. The WhatSheWears.ie team is at hand with some quick tips on where to find your killer gown:

1. Hire a designer dress

Do you crave to wear an individual, designer dress but can’t afford the price tag? We stumbled across GirlMeetsDress which rents you a designer dress for 2 or 5 days from £50 upwards, depending on the designer. Check out dresses from Missoni, Alexander McQueen, and Stella McCartney et al.  What a find! ://www.girlmeetsdress.com/

Our favourite is this navy and white Miu Miu dress (for rent for £119,  it retails at £661) which is not unlike the dress that actress Isla Fisher wore to the Bruno Premiere in London (she wore a Stella McCartney green and white version).

2. Accessorise an existing dress

75% of women in the UK own 14 items of clothing which will never be worn again.  Imagine! So we bet that you could chose AT LEAST one dress from your wardrobe which you could update.

If you remember the advice from the WhatSheWears.ie Recessionista Fashion Tips article –  in times like this the motto Accessorise Accessorise Accessorise comes into its own.

While you may not be able to justify the purchase of a new dress, have you thought about what you already have in your wardrobe and how you can update these pieces?  A statement belt or corsage could be a perfect solution. Make like Gok Wan and get theeself to your local haberdashery and you’d be amazed at the treasures you can find there which will instantly glam up your outfit.

3. Stalk the Sales

You should usually plan for the sales and have tried on your “must have” item before mid June so that you are ready to pounce once those golden words “Sale. 50% off ” are pasted on the shop front windows.

So if you missed that snippet of advice, fear not. If the dress that you covet is now only left on the sale rack in a size 18, check out the shop’s online presence too.

Take for example Karen Millen.com. This fab designer brand has some dresses selling for a steal and some only available online. Take this purple, satin number (pictured) with embellished shoulders which is reduced from €250 to €125!

You can always wait and wait some more, until the second wave of sales kicks in - but you run the risk of never getting your size. 

4. Boutiques, High Street and Vintage

Visit your favourite boutiques right now as they all have summer sales going on. Fran & Jane, who have boutiques across the country, have classic cut dresses which have won Best Dressed Lady at two race meetings we know of, most recently at the Irish Derby at the Curragh.

You can also find some classy dresses in Reiss, a favourite of Irish actress Amy Huberman. We particularly like this coral and black “Krista” dress pictured.

Monsoon and Coast are best avoided for the Races, you don’t want to rock up in the same dress as someone else (although at an event this size it’s sometimes inevitable).

For sheer originality, vintage could be the way to go. We’ve recently discovered Dirty Fabulous, on 97 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin which has some amazing, high end vintage occasion dresses and hats on their racks. (For all you discerning brides, they also have a vintage bridal collection).

5. Keep an eye out for dresses while on holidays

No matter what time of year it is you go on holidays abroad, keep a dress in mind for the Races or your friend’s wedding. It’s always nice to have something original that one can’t buy here and also make the conversation more interesting when you’re asked “Where did you get that?”!

6. A final tip

If you live in Galway itself, Anthony Ryans seem to have some fantastic dresses and headpieces, all selling for reasonable, recession-proof prices (for example €90 for a head piece).

Check out this Galway Races style video from TV3’s Ireland AM – (Watch out for the initial blast of sound on your PC!) .  It might give you some more ideas.

See you there!

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What to Wear to the Races

Style City Galway

It’s that time of year again ladies. Confused with what’s in your wardrobe between Festivals, Wimbledon and the Races, Ascot 2009 has come and gone already so it’s time to find out what to wear to the Races.

Knee length dresses

Cocktail, knee length or just below the knee length dresses are the etiquette for Race Day. Don’t commit a races faux pas by wearing a full length dress – save your long dresses for black tie events please. WAG Coleen McLoughlin wore a full length, silk maxi dress to Aintree this year which probably had the horsey set tut-tutting into their G&T’s.

There are so many cocktail dresses out there to choose from this season. And it’s perfect timing to shop for them too as the summer sales have just started.

Take this turquoise blue dress from Oasis  (€12 in the sale, size 12 and upwards) which has a removable black feather on the shoulder and is cinched in at the waist. Wear it with this statement peacock themed hat from Chica, black shoes and a black clutch.

To give you more inspiration for what to wear to the Races check out model and Britain’s Next Top Model presenter Lisa Snowden pictured here (left) attending Ascot 2009 in a pink coloured dress and purple hat. Also see the winner of the “ Best Dressed Person” competition at Galway Races 2007, Sinead Donneely, who wore a cream Temperley dress with gold stud embellished neckline and a vintage hat. She is pictured here (centre of the centre image) with the 2007 Best Hat winner (left) and runner up, Best Dressed Person (they are very politically correct in Galway you know!).

Hats

Peacock Twirl Headpiece, Chica €175

This unusual peacock themed hat from Chica is hand crafted by designer Ronnie Ryan and made with authentic peacock feather hackle and schlappen beaded feathers. If a hat is your statement piece, keep your dress in a block (mono) colour to keep all eyes on the hat.

Accessorise your bags and shoes in line with the colours in the rest of your outfit. For example, you could wear a purple dress and shoes paired with a mustard coloured hat and mustard oversized clutch.

Hat hire in Ireland is limited though. Two such hat hire shops that are on our radar are Foxrock Fillies and Mad Hatter.

Fascinators

A fascinator is a headpiece worn on the hair and commonly made with feathers, flowers and/or beads.  They came back into fashion in 2008 when Sarah Jessica Parker wore a green Philip Treacy design to the Sex and the City world premiere in London.

We’ve also seen them a lot at weddings in recent years, worn by younger women who like to leave wearing hats to the older female wedding guests.

To find your perfect fascinator try Debenhams which has a great selection, as has EBay.

For those of you who don’t want to go down the hat or fascinator route, opt for beautifully coiffed hair or an elegant up-do.

What we have to look forward to in the racing calendar:

Irish Derby Festival

Saturday 27 June: Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh Racecourse, Co. Kildare Most Stylish Hat competition – Win €2000 to spend at Kildare Village.

Sunday 28 June: Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh Racecourse, Co. Kildare Most Stylish Lady competition –Judged by Amber Le Bon. Win €5000 to spend at Kildare Village.

Galway Races Monday 27 July – Sunday 2 August

Ladies Day at Galway Races 2009 is on Thursday August 30 which is when the Best Dressed Person competition is held. To the rest of us it’s the Best Dressed Lady competition.

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