Pack away your winter clothes

It’s nearly time to pack your winter clothes away – in my case it’s necessary to make room for my spring summer gear. My wardrobe is tiny so if I don’t pack one season’s wear away it would be impossible to find anything!

Make sure the clothing that you’re packing away is washed and ironed and left ready to air and wear once you unpack it next year. The previous season’s wear should be packed away from view –  and not necessarily in your wardrobe space either.

While you’re at it you may want to clean out your wardrobe. You may need to assign a full day to this procedure which I call “wardrobe weeding”.

Wardrobe weeding

The first step is to try everything on. Then go through your wardrobe piece by piece, separating things into four categories: keep, give away, throw out, and swap/sell.

Keep

Naturally you should keep the clothes that you wear most often. The old rule of thumb still stands; if you haven’t worn anything in the past 18 months, then it should go into one of the other piles! Keep anything that needs repair, or any investment pieces/designer items that you’ve bought, as these may well come back into fashion again.

Throw away

Throw out anything that is damaged or stained beyond repair. If it has holes, rips or has become discoloured, then toss it!

Give away

All the procrastination about “I’ll wear it when I lose a stone” should be tackled head on now by doing away with inexpensive stuff that simply doesn’t fit you.

Also, give away the clothes that you don’t wear anymore including jackets/coats, shoes, trousers/jeans and T-shirts. Your local charity shop will appreciate it (once it’s clean and not in the throw away category!).

Swap or sell

This is your chance to free up some valuable wardrobe space by swapping those shoes that really don’t fit you, those expensive 7 for all mankind jeans you no longer wear and anything else that you consider “good” and you no longer wear. We’ve compiled a list of swap shops, designer consignment shops and rail sales around Ireland  for you.

Put on your thrifty hat and sell any designer wear that no longer fits on EBay. There’s also a string of charity shops, and second hand designer shops which will sell your clothes for you (list to follow). Put any money earned there towards a new investment piece!

Drawers

Don’t forget to “weed” your drawers too. Toss out the white underwear which has gone grey in the wash. No donating, swapping or selling underwear either unless you’ve never worn it or you think its super-worthy of giving away.

Now that you’ve everything in four piles, return everything from the Keep category back to your wardrobe. Arrange your clothes by colour and category into, for example: tops, dresses, outerwear (coats/jackets), blazers/suit jackets and trousers.

Even though you may dream of one day having a walk-in wardrobe (like the one  BIG had made for Carrie in Sex and the City), at least you’ll never waste time looking for your clothes again. The best thing to have in your wardrobe is space.

The result? A cleaner, tidier wardrobe where you’ll now find things you wear quickly due to an amazing categorising system! Yay!

Images of Carrie trying on her clothes and Carrie’s wardrobe, both from the SATC film.

Catherine, one of our readers, alerted me to an IrelandAM feature where a Dublin haberdashery recreated four ball gowns dresses Oscars night. Naturally, I was curious so I researched some more and found that it’s called Studio 54 and is based in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.

I spoke to the owner; Maeve Paterson who gave me heaps more information. Maeve has years of experience in film costume design and has even worked with Kim Katrell (the sexed crazed one from Sex and the City), traipsing Madison Avenue to find her the perfect frock.

For the Ireland AM shoot (pictured), Maeve and her team turned around 4 Oscars dresses in a day.
They can replicate any dress you want, whether you’ve seen in a magazine, on the red carpet or catwalk and add their own individual twist to it.

All of the above dresses cost €300.  Let’s run through them:

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep commissioned Project Runway designer Chris March to design her white gown with plunging neckline, Maeve felt that the white colour may be too “old” for her audience, so choose to redesign it in silver for the Ireland AM shoot.  As this particular one was made to fit a model, it would suit a size 8-10 with a small bust.

Rachel McAdams

Another trend on the Oscar red carpet was prints and patterns. Rachel McAdams wore an Elie Saab Spring 2010 Haute Couture strapless dress with Sergio Rossi sling back platforms in blush satin and Lorraine Schwartz jewels.
The soft pastel colours looked really romantic on McAdams and so these dresses, for some reason are always popular in Ireland.

The Studio 54 version of this dress used a different colour material and I particularly like the way they pulled off the fitted bodice with panache.

Sarah Jessica Parker

SJPs Chanel Couture dress was recreated with yellow satin and even has the silver embellishment and neck detail.

Studio 54 also repurpose wedding and debs dresses making them wearable for other occasions.

This month’s style city feature was written by my stylish sister Noreen (pictured above). She’s lived in NYC, Sydney and Thailand so we hope to convince her to give us an insider’s guide to shopping and style for future Style City features on whatshewears.ie. Previous cities covered are Belfast and Barcelona.

West Village

For eating and drinking in NYC I recommend the West Village. I used to live on Perry Street in the West Village where there are some really cool shops around Bleecker Street.   The fab Marc Jacobs store on the corner of Bleecker and Perry Street tempted me every time I walked home.

If you can’t buy anything chez Marc, comfort yourself with a cup cake in The Magnolia Bakery (as featured in SATC) 401 Bleecker Street .  It’s just a short taxi ride from the West Village to Soho for shopping  and the Meatpacking District for late night entertainment.

Second hand designer stores

I love browsing second hand designer stores like INA. New York Magazine described INA as “The trendiest pickings from American and European runways — mixed in with rather chic no-name clothes”.  INA, 15 Bleecker Street.

You can come across some stellar finds for a snippet like my Karl Lagerfeld riding jacket , which felt like it was hand made for me.  Sadly, it was stolen from me in a  Dublin nightclub by someone who knew a good thing when they saw it!

Shopping in New York

The best district for shopping in New York is SOHO (short for “South of Houston) in downtown Manhattan.  Between the many cobble stoned streets between West Broadway and Broadway you will find a great mix of shops.

This includes the bijoux Bloomingdales if you can’t face the much larger one on 59th Street.  All tourists who show their passport in the visitors centre in Bloomingdales get 11% off all goods (with the exception of some cosmetics) even on sale items. So it is worth queuing up before hitting the clothing rails.

The flagship Apple store is located on 5th Avenue in a coverted post office building where you can spend hours just browsing and looking at the test gadgets.  Apple, Prince Street, New York.

Need a party dress or ball gown?

BCBG Max Azria is my favourite haunt if I am in need of a dress or ball gown.  Their silk cashmere cardigan wraps are the best I have found around. Other recommended shops in Soho are Betsy Johnson, Adidas and other small designers dotted around the place like Catherine Maladrino.

Broadway Shopping

If want to venture to the very busy Broadway district you will find Victorias Secret for underwear, Sephora (which is always great for makeup supplies), Banana Republic, Kenneth Cole, Armani Exchange and some fantastic shoe shops like Steve Madden.  It’s a really busy area but a good option if  you only have an afternoon to hit all the main shops and pick up some bargains.

If however you like browsing and want to avoid the annoying sales assistants (who have become even more persistent since the recession has hit… they really do care ‘how you are today’!)  at the weekend you will find street vendors along Prince Street selling fabulous, genuine jewellery.

Just last week I bought some statement earrings and necklaces with semi precious stones which, in total cost  me €200. They would’ve  cost me triple that in a retail outlet.  Be prepared to bargain though.

Outlet shopping in New York

This would be shopping hell for me but if you insist on outlet  shopping,  go to Woodbury Common which is the most popular outlet and is located an hour away from NYC – the bus leaves from Port Authority and goes on the hour.

If you want to stay put in New York for outlet shopping and have nerves of steel, head to Century 21 down at the World Trade Centre (Cortlandt Street).  My advice is to get in and out early otherwise you’ll need an oxygen mask!

I just tend to head to the sports section of Century 21 on the 1st floor  – I can’t get enough sports socks, hats/gloves  and magnificent scarves.  I bought two Pucci scarves there last week reduced from €300 each to €99 each!  This type of stuff doesn’t require trying on nor standing for hours ‘in line’.

Hotels in New York City

Check hotels.com for the many deals on hotels in New York City to be had at the moment. I suggest that you stay downtown in Soho and not  have to traipse around in cabs.

60 Thomson, The Mercer Hotel and Soho Grand are three hotel suggestions.  My motto is to stay somewhere that has a great vibe, people and a nice bar, so if you’re too tired to go out (you will be after all that shopping) let the party come to the hotel!

On my last trip I stayed at the Hudson Hotel,  356 West 58th Street, near Columbus Circle subway (near Central park and Theatre district). This Phillipe Starck designed hotel with a great roof garden is well located for shopping.  The hotel had its heyday a few years ago but the once expensive room rates have now become more accessible price-wise.

New York Restaurants

If  you fancy a quick bite while shopping in West Broadway head to Dos Caminos on West Broadway. This is an upscale Mexican restaurant that serves the most unbelievable guacamole which is served in a cauldron style stone bowl .  It’s a great place for lunch between shops or early evening when the legs get tired after shopping, why not pop in for margaritas and guacamole.

Pastis 9 Ninth Avenue, New York

Brunch in the Meatpacking District is the ‘in scene’ thing to do, so if you’re in town for a few days,  treat yourself to brunch at Pastis.  I recommend their great burgers and fries. The bar area is always good for a celeb viewing, lots of hustle and bustle,  surrounded by old French décor.

The Spotted Pig

Bono is said to be an investor in The Spotted Pig which is New York’s first authentic English style gastro-pub. Also, considering that Sarah Jessica Parker and Liv Tyler live around the corner in the West Village, you are bound to spot a celebrity here on the weekends.  Chef April Bloomfield, formerly of London’s River Café, ensures this cosy wood-floor tavern in the West Village is always packed.

If you feel The Spotted Pig is too crowded there’s always the down-home White Horse Tavern pub nearby on Hudson Street. This is a great spot in the Summer – sit outside on the benches and watch  the world walk by.

If want to feel like at home and mix with some of the locals (SJP lives around the corner) head to Extra Virgin.  Great food and a particular favourite of mine for its decor with its exposed brick walls, it reminds me of my old apartment in NYC.  Make sure to call ahead to reserve as queues of locals can be long.

My favorite bars in New York

Employees Only 510 Hudson St between Christopher and W. 10th Street.  This is a cosy new West Village spot where the staff wear chef smocks with quirky titles like Principal Bartender.

After shopping and before heading back to your hotel head to Felix on 340 West Broadway – this is a mix of Eurobrats and locals who stand on the street and drink Peroni beer to the sound of Latin music.

Head on to Novevcento which is a chaotic, casual, and exhilarating Argentinian restaurant which has a crazy party vibe after 11pm. I had my birthday there a few years ago with blurred memories from too many mojitos, so feel I need to visit each time I go back to jog my memory!

New York City Guidebooks

If in doubt about where to shop or eat, I recommend buying a Zagat’s guide–it  has all the street addresses and phone numbers and can be bought in most good newsagents.

Or just buy the latest Time Out magazine for New York – for the very latest and happening places to go, it will also have the update on designer sales for that week so it’s not to be missed!

Enjoy!

It’s August already and with it comes a new season, autumn. It’s hard to believe we know, but the shops are already showing their new collections.

I’ve been asked to pull together an autumn/winter work wardrobe for my sister Angela in London (more on how that goes later this month) so with a new season in mind I’ve come up with a few key Autumn pieces that we have to look forward to this season.

Strong Shoulders

The sculptured shoulder continues to be in fashion this season, which is no surprise really, especially considering how trendy the eighties are right now.  Early adapters of this look (e.g. Balmain) are still endorsing the silhouette, though autumn’s take on this look is definitely more refined.  Try dresses and jackets that have a subtler sculpted shoulder.

Buy one: A designer leather jacket by Rick Owens (£1460, €1724) from Brownsfashion.com.

Winter Shorts

While we’ve written reams about summer’s denim shorts and spring’s tailored shorts, the big thing this season is the tights-with-shorts combination. Yes, we know it’s been around in seasons past, but there’s no doubt now that it’s a full-blown trend.

This key look comes in an assortment of fabrics—from wool to leather to lamé—so finding the right pair shouldn’t be hard.

Personally, I will be going back to the city shorts I bought in Awear two seasons ago but if you do need to buy a pair, we suggest the kitsch style of these Limited Collection Pure Linen Foil Shorts from Marks and Spencers (£29.50, €35).

Thigh-High Boots

Although not applicable to a work wardrobe, we just had to mention that the thigh-high boot is one of the statement boot styles for autumn.

The shape can be either really skinny or relaxed; where the latter is a more forgiving look.

Buy some: Black suede and leather boots from Schuh (£141.37, €167)

Long-Sleeve Mini Dress

This mouthful-of-a-pronunciation-of- a-dress is having a major moment right now. And sequin detail and all things glitter will still be big news this autumn winter. 

Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) was well ahead of the trend when she graced the cover of Grazia magazine in one during the summer.

So if you’re going to buy one dress this season, make it a mini with long sleeves. You’ll have plenty of choice in fabric too – from sequined to details of zips and studs, or simply one shouldered.

Buy one: We love this Antik Batik backless sequinned mini dress, with long sleeves of course (£364, €430) from Mywardrobe.com.

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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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Finally the report you’ve been waiting for: what did the Hollywood stars wear to The Oscars 2009? The whatshewears.ie team are bleary-eyed today having stayed up until the early hours following the 81st Annual Academy Awards but are glad to report that it was all worth it. After much speculation around the “etiquette” of what to wear in the current economic climate, we were relieved to see that the glamour factor was certainly turned up a notch; safely confirming that fashion has, yet again, hijacked the Oscars.

Bows, belts and knots abounded

Tilda Swinton, Jessica Biel, and Amanda Seyfried were well wrapped up in delicate knots and oversized bows. Our favourite in this style though was Heidi Klum, who wore a stunning red dress by Roland Mouret and matching peep-toe pumps. Check out her massive silver and coral floral earrings which we think may have worked better with an up-do.