The Met Gala 2014

The 'Charles James: Beyond Fashion' Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City.

(All of the images that I have used in this post are sourced from:

http://hollywoodlife.com/pics/met-costume-gala-red-carpet-2014-photos   Photos are by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

The notorious met gala took place in New York City yesterday and I have to say that the fashion gets better and better year by year! The Met Gala is one of the most important nights on the fashion calendar and I am always excited to see what and who everyone wore. Here are some of my favourite looks of the night.

Rihanna was by far the best dressed for me on the night. She looked flawless in Stella McCartney. White on white is a huge trend for S/S 2014 and she rocked it from head to toe. Rihanna never fails to impress us, she always raises the fashion bar and she never sticks to just one style. I am in love with every element of this outift from the elegant train, the exposed midriff, the open back, long sleeves and the choker style necklace completes the look perfectly. 

Model and actress; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and head designer of Balmain; Olive Rousteing were also in the running for best dressed in my eyes.

Both are wearing Balmain A/W 2014. These ensembles scream high fashion and perfection. 

Model and actress; Suki Waterhouse looked absolutely amazing in Burberry. I love that she wore her hair up as it shows of her decadent décolletage. Her make up is gorgeous and this Burberry gown fits her like a glove.

It was no surprise that Sarah Jessica Parker looked gorgeous at the Met Gala. SJP turned up in a stunning gown by Oscar De La Renta. She looked like a fairytale princess. I have a weakness for long gloves with ball gowns. Her hair and make-up is so creative and fresh. When you see her look from the front you think perfection and then she turnes around! The back of this dress is out of this world. I am in LOVE with this entire look.

The power couple in fashion are of course the Beckhams. These two are the ones that I was looking forward to seeing what they wore the most and I was not disappointed. The uber handsome David Beckham wore Ralph Lauren while Victoria shone in her own design. This couple always look flawless and they are rocking the white trend.  

I couldn't mention power couples without mentioning JayZ and Beyonce no could I. White was a continuous trend for men at this years Met Gala. JayZ and Beyonce are both wearing Givenchy. Beyonce looks unreal! Her headpiece is to die for! Dark lips were also a big make-up trend at the Met Gala. The dropped earrings are devine and the sheet skirt part of Beyonce's dress is breathtaking. The plunging v neck an cinched in waist detail extenuates her envious curves. 

Rita Ora caused a bit of controvery over what she chose to wear to this event. She wore a champagne-coloured gown by Donna Karan Atelier paired with these statement boots. I personally loved this look and I really admire the fact that Rita Ora loves fashion and she likes to play around with different styles, she is not afraid to take risks when it comes to fashion. You will either love or hate this look. 

I LOVE IT!

The Olsen twins can do no wrong in my book. These fashionistas both wore vintage Chanel. I am always excited to see what Mary-Kate and Ashley will wear next. There style has evolved so much over the years and they are constantly taking the fashion world by storm. 

Anne Hathaway went for an understated and simple red dress with a slit and exposed midriff by Calvin Klien. This dress looks like it was made for her and the colour red suits her so much. 

 Last but not least, the ultimate IT girl of the moment model Cara Delevingne (my major girl crush) rocked a black cut out crop top paired with white trousers both by Stella McCartney. I love that Cara chose not to go with the crowd and wore trousers instead of a dress. She is absolutely fabulous and her hair and make-up are flawless (as per usual). 

There you have it the above images are my top 10 picks from the Met Gala 2014. 

Assisting a fashion stylist on Xposé photo-shoots.

I have recently gotten the opportunity to work with the brilliant fashion stylist Irene O'Brien on a couple of different fashion shoots. I was really excited to see how a professional fashion stylist works and to find out exactly what is involved with this specific and trilling career path!
         I learned sooooo much from her. I learned all about working to a brief, the procedures to follow when pulling clothing and accessories for photo-shoots, working with models, photographers, boutiques and presenters and I also learned how to do a spreadsheet necessary for keeping track of all of the items on the shoot.
          All of the photo-shoots that I assisted this stylist on were for the Irish fashion television programme Xposé. I was over the moon about this, as I watch Xposé everyday! The first photo-shoot that I assisted took place in the Liquor Rooms in Dublin City Centre and this shoot featured clothing and accessories from the Irish boutique Carousel. (There website is: www.ilovecarousel.com )
Here is an image of this shoot.

Carousel is such a lovely boutique located in the heart of Dublin City Centre and the girls that work there are extremely helpful ! I strongly recommend that you check them out, especially if you are into that quirky, girly look. Here is a link to there facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/followCarousel.

           Another one of the shoots that I assisted the fashion Stylist Irene O'Brien took place in the luxurious Marker Hotel. When we arrived there were chocolates awaiting us on the pillows in the bedrooms and the staff that worked there were so professional and really made us feel welcome at the hotel. All of the clothing and accessories featured in this photo-shoot were sourced from the Pavilions shopping centre located in Swords; Dublin. Here are some images from behind the scenes of this Xposé photo-shoot:

The reason why the model has two odd shoes on is because we were trying to decide which shoes looked best with the outfit! I am in LOVE with this pink pleather pencial midi skirt from River Island.

My favourite look from this entire shoot is the second image above. This outfit screams the 90's which is my ultimate favourite era in fashion. This spaghetti strap, burnt orangey red slip dress with black panelling is from River Island. The black bowler hat is from H&M, the leather jacket is from Mango as are these AMAZING black tasselled creeper style brogues. I fell in love with these brogues so much on this shoot that I just had to go out and buy myself a pair! I also fell in love with this pink coat from also from River Island and the way that Irene styled it with this outfit is my favourite way to wear a coat, as I find wearing coats just resting over the shoulders gives the oufit such an elegant look.

The images above are some extra images from behind the scenes on the day. The first image is off the rail of clothing and the second is the bed where we kept track of the accessories including jewellery, bags and hats.
         Another one of the shoots that I assisted Irene on was 'The style clinic' which is another segment featured on Xposé. Unfortunatley I do not have images from this shoot, but basically I assisted Irene with styling  women who signed up to get a day of  pampering and we worked with makeup artists and hair stylists from Brown sugar on the day. It was a fantastic experience and  I really enjoyed meeting so many new people on each and every one of these photo-shoots. I hope to get even more experience working with fashion stylists as I feel that that is the career path that I would like to head down as I feel that styling is my biggest strength in relation to fashion.
       

1950's Photoshoot

I am currently studying Fashion Industry Practice in Sallynoggin College and this week we headed out to the Bray Head Hotel to do a Photoshoot as part of one of our college assignments. The theme of the photoshoot was the 1950's. It was such a fun theme to do and we went in teams of 4's. My group went for an elegant/classy 50's look. We have yet to receive the photographers official shots from the day, However, until then here are some of the photographs that I took behind the scenes throughout the day.

The photoshoot took place at The Bray Head Hotel in Bray; Wicklow. We got a real "Shinning" vibe from it (The shinning twins didn't make an appearance unfortunatley..)

  The picture below is our moodboard for the shoot.

To the right is a picture of our table laid out with the outfit and our props, all set to get started!

The model on the day was Megan :)
The black dress is from iclothing.ie, I found this stunning black veil on ebay and we decided to add volume to the dress by layering it with a leopard print under skirt, which gives it the full flared skirt and cinched in waist which was one of the most popular trends from this era.
My Favourite element of this outfit that we styled is the vintage black veil, as it adds such elegance and completes this hauntingly beautiful look.

The Make-up was chosen by our team and the make-up artists and hairdressers working on this shoot were fellow students from Sallynoggin College. We went for the classic 1950's red lip, dark defined eyebrows and sultry black flicks and lashes on the eyes, while keeping the skin light, simple and flawless.

The picture to the left is of Megan and I on the day of the shoot!











I hope that you all like the images and I will post the official photographers images when we get them!

Chloe,
X

My 2013 Debutante Ball!

In today's post I am showing you what I wore to my debs.
I instantly fell in love with the dress that I wore to my debs, as soon as I saw it I knew that it was the one I wanted to wear. I went looking for my debs dress in a designer dress rental boutique called Cari's Closet in Malahide County Dublin; Ireland. Here is the link to their facebook page for more information on this amazing boutique:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caris-Closet-Dress-Hire-Sales/330317723691587?fref=ts

I love this place so much because even if you don't have the money to splash out on very expensive designer dresses, you can still get the chance to wear them and feel like a million dollars by just simply renting one of these designer dresses out for 3 whole days for a fraction of what it would cost to actually purchase the dress. However, if you wish to fork out the money and invest in one of these stunning dresses of course you can purchase them as well as rent them out.
Here is the dress that I wore by Forever Unique and it only cost me 200 euro to rent out for 3 days and it would have cost me 700 euro to purchase! I did not want a stereotypical debs dress and so as you can imagine I was delighted when I came across this beauty. It's so unusual and I found that the mermaid tail really makes you stand out and it also adds height.



I wanted to go for a 'Old Hollywood' look, so I got my hair done in old Hollywood waves, I did red lips for the ultimate old Hollywood effect. I have to say that the dress fit me like a glove and I never wanted to take it off. The quality of the dress was amazing and it was very easy to move around and dance in throughout the night.
I am quite small as I am 5'2 and so I wore 6 inch platforms to make the length of the dress fit me perfectly.

These are the 6inch platform heels that I wore with my debs dress. They are from Schuh and they were perfect as they are both extremely stylish and they are surprisingly comfortable as wedges normally are more bearable to wear for long nights out rather than the option of stilettos.

 Finally I didn't want a plain stereotypical clutch bag either so I went on the hunt for an Alexander McQueen look alike clutch. This clutch from a jewellery store named Cherry's in Stephen's Green Shopping Centre on Grafton Street; Dublin. It is very much inspired by the famous skull clutches designed by the great Alexander McQueen. I was very lucky as it was originally around the 80 euro mark but I got it on sale for 38 euro! WHAT A STEAL!

 

Finally I would like to add in the fact that a lot of Irish celebrities in particular rent out dresses from Cari's Closet. For example I would just like to point out that former Miss World 2003; Rosanna Davison rented out the exact same Forever Unique dress as me the following day! How cool is that?

Who wore it better?

 

 

 



Dungarees && Pinafore dresses

Unless you have been living under a rock, we all know that dungarees and pinafore dresses are back!
They are a huge trend for this spring/summer 2013 and they are not going anywhere in a hurry.
I do agree that dungarees in particular are not for everyone and they most definitely have an age limit depending on the style chosen and how they are styled.
  
    I have been browsing the web for some star buys in relation to both dungarees and pinafore dresses and where else could be better to search then the two high street giants that everyone loves TOPSHOP and URBAN OUTFITTERS.

Here are my top picks from both sites:

Great for the summer. Id say that this type would suit women up until their 30's.

 

The long trouser dungarees are that bit more difficult to pull off, it all depends on what way you style it. If you want simple, I would recommend a plain shirt or top but if you are daring and are body confident pair these dungarees with a crop top and some killer platforms or even flatforms!

These khaki ones are really different and are great for most ages as this khaki green colour is really flattering.

Yet again Topshop never cease to amaze and to produce such stand out clothing. This pattern is so fashion forward but I do think that these ones are more suiting for the more youthful girls. I really love them with the white heels in the photo here.

A playsuit type dungaree, really great for all those legs elevens out there!

 

 

Really elegant urban outfitters dungarees suits a wide range of ages.

These black ones can be worn casually during the daytime with flatforms, loafers or a great pair of boots and it all depends on your age on what you wish to wear underneath. To dress up for the night, switch your flats for those heels and accessorize to the max to make a real statement!

Another great one from urban outfitters.

Yet again classy and elegant, another one to suit both the younger and more mature age groups.

Due to the texture and colour I think that these short dungarees would suit both women up into their 30's, 20's and of course teenagers. These are a wardrobe staple.

 

Dotty monochrome pinafore dress. what is not to love? This screams youth, summer, fun and festivals!

Alexa Chung comes straight to mind when I look at this outfit. So stylish and so if you admire the fashion icon that is the beautiful Alexa Chung you can pull off her style with this timeless black pinafore.

 

 

Really grunge and effortless. Summer is here!

 

 

My favourite find from Topshop! The colour aqua is so energetic and fresh, these can be dressed up or down and I think that they would look amazing with really thick white platform wedges with a big floppy hat and a great pair of big round sunglasses.

 

 

So whether you are in your teens or your thirties you can find both dungarees and pinafore dresses to suit your age and your own personal style.

Shutterbug/Folkster

In todays post I want to write about this vintage shop in Kilkenny; Ireland called Shutterbug.
To say that it is one of my favourite vintage shops would be an understatement!
I first heard about it through facebook and so I decided to go and check out there pop up shop that they were holding in town. I was pleasantly surprised, not just by the amazing clothing but also by the amazing prices! I found some great buys that day. I bought levis, yes LEVIS shorts for just 20 euros, a fantastic vintage gold top, a checked shirt (I got the second one for free I might add) and I also bought a pair of topshop shorts for 10 euros! Now if that wasn't a bargain I don't know what is.

They often hold kilo sales in either Kilkenny or in Dublin and they always live up to my very high expectations. For those of you that are not familiar with what a kilo sale is, it is basically a giant sale!
You walk into a big room and there are countless racks, boxes and shelves jam packed with gorgeous clothing and in Shutterbugs case gorgeous vintage clothing. You pick up as many pieces of clothing as you wish and you put them into a big black bin bag or bags depending on how much you pick up, the bags are weighed and it is 20 euros per kilo. You would be surprised by the amount that you get for this amount. For example, the first Shutterbug kilo sale that I went to was down in Kilkenny and I left with three big bags of clothes. I was over the moon with my finds and you would not believe the quality! I must not forget to mention that the customer service is also excellent in person and online.

Here are some photographes of just a few of the amazing items that I have purchased from Shutterbug/Folkster over the last while:

This is the description that the owners themselves said about this shop:

"Shutterbug is an affordable, street-style vintage store owned by brother and sister Eoin Hennessy (photographer) & Blanaid Hennessy (stylist/buyer), who are aided and abetted by stylists Paula Doolin and Sinead Kelly."

"The store’s ethos is ‘overdressed for the occassion, underdressed for the weather’ at at prices that make sure every day can be a dress-up day. Expect everything from uber-glamorous...

sequin dresses to rough and ready military jackets. We are also re-designing and customising vintage Levi cut-offs in store to order, and adding our own style to reloved pieces. "

"Shutterbug runs a popular Kilo Sale even twice a year and recently launched their online site FOLKSTER.com and now stock Jeffrey Campbell shoes. > https://www.folkster.com/ "

 

I cannot stress enough how much I love this shop and so I urge you to click onto the link above for their online website www.folkster.com and/or look them up on facebook :Shutterbug. You will not be disappointed, the selection of fashion Is simply getting better and better.