NEW in FASHION: The COS Collection of Style – SS16 Preview!

Longing for brighter, warmer, sunkissed Spring days? I’ve got just the remedy! Feast your eyes on the exquisite new season collection from COS.

The Event: the COS SS16 Press Preview.

The Date: 12th November 2015.

The Location: Kerlin Gallery, Anne’s Lane, Dublin.

Held in the beautiful and appropriately minimalistic surroundings of the Kerlin Gallery the collection became the art and breathed life into the stark canvas of the room.
The perfect vibe to accompany the Spring/Summer 16 showcase by COS, a brand known for its premium, minimalist chic approach to apparel at a high-street price point.

The Welcome:

A warm hug and the offer of a delicious Chai tea on arrival coming in from a damp and blustery day, was the beginning of a wonderful afternoon taking in all things COS at the COS Press Preview for their SS16 Collection. Delightful.

The Overview:

Celebrating Essentials and Reinterpreting Calm at COS This Season.

The Collection:

Women’s wear is treated to a theme of reduction and reinvention in a palette of blush, cream and sandstone hues. A pared back naturalistic approach to the collection sees the company highlighting an evident organic, effortless and functional appeal – sure to make this collection a stand-out for the pretty, practical and chic lovers amongst us!

Elegance simply abounds in this collection…

Organic Oragami Approach.

A stand-out piece for me was the pearl linen silk shirt, falling in folds that elegantly drape around the neckline.

Back to Basics: Nude Rules.

Sandstone hues take inspiration from the organic shapes of sand dunes seen in Renate Aller’s photographs and results in garments organiclly structured and delivered with a calming influence.

With a firm focus on a reduction in details, and the use of luxurious fabrics such as silk, the collection is simply stunning.
Neutrals in summer are always in style.

Raw Denim:

The collection sees denim celebrated for it’s functionality, desirability and simplicity. Denim is set to be a HUGE trend this SS16 and is layered throughout the collection right down to the accessories!

The Accessories:

Knotted leather sandals in grey or white.

Angular, metallic jewellery featuring details such as compressed, recycled denim adds another contemporary twist to the collection.

{I love this angular take on the jewellery, this piece in particular!}

Menswear:

Tailoring, fresh silhouettes, car coats and boat necks feature strongly in the Menswear Collection for summer.

The overall vibe to this press event was sheer elegance complimented by a chic and minimal approach to the presentation, perfectly complimenting the brand. I am looking forward to picking up a a couple of pieces from this collection and incorporating them seamlessly into my wardrobe capsule collection.

This was one of my favourite press events that I have attended. I cannot get over the overall attention to detail. From the presentation of the collection calmly and eloquently communicated by the PR representatives for the company, the aesthetics of the show place adding an almost ethereal feel to the event, to the welcome spread of a selection of teas and nibbles laid out, complimented with a seating area.

A calm, cool and chic presentation – to be honest I expect nothing less from COS.

The collection is rolling out in-store from February – so not long now to wait!

What are some of your favourites that stand out from the collection? Tweet me @DublinGail/Tag me on Instagram @littlegforce or leave your faves in the comments section below!

Thank you to Baluba for the invitation and the Kerlin Gallery.

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

Gail.Xx
Photography: © Gail O’Connor.

FASHION ALERT! Get Exercise Ready with the Fitness Collection from Penneys!

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new year – are you feeling good?

Here’s a little taster of what’s to come from Penneys (Primark) Fitness Collection in the next few weeks of 2016!

Fitness is at the foremost of most of our minds right now with most of us having splurged over the Christmas having that extra helping of Christmas dinner or one too many sausage rolls before returning to our spot on the couch. This coupled with all the “new year, new me” mantras/resolutions floating around and health and fitness programmes such as Operation Transformation starting this week, it’s time to get the trainers back on and slip back into the gym gear!

Get Fit Without Compromising on Style!

Penneys are leading the way on the high street with stylish, budget friendly pieces that are hitting stores now and are breathable and hi-tech. This pleases me greatly. Why? Oh come on, let’s face it, looking good in the style stakes whilst getting fit is half the battle right? Okay, okay, maybe it’s not half the battle, but it sure helps motivate this gal to take those first steps, lunges or burpees…ah burpees you old foe.

With that said, whilst some of us may wholeheartedly indulge ourselves in a new “fitness wardrobe”(I know I can’t be the only one) every now and then, (shopping is a sport right?), others may want to ease into this fitness game a little more slowly and purchase a few select items. Either way Penneys are hard to beat with prices starting from as little as: €4 for a crop top, vests at €6, leggings at €9, Outerwear at €14 and runners at €14!

A Look at The Collection:

From cute leggings and performance jackets to sports tops, sports bras, slogan tees and vests, Penneys have an array of fitness focused offerings to tempt anyone into sporting them! Monochrome, brights, solid colours and print all mix and match seamlessly, allowing us to personalise the collection to what suits us. Colour blocking? Check. Mixing prints? Check. Check.

Stand out from the workout crowd: with the latest Active Wear range – emblazoned with bold, luminous brights.

For the Design Lover: tie-dye prints, mesh overlay and shattered pixel prints give the range a sports luxe feel.

Black remains consistent, accenting the fashion-forward, high energy pieces.

Inspirational and fun quotes like; “Start with Believe” and “Gym Hair, Dont Care” abound in the collection, aiming to keep our spirits and motivation up well past February, the month of the notorious “fitness slump.”

What do you think of the collection so far? Are you loving the bold, bright neons or maybe you’re a tie-dye fan? Let me know! Tweet me: @DublinGail or Tag me on Instagram: @littlegforce

Me? I love a lot in the collection (I’m a die-hard neon fan) and also have my eye on the likes of the tie-dye white and blue leggings (picture at top of page). I like a bit of surfer/preppy style whilst I work out and these beauts will serve the surfer girl in me well! #californiadreaming

The Accessories:

Dumbells, Yoga mats, Gym Balls amongst other accessories are available from the collection so no matter what you’re circumstances, working from home, long day at the office, dismal weather – these Fitness Accessories are perfect for getting in an extra gym session or fitting in some exercise after a long day.

Whatever you’re into, be it pounding the pavements, Yoga, Cross-Fit, or a gym bunny, Penneys have fab finds, for the male and female fitness fanatics amongst us and for those of us who think we are…well at least until February!

Fitness Journey?

I want to wish you the best of luck if you’re on a fitness journey guys!
I’m on one myself the last year which I’ve done pretty well on (despite some personal, uncontrollable setbacks) and I hope to stay focused and reach my goals, I’ve set for this year! #werkit #LikeABoss

Remember: we have to work at our personal fitness and health. We make time, schedule it in, because if we don’t make the sacrifice and dedicate the time actually putting in the effort, there will be no results! Let’s keep taking those steps and #hustle.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog guys! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year 2016! I hope you like this fitness related post and a glimpse at the new Penneys (Primark) range of Fitness and Sports wear. 

Until next time – I’ll love ya & leave ya!

Gail. Xx

Images: © Primark.

Motivational quote: Pinterest.