Spotlight on: Dublin Fashion – ‘& Other Stories’ SS17 Makes Landfall!

The Event:

It was a case of old world meets new at the ‘& Other Stories‘ Press Preview.

The Date: October 2016.

The Location:

Set in the uber historic surroundings of the hidden gem that is Marsh’s Library, Dublin the SS17 presentation from ‘& Other Stories‘ was right at home – nestled beautifully in a place filled with stories and legends of it’s own, perfectly in keeping with the brand ethos.

What’s to Come From & Other Stories Dublin?
Encompassing two Atelier collections & Other Stories delivers a nod to the style of Stockholm and Paris in its Atelier collections.

Paris Atelier:

Feminine and extravagant, this collection explores the decadent bourgeoisie. The look is flourishing in lavish details, rich colours and floral prints, reinventing the perception of French flair. – Philoméne Tellaroli, Accessories Designer, & Other Stories

Key elements of the collection: floral prints, embroideries and high collars – combined they deliver another chapter of boho escapism.

Stockholm Atelier:

Dress up or dress down your outfit this season with a pair of contradictory shoes. Mix casual with stiletto heels or dress down tailored pieces with soft, easy flats. Find and effortless look by playing with proportions and contrasts. – Nicole Johnson, Shoe Designer, & Other Stories

Key elements of the collection:

Shoulders are slightly dropped and waistlines are marked, punctuated with key details such as ribbons and belts that control the flow and shape of the garments.

Check out the gallery below for a closer look at some of the collections, snaps from the preview plus a look at some of my favourite picks from ‘& Other Stories‘ when it hits Grafton Street, Dublin before Christmas!

{Blacksheep Foods provided a delicious and uber healthy lunch – highly recommend this company for top notch grub!}

Maximialist Joy: the SS17 collection from the Paris Atelier features ultra feminine silhouettes highlighting an emphasis on bell sleeves and ruffles with a palette that dabbles in hues of red, blue, white and pink.

Renew Volumes: taking influence from the 1930’s, the Stockholm Atelier presents a strong and minimalistic approach to the SS17 collection and sets the stage for a contemporary silhouette with a nod to a relaxed yet chic approach to layering.

This collection places emphasises on a new approach to power dressing – a bold fresh take for the modern, working woman’s wardrobe. With the signature tailoring of & Other Stories the collection encompasses a palette of light blue, yellow, white, bright green and black.

The Accessories:

Sleek, modern ornate graphic design pieces and on-trend ultra stylish key pieces are at the heart of the accessories collection – a little bit of heaven for any wardrobe.

Decorative pieces such as brooches make an appearance alongside grandiose rings and earrings, mini bags and scarves worn as necklaces.

The Beauty of & Other Stories:

Not just offering apparel, ‘& Other Stories‘ has some seriously gorgeous beauty and makeup items as well as candles to decorate your chosen space.

The scents featured in the body care  and candle ranges are blended to perfection, unearthing some weird and wonderful treats for the senses, uniquely different pairings that somehow just work!

{My favourite scent – cannot wait to get my hands on this!}

{For the home: scent offerings from the candle collection, elegant and smell divine.}

{The colour payoff from this highlight is insane! See below for closer look…}

{Blinded by the light…stunning highlight offering from & Other Stories. #musthaves}

Are you excited for ‘& Other Stories’ to hit Dublin? Have you already experienced ‘& Other Stories’ abroad? If so, what are some of your must-haves?
Tell me!

Tweet me: @DublinGail Instagram: @littlegforce, Snapchat: DublinGail or comment below!

The official website is down for maintenance , meanwhile you can visit ‘& Other Stories’ on Tumbler , Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Thank you: ‘& Other Stories’ and Balubas PR for having me in attendance.

Thanks for stopping by until next time…

Gail. Xx
Photography:© Gail O’Connor.

DUBLIN FASHION: The 2016 #DublinFashion Festival Launch! #GalaxyStyle

Essence of Dublin:

The Event: The Launch of Dublin Fashion Festival

A humid, wet summer’s eve saw the annual launch of Dublin Fashion Festival take place in conjunction with Galaxy Ireland hosting Ireland’s finest fashion industry folk, assembled at the same time in the same place, to celebrate Dublin and it’s shopping and fashion offerings. The venue was packed to the rafters despite the dismal evening and I was delighted to be amongst those invited to celebrate!

The always uber dapper, Darren Kennedy was in attendance as this years ‘face‘ of Dublin Fashion Festival – the first time a male has been selected to represent the festival!

The Location: City Hall, Dublin
The Date: August 17th 2016.

The Outfit: I styled my outfit around this gorgeous cold shoulder kimomo – kindly gifted to me by Boohoo.com. I’m obsessed with it! I channelled my inner Penny Lane – Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous and went for a seventies style look (a huge trend right now), with a modern twist! I absolutely love this outfit choice and I felt stylish and comfortable – so important. 

Hat: Penneys (Primark)

*Kimono: gifted from Boohoo.com

Top & Arm Cuff: New Look

Bag: H&M

Jeans: H&M

Choker: River Island

Watch: Caravelle New York

Shoes: Korkys

Upon arrival guests were greeted at the door with a warm welcome and informed of various hubs within the venue such as the Galaxy Ireland #GalaxyStyle hangout, the Dyson Supersonic area and the West Coast Cooler bar!

The Galaxy Style Hangout Area: a welcome hub to relax in and chat whilst waiting for the event to start and afterwards to reflect on the show with some chocolate and West Coast Cooler. How swish and stylish is this set up? Just look at the seating!

There was just enough time before the show to allow guests to snap some pictures, mingle and catch up over a refreshing offering from West Coast Cooler – I opted to try the rosè (I’m usually an original WCC kinda girl!) with a blackberry and lime zest twist. Delish! I’ll definitely be trying this concoction at home!

Hanging out in the Galaxy Style Hub: Raising a glass to the Dublin Fashion Team, Galaxy Ireland and everyone else involved in the production of the festival – it’s a highlight event in my Fashion calendar year! 

The Show:

Overview: The show opened with an acoustic version of Royals by Lorde – sung busker-style, paying homage to scenes on the streets of Dublin such as Grafton Street. The room was still, only the flash of photographers could be heard, the audience were enthralled and models marched down the runway in unison to the beat of the music. The lyrics punctuated the air like exclamation points and with a roaring applause and change in pace of music, the show had well and truly begun!

Offerings from stores such as the Stephen’s Green Centre, Powerscourt Centre, Brown Thomas, Penneys (Primark), Dunnes Stores, and various other shops and boutiques around Dublin featured with bright jewel toned hues, coupled with gold hues as seen from the likes of Swamp Fashions, as well as winter white (always a fave!), mustard, burgundy and browns littering the runway – tulle, lace, fur and suede also made a striking and prolonged appearance.

Military style influences, sports luxe options as well as formal evening wear also showcased for the women as well as country gentleman chic in the form of various style of suit, for the gents from the likes of Magee and Louis Copeland amongst others in the Menswear section of the show. Lastly, as with every winter wardrobe the colour black was never far away!

A diverse mix of styles sashayed down the run-way from mid-length and long swish coats, high neck tops, pleated midi skirts, silk/lace camisoles, gladiator sandals, culotte style trousers, fur stoles, embellished garments, co-ords, skirts with slits, chokers and platform heeled sandals in a variety of heights featured in a showcase of AW16 styles available in a host of Dublin shops.

{Not the best quality photo but I just had to include it! Galaxy Ireland treated guests to a personalised bar of chocolate – how cool is that?! It’s so hard to track down anything with my name on it! #delira #loveit }

ABOUT: Dublin Fashion Festival takes place in conjunction with Galaxy Ireland #GalaxyStyle this year. It kicked off today and runs from September 5th-11th with a schedule jam-packed with events (most open to the public) including on-street catwalk shows, a fashion photography exhibition, Luas Style Spotters to name just a few!

Head on over to www.dff.ie for all the details on the upcoming festivities!

Tell me: have any of you seen any Dublin Fashion Festival activities on the streets of Dublin in previous years?

I cannot wait for a week of  fashion, fun and frolics! 

Thank you to Clyde Carroll and the Dublin Fashion/Dublin Town Team, Galaxy Ireland, West Coast Cooler Ireland, Sadhbh and team at Elevate PR, and finally Boohoo.com/Burrell PR for kindly gifting me the kimono piece.

Thanks for stopping by guys!

Gail. Xx
Photography: © Gail O’Connor
Twitter: @DublinGail
Instagram: @littlegforce

*Kimono is a gifted PR item.

FASHION TRENDS: Irish Exclusive? The H&M Studio A/W2015 Collection Pre-Launch & Show.

With London Fashion Week came the buzz of S/S16 collections and if you’ve been following me on my social media channels you’ll have seen that I witnessed some London Fashion Week shows in person! Yes folks, I was lucky enough to be invited to numerous shows for London Fashion Week but more of that in an upcoming blog post series and it is not to be missed, so stay tuned!

Autumnal Vibes:

For now: it’s Autumn – so I’m taking you through the latest A/W2015 collection from a favourite store of mine – H&M!

#DublinFashion

At the height of Dublin Fashion Festival we saw things kicked up a notch with a jam packed schedule of fashion shows, previews, makeup tutorials and catwalks strewn across the Dublin cityscape!

The Date: Tuesday September 9th 2015.

The Event:

With Dublin Fashion Festival well and truly under-way, I attended the H&M Studio AW2015 Collection Pre-Launch event in conjunction with Stellar magazine.

The Location:

H&M Flagship store, College Green, Dublin.

The flagship store was packed to the rafters with press, bloggers and various other fashion folk as well as some lucky Stellar magazine readers!

The Hype:

Consistently showing at Paris Fashion Week, the H&M collections are amongst some of the most highly anticipated collection drops of each season.

Guests were treated to the exclusive chance to shop the collection before anyone else, whilst sipping on bubbly and listening to the set list of a live DJ. Illustrator extraordinaire, Conor Merrimen furiously sketched delighted guests who looked on in awe at his skill and talent.
Ireland found itself with the bragging rights and exclusivity of being the first country to have access to the collection, now in-stores! Über cool.

Drop the beat: DJ, model & TV presenter Vogue Williams, banged out the tunes all night!

The Collection:

Much like nature’s paintbrush in Autumn, the H&M Studio A/W2015 Collection is a myriad of colour from lush greens, camel tones and rich burgundy to various shades of rust and cream.

A departure from the usual high street norm, this collection sees classic, staple pieces combine and compliment the edgier, statement pieces – all easily incorporated into your wardrobe for the coming season.

Metallics, embellishments, print, sequins, leather and lurex in the form of bra-lettes, seventies style shirts, lightweight turtle neck sweaters, trousers, co-ordinates, jackets and jumpsuits dot the collection and with co-ordinates/two pieces set to be huge trends this A/W embracing any of the predicted trends is easy with this collection.

The collection in pictures!

Up Close and Personal:

Intermittent fashion shows presented the A/W2015 Collection to us in a spectacular manner with models entering onto the shop floor from the escalators, beautifully spaced all the while showcasing the collection magnificently.

I adore when fashion brands use “live models”, at a launch in a store environment be it a fashion show or simply walking the room to show their offerings. It gives potential consumers the chance to see the movement of the clothes up close and personal, as well as the “off hanger effect“…What’s that you ask?
You know when you see something on a hanger and think “hmm, that’s not for me,” but when you actually see it on someone, you’re compelled to have it and start reaching for your wallet!

That’s what I like to call the “off hanger effect”. Happens the best of us.

Kudos to Jules Fallon. Linda Conway and team for their co-ordination of the models and overall presentation. Thoroughly enjoyable and gave attendees a front and centre experience with the showcase.

Seriously Stylish: styling by Linda Conway.

Menswear: was a more pared down and muted affair, whilst still hitting the mark in the style stakes.

Menswear: Sleek silhouettes came in the form of the classic trench, long-line coats, laid back leather jackets, fitted tees, chino-style trousers and staple shirts.

Work it: yep, there I am in the reflection snapping away – tan bag, tan booties!

Tell me – did anything catch your eye from the collection? What trends are you loving for A/W2015? I’d love to know! As always you can leave a comment below, Tweet me: @DublinGail or Tag me on Instagram: @littlegforce and check out the Blog Facebook page: Glamforce Blog by Gail O’Connor!

Thanks to everyone involved in such a wonderful showcase of fashion for the coming seasons, a truly enjoyable night of catch ups, fashion and fun. What more could we have asked for?!

I hope you enjoyed this fashion post and found it informative, especially if you’re tempted to add some new pieces to your A/W wardrobe!.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gail. Xx
Photography: © Gail O’Connor.
Final Image: H&M.

DUBLIN FASHION SHOWCASE: The Latest in Fashion & Irish Design – Creative Quarter Fashion Show!

Busy Being Fabulous!

The Date: Friday, September 11th 2015.

It was a night for fireside reading, curled up with a blanket and a steaming cup of hot chocolate, whilst listening to the song of the pouring rain…instead I got glammed up, braved the early onslaught of dismal, autumnal Irish weather and headed into town for the Creative Quarter Fashion Show an official Dublin Fashion Festival event. This my friends was truly an event not to be missed!

A fashion spectacular, embracing the unique fashionable offerings from the historic Creative Quarter of Dublin, which encompasses from South William Street to George’s Street and from Lower Stephen’s Street to Exchequer Street!

Having recently discovered an Eagles song entitled Busy Being Fabulous, I thought it a fitting title to describe the goings on this week! From clothing launches and catwalk shows, to Twitter evenings and the best in Irish Design – Dublin Fashion Festival really packed a fashion punch, showcasing Dublin as a cosmopolitan, destination city and fashion entity!

The Location: the creative hub that is Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin.

I met with my friend and fellow blogger Lorna Duffy for a catch up before the event and together we attempted to dodge a heavy downpour whilst manouvering slick, cobblestone streets across to the event.

The vista that greeted us upon entering the venue.

I love this pic of Lorna Duffy and I! (Thanks to Lorna for use of this pic.)

The DFF Creative Quarter Fashion Show was an exuberant affair. An extravaganza. An explosion of colour and print.

The venue was buzzing with a festive atmosphere – a dynamic, vibrant, hip and energetic pace. I like to absorb the creative, bustling energy of events I attend and immerse myself entirely, and this event was particularly electrifying in ambiance!

Beyoncé gets drunk on love, I get tipsy from excitement.

After pictures, I took my seat and excitedly awaited the evenings proceedings to begin.

Creative Quarter stage: I was blessed with an amazing seat at the heart of the action, right behind the amazing force that is Marion Cuddy.

The Show:

Introductions and a warm welcome kicked off the proceedings and came from Richard Guiney of Dublin Town and Clyde Carroll of Dublin Town.

The Face of Dublin Fashion Festival, Pippa O’Connor – Ormond stunned in a dress from Coco Boutique as she welcomed us and spoke about her longing and pride to be the Face of Dublin Fashion Festival.

A show-stopper event, beautifully showcasing an array of fashion from Lya Solis, Mary Grant, Om Diva, Jenny Vander, Coco Boutique and more that can be located throughout Dublin’s Creative Quarter. From elegant silhouttes to classic vintage, and every thing in between there was something to suit everyone’s style sense, and then some!

The Show in Pictures!

Loving this leopard print dress…

…and this one too. Such an exquisite cut to these pieces.

Breakfast at Tiffanys?
Am I right?! I instantly thought “Breakfast at Tiffanys” when I saw this outfit! (Below.)

I love the styling on this look. A standout look for me – with the colour of the headpiece complimenting the shimmering dark colour of the dress perfectly.

This two piece: Divine. Who doesn’t love a good swish, a little flapperer-esque movement to a skirt?!

Bridal:

Menswear:

Parting Shots:

The Finale!

Favourites?

I told you mine, now tell me yours! Did you see anything you like? What pieces were your favourite? I’d love to know!

With Dublin Fashion Festival over for another year huge thanks goes to the team behind the production for their mammoth display of sheer hard work and dedication; all of the team at Dublin Town, Clyde Carroll, Daniel Fortes, Anne-marie Hora, Sadhbh and the Elevate PR team, Jules Fallon, and everyone else involved in this fashion extravaganza that is, Dublin Fashion Festival showcasing Dublin as a city and what it has to offer in the style stakes.

Dublin doesn’t have to prove itself as a Fashion Capitol of the World – if you’re “in the know“, you know it is! (And yes, you can quote me on that!)

I hope you enjoyed my coverage of the #DFF Creative Quarter Fashion Show 2015!

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures and surprises coming up in the next few months guys and I’ll take you along!

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

Gail. Xx

Photography: © Gail O’Connor.

Links You’ll Love:

DFF.ie

Powerscourt Townhouse Centre

The Creative Quarter Dublin

FASHION IN DUBLIN: The Launch of Dublin Fashion Festival 2015! #DublinFashion

The Date:
Wednesday 12th July 2015:

The Location:
City Hall, Dublin.

A host of fashion’s finest gathered on a beautiful, balmy summer’s eve at City Hall to celebrate the Official Launch of Dublin Fashion Festival 2015. From high street to Irish Design, we were treated to a show-stopping array of fashion to feast our eyes upon! Truly an event not to be missed and I was delighted to be in attendance.

The Fashion Festival will run from the 7th-13th September 2015 – a full week this year!

City Hall itself is a fine example of Georgian architecture standing tall in the heart of Dublin, with palatial grandeur and stunning design and artistry, from floor to ceiling. I am an avid admirer of this type of architecture having been brought up from a young age to appreciate the architectural prowess involved in it’s structure and indeed its place in Irish history.

The Event:

Upon arrival I got some quick snaps, before mingling. I opted for a classic outfit choice one which I deem chic enough for such an event, yet I was comfortable in – always wear what you’re confident in ladies! I wore head to toe Dunnes Stores and Penneys.

The Face of the Dublin Fashion Festival was revealed and is none other than the lovely Pippa O’Connor-Ormond!

The entrance hall was bustling upon arrival with an array of faces from the world of fashion.

Moving into the main hall it was a bustling hub of activity with a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement in the air! I mingled and met some lovely people who I’d only “known” on-line. It’s always refreshing to actually meet face to face!

Emma O’Farrell was covering the event for Outfit Connector.

Image courtesy of Emma O’Farrell.

CEO of Dublin Town Richard Guiney was first up to speak with a welcoming speech and introduction to the concept of DFF.

Next up was Clyde Carroll who is the front man for Dublin Fashion Festival. Clyde spoke of the aim of DFF:

We aim to bring people back into the city to shop and socialise again. – Clyde Carroll

Clyde also humbly thanked his team who pulled off such a huge undertaking and all of the sponsors of the festival.

Last but by no means least was The Face of the festival herself, Pippa O’Connor – Ormond. Dressed in a chic jumpsuit and killer heels (all courtesy of Arnotts, Dublin), Pippa spoke about her delight at being The Face of the Festival and how honoured she was to have been selected.

Pippa also reminisced about her childhood memories of shopping the streets of Dublin with her mother and that special feeling of sparkle she always felt, especially at Christmas-time, a memory that may have resonated with a lot of us who grew up shopping in Dublin at Christmas, I know it did with me!
The city for me, always took on a magical, fairytale-esque vibe to it at Christmas…and still does to this day. It is truly special.

The Show:

The fashion show was a dynamic and delightful whirlwind of: 70’s Glam, Boho Chic, feathers, sequins, capes, monochrome, chunky sky-high heels, leather and lace. Autumnal colours of burnt orange, mustard, plum, red and green were sprinkled throughout the collections, with various shades of white taking centre stage amongst some of the collections.

The silhouettes of each outfit blended seamlessly, beautifully showcasing the latest offerings from the high street to Irish Design.

Monochrome dress: Oasis.

Designers carried within such stores as Brown Thomas, BT2, St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Arnotts, Powerscourt Centre, Debenhams, the Ilac and Jervis Shopping Centres, were showcased, along with looks from high street favourites Penneys, River Island, and Dunnes Stores to name just a few!

KYMAÏA: If you’ve read my Emergence Exhibition Launch and Fashion Show post, you’ll have seen a preview of the stunning collection from the Kabira Allain – KYMAÏA label.

KYMAÏA: The Lily Dress and Cala Cape.

KYMAÏA: The Bryony Coat, Iris Top & Lila Black Leather Skirt.

Image courtesy of Emma O’Farrell.

Image courtesy of Emma O’Farrell.

Suit-ably Stylish!

Impeccable men’s suits featured strongly in the show including designers such as Louis Copeland.

This dress from Coast is stunning and is a standout look for me. The neutral colour scheme is sophisticated and the movement of the dress is über feminine, just look at that swish!

Canon who are one of the sponsors of the event, were on hand providing complimentary snaps to guests and being a lover of photography, I’m thrilled with my keepsake!

Upon leaving, guests were gifted with a goodie bag and invited to The Meeting House for drinks.

A big thank you goes to Clyde Carroll, Daniel Fortes, and all of the DFF and Dublin Town teams, Jules Fallon, Elevate PR, and everyone else involved in the production of this stellar event. I can’t wait for Fashion Week!

Check out my Twitter @DublinGail AND for EXCLUSIVE video content from the show: check out my Instagram @littlegforce and the GlamForce Blog by Gail O’Connor Facebook page. If you LIKE what I do, why not give me a follow or a LIKE whilst you’re over there!

I hope you enjoyed this post guys, thanks for stopping by!

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

Gail. Xx

Images © Gail O’Connor.
Thanks to Emma O’Farrell for permission to use a few of her shots.
Dublin Fashion Festival Logo images via Dublin Fashion.
KYMAÏA pics via KYMAÏA FB page courtesy of DFF & Louise Rawlins.
Shout out to my photographer friend and fellow blogger Damien Broderick for our impromptu photo shoot!

Models: 1st Option Models.
Hair & Make-up: Toni & Guy
Food: San Lorenzos.
Drinks: The Meeting House.
Event sponsors: Evoke.ie, Canon, Luas, CityJet, Naked Coconut Water, Toni & Guy, 98FM and Dublin City Council.