Fashion News: Boutique In Dublin – ‘Bow & Pearl’ Relocation & SS17 Collection!

The Bow & Pearl Boutique ‘Swan’ song as it Relocates:

Last week saw me starting out particularly early in the morning, awakening to slivers of light pouring in through my curtains – donning some summery neon and print, I made my way to one of my favourite villages just outside of Dublin City, all in the name of fashion!

The Event: Media Breakfast with fashion boutique Bow and Pearl.

The NEW Location: Bow & Pearl Boutique, Swan Centre, Rathmines, Co.Dublin.

The Date: 14th June 2017.

The event was an invitation to peruse the newly re–located store to the revamped Swan Centre in Rathmines. Attendees also got to peruse the S/S17 collection and nibble on delicious breakfast pastries from the Natural Bakery Company and iced sweet peach tea, (which gave me all the ‘southern belle’ vibes, each time I accepted said tea, I resisted the urge to say “why thank you darlin” in mock southern drawl!) a welcome delight on an unusually hot summer’s morning in Ireland!

*Content is not sponsored.

New Lease of Life:

The new store opened 2 weeks ago to roaring success on opening weekend and is sure to surge ahead building upon the stores relationship with its loyal customer base. The new store is a short walk/drive from the previous location giving new and existing customers something to be excited about.

Packed to the brim with high end yet affordable designer goodies, Owner of Bow & Pearl Bronagh O’Sullivan, felt it was time the store evolved saying:

We’ve loved our time in Ranelagh, but the opportunity in Rathmines felt like the perfect evolution for the brand.

Bronagh worked with Creative Director and Retail Expert Lara Curry on the aesthetic of the store to deliver on the ‘shopping experience‘ for the customer, resulting in a slice of retail heaven.

The interiors of the new store are exceedingly beautiful and welcoming with a clean, fresh, modern feel and look. The overall aesthetic is eye-wateringly pleasing, without doubt, you will love the new space after all it has been designed with the customer shopping experience in mind!

I feel comfortable browsing the store, it’s open plan feel is spacious, bright and airy allowing one to peruse with ease.

The store encapsulates various summer styles from coastal leisure, resort–style wear (my fave) much like that worn in The Hamptons or on board a towering schooner, to separates and accessories that will elevate the average summer outfit for work and play.

TOP PICKS for Summer:

I’ve selected some pieces that made my wishlist, and are therefore my top picks for summer from the Bow and Pearl SS17 collection. These pieces will be perfect for my upcoming trip to Abu Dhabi & Dubai later in the year. Eeek!

Accessories:

From an EPIC wall of crisp white trainers and the bluest jeans to the various accessories and shades to style them with, this store has an abundance of character and accessories to match.

Location! Location! Location!

With the Luas a 10 minute walk (max) from The Swan Centre in Rathmines, to the Ranelagh stop and bus services aplenty into town (Dublin) – this new location is a winner.

 Check out the Bow and Pearl website for directions and to peruse the SS17 collection.

Area Foodie Tip: Coffee lovers take note – combine your shopping experience in Rathmines (taking in Bow and Pearl of course), get your coffee fix in Two Fifty Square Coffee serving up some of the best coffee around in Williams Park, Rathmines. Their blends are simply delicious, definitely worth the trip. Thanks to Stylist extraordinaire Irene O‘Brien for introducing me to this place on our impromtu coffee date!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gail. x

Photography: First two pictures: press shots provided by Yellow Machine PR.

All other photography: Gail O‘Connor.

*Not sponsored.

Liberty & Light with Alex & Ani – LIBERTY COPPER Collection. #CarryLight

New York State of Mind:

Renowned jewellery brand Alex and Ani launched their newest collection ‘Liberty Copper‘ last week and I was delighted to be invited to attend the launch of such an innately special collection.

The Location: The Kilkenny Shop, Nassau St. Dublin.
The Date: Thursday October 20th 2016.

If you love New York as much as I do then this collection is for you!

Featuring original copper from the centenial restoration project of the Statue of Liberty, Alex and Ani bought the copper to preserve and use in this extremely limited edition jewellery collection – essentially allowing consumers to acquire their very own piece of historic Lady Liberty…Genius. Within this collection is the Sterling Silver Collection and 14K Gold collection.

All pieces come complete with a certificate of authenticity also!

{Artist Dara Kenny: live drawing the NYC skyline in a graffiti mural style.}

The LIBERTY COPPER Collection:

Charged with the HOPE of millions…

The Statue of Liberty inspires all to believe in limitless opportunities.
The light of Lady Liberty is represented in the copper flame located in the disc of the collection. By wearing a piece form this collection it is hoped that by bearing her light we too can carry the light, ignite the light in others and create a light indivisible. #CarryLight

Prices are reasonable for such a special and historic collection starting at:
Carry Light Spoon ring and Carry Light Kindred Cord Bracelet both €49.00.

You can shop the collection below.

{Creating my tote bag courtesy of Damn Fine Print.}

The launch was buzzing with quintessential New York vibes from live mural drawing from Dara Kenny to the brilliant Bugle Babes belting out a jazz compilation.

Guests were invited to create their own tote bag courtesy of Damn Fine Print – featuring the New York skyline and Lady Liberty.

I adore the extra attention to detail these special touches bring, they add finesse to an event and allow guests to take home mementos continuing the experience at home.

The evening was festive with guests agreeing it felt like a kick start to dare I say it…Christmas!

This is an extremely limited collection – availability from The Kilkenny Shop and Arnotts Dublin. Best get your skates on if you intend to own a piece of the collection!
If you do pick up a piece let me know! Twitter: DublinGail – Instagram: @littlegforce – Snapchat: DublinGail

Social Pics: from IMAGE Magazine.

Thank you Alex and Ani and Hunter Communications for the invitation to such a special occasion.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time…

Peace – Love – Unity.

Gail. x

Photography: © Gail O’Connor.

Social Pics: © IMAGE Magazine.

*Not sponsored .

FASHION NEWS: M&S skips Catwalk to Launch AW16 Clothing Collection!

High Street, High Stakes:

The Driving Force of a Forward Thinking approach to the Fashion World?

Fashion is entering a major transitional phase right now and following the lead from couture Fashion Houses including Tom Ford and Burberry, British high street chain Marks and Spencer have shaken off tradition in favour of current market trend: meeting the demands of consumer instant gratification. That said today saw the release of the M&S AW16 Collection – a full six months ahead of its usual release date.

What is behind this current trend to break with traditional seasonality of collections?

The reasoning behind such a move by a high street store is in tandem with the reasons and vision behind the aforementioned couture Fashion Houses who during February’s London Fashion Week, expressed their concerns and analytical decisions towards their business models. In short, it is a move to meet the instant gratification and satisfaction demanded by the consumer market.

I have previously covered this shift in how designers are shirking the conventional approach to catwalk shows and presentations in my Fashion Alert: Designers to Take Less Conventional Approach to Fashion Week Presentations? post recently – how the  digital and social media age, coupled with the rise in Influencer Marketing is dictating consumer demands and shifts, in how and when consumers want to purchase goods. Designers are now allocating budgets to Digital, as it is an area that is that is going to impact on business.

{The Big Easy Collection: an AW16 exclusive from British retail giant Marks and Spencer.}

Skipping Ahead: Shopping NEXT Season Now!

Defining seasonality in countries such as Ireland or the UK is often difficult, with weather patterns, particularly heat, differing drastically from other countries especially in the summer months – the beauty in the design of this twenty piece collection entitled the ‘Big Easy’ is that it incorporates, an array of hand-picked, exclusive pieces in neutral hues and soft prints, sleek silhouettes and minimal aesthetic that will fit right into your summer capsule wardrobe. These ideal pieces are perfect for those temperamental summer days and accompany key pieces and style staples for when it comes to the seasonal autumnal weather that the collection was designed to cater to.

*Look out for stand-out pieces such as: leather culottes, tunic style shirts and dresses, and fashionista fave the flat strappy, pointed toe shoe.

{White out: Another look from the Marks and Spencer AW16 exclusive from Marks and Spencer.}

You can shop the ‘Big Easy‘ collection now in- store or online – this instantaneous shoppable option from the fashion industry, looks set to become the next trending theme in Fashion commerce so best get used to it folks!

Thoughts?

What are your thoughts on this bold move by Marks and Spencer? As a retail/clothing consumer, are you excited to be able to shop a season ahead or do you prefer things the way they were – shoppable in season? I’d love to hear what you guys think!

Me?  From a consumer stand-point, I think if trans-seasonal collections like this one from M&S are released, where pieces can be easily incorporated into the current seasonal wardrobe, offering even more functionality then I say bring it on, because you know I’m getting the wear out of my key pieces!

From a business stand-point this shake up in the fashion world means major change for manufacturing and supply chains to traditional buyers and for retailers, actually facilitating purchases.

I hope you enjoyed this “Fashion News” style post and thanks for stopping by!

Gail. Xx
Images: © Marks and Spencer.

Source: Marks and Spencer and Daily Mail 
*Not sponsored.

FASHION ALERT: Designers To Take a Less Conventional Approach to Fashion Week Presentations?!

Is this the end of the line for the traditional runway show?
Are design houses now favouring a less conventional runway model over the traditional 6 month window between collections?

With big changes coming to fashion these questions linger on the lips of many of us fashion lovers looking at the bigger picture.

Fashion on a Budget? LIDL Ireland Press Preview Autumn/Winter Collection 2015!

The Date: September 3rd 2015.

It’s September. It’s officially Autumn and with the weather conforming to said seasonal pull, I embraced the autumnal chill, layered up and headed to the Press Day for Lidl Ireland’s NEW AW Collection yesterday.

The Location:

The ultra trendy Dean Hotel Dublin.

The Collection:

With Lidl Ireland’s first ever fashion collection being a sell out success earlier this year, fashion lovers everywhere waited with baited breath for the inevitable launch of another critically acclaimed collection from the company for the upcoming A/W season. And boy did they deliver!

What to expect?

Autumn/Winter fashion always gets the fashionista in me über excited for the coming season, because let’s face it, new boots, coats, gloves, scarves and cosy knits – living in Ireland it’s these seasonal pieces we get the most wear out of!

I adore layering pieces and key, classic, separates that never go out of style. Items that can be recycled plenty of times, always remaining event appropriate and easily transitioned from a day to night ensemblé.

Luckily Lidl Ireland’s new AW2015 Esmara Collection has plenty of wearable and affordable AW trends to choose from…and lust over!

The First Range from the Collection: ‘See You In Berlin‘ encompasses hues such as burgundy, olive green, rust and khaki with print such as Aztec, leopard and hounds-tooth featuring heavily. The collection features budget friendly pieces that pack a style punch! What more could one want?

Some of my TOP picks that I’ve got my eye on!

Faux leather, bomber and waterfall jackets, parkas, 70’s inspired pieces such as Kimonos, romantic Victoriana style blouses, denim and leather look jeggings, cosy jumper dresses, Chelsea boots…there’s something for everyone’s style taste.

Accessories:

From boots to bags and scarves, Lidl has some amazingly affordable and fashionable pieces you could easily update your winter wardrobe with!

Plaid Scarves: One in every colour please!

Something for the kids: Adorable clothing for the little ones in your life!

The gorgeous, candlelit surroundings of the Blue Room in the Dean Hotel, Dublin.

Quick outfit snap by the photographer!

Cheers to the new A/W Esmara Collection!

Tell me guys, has anything in the collection taken your fancy? If so leave a comment below, Tweet me: @DublinGail or tag me on Instagram: @littlegforce I love hearing from you!

The Esmara Collection is rolling out from now until December so keep an eye out in-store for your favourite pieces!

A big thank you to the Lidl Ireland Team for the invitation and to Corina Gaffey for talking us through the collection.

As always thanks for stopping by and reading my content everyone!

Gail. Xx

Photography: © Gail O’Connor.