The Real Elle Woods! TEST VERSION: Harrison

Directory 15 Needs You! Celebrating Our Local Style Hero's!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

When we flick through the glossy magazines we're presented with a myriad of "style icons", in fact one of my guilty pleasures is checking out the latest looks worn by my favourite celebrities, models and fashion bloggers from around the world!

But the truth is you don't need to wear the latest trends or top designer brands to have great style! In fact great style is within you, it's dressing in a way that brings out the very best in you and expresses who you are! Style isn't born from the season's top fashion trends, but rather it's all about finding and embracing your own individual look!

Directory 15 was born from this very ethos, and is a series of fashion events taking place between 24th-26th September which aim to showcase style over trends, teaching women of all ages to embrace their own individual style!

Over three nights Directory 15 will be bringing together industry experts from the world of hair, make up and fashion in a series of interactive workshops and shows celebrating personal style and giving us ladies the chance to get top insider tips from those in the know!

Fashion isn't just for the young, or for the rich, and Directory 15 aims to show us ladies that no matter what your style dilemmas are, there are solutions out there for you! An all inclusive fashion showcase, celebrating and embracing individual style!

The highlight of the Directory 15 schedule will be their "Local Style Hero's" finale show, taking place on the 26th September in the über stylish surroundings of Riddel Hall. It's aim: to showcase the very best of local style, and guess what??? It could be your mum, sister or best friend who is strutting their stuff on the Directory 15 catwalk!

Directory 15 are looking to you, the general public to nominate your local style heros!! Is there someone you know who always looks amazing? Who embraces fashion and expresses their personality through their personal style? Or someone who has a limited budget but still manages to look like they've spent a fortune on their look? A friend or family member who has a look/style totally unique to them? These are the people that Directory 15 are looking for as they celebrate the very best in local style!

Each style hero who is picked and whomever nominated will then be invited as Directory 15's guests to this years Directory 15 finale at Riddel Hall on Friday 26th Sept - where four overall style hero winners will be chosen! Plus each winner and whoever nominated them will win an amazing £250 worth of prizes each from Alfaparf Milano, Stafford Hair plus other pampering goodies!!! What's not to love!!!

So please take a moment to nominate your own local style hero, and join in Directory 15's celebration of all that is great about individual style! Nominations must be submitted by 5pm on Friday 19th September, a nomination/entry form can be downloaded HERE and should be emailed to directorybelfast@sky.com!

So please get nominating and I hope to see you all at the Directory 15 events! To learn more about the full Directory 15 event schedule and to buy tickets, click HERE, or follow Directory 15 on Facebook for all the latest news!

Day 1 NI Designers & Independent Boutiques at Belfast FASHIONWEEK SS14!!

Monday, March 31, 2014

Day One of West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK began with the launch of Goddess & Swift's new studio (you can read all about it HERE!) then it was time to travel across to the iconic Ulster Museum for the first of FASHIONWEEK's main catwalk shows, the NI Designers and Independent Boutiques!

This is one of my favourite shows as it not only celebrates the creativity and design talent of our local designers, it also features some of my favourite independent boutiques such as CRUISE and Blush! Upon arriving I picked up my glass of West Coast Cooler and caught up with my fellow fashion bloggers and friends then before I knew it, it was time for the models to take to the catwalk!

The show began with a new face on the FASHIONWEEK catwalk, a guest design house from Italy called Fashion Gossip, think chic, minimal, Italian style! A cool collection, my favourite look was a bold Italian silk scarf style print made into a cool and funky top!

Fashion Gossip.

Then it was onto one of my favourite stores CRUISE!! I especially fell in love with a red body con dress from Amanda Wakely, and a major show stopping pink and orange Vivienne Westwood Anglomania XXX print dress! There were also some strong pieces from the Forever Unique label stocked by CRUISE which included an über chic and edgy crop top and sleek pencil skirt, and a relaxed St Tropez style chiffon coral tunic!

CRUISE: Vivienne Westwood.

CRUISE: Forever Unique.

Hues of coral and peach were a major trend on the catwalk, with Diamond Dolls showing a super cute "Cleopatra" peach skater style dress with gold and peach beaded detailing on the neckline. While boutique Harrison showcased a stylish daytime look in the form of a peach top and patterned shorts which were brought together by an oversized Aztec print peach scarf! Local Designer Gorgon Donaldson's stunning "firefly" print cowl tunic was a prefect blend of sorbet hues from coral and peach through to greys and mints creating a very chic and edgy print top!

Diamond Dolls.

Harrison.

Gordon Donaldson.

Nudes were also strong on the catwalk, with Blush showing a simply stunning body con bandage dress with gold swirl detailing, which is now at the top of my wishlist! I also loved the über cool feel of their wet look biker pants, (seriously hot!!!) paired with an über chic Tivoli print top, the perfect sophisticated look for daytime!

Blush.

As for evening looks from Blush, we again saw neutral tones in the form of this drop dead gorgeous, red carpet dress that fully embraced the trend for embellishment, and totally caught the heart of this fashion blogger!

Blush.

I've also been loving colbalt blue, (choosing to wear the colour myself that night) and I loved the elegant simplicity and fluidity of this racer back, full length, colbalt blue evening gown!

Blush.

Jourdan also showcased a collection of glamorous emsembles, and once again I found myself falling hard for this full length gold sequinned gown, finished off to perfection with a very glam marabou jacket!

Jourdan.

It's not Spring Summer without an injection of colour, and once again designer Nor Lisa delivered colour in high impact flowing dresses, and exciting floral prints, from striking colbalt blue to shimmering sliver! Jowever my personal favourite was this monochrome striped structured mini skirt, which elegantly kicked out from the hips to create a cute and sassy silhouette!

Nor Lisa.

Goddess & Swift was awash with colour, from peachy pinks to cool aqua's, the collection comprising of hand printed silks, linen and chiffon, as well as THE perfect summer coat in the form of a herringbone peachy pink coat that perfectly draped against the body! But my personal favourite was this striking lilac hued dress, total perfection!

Goddess & Swift.

Juila Šokele made her FASHIONWEEK debut and wowed the audience with her striking oversized shoulders, creating strong silhouettes for the modern woman! Her prints perfectly complimented the structure of her garments and I especially loved her silk jumpsuit, talk about effortless glam at it's very best! Love it!

Juila Šokele.

Accessories wise we saw the welcome return of Gráinne Maher to the FASHIONWEEK catwalk, whose millinery and striking perspex headpieces and jewellery always turn heads on the catwalk, and are the highlight of the show! Once again she mixed fashion forward, edgy perspex with traditional millinery to once again create a fabulous collection!

Gráinne Maher.

Designer Rachel MCK returned from the Autumn Winter catwalk to once again show her fantastic designs! Her designs are like wearable works of conceptual art and I loved the structure of her statement pieces such as her ruffle neck piece as well as her new range of resin ball and thread necklaces! Also massive congrats to Rachel for winning the IN! Magazine Breakthrough Designer Award just a few days after this show!

Rachel MCK.

All in all it was an amazing beginning to FASHIONWEEK, and wonderful to see the talent and diversity amongst our Northern Irish designers and independent boutiques!

As for what I chose to wear.......well it could be only one label.......Karen Millen of course!!

For anyone who missed the show then check out this fab video by Norm Keilty showing some of the best looks from the night!

Designer & Boutiques - West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK SS `14 from Norm Keilty on Vimeo.

Massive thanks to Lisa Bell and to CMPR for making me so welcome at FASHIONWEEK & for providing me with all relevant press releases and imagery. Photographs by Brendan Gallagher and thank you to Norm Keilty for the use of his video

West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK: Designer Boutiques!!

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Last week saw Fashionista's across Northern Ireland descend upon the Europa FASHIONWEEK Centre for West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK, now in it's 14th season to enjoy a week long series of Fashion shows & Fashion Events!!

FASHIONWEEK is an event I NEVER miss, and i'll always try to attend as many of the shows as possible, it's a very rare occurrence when I'm not there sitting FROW!!

Audiences are treated to a refreshing glass of West Coast Cooler while FASHIONWEEK showcases the very latest trends for the current season, which means that most of what you see on the night is available to purchase the very next day!! (Too much of a temptation for the likes of me!!!)

While I do love watching all the major shows online, truthfully nothing matches the atmosphere of actually being at a catwalk show........The lights dim & the LCD screen's at either side of the catwalk come alive with FASHIONWEEK's Behind the Scenes Promo video.....music fills our ears.....the perfect prelude to the main show. As anticipation grows, the lights come up.....the music is pumping and the first model appears!!

Tonight it was all about Northern Ireland's top Designer Boutiques!

What I love about this show that each boutique has its own distinctive style. If you want something that will make a style statement these are the places to shop, as you'll find styles and labels which are not readily available on the high street!

The show began with a bang as we were treated with looks from The Snooty Fox. Since I was a little girl i've lusted after Karl Lagerfeld's designs at Chanel and I was so happy when a few yrs back he released his own more affordable clothing line: Karl by Karl Lagerfeld!!! Turns out this line is now available exclusively in N.I. from the Snooty Fox! Seriously I nearly jumped out of my seat with joy as I saw his designs strutting down the catwalk!!

Karl's own personal style was mirrored in the designs, skinny jeans, white shirts & studded collars showing just how chic & sexy the androgynous look can be!!! Stand out looks for me were Karl's metallic jumper & matching snood, as well as a stunning sequin dress given a funky edge with a black stud collar and finally a luxurious shearling collar jacket. These are the clothes i'd love to wear everyday!!!

But the showstopper look from The Snooty Fox came in the shape of a Forever Unique lace ball gown!!! This dress would rock any red carpet event; in fact it would have been perfect for the World Premiere of Bond's latest film Skyfall!!! I still don't know what happened to my invite to that particular event.......*cough* (oh well a girl can dream!!)

Next out was Harrison Fashion. Layering with funky ponchos and tribal aztec style cardigans were the looks of choice, with many of these looks perfect for the school run or relaxed weekends. However you know me, it's all about glam looks and I particularly loved a colourblocked sequin dress they stock from French Connection and an amazing Forever Unique Pink Dress & Pink Fur Gilet!! Funky, brightly coloured fur was all over the AW '12 catwalks of Fendi and Blumarine & this gilet perfectly captures the look!!! Definitely on my wish list!!

Next up was Natoria & Diamond Dolls. With Natoria key was knits and fur, cashmere & fur were THE fabrics of choice, and they showcased dressed down looks that would fit perfectly into most woman's wardrobes. Diamond Dolls however was full of contrasts! We were treated to uber girly tutu style dresses with tight corseted tops, embellishments and feathers, cute, sassy and sexy!!! I could just picture myself in them as this style in particular is perfect for my tiny frame!

This was then contrasted by the most amazing customized dresses jackets & coats I've seen in a long time!! A strapless dress was covered with graffiti, giving it a rock chick feel whilst a simple leather jacket was given a funky edge when the model turned her back to reveal Batman painted on the back!!

However my favourite had to be a white leather, hand painted coat which on closer inspection had Woody Allen on it!!

Of course FASHIONWEEK wouldn't be the same without the inclusion of Grainne Maher and Una Rodden. After the massive success of Grainne's Pluck and Devour range over the last yr she has now introduced a new range, P&DELUXE! These creations truly are show stoppers, with my personal favourite being her clear perspex collar and perspex headpiece that had a ragged, almost torn finish to it!! The new collection has a futuristic feel whilst still retaining a femenine touch! I want them all!! Grainne continues to explore and push the boundaries with P&DELUXE, these are the type of accessories which really can take a simple LBD to a whole other level!!

Next up we have a firm favourite amongst N.I. Fashionista's, Una Rodden. Una's signature style of decadent fabrics and unusual draping were out in force, sure to please her legion of fans!! This collection is extremely wearable, not only has she created looks which work perfectly at Weddings/Black Tie Events/etc. But there were also dresses such as a plaid tailored polo dress and a fabulous pearl boat top paired with a high waisted skirt that would be perfect for a day out with the girls, or cocktails in the evening!! If you are someone who likes their style to make a statement in the workplace I could even see some of the pieces working well in that enviroment too and with prices starting from a modest £79 for a beautiful applique jumper, there's no excuse not to visit Una down in Upper Arthur St Belfast to buy one of her fab designs!!

Last but by no means least was Jourdan & Blush. Both of these boutiques are all about glam and this season was no exception: snakeskin, sequins, hats & the cutest leather driving gloves were all showcased by Jourdan. This is a boutique which love their old school glamour, think Sofia Loren, or the "Beautiful People" who inhabit St Tropez or Monaco and you will have a good idea of what you will find behind the doors of Jourdan!! I'm a firm fan of exposed zip detailing and I just loved their stunning navy sleevless dress with an exposed zip used as a ruffle around the neckline, gorgeous!!

If this self confessed single gal was ever to get married then Blush would be my first port of call!! Showing an eclectic mix of wedding gowns from Cara Couture, David Fielden, Ian Stuart & Jenny Packham the models looked every bit the blushing brides as they gracefully walked the catwalk!

But as anyone who has been to Blush will know, they're not just about wedding gowns, in fact their Lisburn Rd boutique is an Aladdin's Cave of stunning dresses & I can honestly say I fell hard for their sparkling electric blue sequin dress.....short at the front developing into a full length skirt at the back, this dress seriously had everything going for it!!!

I'm sure I speak for everyone in attendance when I say there was something which would have suited most women. Trends such as leather and fur, opulent fabrics and luxurious layering were all present, but in very wearable designs!

I very much doubt that I was the only one with a very long wish list that evening........!!!

Top Photograph courtesy of CMPR/Belfast FASHIONWEEK Photograph taken by Khara Pringle.

All other photographs kindly provided by Stephen Potter.

Video kindly provided by Norm Keilty.

Directory 15 Needs You! Celebrating Our Local Style Hero's!

Day 1 NI Designers & Independent Boutiques at Belfast FASHIONWEEK SS14!!

West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK: Designer Boutiques!!

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