Cruising into Summer at Cruise Belfast's Summer Style Party!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013If there is one thing I love it's luxury, high end fashion at it's very best and so it was with great excitement that I heard luxury fashion brand CRUISE had renovated its premises in Victoria Square and would be celebrating their contemporary new interior with a Summer Style party on Thursday 23 May!!
Myself sitting FROW while enjoying all the amazing fashion on display!
Of course this fashionista made sure to save the date and proceeded to rummage through her wardrobe to find THE perfect outfit for such a glamorous event! RSVP made and outfit chosen I waited with anticipation for the event to arrive thinking all would go smoothly, however............
In the early hours of Thursday morning (around 3am to be exact) and all my best laid plans went to pot as I got hit hard with a bout of stomach flu!!! However as Lara remarked to me at the Cruise event that evening when it comes to fashion, this wee fashionista is "hardcore" and I refused to let my stomach flu keep me away from such a fabulous party!
While I must confess I probably was in no fit state to be there I was however extremely happy I was able to make it as it truly was such a fun night and the fashion on display was second to none!
In N. Ireland Cruise is the first port of call for anyone who loves designer apparel as they carry an impressive roll call of internationally acclaimed designers with both a Premium and Mainline offering for its customers. The Premium collections carry designers including, Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Dior Homme, Amanda Wakeley, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood and Lanvin. With the Mainline offering brands such as Barbour, Stone Island, Armani Jeans, Ralph Lauren Polo, Paul Smith, Forever Unique, Adidas Y-3 and Nudie!
Upon arrival we were greated by refreshing Smirnoff Mojito cocktail's from drinks sponsor Diageo and tasty canapés from Wagamama, (Damn you stomach flu!) giving me a chance to mingle with all my friends before the show began! A cool and chic atmosphere was set by local singer Jason Clarke during the drinks reception with DJ Jay Kay setting the upbeat tempo for the fashion runway!
As for the fashion, well all I can say is this fashionista now has a wish list as long as my arm! Casual but chic separates mingled with red carpet gowns, along with beach and holiday wear with exquisitely cut dresses and jackets graced the über chic runway.
Stand out looks as always came in the form of Victoria Beckham's designs. Her designs have a wonderful paired down simplicity letting the luxurious fabrics and exquisite cut's create the ensemble's impact and that "wow" factor! Cruise Store manager, Judi Graham looked fantastic in a VB cobalt blue dress & I fell hard for the double crepe A line sunset skater dress!
A big favourite of mine is the bandage body con style dresses and I was introduced to a new label for Cruise on the night in the form of Noir La Rue! The pink bandage dress certainly hit all the right notes and at only £120 is an absolute steal!!
I've been a fan of Roland Mouret ever since he designed his iconic "Galaxy" dress and he lived up to his design reputation with a beautifully tailored blue blazer and pencil skirt in this season's must have colour, cobalt blue! With it's draped neckline and slim body hugging cut it's just the kind of outfit which my fashion dreams are made of!
Vivienne Westwood's designs made a welcome appearance in the form of a feminine draped print dress, while the ultimate LBD from Alexander McQueen had just the right mix of bling and understated chic! Girly dresses from Forever Unique embraced summer and made me long for the good weather, while jaw dropping red carpet dresses from Temperley London and DVF created a show stopping finale to the show!
Store manager Judi Graham said: “We are delighted with the new floor space, which has provided a clear focus on menswear and ladieswearbrands. The menswear department houses an impressive new footwear area which leads into men’s Mainline collections with the best urban sportswear portfolio, and then through into the men’s Premium collections which include the biggest and best international designers in the world of men’s fashion and style.
The exciting ladies footwear, accessories and handbags department now occupies a larger floor area. The women’s Premium collections display a fabulous designer brand portfolio in a relaxed, luxurious environment which then leads through to beautiful Mainline pieces towards the back of the store.”
As we were leaving we were all given a deluxe goody bag containing a full size cream shave and money off voucher from Jason Shankey and Shu Uemura sets from hair sponsor Andrew Mulvenna!
For anyone who hasn't checked out the new store layout I'd urge you to take a look, with a myriad of designers at a wide range of price points, you will be hard pushed not to find something you will love!
Thanks to Stephen Potter for providing all the photographs for this blog post and massive thanks to Hollie Hanlan & CMPR for the invite and for providing all relevent press releases.
