Christmas Jumpers

It's that time of year again which means that the silly Christmas jumpers are back, yay!

As they are becoming increasingly more popular every year, especially for office parties or 12 pubs, I have decided to round up my favourites from the high street to get you into the spirit of things.

£40 Topshop

£42 M&S

£24.99 H&M

£14.99 H&M

£46 Topshop

£38 Urban Outfitters

If Christmas jumpers are not for you and you are looking for an alternative, check out The Christmas Shirt Company for a great range of shirts perfect for the festive season. With free worldwide shipping, how could you say no.

Love,
V x

Meeting Alexa Chung

On Friday I got the chance to meet one of my biggest style inspirations- Alexa Chung. Brown Thomas held a meet and greet in their Dublin store to celebrate the launch of the new Nails Inc collection by Alexa. Fans of the style queen were able to receive one of the one hundred wristbands to the event by simply purchasing a Nails Inc product in store.

I felt like such a crazy little fan girl and that's totally not me (note the sarcasm). But ever since I first came across Alexa Chung I have been mesmerized by her ability to mix preppy with grunge and thrift shop with designer labels, she does everything perfectly in my book when it comes to clothes.

There were so many well-dressed people at the event, it was exciting for Dublin to embrace it's fashionable side for a couple of hours. Everyone waited in line to meet her and take a picture with her. I was shocked at how down to earth and funny Alexa was in person. I knew that's how she was from watching interviews and seeing her on TV, but you never know how people will truly act in real life. She didn't act like a diva, like many people in the queue had expected her to, and came out at exactly 4pm. Alexa rocked a beautiful Simone Rocha Spring/Summer 15 dress and proved to everyone there exactly why she is a style icon. She had photographs taken by the press before starting the meet and greet. She was great. She chatted with everyone and even took selfies. I still can't believe how humble and wonderful she is.

Alexa's collection with Nails Inc is a beautifully put-together edit of interesting and wearable polishes and are now available to purchase. Each polish is €18/£15 and although they are little expensive, I would highly recommend them.

Love,
V x

The Blanket Cape

Envious of celebs such as SJP, Olivia Palermo and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley rocking the blanket cape but can't afford the fabulous Burberry version? Fear not, as blanket capes are officially having a major fashion moment this season and the high street is full of gorgeous copies.

If you want to channel some Burberry inspired style, I suggest going for tartan or plaid versions in an autumnal palette. But if tartan isn't for you, the high street also offers some amazing block colour versions.

An oversize, wooly cape-like thing doubling as outwear? Sign me up.

Here are some of my top picks..

€35.72 Asos

 

€149 Zara

€24.99 New Look

€24.99 New Look

€33 Topshop

Dublin Fashion Festival 2014

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer for the Dublin Fashion Festival 2014. I got to work backstage as a model dresser for on street shows on Henry Street and also for the Young Designer of the Year 2014 fashion show and the Creative Quarter fashion show. I got to work alongside the wonderful Jules Fallon and the models from 1st Option Management.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is organized by Dublin Town and this year it ran from the 4th-7th of September. All around Dublin City there were different events on including on street fashion shows, style workshops and a stylathon competition.

Working backstage at the fashion shows was a crazy experience. It was fast paced and hectic but also so much fun. A lot of work and effort goes into getting everything prepared and organized for the shows and it was great to see how everything happens.

Show times were mental and went by so quick. Working as a dresser you need to be fast, alert and prepared. The models come on and off the catwalk so quick you need to be ready for the next outfit. You need to make sure that the model you are dressing leaves in the exact outfit with zips up, tags tucked away and with all their accessories. The clothing on show ranged from high street to designer which had to be handled with care. You get a huge adrenaline rush from working backstage at fashion shows but once they finish you can relax and know everything went perfectly.

Working at DFF I got to meet and work with a lovely group of people each with a different personality who made the day lively and exciting. I have so much admiration for the people working behind the scenes as they are so dedicated and put so much effort into everything they do. This weekend really showed me what it is like to work in the fashion industry and has confirmed for me that this is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. Volunteering for DFF was the greatest experience I have had so far and I am so glad I got to be apart of it. I received a lot of great advice from Maria Kelly about getting into the fashion industry which I will remember for the rest of my life and will use to help me in my career.

I would encourage anyone who is looking to get into fashion to try volunteering for any events like this in your area as you will get an insight into what the industry is all about.

Love,
V x