IT'S VINTAGE , DARLING !

Gladys me and a wonderful 1920's eventaille

Girls , have you ever looked into your overflowing wardrobe and wailed " I've got nothing to wear ?
Does the thought of seeing someone in the same dress at the same party bring you out in a cold sweat ? Do you long to wear gorgeous labels such as Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel however the budget always seems to lack ...... Would your life be more than perfect if you only had more accessories ???
If so you absolutely have to visit some of our fabulous vintage stores and fairs all over the country . Last sunday I paid a visit to the Vintage fair in the Royal Marine Hotel . The sheer glamour and fun was enough to set my fashion pulse racing ....... then I began to prowl through the stands overflowing with glamourous covetable things !      
I found true love in the form of a turtle fan complete with black feathers..... fans being my latest fashion trademark when I'm working the party scene . Honestly , I thought I had died and landed in heaven when I stumbled upon Gladys . I felt a strong style bond with this fabulous lady . Alluring lacey dresses , fluffy eventails , headpieces decorated with diamonds and shiny stones ....... I have found another soulmate complete with vintage savoir faire and style substance !

Gorgeous Gladys model .. Note the tiny waist !

 I met the wonderful Frank from Bouchon in Malahide . I 'm always delighted when I meet this gent because like me he has a love for the finer things in life . In his store you will find the most beautiful of trinkets .... Pearl necklaces with diamond frogs , unusual pieces sourced from all  over the world . A store that is reminiscent of the stores in Rue St Honore , Paris . He has exquisite taste and we could talk forever however we had a lot work to do ... we needed to get some more dresses for his lovely girls .

Incredible mink coat with fox collar .....I 'm dreaming about it !

I often think anyone can take a stroll down the high street , spend some money , and be fairly fashionable ..... but why not try for something more of substance, an outfit that suggests hidden depths , imagination and allure ? Thinking along these lines I popped into the Jill and Chris at Butterfly Girl Vintage and oh my gawd ! Apart from being the sweetest of human beings , they have some very flirty dresses , some gorgeous jewels including a Vivienne Westwood Swatch and  some really nice price tags  . I picked out a beautiful chocolate brown persian lamb cape trimmed with fox at a tiny tiny price . I spotted an Yves Saint Laurent  jacket and a young girl trying a suede jacket with maching shorts that had once belonged to a very affluent lady from Chelsea ...... Jill honey , I'm looking forward to meeting you in London very soon . X

The better clothing of the past has construction to die for so can you imagine my excited state when I saw Claire , and from under the table she produced a Thierry Mugler dress for me  .... oulala , my ultimate hero , he who produced dresses that combined Hollywood retro and futurism , with rounded hips, sharpely accentuated shoulders and a hint of galactial heroine ! Je t'aime Thierry ! Bisous ....
So darlings , if like me , you will not settle for anything less than fabulous , next time you are in the mood for some retail therapy , wiggle along to some of the great vintage stores I adore such as
Dirty fabulous , Jenny Vander and Green With Envy . I'll keep you posted ....................

A massive merci to Donald , my photogragher and chaffeur for the day , and best friend forever ! XXX





Connoisseur's Tip : A garment's true value lies not in its label, but in its workmanship .

Faye Dinsmore's Irish Fashion Awards

Last week , the Mansion House was transformed into a glittering fashion arena . Faye Dinsmore hosted the first Irish Fashion Awards . A first of its kind in Ireland , long overdue ! The event was attended by many of the industry's insiders and I applaud Faye for setting up these awards to celebrate the incredible amount of Irish talent that too often goes over-looked .

The Fusco Sisters .

The fabulous Albert @ Lillies at some stage of the night !

Love this photo ... Grazie Paolo ! X

Gary Connolly et moi by the talented Una Williams .

Paolo Borza + Mina Fusco

                                                       

Chris Owen- Premier Model Management

 Yours truly was voted  Ireland's Top Stylist . Hence , the eternal fashion question remained .... What do I wear ?
I had recently met  Edel Macbride ... my ultimate crotchet goddess ! She measured me up and soon I was trying on my golden couture ! Edel , I 'm loving your work and look forward to some crochet chats very soon .

Crotchet Queen Edel MacBride ❤ Rebecca De Haveland -KTV

My hair was sprayed red and transformed into a Shakespearean garden full of red roses by gorgeous hair stylist Maurice Flynn .
I popped into my favorite spectacle store in Dublin Optilase to discuss my glasses strategy with the lovely Rachel . She immediately suggested the famous gold  Sex In The City Mikita frame as my piece de resistance ! And true to Rachel's sharp eye for creative detail , she proposed the coolest red frame to co-ordinate perfectly with my red rose garden .

Gorgeous blogger Angela Scanlon +Fab photogragher German Collins

I was on my way to rockstar status ... I had to collect my vintage red fox jacket from Barnados . I get slated quite a bit for wearing fur .... Live and let live I say ! I won't enter the whole fur debate etc however I tire from people constantly telling me of cruelty to animals . A cow being slaughtered is not a nice sight however it does'nt stop the nation from eating steak ! The squeal of a live lobster plunged into boiling water is not so cute ! I adore fur and I make no apologies .

Most Stylish Deirdre Morrissey + Top Stylist Maria Fusco

Dee and I with fabulous make-up artist Annie Gribbon - Makeup Forever

 Annie Gribbon and her fab team looked after our make-up . Forever fabulous ! A massive merci to Annie Lauren and Alanna . Bisous xxxxxxxxxxx

And the winners are ....... Daily Mail

We celebrated the awards till  early in the morning . Irish Italian film director Paolo Borza flew in from Rome for the fashion party . ....... Grazie caro xxxx

Gary Connolly , my good friend ,  bravely escorted me to the Mansion house where we had a style date with Rory Moran and the most stylish Dee Morissey .

Fashion Stars Rock ..... Love this photo !

 A huge thank you to Faye and all her team for bringing the fashionistas of Ireland together and celebrating glamour and style ! And an enormous merci to all who voted for me . Love you ! X

Faye Dinsmore and Ireland's Top Stylist .

" Lots of air kisses darlings  " said Sinead Desmond , our lovely MC @ Ireland's Fashion Awards .