Nicky's Rag Tales

I have been looking for a large Clutch for the past year and I think I’ve found it. It comes from Lebanese born designer Dareen Hakim’s first collection. With an MBA from Harvard Business School and as a former Manager at L’Oreal and Maybelline, Dareen Hakim who now lives in New York has started with one fabulous clutch. It comes in eight colours, and with a choice of plaques and inscriptions. The lovely bespoke element plus the great leather means this is one super bag from one designer that I’m now saying is definitely on the ascent in the designer bag business.

Dareen Hakim Clutch $355 on line

I’m in the middle of preparing the Passover Seder for eight people so I shouldn’t be on the computer at all! However my addiction to the Internet and my ‘never stop working’ attitude found me on Etsy in between answering emails and re scheduling appointments with customers for the rest of this week. (The food is made and the table is set so I’m a little in front of myself time-wise)

Business continues in the showroom and the customers keep coming which is wonderful. I often feel I should be more proactive about chasing for new business but I comfort myself in the knowledge that if the product is right then the customers will find me. Also Irish people hate the hard sell. I hate it myself, it’s just not our way here. We don’t do hard sell tactics and in fact it has the opposite effect with potential customers running for cover.

So here are my picks from Etsy today from on-line shop ‘The Greedy Seagull‘ ( I love the name). They are all vintage and very reasonably priced and look to be in good condition….

1. What to do when you want to develop a business but haven’t a clue what you want to produce. Say for example you are Thierry Mugler and Clarins, both of whom are deeply entrenched in the Womans luxury business and you know that engaging with your customers using social networking and websites is working for other companies? What to do? Womanity.com was conceived by both Thierry Mugler and Clarins Fragrance and is now up and running. It aims to create a community and create product based on information gleaned. Click here to read an in-depth article from The Business of Fashion . Check it out and make your own mind up.

2. It’s not often that we hear anything from Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor but she is launching a new perfume (do we really need any more celebrity scents) called Violet Eyes. Who knows or cares what it smells like, the nice thing is to see her back in the limelight for any reason at all which is related to the celebrity business.

3. Style magazine today has me in the ‘Going Down’ list. Well I’m not taking that lying down (so to speak)! I will continue with this Blog as long as people continue to read it. Oh and as long as I keep enjoying doing it. In the interests of ‘Spreading Blog Love’, which I’m all for, I’m going to nominate a fellow blogger every week for my own personal Weekly Blog Award. This weeks award goes to fellow Irish Blogger (and much younger than me) Whisty. This week she has a really great post all about blogging and fantastic shots of the Mood Boards at the Nokia Young Fashion Designer Awards where she answered lots of questions from fellow bloggers and would be bloggers.

For the past few years most of the trends have been ones that women over a certain age could adapt and look ladylike and perfectly ageless. We were told that we could wear anything if it suited us. Alas this Summer there is one trend that no matter how wonderful our legs are will just not cut muster for any of us over the age of 30.

It started last Summer and is already gathering pace on the streets. It looks great on tall, leggy girls. Not so great on short , dare I say plumper ones but is nevertheless forgiven if they also have youth on their side, (isn’t everything?) The addition of tights , either opaque or patterned is de rigeur at this time of year but these will be shed on the best legs as the weather and everything else hots up.

All Images courtesy of Topshop Look book Summer 2010

Rio Negro, Colombia

More than 1,300ft above the roaring Rio Negro in Colombia, nine-year-old Daisy Mora prepares to throw herself over the abyss.

Attaching herself to an old and rusted pulley system she drops over the edge before plummeting at 40mph along a zip wire to the opposite bank half a mile away – a vertigo-inducing journey she has to take every day to get to school.

For the handful of families living in the area, 40 miles southeast of the capital Bogota, the 12 steel cables that connect one side of the valley to the other are their only access to the outside world.

German explorer Alexander von Humboldt was the first Westerner to observe the unusual rope system in 1804.

They were traditionally made of hemp, but steels cables were installed with the advent of logging in the surrounding rain forest. When this was made illegal settlers turned their hand to farming and cattle raising.

Today, the cables are still the only transport available to those living in the area.

The Blogging community is a sharing community and when we find sites we like we like to spread the love. The post above comes from Elements Magazine an interesting site with posts on music , art and fashion and with a keen eye for the unusual.

Student Fashion show invites are not to be passed up and yesterday evening the Students of DCU put on a fantastic, edgy and brilliantly styled show. Held in the Helix and entitled ‘The edge of Industry’ the stage was set complete with industrial scaffolding and a light show that should have come with a health warning. Clothes came from among others, Arnotts, Topshop, Oxfam Vintage, Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, BT2 and Om Diva. Dancers’ Raw Edge’ provided a fantastic body bending routine which had the audience screaming for more. The loudest screams of the night came for the guys modelling the underwear. Take a look at some of the pictures and you’ll see what I’m on about!

The Young Designer of the Year competition was an interesting addition with students competing for the title. The judges on the night were Ruth Ni Loinsigh, owner of Om Diva Boutique, Georges Street Arcade, the lovely Leah Burke, senior style advisor, Topshop and Corina Gaffey Fashion Editor of Stellar Magazine.

Charities who benefited from a full house were the Jack & Jill Foundation and the DCU Educational Trust

So with my camera over heating here are some of the pictures I took, there are lots of them but I couldn’t possibly leave any of them out, could I?

Read more

It doesn’t seem that long ago that you couldn’t pass an airport lounge without a large Swatch display, was that really the 90′s? Swatch watches were huge, with people collecting them like Barbie dolls. The trend for fun, affordable fashionable and reasonably priced arm candy came and went. Well not quite because a quiet revival is taking place and having a moment (excuse the pun!). A Swiss made watch Swatch are now coming back Big Time (forgive pun No 2!). With Toy Watch doing funky colours and Timex plus Foli Follie doing some great arm attire, Swatch are marketing with vigour. On the plus side they are cheaper than their rivals and they come with a great retro revival history.

So dig out your old ones or take your pick of the new colour popping Spring Summer collection on line or at an Airport near you soon?

From the current edition of Nylon Magazine

From the current edition of W Magazine

 Loading ...

This weeks news comes from the V&A Museum in London. Not only do they have a permanent Fashion Jewellery and Accessories exhibition running which is well worth a visit but there are two temporary shows worthy of mention. The first is ‘Quilts’ running from 20th March to July 4th . Amongst amazing English quilts there is one on loan from the National gallery of Australia called the ‘Rajah’ quilt after the convict ship it was made on by the women on board in 1841. Always a lover of quilts as heritage and historical memory pieces of beauty and each with it’s own story I will be heading to the V& A when I’m in London next and I’m particularly looking forward to Tracy Emin’s bed complete with quilt in situ.

Tracy Emin 'To meet my past'

The Exhibition that I can’t wait for is of course Grace Kelly ‘Style Icon’ which is running from 17th April-26th September.

For more detailed information on the Grace Kelly Exhibition click here to a previous post where I blogged about this upcoming event.

We were told that heels were getting lower. But word has it that it’s the heels that are selling first in all the shoe stores around Ireland. While I love my ballet flats (they are great at the end of a night when feet can’t take it any more) and I love the idea of the androgynous brogues which are oh so cool, it’s a look that needs careful thought. On a very slim leg brogues can look fab with skirts and dresses, throw on a blazer and you’re cool to go. But on a chunky calf ( ie mine) they can only be worn with jeans or trousers. Wedges this season with cork and sisal thrown into the mix are a comfortable and on trend comfortable shoe. Lots and lots of straps are in evidence throughout all the high heels here. A gladiator style with heels which started to appear last Summer but which is huge for this one. Beware, straps which lie straight around the ankle should only be worn by Tory Burch (see above) or any woman with slim ankles and legs. For the rest of us look out for the straps that are cut forwards onto the foot so elongating rather than cutting the leg.

Shoes for this season are in all price ranges so take a look at the street before going for more expensive designers. Watch out for clogs which are having a fashion moment but again easily available at the cheaper price range. Save your money for really good courts and pumps or a very special evening shoe that will stand the test of time.

Brogues Versus Heels by nickysragtales featuring Tory Burch shoes

Tory Burch tweeted that the sun was shining in Dublin. The sun certainly shines around this most stylish and successful American designer. When Tory Burch appeared on Oprah in 2005 she was catapulted immediately into the fashion elite. Coming from a Society family and making the transition from socialite to successful luxury designer is not an easy one but this extremely hardworking and focused designer certainly knows exactly how to produce a beautiful luxury lifestyle brand. Her shoes are to die for and her clothes, especially her tunics for which she is well known are oh so stylish. Brown Thomas Dublin carry the full range of clothes, shoes and bags.

I was lucky enough to meet the gracious Tory Burch last night at the launch of the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer TM Campaign for Action Breast Cancer. This is the sixth year of the campaign which has through the sale of the must have designer Tote bag raised 500,000 euro to date.

This years Tote bag is on sale now (but not for long) at 45 euro. It carries the iconic Tory Burch logo. Not a fan of logo’s in general I make an exception for this one which is very classy indeed.

Tory Burch today in Brown Thomas Dublin

Sonya Lennon Tory Burch and Models at Brown Thomas today

Fabulous shoes on Tory's feet!