When the Winter sets in and the sky is grey I will look back on these photo’s taken on Ladies Day at the Galway races in order to cheer myself up. This is my fifth year on the trot (excuse pun) and this year without doubt was the best in terms of style and good humour. There was a collective feeling of Irish fortitude almost as if the women had conspired to go out to make their outfits and head attire the very best they could put together, a way of saying that despite hard times we women are not going to be beaten. It was not a display of ostentation more one of humour added to a riot of colour and more smiling faces than you could possibly imagine gathered in one place. There was lots of home made head gear and more milliners names thrown at me than I could possibly remember, all of them Irish and all of them working around the country to cover the heads of thousands of women for whom Ladies day at Galway is the most important day in terms of dressing up in the social calendar.
I left my camera at home so these were taken with my IPhone on the basis that holding a glass of champagne and managing the various lenses wasn’t possible so obviously the champagne won! I know the Best Dressed competitions are hotly contested and I have no idea how you could possibly judge such a competition. All I can say is that at Galway all the women and lots of the men too) were winners all right!
Looking at all the catwalk images for Autumn I noticed one repeating trend that will be easy to wear and cheap too. I have a huge collection of belts, they are one item I never throw out and even when I’m recycling clothes I tend to keep the belts that come with certain items of clothing. Most of them are wide. Soft leather obi belts, stretchy canvas and tan ones, leopard print and every other wide belt you can imagine, studded ones, sparkly ones, patent leather and nappa as well as mock crock and lizard. I have everything except thin skinny belts.
And so, while I was in London yesterday I trawled Regent street looking for skinny belts to use with my Winter staples. Top Shop had the best range but I bought some really cheap ones in Tie rack for £4 each in black and brown. Buy them longer than needed for added fashionability and buckle twist and knot. Alternatively wear them buckled normally on the waist, over jackets, knitwear and blouses for that grown up look that’s very definitely the key trend for Autumn Winter 2010 and beyond.
BOF (Business of Fashion) hosted an amazing live screening of an interview with Net-A-Porter’s Natalie Massenet last Thursday, this is a behind the scenes fascinating view inside NAP’s headquarters.
Alexander McQueen started with skulls and this Autumn Dsquared2 have taken to the back issue or spine(less). You decide on these shoes for Autumn 2010, one of a whole series for this Winter. Perhaps this is the backbone we all need to show for the coming Winter? Alternatively teetering on a spinal cord looks more and more likely!
This is the time of year when we are still wearing our Summer clothes but with an eye on Autumn. The fashion forward amongst us already shopping for their Winter updates. So what are the trends? and more importantly are there any that you may already have in your wardrobes. One trend seen on the catwalks which translates easily onto the streets and which will be easy to wear is the button up shirt. This is not a continuation of last years Boyfriend Blazer/shirt/ Jeans combo. It’s more demure and ladylike though not with out a certain sexiness. There are many different collars to choose from but the most important rule is that they must be done right up. Tux collars, Contrasting coloured, embellished ones, Peter Pan collars, standard and cutaway are just some of the possibilities and you probably already have at least one of them in your wardrobe.
Pair with leather pieces, ie skirt or jacket or work it into the military look. Add knee high/over the knee socks or simple wear with a pair of high waisted proper wide trousers which will be my preferred look. Use a narrow ribbon in velvet tied in a bow to ddd to the look. One thing though, no men’s ties this time around, it’s not androgynous.
So, should I be heaving a sigh of relief that Carla Bruni wears tan tights? That several other big names wear them too, that the bare legged look is just a bare faced lie? Truth is that we are always faking it, that’s what we do every time we put on make up, shimmy into our Yummie Tummie cami, slap on the fake tan, wax and pluck hairs that sprout from everywhere but our heads! This is what women have been doing centuries, enhancing ourselves , so wearing a 10 denier pair of Falke Shelina toe-less tights which covers and adds a slight sheen to our pins which is something women (in the know) having been doing for years. Now that the skin coloured tights hit the pages of Grazia this week the secret is definitely out and a good thing too.
For all of you who know what Bloggers do and what we strive for I suggest you read no further. This post is for those of you who are unclear what Social Media is and what it can and cannot do. I have never written about blogging before and indeed when I started a year ago I was unclear exactly what it was and why I should do it. I think a year on I now have a better idea and it’s time to write a few things down.
Blogs are personnel and mine is purely my own views and thoughts. When I decide on a subject I don’t have to ask anyone , I just do it, for better or worse. When I do Irish boutique reviews I choose to do positive ones. This stems from the fact that we are a small Island and I am a great believer in helping each other out and that if we are all generous with our knowledge and time we will all reap the rewards. Those shops I don’t like, I don’t write about. I like my posts to be completely spontaneous and so when I arrive into a boutique I explain that I am a blogger and ask if I can write a post. 99% of the time the owners recognise the benefits or know my blog and are delighted to take part.
I receive no money or remuneration for my work. It’s a labour of love which has increased my personal business profile and brought me together with brilliant new and talented people. It allows me to keep current in the Business of Fashion, to keep fresh and to better enjoy each day.
Blog posts, unlike news print or magazines are on the internet for ever or at the least for a very long time. Months after I write a post comments and emails are still coming in. I just got an email from a couple who holidayed in Ischia following my post- holiday blog and another from a woman who found her dream wedding outfit thanks to me. At present hundreds of Internet users are reading nickysragtales every week and this means that a blog post on a boutique has the potential to be a positive benefit for some considerable time.
Today I removed a post. It was one that I personally was proud of and that I had,had a lot of positive feedback on. I am clearly upset that I had to take that action. When we all understand more clearly what Blogging, Facebook , Twitter, Linkedin and all the other Social media platforms are allowing us to do with and for each other we will be able to grow our businesses and live in a society which understands that sharing is the way of the future.
I pass Smock on Drury Street,Dublin every day on my way to the showroom and sometimes pop into say hi to Karen Crawford and Susan O’Connell, the dream team friends and owners of this most delectable indie boutique in Dublin. Today we were all in a giggly mood (not sure why?) when I noticed the new stock that had arrived and just had to share some of it with you. Karen grabbed her Tom Ford Lippy and looking great (she’s taken up running so that explains the happy hormones) and I reached for my camera……
I have been working madly in the show room today organising the Jaeger London collection and the new younger Boutique Jaeger Collection as well as sending out news letters to customers on what is happening. We are in full swing preparing to sell for Spring Summer next year! You would think that I’d had enough of fashion when I come home in the evening but here I find myself checking out Etsy which I am drawn to occasionally. As I wait for the lamb and new potatoes to finish cooking ( the whole room is full of gorgeous garlicky/rosemary and lemon smells) I found these. If you click on the Etsy link on each one it will take you to the seller.
A look at the career of one of THE all time fashion greats . Zandra Rhodes was one of the new wave of British designers who put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970’s. Her unique use of bold prints, fiercely feminine patterns and theatrical use of colour has given her garments a timeless quality. In 1977 she pioneered a pink and black jersey collection with holes and beaded safety pins that earned her the name of “princess of punk
Zandra Rhodes is Fashions Iconic designer that had us all in awe as teenagers, more daring than any of the others and totally in tune with the pop culture that we all were immersed in, in the 70’s. A look at Zandra Rhodes is just one of the fashion subjects getting the ‘Wayne Hemingway ‘( ex ‘Red or Dead’ who made his fortune selling second hand clothes and ex boss of mine) treatment at the ‘Vintage at Goodwood ‘ Festival from 13-15th August. It looks like one of those festivals that might just be totally cool (though not in an uncomfortable soggy way!) as it’s got just about everything retro you can imagine. It’s the one festival besides ‘Electric Picnic’ that I will get to one of these days.
There is a running joke going around our showroom that no woman whatever her age wakes up in the morning and thinks to herself ‘I’d like to dress older today’! Each of us tries to remain as youthful as possible and in the past few years this has become increasingly difficult as we strive to look good but know that we have to avoid at all costs that ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ look. The sales assistants are all younger than our daughters and ignore us and the clothes on the rails were tiny and oh so short.
In the last year older women, once invisible in the fashion industry have become increasingly visible. It seems that the days of the nymphets and size “0″ obsession may finally be over. Next season sees Madonna (51) starring in Dolce and Gabbana’s advertising campaign. Stella Tennant (39) centre stage in Balenciaga and Elle Macpherson and ChristyTurlington (41) featuring for Louis Vuitton.
Of course this new age of austerity may be responsible. The collections have taken a new twist offering grown up sensible yet beautiful clothes. And so the age of the 16 year old skinny model gracing the covers and the catwalk may be coming to an end (for now at least) and if so,I for one am going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
