m.i.a

here's one of the many, many, many reasons why...

{dress - d.i.y }

pinch the hooch

If we are to believe Twitter users like GorgeousDUH and WassupMrBeiber, Coco Chanel, the woman responsible for 89% of popular fashion epigrams, once advised that a lady should always remove one item of jewellery before she leaves the house. 

This little trick never worked for me, partially because it doesn't allow for mixing florals, leather and bling in a haphazard yet hilarious manner, but mostly because this kind of minimalist thinking was never going to get me a job as a Fly Girl on In Living Colour. 

Personally, I think Chanel was saying, "Don't be afraid to edit", a motto that couturiers and hoochie mamas alike can take on board.

The moral of this tale? Giveth a lady four glasses of wine in a library and she will lay down for you on a couch of burgundy leather. 

Really, this stuff writes itself.

threads: {top - mangled vintage dress} {skirt - forever21} {belt - h&m} {necklace - a frankenstein's monster of other necklaces} {bracelet - vintage} {turban - scarf pilfered from sister} {shoes - h&m}

tomorrow's threads

the city has a face

Far more work than play these days.

Luckily, the walk home is never dull...

images c/o the good people at boards.ie

romp thing

I very rarely plan an outfit in advance. For one, it throws up disturbing memories of being a disco-bound 15-year-old and for two, how am I supposed to predict what mood I'll be in on any particular day? 


It's even less common for me to DIY something for a certain event, but when I do whip something up with a specific purpose in mind, two things are bound to happen.


More on those later...

Whateverthisis started life as a unitard from ASOS, before I ripped it apart and pieced it back together again, attaching a bevy of pointless sundries to it along the way. Ruth lovingly pointed out (once she stopped laughing), that this can only mean I have a deep-rooted desire to be a professional gymnast.

Actually, this crazy mo' fo' was inspired by Sheila E's iconic asymmetrical jumpsuit, with a little Babooshka-day Kate Bush in the tail.

  

So back to the two inevitable consequences of dressing for a purpose...

1) waking up at 7am on the morning of the event in question to change the whole blasted thing around (I hacked more fabric off at the front and added armour to the belt)... 

+
2) making it through the event in question without having a single picture taken of it in its final form. 


Soon after, Ruth snapped a fellow fashion misfit wearing something similar.


Guess I'll just have to step things up a notch...

a not-so-single woman

Back in December, I skived off to NY for a week to style this photo shoot for my sister's new vintage-inspired clothing line, Recollection (I blogged about it from her super fly studio). 

Here are the final shots from the Lookbook.

My job was to tell the story of an incredibly beautiful woman, through her incredibly beautiful wardrobe.

This ultra chic housewife (I call her Esther) was on my mind for a week solid as I shopped for jewels and planned the outfits. 

Would Esther wear fur?

What were Esther's favourite records?
What would Esther wear to the market?

How many gold brooches could Esther realistically convince her husband to buy for her?

and so on...


If you haven't already gathered, Esther is smart, adventurous, daring and opulent. Just like the clothes she plays house in...

Recollection Lookbook A/W 2011

{stills - edwin tse

 hair - samantha landis

make-up - christina monita

assistant - elizabeth clancy
styling - the Morning Strut}

sun by psychokinesis

Dublin's a pretty grey place to be at the moment (in all senses of the word) so this week I've been dressing to redeem my good mood. 

Since last weekend, I've been rocking floral skirts, tropical prints and cutout swimsuits. I've been freezing, but the idea that I might be charming the sun out from behind the clouds has kept me nice and toasty. (note: in no way is this true - I think I heard my pockets chatter at one point.)

Today, I pulled another swimsuit out of storage, and when I set foot outside my apartment block to trek over to Ruth's studio - BAM! Swimsuit weather!

Before I knew it, me, Ruth and Chewbacca (Ruth's pooch...looks like this) were frolicking among the dunes and I had no clothes on.

Whether it was the inexplicable 10° hike in temperature, or the satisfaction of transforming the skies with my bulging brain and impractical wardrobe, I didn't feel the breeze for one second.

I can already hear my Mam teasing that I look like Miss Dollymount Beach Clean-Up 2011, so this last one is for her...

"...and I pledge to represent all pregnant teens beach clean-up ladies, be they man, woman, black or white. I thank you."

threads: {suimsuit - h&m, with fringe from asos dress} {scarf - vintage} {skirt - mangled vintage} {parasol - found in chinatown in nyc}

let's fucking have you, ireland

image c/o Life

tomorrow's threads

down the hatch

Today, we begin with a moment of genuine terror. 

I'm in the kiddie tunnel at the National Wax Museum. 

No, not the kitchenette of horrors or whatever they call it, the cute little play area where you stick your four-year-old when they show a disappointing level of interest in a life size model of Brendan Grace. I'm not going to tell you what was up in that hatch, but it was not suitable for children.

There's absolutely no balance to this outfit.

Print for print, it's pure trash. 

Seeing as I made absolutely no attempt to class things up when I got dressed that morning, I thought I'd see if hanging out with some of Ireland's great political and artistic minds (and a couple of head scratchers who presumably made it to wax on some form of dare) would make me look like any less of a harlot.

Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

Needless to say I felt right at home in the Writers' Room, with Wilder, Joycee and the lads.

ATTN: GOOD PEOPLE OF THE NATIONAL WAX MUSEUM - When you finally come to your senses and add me to this exhibition, I want my waxwork to be doing this. 

And don't be putting her in no tea dress.

threads: {top - mangled dress} {skirt - motel} {belt - vintage} {leopard collar - oxfam} {bracelet - vintage} {tattoos - found in chinatown in London and helped along with eyeliner}

style swoon: mary margaret dunne

Known to a whole city as Mad Mary, this vivacious lady stood on Dublin's O'Connell St. almost every day for 20 years and just danced.

A Facebook page dedicated to the curious dancing woman currently has over 20,000 fans. More often than not, visitors to the site recall her unfaltering glamour.

state of mind purple

Like everyone else in the country, I've been feeling a little under the weather this week, so rather than adventuring out of my apartment in search of a good time, I've been mostly hanging out in my room, playing with my face. 

Sure, a good piece of cloth can soothe the aching shoulders, but for me, a game of drag queen dress-up is the quickest way to take your mind off what ails you.

NOTE: I have absolutely no idea what I was going for with this particular example of face-play. Looking at it now, I'd say it's part Siouxsie Sioux, part Bowie in Labyrinth, part Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent. 

I guess that's the fun part about dressing to please yourself - you never know where the whim's going to take you.

post title c/o Nas...