Pop-up culture

The Louise Kennedy pop up boutique opens in Brown Thomas Cork next Wednesday, October 6th until the following Wednesday, October 13th. At €695, the 'Penny' dress in black jersey (with black velvet bow!) ain't cheap, but a clever fashionista will happily endure many a Friday night in front of the Late Late Show in return for a little piece of sartorial heaven. As for the 'Clara' in forest green lace... we can but dream.

'Penny' dress in black jersey with black velvet bow detail, €695, Louise Kennedy

'Clara' green lace gown with green beadwork €4,500, Louise Kennedy

Keelin Deenihan

Glasses: Christian Dior (Australia)

Scarf: Malene Birger (Effigy-Tralee)

Jeans: Dr. Denim (Brown Thomas)

Top: Gallarda Gallante (Tokyo)

Sandals: French Connection

Bag: Mulberry (Brown Thomas)

Congratulations to...

Pamela of Ginger Girl! I want to say a big thanks to everyone who entered the Anna Dillard Designs Give Away--I'll be hosting more contests soon so keep check back for your chance to win!

Pamela--check your email later today. I'll be contacting you with more information!

Warehouse returns!

Coat €130, Cardigan, €52, Trousers €65, Warehouse

Woot - Warehouse on Patrick Street opens its doors once again this Friday, October 1st with a sleek new fit-out and some of the brand's most fashion forward lines for AW10.
Expect to see fringing, feathers and faux fur adorning luxurious eveningwear; Mad Men-inspired fitted dresses, A-line skirts and princess coats for daytime as well as key pieces in this season’s hottest colour; camel.
City Style readers are invited to help Warehouse celebrate the reopening on Friday evening from 4pm. Mr. |an Galvin and three finalists from the hit TV3 show Style Wars will be making an appearance too. Pop by after work and be among the first to check out the new store and enjoy a drink while a DJ plays some chilled-out tunes, and as if that doesn't start your weekend the right way, Warehouse are offering guests a 20% discount and a Warehouse gift with every purchase over €50.
The Cork News has teamed up with Warehouse to offer three lucky readers the chance to win a €100 voucher to spend in the slick new Patrick St. store - don't miss Friday's Cork News Style pages to find out how to enter!

Paula Leniewska

The Lough, Cork

Boots: Vintage

Dress: Primetime

Scarf: Penneys

Cardigan: Primetime

Glee Spoiler Alert!

A Glee episode with Uncle Jesse AND the Princess of Pop? Did I die and go to heaven? If you're a gleek like me and can't wait until tonight's Britney-tastic episode, click over to Gleethemusic.com for a full preview of all the songs featured in tonight's episode. Or just watch this sneak peak of Brittany and Santana rockin' out to "Me Against the Music":

 

Readers, are y'all Glee fans? What are you favorite fall shows?

Rene Vie

Slovakia

Hat: Primetime 

Jacket: French Connection 

Jumper: Hand Knitted 

Scarf: Andina 

Jeans: Diesel (Brown Thomas)

Shoes: TK Maxx

 

Clockwise from top:

Hand Carved Set of Rubber Stamps (Etsy: $15)

Splash of Sunshine Umbrella (Modcloth: $29.99)

Eileen Fisher Weather-Resistant Hooded Raincoat (Bloomingdale's: $218)

Hunter Original Gloss Rainboots (Zappos: $125)

After breaking North Carolina's record for most 90-degree days in a year just last week, Fall has finally come to the Forest. Unfortunately, cooler temperatures were quickly followed by monsoon-like rains. With such dreary days its hard to pull myself out of bed, but if I had a chic rain outfit it might be a little easier. I love the idea of wearing bright colors in the rain, but I haven't quite convinced myself that Hunter Boots are worth the $125 price tag. Readers, what are your thoughts on the Hunter Boot phenomenon? Are colorful wellies worth over $100?

P.S. Today's the last day of  the Anna Dillard Designs Give Away! Click here and leave a comment to enter!

Enchanted forest...

The gals at Amity on French Church St., Cork headed into the great outdoors for a shoot with Ivan Begala earlier this week. If only this dotty dress (€58) and these wooden heels (€68) were as practical for a stroll in the forest as they look...

Chloe Dempsey

Mallow

Shirt: Positively Vintage

T-Shirt: Topshop

Jeans: Penneys

Bag: H&M

Boots: New Look

Jewellery: H&M, New Look and Accessorize

Give Away Reminder: Anna Dillard Designs

Remember--you have until tomorrow at midnight (EST) to enter the Anna Dillard Designs Give Away! Click here to leave a comment for your chance to win!

Ladies first...

Wake Forest Alum Starts Preppy Clothing Line: Southern fROCK

Fashionistas dissatisfied with your current wardrobes, look no further than Southern fROCK for this season’s most-stylish tailgating attire. Drawing inspiration from the laid-back lifestyle of the coastal Carolinas, Southern fROCK’s spring/summer 2010 collection is filled with light-weight fabrics, flattering silhouettes and perfect pieces to transition from a casual lunch date to a night on the town.

The preppy clothing company, best known for vibrant sundresses and chic skirts, was founded by Wake alumna, Amelia Rogers, and her close friend Emily Newman in the fall of 2009. Just three years after starting her career as a kindergarten teacher in Charlotte, NC, Rogers made an impromptu life-changing decision when she spontaneously moved to Charleston, with Newman, a childhood friend and fashion design major who had recently graduated from Meredith College.The pair spent a few months hammering out the details of starting a clothing company, and Southern fROCK was born.

Unfortunately, the company decided to forgo designing a fall/winter women’s wear collection this year. Instead, Southern fROCK is choosing to focus on preparing for the Atlanta Apparel Trade Market in October, giving the company an opportunity to be showcased to wholesale buyers alongside popular clothing lines including Vineyard Vines. Additionally, this fall, Rogers and Newman are expanding the company to include a menswear line. “The Tobacco Road” is a collection of men’s clothing inspired by local sports and North Carolina history, scheduled to debut in November.

The company’s original marketing platform was based entirely around digital sales and trunk shows, but boutiques in North Carolina and Georgia recently started carrying the line. Click here for store locations. Wake Students, contact senior Rebecca Hinson (hinsre7@wfu.edu) if you'd like to schedule a trunk show for your sorority, group of friends or other organization.


Later this semester, Southern fROCK will be one of the featured brands in  Panhel’s Breast Cancer Fashion Show slated to take place on campus Nov. 1. The line will be modeled in the show alongside other preppy industry staples like Lilly Pulitzer and Southern Proper. I'll post more details about the show when they become available.

For more information about Southern fROCK (or a little online retail therapy), check out the company’s new website: www.southernfrock.com.

Readers, what are your favorite new clothing companies?

Jennifer Marshall

Cork City

Bag: Bershka (Mahon Point)

Cardigan: Topshop

Dress: Miss Selfridges (Debenhams)

Boots: Penneys

Hautelook Rant

Readers, I wanted to give you an update on this post from back in August. Here's the story:

At the time of the post, I had just scored a deal through Hautelook on a chic Rachel Pally dress and couldn't wait for it to arrive on my doorstep perfect and pristine, ready to be packed for school. Unfortunately, nothing happened how I imagined.

First, the dress didn't arrive until after I'd left for college, more than a week after they estimated it would be delivered. I called customer service to complain, and they eventually refunded the shipping charge, which I thought was very professional of them. I thought the saga would end there.

Nope. Once the dress finally arrived in Nashville, my mom took the box inside and forgot about it. When she finally opened the package to send me the dress, she found the inner bag to be mangled and the dress ripped. At this point it had been over a month since I'd placed the order. There was no way they would take it back so after a lengthy phone call debating my options, my mom kindly agreed to stitch up the tears.


 Fortunately, the large bib of fabric covers nearly all of the stitching, so this didn't become a total fashion nightmare/ waste of money, but I'm still super annoyed. I understand Hautelook is a discount retailer, but that doesn't mean products should come damaged! My dress had at least four tears in it. I think that's ridiculous.

In contrast, when I placed an order with one of Hautelook's rival sample sites, RueLaLa, my purchase came quickly, wrapped appropriately and completely free of any damages.

Readers, have you all ever has issues with Hautelook?  I'm curious to see if this was a fluke or typical of their company. Weigh in in the comment section!

Culinary couture: Cork

Our friends at H&A Marketing just sent us the biggest box of (custom-made Cork News!) cupcakes we've ever seen, hand delivered by the truly fabulous Trish from A Touch of Magic. Trish knew she was in the right career when she started to receive post addressed to 'The Cake Lady, Carrigaline'- you've never tasted anything like her light-as-a-feather, pastel frosted miniature works of art.

Grainne Sheedy

Cork

Hat: Debenhams

Scarf: Topshop

T-Shirt: Topshop

Jacket: DC (Primetime)

Belt: Primetime

Jeans: All Saints (Brown Thomas)

Boots: Docs (Korkys)

Morag McKenzie

Cork

Top: Topshop

Jeans: Topshop

Bracelet : Penneys

Bag: Monsoon

Earrings: H&M

Glasses: H&M

Shoes: Ebay

First look at A|wear's shoe line!

A|wear launches its first shoe collection on October 4th and after a sneak preview this week, we can confirm that it ticks all the trend boxes for AW10! Check out this Friday's Cork News Style pages for details... in the meantime, say hello to our feathered friends!

Obsession of the Moment: House of Harlow 1960

Earlier this week, Shopbop.com debuted House of Harlow 1960's Fall 2010 collection. Filled with statement pieces, the triangle-inspired line ranges in price from $57 for a set of turquoise leather and gold earrings to $220 for a tribal cuff. While slightly extravagant for everyday, pieces from Nicole Richie's fall collection would add the perfect boho-chic touch to an outfit for evening. My obsession of the moment: the enameled tribal wrap ring ($65). It adds an instant "cool" factor to any look.

Readers, will you be shopping House of Harlow's Fall line? What are your favorite jewelry pieces this season?

(Image Credits: Shopbop)

Catriona Urban

Cork

Dress: Penneys

Belt: Topshop

Bag: Penneys

Shoes: Spain

Necklace & Earrings: New Look

Sandra Solovjova

From Latvia living in Cork

Dress: Penneys

Shoes & Bag: H&M

Video Post: I know, I know, it's a little late

but it's so appropriate :) Happy 21st of September!

Get crafty...

Hat: Karen Flannery Art
Model: Máire O'Sullivan
Photographer: Evin O'Keeffe

 

 

 

 

 

 

This October, Cork will play host to the first ever Pink Auction in aid of Action Breast Cancer. Crafters are participating by making and donating items to be auctioned off. The event will take place at The Imperial Hotel, Cork on Sunday, October 10th, 2010. For further deets, visit Pinkcork.blogspot.com or email PinkCork@gmail.com.

It's a tie

We love these lace-up platforms, €60 from Next, Opera Lane and Mahon Point - pair with thick socks to the calf or knee in a neutral colour (we've been stocking up at TK Maxx).

Julie Carroll

 Rochestown

Cardie, Top & Skinnies: Topshop

Shoes: River Island

Necklace: Accessorize

Bliss Offers Discount for Stressed Out College Students!

As my first exams of the semester quickly approach, all talk of a "senior slide" has gone out the window. Fortunately, beauty retailer Bliss (home of my favorite Body Butter) is offering stressed-out co-eds the opportunity to relax on a budget. Just bring your student ID into any Bliss Spa for 20% off a service.

If you're like me and don't live near a Bliss Spa, try not to feel too left out. There's a current promotion on the website for 15% off any Bliss, Laboratoire Remède or Elemis products with the code OCT10. Be sure to shop quickly-the online promotion only runs through September 23rd.

Rothco Messenger Bag Winner

Sorry for the lack of posts recently! All the sudden I had a ton of school work, but I'm finally caught up, and have several posts planned for later this week :) In the meantime, I wanted to announce that Ralphie won the Clothes Out Sale giveaway! I'll be sending you an email with how to claim your prize, so be on the lookout!

If you didn't win, be sure to try again and enter my Anna Dillard Give Away!

Ted Baker launches Leeside...

Style guru Stuart Roberts will be at Brown Thomas this Saturday, September 25th to exclusively launch the Ted Baker label in Cork. Customers are invited to enjoy a glass of champagne while Stuart offers style consultations and expert advice on choosing the perfect outfit from the brand's autumn winter collections. We love the graphic, zippy Herman dress, €175, Ted Baker @BT.

Penny Phipps

Australia

Bag: Penneys

Shoes: New Look

Dress: Thailand

Scarf: Sports Girl (Australia)

Cardigan: Dunnes

Jamie O'Sullivan

Glasses: Topshop

Jacket: Topshop

Scarf: H&M

Skinnys: Topshop

Shoes: Berties (London)

Bag: Cath Kidston (Brown Thomas)

Amy Martin

Cork

Dress: Style for life

Cardigan: Style for life

Leggings: Monsoon

Shoes: Luca

Necklace: Style for life

Timmy Murphy

Cork

Clothes: Jack & Jones

In the words of Rachel Zoe: Ba-nan-as.

My current residence, the small town of Winston-Salem, is a far cry from the bright lights and big city of New York, but that doesn't mean I'm completely isolated from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Technology is such a beautiful thing--All I have to do is click over to New York Magazine's fashion blog, The Cut for a complete list of live-streaming runway shows that I can watch in the comfort of my living room. And if I do happen to miss a moment of the catwalk, I know style.com will showcase highlights of each collection. We're only a little over half-way finished with the event, but here are my top 10 looks from New York Fashion Week thus far:

10. Rebecca Minkoff 

9. Marc by Marc Jacobs

8. Herve Leger

7. Marc Jacobs

 6. Victoria Beckham

5. Vena Cava

4. Badgley Mischka

 3.Tracy Reese

 

2. Diane von Furstenberg

 1. Carolina Herrera 

(All Images via: Style.com)

100th Post Give Away: Jewelry by Anna Dillard

In honor of style of a 20 something's 100th post (!!), our sponsor Anna Dillard Designs is giving away one of her beautiful wire rings. This particular ring is made from a large glass pearl bead and 14k gold-filled wire--I have one of her designs myself and wear it constantly. It's so chic-it goes with everything.

Here's how to enter to win:

-You must be a follower of style of a 20-something to enter
-Leave a comment on this post with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win!
-One extra entry if you blog about my contest (please leave link in an additional comment)
-One extra entry if you tweet about my contest (please leave link in an additional comment)
-This contest will end Monday September 27, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Good luck readers! 

PS There's still time to enter last week's give away-Click here for the Rothco Messenger Bag contest! 

Sunday Evening Trip to Target

After a day filled with sorority nonsense, I headed to my local target to check out the Tucker for Target line in person. I don't know whether my store put the collection out early or eager shoppers picked it clean this morning, but there wasn't much to look at. Hopefully they will restock soon!

Out of the pieces I was able to try on, this top was definitely my favorite, but I can't decide if I would ever wear it. I picture it tucked into a black pencil skirt--very Mad Men-esque, but as a college student, I don't have all that many places to wear such an outfit. At $25 it's definitely within my price range, but I'm going to pass on it for now.

Here are some of the other pieces in-stock at the Winston-Salem target. How cute is this 90's-inspired floral dress? I love the buttons. And I wish they'd had the burnt orange camisole in my size- I'll have to keep checking back.

From what I saw, the collection seems extremely well made. Much better than previous Target collaborations. I definitely recommend checking it out.

I don't know about y'all, but when I go to Target, I always leave with more than the items on my list. I was almost seduced by these hilarious Halloween-themed piggy banks, especially this surgeon one; a cheeky ode to swine flu, perhaps?  Even though they were on sale for $10, I was able to restrain myself.

And as a middle child, I had to pick up one of these bottles of wine:

When I got home, I clicked over to the brand's website, and I love it. So sassy. Check out these pictures of the Drama Queen sister at fashion week-hilarious!

Overall, a moderately successful trip to Target. I wish I'd seen more of the Tucker collection, but oh well. You win some you lose some.

Readers, what did you think of the line?

PS Check out the article I wrote for my university's paper about the great designer collaborations coming up this fall!