SUFJAN STEVENS.

On Wednesday night, I went to the Olympia to see Sufjan Stevens.  I might as well just begin by saying that it was the best gig I've ever been to, and was worth battling through the hundreds of Gardaí that were present for the Queen's visit.
Honestly, I can't even begin to describe the performance.  It really was breathtaking, and he played for two and a half hours.  I really can't recommend listening to him enough.
Sufjan- I love you.

all pictures via weheartit.com

STYLE INSPIRATION; Isabel Lucas.

When I was about fourteen, I went through a phase of absolutely loving Home and Away.  As with many of you perhaps, this is where I first came across Isabel Lucas, as she played the role of Tasha Andrews in the Australian soap.

I have to admit, I would never have picked Lucas out as being a style icon.  Sure she was pretty, tanned and skinny, but fashionable?  Not particularly.  However, recently I saw some photos of her in Grazia attending Coachella with boyfriend Angus Stone, and I was pleasantly surprised by her seemingly new-found fashion forwardness.

Looking chic even in a pair of denim shorts and a sweater.

I'm loving this nude maxi dress paired with a cropped lace top.

Lucas channelling her inner hippie with this dip-dyed maxi skirt.

THIS IS A LOOK WHICH IS EASILY EMULATED;

MinkPink 'Trim&Terrific' maxi dress; £80, ASOS.

Renewal Turn-Up Denim Shorts; €40, Urban Outfitters

Orchid Lace Tee; $48, Nasty Gal.

Rose Headband; £8.50, Miss Selfridge

(Basically, just think floaty, airy maxi skirts and crochet; you could really see the impact of the returning 70's and hippie trends at Coachella this year)

Isabel also has ombre hair to die for;

A PICTURE is worth a THOUSAND WORDS.

TATTOOS and FREJA BEHA ERICHSEN.

I've been thinking a lot about getting a tattoo for the past year or so, but I'm still really unsure about whether or not it's a path I wish to go down.  I've seen a couple I really love, as I'm looking for some typography rather than an image, and I remain rather unperturbed by the whole needle aspect of things.  Sure, tattoos have their negative associations, but when it all boils down, they are an art form and have (finally) become more socially acceptable.  

Many of the prettiest tattoos I've seen to date are those of Freja Beha Erichsen, the Danish model who gracefully sports sixteen tattoos, the first of which she got when she was sixteen years old.  She has said that the tattoos do not affect her work, and are very easily hidden.  I adore the spidery fonts of many of Erichsen's tattoos, and think her body art is both original and unique.

"Float" on her neck.

"Serendipity is Me" on the back of her upper right arm.

(often mistaken for "Serendipity is Life")

"This Too Shall Pass" on the inside of her upper right arm.

"Redemption" and circles on her inner lower left arm.

ps. don't forget to like my Facebook page here. ;D

COLLARS and CUFFS and DELFINA DELETTREZ.

In the current Vogue (April Vogue, p. 72), there was a feature on the growing popularity of collars and cuffs.  I adored the article, which highlighted the cotton collars of Carven and the lace doilies of Meadham Kirchoff, the communion collars Erdem and beautiful cuffs and collars of Delfina Delettrez (see below).

Collars are something I have always loved.  My mother attributes this to the way she would always dress me in Peter Pan collars as a small child. 
A collar can add a hint of elegance to any outfit.  They can be both masculine and amazingly feminine in equal measure, and I couldn't be more delighted to see them on the rise.

Natalie Portman at Palm Springs International Film Festival in a gorgeous collared and cuffed dress by Vionnet.

(In my opinion, the only part of this outfit that really doesn't work is the shoes)

Alexa Chung in Carven for Elle last year.  Alexa is like the poster child for collars- she wears them all the time, and they look fantastic on her.

Emma Watson in the same Carven collared dress, with a Burberry Spring '11 trench.

(who do you think wore it better?)



Peaches Geldof in a pretty lace collar.

Anyway, back to; Delfina Delettrez.

Delettrez is the daughter of Silvia Venturini Fendi, who is the creative director of accessories for Fendi (thank you Vogue).  Delfina is twenty-two years old, and a fourth generation Fendi.  According to her website, her style is "gothic, romantic, rock, fresh, passionate, laid-back, playful and sunny."  Seems like quite a promising description to me.  Some of the designs are also a little McQueen-esque which is prehaps another reason I quite admire them..

Delfina herself.

Visit http://delfinadelettrez.com/ for more.

STYLE CRUSH; Mischa Barton.

My opinion of Mischa Barton is rather ambiguous.  Of course we all loved her back in the fond days when The O.C. was all anyone could talk about, and everybody coveted her sun-kissed skin and voluminous golden locks.  Alas, with the more recent horror stories of serious drug use and binge drinking, pictures of her extremely unhealthy fluctuating weight patterns and rumours of suicidal behaviour, Mischa plummeted into the bad books of many of her previous "fans".

Despite all this bad-girl behaviour, Mischa, 24, seems to finally be getting her life back on track, and she appeared on the cover of Tatler in January of this year looking absolutely fantastic.  

Recently, I've seen a couple of pictures of the actress looking really well, and wearing some lovely pieces.  It's interesting to see Mischa re-wearing her favourites, pairing them with assorted pieces to achieve different looks.

Rather similar to one I purchased about two months ago in Topshop, Mischa's oversized houndstooth blazer has clearly become an instant favourite.

I absolutely love this look.  The burnt caramel and camel shades couldn't be more on trend, and I adore her sandal style flats (I've found similar pairs in Urban Outfitters and Office recently- I know what I'll be buying for summer..)

Again in this shot is Mischa pictured in the checked blazer, here combining it with chocolate brown shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of loafers for a comfortable, vintage feel.

Here we see the star donning the same brown shorts as the previous picture.  She has paired it with a pretty, cream blouse and a gorgeous pair of lace up wedges for her meeting with Fearne Cotton.  Perhaps we've got the old Mischa back.

GREASE is the word.

Grease is, and always has been, my favourite movie.  A life-long addiction I suppose you could say, as I first watched this movie at the tender age of four (of course all the innuendos went right over my head).  Quite frankly, I'm really surprised that I haven't already blogged about it as Grease is something which has stuck with me for my entire life.  

Almost fifteen years after my first viewing, I love Grease as much as ever.  The plot, the soundtrack and, of course, the costumes.  The outfits in Grease are insane.  From the leather T-Birds jackets, to the satin Pink Ladies coats, to the good-girl Sandy to her bad-to-the-bone alter ego, Grease is certainly inspirational if nothing else.  I remember watching a documentary a few years back which explained how at the 1978 premiere of Grease, Olivia Newton John wore her poodle skirt and knitted sweater combo to the movie itself, before trading in her prissy Mary Janes for a pair of wooden heels and tighter pants than you could ever imagine.  Fabulous.

So suave it HURTS.

So, last Monday night I went to see Hurts in The Academy on Middle Abbey Street.  I've liked the band since I heard their catchy single 'Better Than Love' last year, and jumped at the chance to see a live performance.  As I've already written a review of my concert experience for Trinity's student newspaper, The University Times I'm not going to just write a repeat review here.  Instead, seeing as this is primarily a fashion blog, I'm going to write a post inspired by the fashionability of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson who comprise Mancunian synth-pop duo, Hurts.

I think it is safe to say that there are no other British bands today who take such pride in their appearance as Hurts.  As Harry Wormwood in Matilda said; "well oiled hair, clean shave, snappy suit"; I think this phrase sums up the band's aesthetic pretty damn well.  Hurts simply epitomise 'suave'.  They are never seen sans their trademark, impeccably tailored suits, and never, ever allow a hair to fall out of place.  Following a Frank Sinatra-esque tradition of old glamour, Hurts appear cool and collected at all times, and throw beautiful white roses off the stage at their concerts.  Individuality?  I certainly think so.

a photo my boyfriend took at the gig.

as you can see, they're both quite attractive and certainly manage to pull it off.. ;D

Also, here's a link to a video that we took of the encore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7beLeO6I6YA&feature=player_embedded#

"There's a storm on the streets, but you still don't run

Watching and waiting for the rain to come.

And these words wouldn't keep you dry

Or wipe tears from an open sky,

But I know, but I know, but I know I'm right.."

-from 'Silver Lining' by Hurts.

TIMELESSNESS; a key element to fashion featuring HRH QUEEN ELIZABETH.

The term 'timeless' when it comes to fashion, needs no further explanation.  Some looks simply never lose their sheen, and never go out of fashion.  They can be referred to for all occasions, in all seasons, and by all ages.  When it comes to class and timelessness, it cannot be argued but that the HRH Queen Elizabeth embodies both these qualities to the very core.  A rather unlikely source of fashion inspiration, you might say, the Queen is a style go-to for all women whether they are aware of this or not.  With her effortless elegance and grace, HRH was the obvious choice for me when I decided to write a post about timeless style.

Our generation seems to me to be the breeding ground for all things crude and unnecessarily flamboyant.  Call me a prude, but I certainly find it impossible to take example from the likes of Lindsay Lohan's flashing, Britney Spears' head shaving and Jordan's flaunting of the largest and most grotesque faux assets of all time.  We've seen extreme drug abuse, alcohol addiction, strange piercings, wacky tattoos and just downright ludicrous behaviour being displayed left, right and centre in our society.

On the other hand, there are (thankfully) classy, elegant and iconic women also in existence in our modern day.  The Queen, in my view, is like the centre piece in all of this.  Since she was crowned age 25, the Queen's general style has essentially remained unchanged with her smart, two-piece suits, carefully coiffed hair and two-inch heels with matching handbags.  We saw the rush to purchase all things Barbour following the release of "The Queen" starring Helen Mirren, and we often see classy celebrities such as Victoria Beckham donning monarch-inspired ensembles.  Women everywhere must be praying that the can age with such grace as Queen Elizabeth- I know I am!

In my opinion, the Queen is and forever will be an icon of style to women all over the globe.  She represents dignity and opulence with her impeccable fashion sense and for this, she deserves to be recognised.

Though it may seem quite morbid, the Queen looked amazing all in black for Diana's funeral.

"She is a fashion icon.  Over the years she has worn some beautiful clothes." 

-Twiggy.

LOOKBOOK.nu; Inspiration.

I really seem to have been neglecting the fashion side of this blog in recent days, thus I am here to rectify the issue!

I have a French lecture in an hour, so I'm just going to post some Lookbook inspiration for the moment.  There is some truly amazing stuff out there, and I find myself consulting the website more and more in the mornings before I get dressed.  After a rather unsuccessful stint on the site myself, it amazes me how people return again and again with each photo as inspirational as the last; that's dedication.  Here are a few favourites of the moment;

'Singing the London Hymn'- Jamie C.

'Sens de fleurs et de miel et de l'amour'- Mike Veronica S.

'The Age of Vintage'- Melanie W.

I can't deny the fact that I go through phases all the time.  At the moment, I like collars, and long skirts (though I have yet to own one) and buns.  I'm also still very much in my camel phase.  Big rings are on the up, as I leave behind my love for flats and fully embrace loafers.

Well, this is all I have time for unfortunately, I need to leave my apartment in 15 minutes, and I still haven't done my hair or makeup- disaster! x