Sick Note

There's no pleasant way of saying 'I'm sick'. Any pretence I could otherwise affect has been shattered like a cheap diamond. Yep - I am officially gross. I look like stale vomit on the side of a toilet and I think, just possibly, I scared the ESB man this morning. It's telling that even my fabulous Japanese kimono could not distract from the dent in my head courtesy of the world's worst migrane. I'm putting my money on sinuses (how attractive...I'm sure you needed to know that), if only to distract myself from the possibility that I may have flu. Of course the timing is only peachy. After all, it's only Trinny and Susannah I have to interview on Wednesday. Yes, just dandy. Two of fashion's frankest females and I look like something the cat would not even condescend to drag in. Suffice to say, there won't be much blogging happening until I unblock the sound of a thousand jackhammers in my head. Sigh.

The Fashion Stakes

Hello chaps. One is going racing tomorrow and shall be absent for the duration of the weekend. It's amazing how a ticket worth a mere €20 makes one come over all posh. Anyhoo...word on the street is that Henry the Navigator is a sure bet. No pressure Henry but there's going to be more than a flutter riding on you tomorrow. Mamma needs new shoes!! Go Henry! Go!!

FAT: innit?

New Blogger on the Block alert...
Be sure to check out N.Ireland's most natty export - Gary Moore - whose blog FAT is just that (as in phat). OK - so I'm about as street as an argyle sock. My point is the boy's got creds. Studying fashion in London, he's put together some musings on style and music that will no doubt please the Shoreditch nu-mods and give us lesser dapper beings an edu-macation. Take note of the Gucci promotional vid and some fresh tunes from Duke Spirit and Crookers; then go down to The Bernard Shaw and share your knowledge with the pork-pie hat harem. It is your duty to spread the sartorial love.

Interview of the Week

This week the ravishing rockabilly rebel / model Cherry Dollface gives us the benefit of her style kudos. If you dig old school Hollywood glamour with an edge, be sure to check her out at CherryDollface.com.

1. What's your definition of style?
Something that you look at and think, "Wow, I wouldn't have thought of that but it totally works!" I think style has to do with class, grace, and individuality. It is easy to copy something from a magazine or a store display, but much harder to come up with your own unique "thing." I think that style should have no boundaries or rules. If it looks good to my eye, I will wear it, and wear it proud!

2. Who would you kill to (un)dress?
I think that Gwen Stefani has amazing personal style and I love her clothing line. I would love to undress her and steal all of your clothes!

3. What fashion faux pas is most unforgiving. Be ruthless?

Tevas and black socks. Seriously. Also, men in sandals. Mandals, if you will. I think that a man showing his feet is a major fashion DON'T and I cannot stand it!

4. What is your fashion weakness?
Shoes!! Haha. I have way too many (or not enough?). They pour out of my closet and line the walls of my entire room. I still have pairs that have never seen the daylight but I love them all equally.

5. How many models does it take to change a lightbulb?

Models don't change light bulbs. That's what we have "people" for. Haha... :)

Credits: photo - Andy Hartmark; bathing suit - baygirlboutique.com; super style - model's own!

Big Love

Just took a look at the I Blog stats today and just want to say thanks for making them so impressive! Thanks first to the Dubliners, New Yorkers, Londoners, Sjobergers (Swedes...we likey!) and Corkonians who make up the blogger's share of the readers. Big shout out to all you Parisians, Milanese, Singaporeans and everyone else who gets their fashion fix here. Another big air kiss to the bloggers whom I've been rolling with the past few months, especially Stylebubble, Beaut, Irish Blogs, Homebug, Fashion Filosofy, Dublin Street and Bluebirds are so Natural. You've all been pointing a very well manicured finger in the I Blog direction. Cheers my beauties! Outgoing traffic from the site is going to 212 Dressing Room, Dublin Streets and our favourite ateliers Indigo & Cloth. Keep up the visits. They're fabulous! Big love! xxx

Fashion Bloggers' Brunch

I've been seeing a lot of 'fashion bloggers' brunch' days held in various cities and have been pretty keen since to set one up in Dublin. The Lady Bloggers' Teaparty was a great example of one which was recently held in the Market Bar. I'd love the chance to network (i.e. drink Mimosas!) with other bloggers who have a penchant for anything style-oriented: fashion, beauty, design, interiors, a.n. other. If you'd be interested a monthly Saturday or Sunday pop wow in a venue to be determined - drop me a line at iblogfashion (at) gmail (dot) com. Could be fun!

Gonna Need a Bigger Bag

Damn y'all! (Sorry I always wanted to say that.) I can't keep up with all of these online sales. More to the point, I simply don't have the funds. I'm not even poor. I'm just poo. Can't even afford the goddamn 'r'. I can however pass on the good shopping karma to you my retail renegades. Use the force wisely and head over to Net-a-Porter for discounts of up to 40% on Matthew Williamson and Burberry Prorsum. Go on...do me proud!

Sale Alert

High street honeys dig out those credit cards (or remove them from the freezer if you are anything like me); there are some bitchin' online sales to be had! Oasis are offering 50% off on selected items with Wallis pulling out the trump card at 70%. I saw an adorable white pinstripe waistcoat for £10 and a lime green corsage dress for only £20. Well worth the spend. It's recession dressing after all. Totally allowed. That's what I tell my bank manager. He's the one who recommended the freezer treatment. Hmmm....

Plastic Choko

Mi piace tantisssimo il modo italiano ma anche il stile di street. Not too sure how fluid my language skills are these days but roughly translated I said something like 'I really like Italian fashion but also its street style.' If you want a look behind the Armani clones into something more interesting, you best check out Plastic Choko: Italy's lastest street style blog. No carabinieri 'fashion' police wearing white gloves while sipping espresso (although that would be a hoot!), just the coolest ragazzi on the block. We likey. We likey. Bacioni!! xxx

Billion Dollar Babes Competition

Billion Dollar Babes has teamed up with Horse Racing Ireland and The Curragh Racecourse to celebrate the Summer Racing Season. If you fancy winning Premier Admission for you and 3 friends with Champagne Lunch in the exclusive Bollinger Champagne Bar at Ladies Day on Saturday 28th June, Audi Pretty Polly Stakes Day at the Curragh then CLICK HERE. Also the first 25 babes to enter the competiton will receive pairs of regular admission tickets. It's a win-win situtation so ENTER NOW!

Chanel Shoe Boutique at BT

A new Chanel Boutique has opened in the Shoe Rooms at Brown Thomas? O.K. where was I when this happened? Honestly, I worry about my shoe radar sometimes. I am normally so attuned to the presence of any sort of designer footwear, let alone CHANEL! Why oh why does there have to be a recession NOW? Talk about bad timing. I suppose I could always just go in and browse, couldn't I?

Warning: If you agree, even silently, you are officially complicit in any crimes against my credit card. I ain't going down alone honey!

The Chanel Spring Summer 2008 collection is available to 'view' now on Level 1 of BT. Pictured: Sandals €530

Eye (Heart) Candy

I have a pain in my belly. My cousins came over from New York yesterday and bought me my favourite candy: Twizzlers and gourmet jelly beans. I have systematically managed to gourge through all the liquorice and half of the 41 flavours of those dextrose demons. I'm in a semi-hyperglycaemic fug but it's sooooo worth it. I can see why Jillian was inspired to make her Twizzler dress in the candy challenge on Project Runway. I however wouldn't stand a chance. That baby would be eaten in a New York minute. I can see Tim Gunne now holding his erudite chin in his forefinger and thumb exclaiming 'Oh Annmarie. What will we do with you?' He is such a fashion father. We love Tim....just not as much as Twizzlers.

The Eye Patch

It hasn't been the best beauty week for moi. Firstly I unwittingly jammed my hipbone against the door handle (the drawbacks of being tall) leaving a massive bruise. I then days later proceeded to almost gauge out my eye when hastily donning a fascinator headband. I was in a rush and paying absolutely no attention to what I was doing when suddenly I could no longer see. The pain was excruciating, the aftermath even worse. Now admittedly, my sight returned but the world's puffiest eye staring back at me was more than I was prepared to handle. Enter exhibit A: the eye patch. Aggie does look a damn sight better than me (excuse the pun) but I'm actually beginning to dig to the idea of bijoux eye accessories. Waddaya think?

The Loud3r the Better

The internet is a bit of a semantic minefield and far too much science for us fashion folk. Why spend time ruminating over whether to use speech marks when searching for 'fashion blogs' when Google will still wind up bringing you 537,000 in .25 seconds? Sometimes technology can be too efficient. I still like the idea of the human interface somewhere in the picture. It gives me hope that I won't be wearing moon boots and PVC anytime soon (such a bad look); which is why I've taken a bit of a shine to the LOUD3R fashion websites. These glamour geezers basically gather and publish the best content from blogs, news and editorial sites, including photos and videos for both male (DAPP3R) and female (GLITT3R) fashion. By ranking the content and pushing the most important stories to the top, you get all the best bits of an automated semantic engine with the benefit of human editors who know a thing or three about user behavior and community feedback. As you'll notice, I Blog Fashion is featured on both DAPP3R and GLITT3R which is clear indication of good taste. I insist you pay a timely visit!

Simply Sublime...here's hoping

Go me! I did it. I took the plunge and bought some self-tanner. It was a genuine breakthrough. No flashbacks, no heavy sweats, no panic attacks. A simple choice: L'Oreal Sublime and a straightfoward Superquinn transaction. Mind you, the selection was fairly basic comprising of gradual tanners like Dove and Johnsons (of which I've heard mixed reports), lots of L'Oreal, some Rimmel and a small section of those nasty inidvidual towlettes. The L'Oreal Sublime self-tanner seemed to have the least margin for error with a built in tint to avoid 'patchy' applications and some shimmer for a subtle glow. I was more impressed with the fact that for €14.99, it's suitable for both face and body; unlike other brands that make you buy two separate products (shady marketeering methinks). So far so L.A. I've yet to find a hint of orange or a nasty streak and very little of that dreaded 'biscuit' odour. Only two more days until I unveil my newly bronzed pins at the Taste of Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens. Here's hoping the weather keeps so I don't look like a plank freezing my butt off in my new above-the-knee wrap dress!

Summer Sale Alert!

Pay attention bargain hunters! If you're looking to upstage the host at your summer event of choice, get thee down to Indigo & Cloth. My favourite ateliers are getting svelte with their prices at 25% from 12 - 20 June. That means 1/4 off labels like Edun, Rodebejr and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair. Some of us lucky punters get a very generous 2-4-1 offer. If you think your name could be on that list, check your email now or ask Garrett nicely and tell him I Blog Fashion sent you!

H&M Summer Dresses

Picked up this beauty in Dundrum Town Centre's H&M last week. It's super slimming, a great colour and costs a mere €23.90. Think summer workwear and apres-6 cocktails all rolled into one garment...with banging clevage to boot. Did I mention it's comfortable as well? My camera phone does not do it any justice but take my word for it. Buy one now before they sell out!

Fake Bake = Instrument of Destruction

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I've got a fashion do or two this week and need to reveal some sun-kissed pins. The problem? Finding a fake tan that doesn't make you look like you've got some rare skin disorder. You see, I'm one of many gals who can't seem to get the gist of self-application and have now acquired an acute fear of approaching any sort of product that promises an 'even glow'. I don't buy it; not even if it is applied by someone else. Case in point: last summer by fabulous friend and super-stylist to the stars Claire came over to visit from L.A. The chick is bronzed like a goddess, a look courtesy of her failsafe Fake Bake. Keen to emulate her West Coast sheen, I bought a bottle in BT. We then went to dinner in Saba. Short on time, she told me she would apply my fake tan in the bathroom - something which would only take a min. While in the bathroom, she told me I may as well get my whole body sprayed - two birds, one stone jobby. Claire liberally applied what appeared to be a deep chocolate residue to my arms, legs, face and back while I maintained a simian-like drying stance in a fug of fumes. Suddenly the smoke alarm goes off. Then a man knocks on the door telling us to get out. I panic and try getting dressed. I then notice brown goo all over the toilet, the floor, the sink, the walls. Quickly we try cleaning the toilet and subtely exiting through the restaurant without being noticed. As I catch a glimpse of my reflection in one of the mirrors, I don't see Annmarie O'Connor but rather someone who has spent a week rolling around in the mud at Glastonbury. Needless to say, when I got home and showered I was a streaky mess. No amount of 'boo boo' reapplication would fix the situation. The visible scars on my psyche still smart each summer as I anticipate another fake tan theatre of pain. If anyone knows of a tanning product that does not require a degree in engineering, I am very welcome to suggestions.

Passport Blues

Finally. My US passport has expired! Why the yelp of joy you may ask? Take a look at the Cher wanabee to your right. Yep - that was me 10 years ago. Unlike the fabulously svelte chanteuse, I look like I ate the backing singers! It's amazing what a haircut and a diet will do for a girl. Needless to say, I am all but overjoyed that my new passport is in the offing and I won't be subjected to incredulous looks from airport officials each time I fly home. Cue: sigh of relief.

Jesus is My Homeboy

It's like race season. Around May-June each year several pint-sized members of my family experience some religious rite of passage. This year we have a hatrick of consecutive weekend communions. As I finish the final furlong this Sunday, I'm struck for the third time with the issue of what to wear. It's not like I can wear the same thing. We're family after all and there are several extenuating factors to bear in mind: formal church dress etiquette, protective covering for outside photographs, impressing relations you see about twice a year. That makes the order fashionably formal with a pious edge...and a side of weather-proofing. Tough brief. I'm thinking maybe I should just cast aside tradition and make a bold statement. Something tells me this slogan tee of mine may not translate too well with the congregation. I also don't think my niece would be too impressed. Ah yes: the unforgiving eye of the eight year old. They may be small but they're fierce!

The Irish Examiner

Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Irish Examiner on Saturday for my feature on Student Fashion Awards. You'll get the skinny on the latest design talent and a heads up on what names you could be wearing next year. Don't miss out!

Preppy Does It

School may be out but preppy is always in. Get your collegiate on at SOLO magazine for my tips on how to work the look for guys and girls. It's not all about Ralph Lauren polo shirts and topsiders you know. There's a way to keep it edgy without losing its clean appeal. Hope you like it.

CLICK HERE to keep it Solo in style....

Going Solo

It's finally here. Solo-magazine - the brainchild of my friend Karina Corbett - is now online. With one million singletons living in Ireland, Solo is a much-needed declaration of independence. Let's face it. We live in a culture which still secretly approves of pairs...and in some cases financially endorses them. Otherwise, Brown Thomas would set up 'lists' for not getting married and Cinderella would not have lost that glass slipper because she would've known how much the damned thing costs!! Hey, it's not like I'm eschewing coupledom, I'm just advocating pro-choice. Into every gal's life, some alone time must fall. And when it does, please don't try and set her up!!

Signed: Solo's new style editor and columnist. Moi. xx

Hat Boxes are Back!

OK kids. A bit of SATC trivia. Q:What was Carrie holding as a 'bag' in the initial 10 minutes of SATC: the Movie. Hint: she was wearing the white waistcoat and trousers with a pink striped shirt and black tie. A: A hat box!!

I am obsessed about this minor detail simply because I nearly lost my will to live when styling a SATC 'get the look' feature. Could I find one. No sirreee... It appears that Dunnes Stores must have heard my yeti like screams of pain; albeit a few week late. I happened upon this beauty last week and was apoplectic with delight. More to the point, it's only €12. Now I won't be carrying it as a bag (not just yet) but it does make a commodious jewellery box. Very necessary.

A/wear = New Best Friend

In the current clime of recession dressing, it's refreshing to find cost-effective style solutions that don't look like you've pillaged gran's wardrobe. Take this gorgeous oversized ethic ring from A/wear. At just €10, it's the perfect bit of 'outré' for any outfit. Love it. Love it!

IF

New magazine alert! IF is a new 80-page fashion and beauty bonus bundled quarterly with Ireland's Homes, Interiors & Living. It's super snazzy and on shelves now. Pick up your Summer issue now for tips on holiday dressing and loving your locks; especially Paul Stafford's 'Guinness Black' bespoke hair colour. Perfect for dark-haired dames like me who hate the matte finish of standard hair dyes. Enjoy!

R.I.P.

Such sad nws. Designer and fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent died yesteday at age 71 after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

A few famous words from the French icon:

"To be beautiful, all a woman needs is a black pullover and a black skirt and to be arm in arm with a man she loves."

How very true....

A Wear High Summer Collection

I love sneak previews. They make me feel a bit spesh! As I'm not the type however to keep things to myself, I thought I'd give you the skinny on A/wear's High Summer Collection. It's a ditzy, flirty, flouncy feminine feel. Think floral prints, ra ra skirts, big bows, cinch belts and layers of chiffon. I only went a bought myself a ruffle-sleeved mac and am loving it. Perfect for the 'Irish summer'. Check out the I Blog faves on the carousel below with prices and in store dates. Enjoy!

NCAD/ River Island Bursary Award

Apologies for the post hiatus. It's been a busy week in fashion. Not only are all of our budding student designers submitting their end-of-term assessments, but some of them are walking away with super stylish kudos to boot! Take Grace Mangan for example - winner of the NCAD / River Island Bursary. Not only was she given £3,000 and a 3-month intership in River Island but the media are loving her! And why not? Her winning design is divine. Inspired by the Children of Lir, this hand-threaded dress represents the physical mutilation from man to beast and the 900 year struggle endured by the mythical figures. It would make me want to be a swan anyday. Love love love it!!!!