Lennon Courtney Christmas Collection

Disgracefully, I'm only posting this now when I went to the show about two weeks ago...I know it's awfully delayed and I could make excuses and say I've been busy (which I have been) but, really, the main reason behind said delay is that I was being lazy. It's that simple really.

Anyhoo...a couple of weeks ago, the bestie and I went to see a presentation of the Lennon Courtney Christmas collection in the incredibly luxe St Stephen's Green Dunnes store. Sonya and Brendan were on hand, as the crowd sipped mulled wine, to talk us through the collection. Like their brand in general, it is made up of classic pieces that are luxurious and desirable but timeless and not overly trendy.

There is a big emphasis on pieces that can be worn in a vast multitude of ways and I really like this kind of thinking. I got to chat to Sonya recently about her thoughts on clothes and consumption and she's all about buying less and wearing it more, investing in the everyday and representing your own style all the time, rather than wasting huge sums on one-off dresses and spending the majority of our lives in work clothes we don't really like.

Tailoring is always key with Lennon Courtney and, as a result, the collection presented chic wide-legged pants, slick slim-fit trousers and a killer jumpsuit. Separates are also important and there were lots of luxe tees and cute tops that could be taken right from work into a night out. Similarly, multi-functionality and wearabilty featured across the collection from the bonded wine-toned ball gown that could have it's straps removed or be layer over tees and turtleneck sweaters to the black top with organza sleeves that could be a chic 3/4 length or rolled up to make puffy statement sleeves.

However, the absolute killer piece in the whole collection, for me, has to be the striped suede orange and blue heeled ankle boots that pay homage to the Ziggy Stardust era of David Bowie. These are truly some of the sexiest boots I've ever seen.

The collection is available online and in selected stores, though it may be sold out in some branches. Dunnes are really helpful when it comes to tracking down pieces, where possible, so, if it isn't in store, be sure to ask!

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Galway Fashion Trail | November 2016

This time last week, I was in the middle of my third Galway Fashion Trail and while I was tired, we had all learned, as a group, to pace ourselves and weren't the wrecks that were seen rambling around the city the same time last year.

It's always great to see the ITWBN and Galway Now Magazine gangs and to catch up with blogger friends that I don't get to see as much as I would like and, as Colm Quinn BMW were being kind enough to feed and chauffeur us around again that morning, we were given the perfect opportunity to do so. After grabbing something to eat, mingling and creeping on cars for a while, we were ushered out to a line of BMWs waiting to drive us into town. The fanfare of snapchatting (including some going as far as standing up through sunroofs to get a good shot), honking horns and laughter meant we got our fair share of funny looks as we made our way to our first stop. It was all a little silly and over the top but very fun! While in the car, we got to browse our first goodie bags of the day, which were sponsored by a whole host of generous retailers (Espresso44, Caprice Cafe, Standun of Spiddal, the Zipyard, Brid O'Driscoll, Crevation Design and Matt O'Flaherty).

We then arrived at our first stop of the day, Colette Latchford's on Eyre Street for a show of seriously elegant clothes in Colette's cosy and pretty store. The shop itself and the curation of clothes both reflect the owner, who is an all-round class act. Colette stocks some fantastic labels including Marc Cain, Marella and Gant and while much is aimed at a slightly older demographic, there are also things that I was majorly lusting after.

Next up was Greenes shoe store in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre who showcased a varied selection of their stock paired with accessories from The Hat Shop downstairs. After the show we went down to visit the Hat Shop for the first time, as they have always been involved but are too compact to house a show themselves. We somehow managed to fit all twenty bloggers who had been invited, plus a photographer, the shop's staff and people helping out on the trail, inside the store as we hunted down the perfect hat for each person for a photo-op. I wore a fluffy black beret for the shot but ended up buying a red felt beret that is made of a lovely thick felt and seriously high quality. I was rather pleased with it and only realised upon showing it to the others that my love for berets is, apparently, very common knowledge. As we left, we were generously gifted with a lovely piece each from Absolute jewellery.

After that we rounded the corner to the Galway fashion institution that is the Treasure Chest where Christmas was already in full swing with a Winter Wonderland above the floor where we were attending the fashion show. This time I did get a chance to pop upstairs and have a goo at the Christmas display and it's as damn magical as everyone had told me. The store, in general, though, is a little bit magical. There's something quite Old World and charming about the place and Mary, an utter powerhouse, lady and the owner of the store, only makes it all the more charming. She is incredibly warm, sweet and unwaveringly savvy, as is apparent from the fact that they are celebrating fifty years in business this year. The lady herself plied us with drinks and then wowed us with a show that is, admittedly, more aimed at an older demographic but actually rather cool and chic. At the end of the show they even snuck in a few pieces from young Irish designer (he hasn't even graduated yet) Colin Burke, which wowed and completely blew us away - there's a reason that he's already being lauded.

Upon saying goodbye to Mary, we scooted along to Willow, which is always one of my personal highlights and this time was no different. I love the décor and the cool-girl stock and the show was one of the most personally relatable of the whole day. Those multi-coloured stoles stole my heart, for reals! Everything they put out, in fact, was rather lust-worthy.

At this stage we were all fading so we went to Caprice Cafe for lunch. Once again, it was a place of incredible décor that was very Instagram-worthy. The food we had was lovely but it was all a bit chaotic, what with the large crowd of us, hectic charging station and our growing pile of goodie bags - I'm sure other patrons hated us! But I really want to go back on my next non-business visit to the city to properly try it out.

Full, happy and ready to go once more, we made our way to Rococo. I had never been in the store before but I was instantly impressed with the nice changing rooms (good mirrors and lighting - no idea why this isn't the norm, it should be), spacious layout, cute interiors bits and boho vibe. And, while boho is not my thing, there was still plenty in the store that appealed to me.

It was at this point to the day that the prosecco really started flowing and we made our way to Choice, where they "forced" two glasses on me. Once again, the stock of the store doesn't really cater to my boyish, punky, streetwear-inspired sense of style but it was one of the stores that garnered the most happy noises from the bloggers and customers and they clearly really get what the average Irish woman actually wants in her wardrobe.

We only had to pop across the road for the next show at Kilkenny, where they proved, once more, why they are one of the constant go-to destinations for Irish women looking for occasionwear and elegant, high-quality clothes.

Our final show of the day saw us all trek back towards Eyre Square to Harper on Eglington Road. Again, it was a new store to me and I was really pleasantly surprised by the extremely warm welcome we received. At this stage, we were all very tired but being handed sweets and prosecco as we walked in the door helped. The show itself then made it apparent that it is the destination to hit up in Galway if you are looking for dresses that wow. I'm talking red carpet worthy, Old Hollywood and Met Gala kinds of dresses and, best of all, in a range of sizes that such boutiques often aren't conscientious enough to stock.

We then finished out the day in The Front Door pub with some food and cocktails before I got the bus back to Dublin and collapsed upon finally, finally getting home.

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Photo Post - August 2016

August held some of the best and worst moments of the year, by far. I finally went on a much-needed summer holiday but the day we got home, we found our family dog seriously ill. Ultimately, within 24 hours she had to be put down and it saw the month end with a drastic fall from a serious high to a major low. The whole thing still doesn't feel real and it's hard to believe such a big part of my life, for over half of it, since I was eleven, is gone.

The month began slow and lazy, having just spent the weekend at home doing homey things. For the next week my life continued that pace and mostly involved attempting to cook Korean side-dishes (and failing); having a mildly messed up tummy (from a sudden change to eating a vegan diet 4-5 days a week? I'm not sure still); the arrival of my much-mentioned Vetements hoodie and transition into wearing it all the time; a quiet evening in a new pub with friends I don't get to see often enough; a chill meeting with Magpie Magazine and coming together of minds (I'm going to LFW for them!); a day brunching and being awed by Dun Laoghaire's great beauty in the sun; and drinks with my bestie.

Then it was time to hustle and the following week was more about getting my shit together. I wrote a piece about Maser's Repeal mural being painted over and making the repeal movement more visible through clothing; attended the Heatons AW16 press day; put together a lookbook; started applying for LFW shows in earnest; ran errands I'd been long putting-off and got slightly inappropriately angry at "W" (my current favourite - maybe all-time favourite - k-drama) being delayed a week for the Olympics; hung out with my parents; dealt with plumbing issues in the flat and welcomed a seriously awesome VIXX comeback.

The hustle level didn't drop the following week as I tried to get loose ends tied up in work ahead of the holiday; cooked for a pal; met Sarah for tea and introduced her to SNOW (a super-cute Korean version of Snapchat); and packed, bought new reading materials and got the flat ready for being empty.

Which is all why said holidays were majorly necessary. I hadn't had more than three days off in a row since Christmas and I needed time to recuperate, eat good food and spend quality time with the loved ones. We all hopped in the car and drove down to Spanish Point in Clare for the week and, while the weather was ominous the first day, were extraordinarily lucky in how beautiful it turned out to be. Nowhere else is quite like Ireland when it's sunny and, on the exceptionally rainy West Coast, we managed to get five days of beach weather.

Last year's holiday in Westport was basically an eating tour where my brother and I spent our time researching, planning, talking about food and then enjoying it. This year was less about the food (though good food was had) and more about the activities. Our first foggy night was spent in the cute pub in the hotel next to our house: discovering a delicious local cider, playing with Snapchat, actually getting into the trad sesh and giggling at Daddy getting tipsy with James. It's exactly the kind of evening my dad loves and considering how hard that man works, it's lovely to see him unwind. The following day we played tourist in nearby caves, marvelled at the majestic natural beauty of the Burren, sampled food in a farm shop, smelled scents in a perfumery and bought fudge.

When we woke up on Monday, it was like we were in a different country. The weather was exceptional and James and I explored the amazing rock formations just outside our house, by the beach, before I had my first surfing experience - the first of many that week. My stupidly dainty hands were destroyed, I didn't manage to stand up on the board and my whole body ached after but it was great fun. We all kind of caught the bug and went most days as we could walk down to the beach and rent gear within a few minutes. The day after we took a cruise out to the Aran Islands, went on a pony and trap, explored a shipwreck, went looking for seals, bought more fudge, saw the Cliffs of Moher, failed to spot puffins, walked down memory lane with Dad in Doolin (where he'd gone on a trip as a young man), had storytime in the car, found a castle and had dinner in the hotel with the sun setting over the ocean and blazing in the sky behind us. The rest of the week involved lots more beachside fun, playing around with a kayak Dad had bought for us, walking along the top of the Cliffs of Moher and fancy dinners out.

The final morning, we got up and finished packing and Dad brought my sister, mother and I to a spa nearby for deep-tissue massages and lunch. I was so relaxed I even managed to nap in the car on the way home - a highly unusual thing for me. It was that same day that we discovered how ill Belle had gotten. It's hard now not to blame ourselves for the fact that we were off having fun while she got sick, for not thinking more of it when our cousin said she wasn't drinking as much as usual when he was minding her. It's hard to imagine the house without her, to think of her buried alone in the ground. I haven't been home since the day we put her down and it doesn't feel entirely real to me as a result. I kind of dread experiencing how empty the house must be.

I won't lie, the crash in emotions has exhausted and devastated me but the only way I can cope in moments like these is to let my sad moments happen when they must but otherwise act okay until I actually am okay. If I keep moving forward, one day I'll pause and it won't be quite so hard. I've stuffed myself with k-drama to keep the bad thoughts at bay, I've talked it out with pals, spent time with the people I love and who always keep me going and attended press events as per.

The only positive that I can take away, and end on here, is that the people around me continually surprise me in the best possible ways. My friends are incredibly thoughtful and supportive. My brother and I are closer and united in grief. My sister, who I often feel doesn't like me very much, is actually someone who will hold me as I wail in times of sorrow. My parents are rocks and so full of love. My colleagues are considerate and understanding. This was a terrible thing but Belle lived a full and happy life and I will be okay.

Now I just need to keep telling myself all that....

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