I've loved & Other Stories for years now but I've largely had to admire it from afar. The older, cooler sister of H&M and hipper, younger sister of COS, it's a brand that appeals to fashion girls the world over. Its clothes are cool and trendy but not so of the moment that they fall out of fashion immediately. It is home to an awesome (cruelty-free) beauty section that is ever-expanding and offers candles, fragrances, bodycare products and beautiful mid-range makeup. And it does designer collaborations better than most of its peers, choosing to work with cool and edgy brands and stars like Rodarte and Lykke Li.
Up until now, however, I've really only ever been able to enjoy the store on mad-dash visits to the Oxford Street brand between shows at London Fashion Week: always hasty, panicked and at peak times where there is an overwhelmingly large crowd.
This will, happily, no longer be the case. As of Friday at 12pm this week, the first Irish branch of the store opened on Grafton Street and I couldn't be more excited. The street needed fresh blood anyway but you couldn't really ask for much fresher blood than this! The press pre-launch was held the night before and the presence of such a wide spectrum of the Irish fashion crowd would suggest that I am, by no means, the only one who was psyched. It's always interesting to be at such an event where you see pretty much everyone in the industry here gathered in one place - were there time, it'd be the perfect place for people-watching as the range of style was truly fascinating! But it also goes to show how universally loved and acknowledged the brand is.
Fun as the launch was, however, (there was big tubs of Moet on offer - you know it's a ritzy event when real Champagne is cracked out) I can't wait to go back on a quieter day. It was so packed that I could barely get around. I can say, from the scan I did that night, that it is the place to go for beauty, elegant outerwear, party shoes, truly gorgeous bags and timeless knitwear - these are the areas where the stock selection for the Dublin branch are definitely the strongest.
If you're shopping for friends or family this Christmas that are cool girls (or aspire to be cool girls), I recommend hitting them up!
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I imagine lots of people are, by now, already disappointed. Compared to others years of H&M collaborations, this was, by far, the most chaotic that I've ever seen and stuff is selling out fast.
At the pre-launch party last night, I waited in line for an hour and a rather well-known Irish television personality stood behind me for the same length of time. No exceptions were being made to skip, no matter how pretty the face or convincing the sob story. As we neared the top of the queue we were regretfully informed that everything in the womenswear collection had already sold out and wouldn't be restocked until the morning. We could return then to line up again but no guarantees could be offered then either.
Cue the bonding moment when you're so outraged (mostly with ourselves for lining up to give people our money), that you suddenly have ferocious conversations with the strangers around you, all nodding in agreement at how outraged you are and, for one moment, utterly on the same page.
After so long in a queue - something I never do for anything, mind you - I decided to persevere and head inside, even just for a look. Wonderfully, however, the menswear collection still had a sizeable amount of stock (by comparison) which suited me as they were slightly more restrained and really more my cup of tea.
The bustling chaos inside wasn't any better than out and the crowds meant that decent blog photos weren't going to happen and I quickly became far too warm. I grabbed a long-sleeved black tee and a pair of sweat pants and paid for said purchases before promptly leaving.
When I stepped back out into the cool air outside and the adrenaline dissipated, I suddenly questioned everything I'd just done. I was once a devoted Balmain fan but, in the ten years since then, my style has changed considerably. I don't really do body-con or sequins anymore. And, originally, when I heard of the collection, I wasn't particularly interested. This was a sharp contrast to last year's Alexander Wang (to whom I remain utterly devoted, even all these years later) collection, for which I went insane and spent the whole pre-launch party running around the shelves like an utter lunatic.
Then more images of the clothes came out. The hype built. And, I'll admit, I fell for it. I also wanted to cover it for the blog. To be "relevant".
I walked down the street with my purchases, which I had spent rather a lot of money on for what they were and which I had lined up for an hour to buy, and I wondered if I even wanted them. When I'm trying to be better about ethical shopping and waste, had I just gotten so caught up in the madness that I had forgotten myself entirely?
I considered this as I walked home and the second I arrived at the flat, I threw off my clothes and tried the new pieces on. The tee is an overly-long men's large and, therefore, fits like a dress. The thin, soft fabric fell gently against my skin, skimming over my body but giving me room to breathe, just the way I like it. It looked great, was something I instantaneously knew I'd wear to death. I let loose a breath, not a waste so far. In fact, I was rather enamoured.
The pants are, surprisingly, 100% wool. This made me consider them with a slightly different eye. Close inspection proved them to be rather well-made and throwing them on with a white tee and navy blazer was a super-easy way of getting the effortless, somewhat masculine, French cool girl look.
I relaxed again. Both pieces were utterly me and things I know I'll wear until they fall apart as I did with the Isabel Marant collection and am continuing to do with the Alexander Wang collection.
I still feel a little like I let myself be brainwashed and I'm not proud of that. And I can imagine that were the line shorter or I further ahead, and the full range before me, that the same chaotic environment might have encouraged me to spend more money on things I wasn't completely sold on. My saving grace, really, was circumstance that meant my limited options happened to be the simpler pieces others were overlooking but which were far more "me" than the flashy, super-eighties pieces.
So, what do I take away from all this? It basically underlines and emphasises what I've been realising lately, that blogging can open you up to becoming a slave to what's trending and what people want to read about, rather than what you're passionate about. And, the thing is, I started all this because of passion. That passion is what first drew people here and I can't forget it or lose myself.
I think that there are few things as lovely a surprise and wonderfully decadent as beauty or grooming products as gifts. Especially when they are things you would never justify buying for yourself. High-end cosmetics and skincare are a nice gift idea for people already obsessed or even those not yet converted. Particularly skincare, taking care of your skin is important for everyone and the sooner you get started, the better. Christmas also means cute gift sets and special edition products.
Here's the stuff I picked out after a lengthy trawl all over the internet.
There's a mixture of types of products here. I didn't want to go down the route of "for him" or "for her", "for dad" or "for mam", etc. I personally think there's something a wee bit...condescending about that? Like, I don't know what your mother would like, if your sister wears makeup or if your brother likes to smell like fancy bath products. Obviously there is some traditional gendering present or insinuated but I didn't want to impose it on others. So, instead, I present things I thought were cool to do with as you please (or don't). The only thing I would say is that when it comes to skincare, men and women do have different needs and would suggest buying the prescribed sets for the indicated genders...even if your male friends are well jealous of your Eve Lom moisturiser.
Makeup suggestions come from a range of brands and price points. The Topshop Smokey Eye Kit has since sold out online but is available in stores at £22.00 and is not only sweet because it comes with an eye palette, mascara and kohl but also is sold in a box which makes it perfect to give as is or easier to wrap. The Nars lip pencils are not only dreamy colours but pretty damn good value at £32.00 for five high end lip products. And, while the Charlotte Tilbury palette may seem pricey at €50.00, it's the ultimate luxury palette in screen siren shades and uber-gorgeous packaging. More wallet-friendly options under twenty quid are the Etude House lipsticks, The Balm face palette and the super-sweet novelty lip glosses from Urban Outfitters in the shape of a mince pie and gingerbread man. Another inexpensive idea is the eye makeup keyring from H&M which makes for a really cool stocking filler and the nail polish cracker set from Urban Outfitters which I'd like as a pleasant change from ones with crappy plastic toys inside. My last pick here is the exceptionally gorgeous brush set from Bobbi Brown which is less affordable, more drool-worthy.
I've chosen two makeup bags/wash bags which really could be unisex - more so in the case of the Herschel wash bag and less so in the case of the ASOS makeup bag. I think both are simple but cute enough to also work for a range of different people and age groups in your life.
The remaining items are all grooming or skincare. The Eve Lom kit is a stunner, packed with awesome skincare, while the Clinique Good Skin for men is less aesthetically pleasing but equally effective. Speaking of stunning, the Baylis and Harding set is a steal with an amazing weekend bag and five products for under forty euro! This a seriously good deal and won't go remiss in anyone's life - whether it be a slightly out-of-touch dad in need of a little chic in his life or a boyfriend looking to make his wardrobe a little more grown up...or a Colette in love with the bag. The L'Occitane Shaving Tradition set is less good value but equally chic and adult - a serious touch of luxury for a dude in your life. More luxury is present in the form of the Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille bath set. It's one of my favourite scents for good reason and this set is pure decadence. Lastly, RJR John Rocha at Debenhams are offering these lovely little manicure sets and making the mundane seem wantable.
So, see anything you want...I mean any good ideas for gifts...heh...heh.
I've played personal shopper to many a family member and friend over the years. If people want to know where to buy a particular kind of garment they tend to ask me. I'm known to pick up ridiculous bargains - how many people can say they bought a pair of Stella McCartney heels for less than the retail price of most Primark heels?
See, shopping is kinda my thing. If it were a sport, I'd surely be representing Ireland.
And, charitable and kind soul that I am, I thought I'd share my skills with all y'all and help any dudes/people wanting to shop in the menswear sections (I know I do often enough) out there who might be looking to find the perfect coat on the high street. I've broken this down into categories and, if I'm honest, I think any well-dressed individual would be remiss in having a wardrobe without a least one of each of the following sorts of coats. But if you're only in the market for one of them, you're in luck too.
The Leather Jacket
Timeless, endlessly wearable and, if chosen correctly, durable. The right leather jacket can last a lifetime. But, if you're not yet ready to invest, a cheaper faux version can get you by (or if you're opposed to the wearing of leather). If you have the patience and time I would actually recommend trawling charity shops, thrift stores or vintage shops for this item. More often than not, you'll get a better quality, more inexpensive version than you will on the highstreet. For those short on time or energy, this is a less feasible option so feast your eyes on the beauties I've dug up below.
(From Left to Right: Zara, €89.95, H&M, €79.99, Zara, €49.95, H&M, €199, Zara, €49.95)
The Dressy Coat
Sure, you can't wear it with every outfit but clean lines underneath will immediately seem dapper. Hell, even sweatpants are a go if you want to do dressed-up sport luxe. Think of it as women do nice lingerie, the thing to make you feel damn good even on a crappy day. Plus, you can't really throw a parka on over a suit.
You might not be able to just throw that parka over a suit but you still need it, or something similar. Something just a stylish but a little less sleek and a little more practical. This is the coat you get the most mileage out of, the one to keep you warm and dry - it's one to think on a little.
A classic trench is exactly like a leather jacket, timeless. There is a sad shortage of the traditional variety in camel or beige in stores at the moment but the options below are pretty damn good all the same. This is one purchase you won't regret as long as you ensure a great fit with room for layers beneath. I've an awesome trench but you can't get a thick jumper underneath which renders it infinitely disappointing.
These picks are coats that are a little different, a little fresher, with a bit more flare or adventure. We're talking a-symmetry, vintage appeal, decadent fur trims, interesting silhouettes and material choices. Less wardrobe classics or basics and more something to try if you're feeling brave.
(Please note that all items were available going to press and this may not be the case if you try to purchase afterwards. Furthermore, all Topman prices are converted from pounds as this is the only price given online, the instore conversion may differ somewhat.)
So, if you didn't already know, the Alexander Wang x H&M collab is probably the highstreet/designer collaboration I've been most excited for ever. Being able to access the work of one of my favourite designers and work produced specifically for the collection rather than more cheaply produced dupes of archive pieces is amazing. EMPHASIS. EXCITEMENT.
Images of the individual pieces from the collection are now available so I was finally able to comprise my shopping list. To be honest, I probably won't purchase all of these but I'm certainly aiming for the grey sweater, shorts and long sleeve black tee.
