AW17 Hair Trends with Viviscal

I've raved about Viviscal a lot in the past. Like, A LOT. I credit it for my naturally fine and thin hair suddenly being labelled as thicc by hairdressers as of a couple years ago. Shortly after this blog became a fashion and beauty blog, Viviscal was one of the first beauty brands I started working with. I began a round of their supplements and (now discontinued) serum and my hair was changed forever.

Viviscal quickly became my favourite haircare brand and I work with them frequently. Recently, I came away from an event with more supplements and they went into my samples pile for later perusal. When a good friend told me that she was having trouble with her hair due to stress caused by a very bad work situation, I immediately offered the supplements to her and she, too, came to swear by the brand. And, so, when I was told I could bring a plus one to their latest event, I instantly asked Kim along. It was a fashion showcase of hairstyles taken from AW17 runway shows and one of the best organised and most elegant events that I've been to in a while. 

We arrived at the beautiful event space upstairs in the Cliff Town House, which was flooded with late evening light streaming through the big Georgian windows and grabbed some very pretty pink gin concoctions. Arriving with someone was a nice change for me as I don't mind flying solo at events (I often do or only pop in and out to fit them into my schedule) but can sometimes spend the whole thing watching the door and waiting for someone I know to arrive, while I stand in a corner, stuffing my face. This time I had a partner in stuffing my face!

Then came the actual show, done by the team at Brown Sugar and lead by their founder, Mark O'Keeffe. It featured looks from the AW17 shows of the likes of Chanel, Balmain, Paul & Joe, Jeremy Scott, Versace, Balenciaga and Prada. All of the looks themselves were actually fairly simplistic. However, the health and shine of the hair, however, were more important and the key to their success. There could be no better brand to present them, therefore, than Viviscal.

One of my personal favourites was the Regal Pony, as had been showcased at JW Anderson and Alexander McQueen. A long, sleek and exceptionally equestrian pony that must be neatly slicked back, the Viviscal Densifying Elixir proves to be an essential in its construction as it is perfect for taming fly-aways and smoothing the hair. Another look that caught my eye was a loose mid-length waves hairstyle, that reflected what was seen at Balenciaga, Prada and Céline, among others. Pretty but casual, it is a look that is all about an easy-breezy appeal that is anything but easy achieve for me but probably not so hard for others - heated tools and I don't hang out very often so I'm not very good with them. But, if you have been using or are going to use heat on your hair, Viviscal supplements and products are really useful for maintaining the strength and health of it. Natural hairstyles dominated runways and the best way to have naturally beautiful hair, is to take care of it. 

I often like products but I rarely swear by them, however, I readily swear by Viviscal. It really, really works and while trends come and go, healthy hair is always stylish. Check out the pictures below for AW17 hairstyle inspiration but check out Viviscal's range of products for better hair x

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Meeting the Designers Behind Cult Fashion Brand RIXO London At Brown Thomas

RIXO London is a young brand that has managed to already develop a fevered following and seems to have a knack for quickly capturing new fans with a single garment. So much so, in fact, that when Irish stylist Courtney Smith posted a photograph of herself wearing one of their dresses on Instagram it almost instantaneously sold out.

That was my personal introduction to the brand and I recall thinking that it was a beautiful dress but not something that suited tomboyish types like myself. I thought, "I sometimes wish I was that girl." But it turns out I was wrong. I am that girl, if I want to be, because RIXO have the everywoman in mind. They are all about creating cool, vintage-inspired clothes that flatter and work for all sorts of different women. Garments can be worn different ways and combined with other pieces in your wardrobe to make them very much your own; a wrap dress, for example, can be worn solo with daring slits, or open as a wafting robe, or over jeans for a cool layered look. RIXO's woman is not one single target demographic but, rather, all sorts of gals of different ages, shapes and lifestyles. While you will see the brand touted by the coolest It Girls of Instagram, they, alone, are not the only ones who can enjoy the brand.

RIXO was founded in 2015 by London College of Fashion alumni Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McClosky who, at the time, were buyers for ASOS. The two met while they were in college and quickly bonded over a shared love of vintage clothing. They found themselves spending most weekends together, trawling through vintage sales around the UK and unearthing gems. Others professed a love for their finds and they began reselling clothes online. When they found customers despairing that everything was a once-off and gone when it was gone, they got the idea to start their own vintage-inspired label.

Since its beginnings two years ago, the brand has seen a meteoric rise and is now stocked in Net-a-Porter and many boutiques around the world, including our very own Brown Thomas; which is where I got to see them discuss their label, its origins, rise and motivations, a couple of weeks ago. Irish-born McClosky, in particular, professed to have been touched to see her own clothes stocked in the Irish fashion powerhouse and informed us that they even made a limited print that is only available in BT.

A love of pattern is key to the brand and the two designers often create their own prints, reimagining their popular silhouettes - including the Moss Blouse, Camellia Dress & Orlagh Blouse - season after season by reproducing them in different prints. Another core value that they stressed is the use of high-quality fabrics and the wonderful construction of the clothes. While these are not actually vintage pieces, they are made to ape the quality of old: they are made to last. And though the price point is a good deal higher than your standard high street pieces, it is not unattainable, providing investment pieces that will never truly go out of style. The pair really do consider how women dress and shop and how to make pieces that will be true assets to a wardrobe.

It's hard to balance cool, sexy and timeless in a brand but, somehow, RIXO are doing it and doing it well. I'm pretty excited about their attitudes to design and consumption and the garments themselves and really can't wait to see what they do next. And it really seems that the sky's the limit with further forays into accessories already in the pipeline.

Thanks to Irish Tatler for the wonderful morning of lovely clothes and people x

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Brunch With Kilkenny And New Irish Design For AW17

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to brunch at Residence with Kilkenny to view their AW17 collections. As I love brunch and have fond childhood memories of Kilkenny, I was pretty excited. When I realised I was sitting with editors from some of my favourite Irish magazines and a blogger I had interacted with before but had never met IRL, I was even more excited. Our table was completed with one of the brand's buyers who explained all about their choices and ideas during the show, which was excellent, giving us a really insight into where Kilkenny is going.

Kilkenny is known for their occasionwear and has been a stalwart provider of outfits for stylish Irish women in a slightly older age bracket. Moving forward, they are aiming to keep these loyal, and discerning, customers happy, while also targeting a younger audience and more day-to-day needs. Two new casual brands Beaumont and 10 Feet (available in Galway and Swords only) have been introduced and while Kilkenny showed picks from Fossil and Guess, they reaffirmed their constant commitment to Irish design with pieces from the likes of Fee G and Caroline Kilkenny.

When it comes to the actual look that Kilkenny are all about this season, there's good news: it;s cute and cosy. Seventies florals and bold colours from hot pink to bottle green to maroon abounded and layering with stylish jackets, casually tossed scarves and light knits was key. For special events, there was a nice sprinkle of some structured, interesting alternatives to the standard dresses that were also shown, such as the maroon belted jumpsuit that everyone was swooning over. With pieces to appeal to all sorts of age groups, styles and lifestyles, there really is something for everyone now. Would I have liked some slightly bolder and more surprising aesthetic choices thrown in there? Sure. But, for now, Kilkenny is striding into the future in a way that I can totally get behind.

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Heathcliff as a band and Cathy as a fan: Alistair James AW17

Funnily enough, in spite of my fondness for Austen and period dramas, it was only in recent years that I finally interacted with any of the Bronte clan. Considering their moody and dark romance, it really is a wonder but I guess the taste was a little more Austen during my childhood and both have a tendency to be given rather dusty press that can put off younger readers.

Nevertheless, my introduction came with the release of Fukuraga's 2011 "Jane Eyre", starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. I remember insisting that my then boyfriend and his parents chose it among our options for something to watch one lazy evening and quickly became utterly absorbed and very bad company. However, it was "Wuthering Heights" that made me really fall in at the deep end.

I don't know why, really. Heathcliff is kind of everything I despise in a man and, yet... And, yet, in every adaptation and the original text he is utterly charismatic and I cannot help but be drawn to him and the gothic tale of passion, hatred, disaster, grief and pain that centres around his and Cathy's cursed love story.

So, during the brief moment I had to dash around the Designer Showrooms at LFW this season (only an hour), in my chaotic haze, my attention was immediately captured by a collection described as "'Wuthering Heights; if Heathcliff was a band and Cathy were an obsessive fan". I was sold immediately and the garments I was able to peruse there and then were right up my alley; gothy babydoll dresses, lots of black lace, elevated band tees. Upon nerding with one of the designers over the concept, I took a business card and some photographs as a reminder and went on my merry way.

I was feeling a lot of designers in the moment that day but that Bronte collection stuck in my head. So, I trawled through the photos and business cards and managed to find the name, weeks later, when the whirling around my brain refused to stop; Alistair James.

Alistair James is a two-man show; eponymously named after, and the brainchild of, Nicholas Alistair Walsh and David James Wise. The pair are a bit of dream team with Walsh being a womenswear designer who was worked with Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen and Wise a textiles designer who has worked at many labels, including Alexander McQueen.

Their AW17 collection takes inspiration from the Brontes, who lived a short distance from Walsh's home by the moors and was designed while staying there. Alistair James' girl this season is a "playful dreamer" and "lovesick consumed by her infatuation [sic]". With customised prints of abstract ladies frolicking in a winter garden and "Heathcliff" print, featuring lustful figures and lingering eyes, the collection is presented in tones of black, white, dusty blue and vibrant reds and pinks and includes a recurring silhouette inspired by Charlotte's "Thackerey" dress. Perhaps the most iconic element, however, are the Heathcliff slogan sweaters that are embroidered with phrases from the novel and give a nod to Heathcliff as a band.

Moody, sensual and cool, the collection is wearable and pretty with just enough theatricality and nods to the writers to keep fans of the works and fans of the aesthetic alike rather happy, indeed.

(Images courtesy of Alistair James)

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LFW AW17 - Day IV

On my last day of fashion week, my true love gave to me...nothing. I just went to a couple more shows.

Or, to be exact, I met a friend from home for coffee, visited the designer showrooms in search of new brands and overlooked gems, wandered around the International Fashion Showcase in Somerset House (Poland was my favourite, btw), took some street style photos, took in the dramatic gowns (and walks) of the Barrus show and then, finally, swung by a rather theatrical presentation by Filipino designer John Herrera.

Then it was off to the airport for Japanese food, a beer and a swift return to reality, punctuated by a lovely bus trip home once I returned to Irish soil that involved the bus being swarmed by around thirty of the drunkest university students I have ever laid eyes on, who set the journey back by fifty minutes. What a crash landing back into the less glamorous ins and outs of daily life, particularly unpleasant for having to return home a day early and before the Richard Malone presentation: devastation, thy name is Colette.

Roll on next season!

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LFW AW17 - Day III

I do apologise for the delay in the rest of these posts, on this day, I went to evening shows and they are always more like parties. As such, I was wiped when I got home and couldn't face writing the day up and the next day I flew home in the evening. It's been a bit hectic, to say the least.

Saturday and Sunday were my busiest days and by the time I got to the Sunday, my legs hurt and feet were blistered, typical fashion week fatigue. I know the serious fash pack are probably chauffeured and all that but I still can't imagine doing fashion month - I barely get through the week! Although, if anyone wants to pay me to do the month, I'd stifle my complaints somehow...

Day three began with me scooting in to the Felicities PR Press Lounge first thing to pick up an Olympus Pen to play around with. I was really excited to try it out and direly fell in love with the thing over the course of the day. Once I had signed the camera out, I had to rush on to my first show of the day, which was THEO VII STUDIO; a collection of neat tailoring, careful layering, a restrained neutral palette and unexpected pops of sunny yellows.

Next was the Haluminous presentation and I was totally into the creepy but romantic vibe that saw an acrobatic model perform under red lights in a circle of flowers, twisting unnaturally, as the rest of the troop came out and stumbled around her, before lining up on stage. The story that guided the presentation was of a kind of cult of young women who longed to abandon their human bodies in favour of the simplicity of becoming flowers. I was totally into the red and black colour scheme, dressed-up hoodie aesthetic and slick, edgy styling, as well as the theatrical presentation. And I was obsessed with the story and my desire to know if it was inspired by Booker Prize Winner Han Kang's The Vegetarian, I saw the designer, Ms Kim, very briefly and wanted to ask her about it and sate my curiosity but she quickly disappeared and I missed my chance...

Continuing my quick dash of the day, I pottered on to the Annderstand show that was all slick tailoring, sexy cocktail dresses and elegant trenches. Not quite a wardrobe for me or my life but smoky, edgy and cool. From there, I ran like a lunatic for public transport to get to Central Saint Martins for the Jamie Wei Huang show. I've loved the brand for several seasons now and I was delighted to finally be around for one of their shows. I was even gladder to be met with a cocktail and a "boobie" steamed bun from Bao (admittedly, the bun looking so like a boob actually threw me off) after all the running around. The distinct use of primary shades was present as per plus extra-long sleeves, sixties silhouettes and prints, turtle-necks and killer clunky-heeled boots.

Suddenly, after all the chaos, I had a six hour break so I met friends for a late lunch and another for cocktails before meeting yet another to bring to my final show of the day: Kristian Aadnevik. We sipped champagne, chatted and then took in all the dresses designed for lives much more Gossip Girl than ours would ever be.

And once we got home (it was a friend I was staying with) we sat around chatting before I fell into bed to do it all over again the next day.

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