Zoe Jordan X River Island

Last season I was checking out Zoe Jordan's AW15 collection at Somerset House with 160g Magazine and, though I couldn't head over this time around, a little bit of LFW came to me on Monday night. In the Grafton Street store, her collab with River Island was launched in Ireland and, within a couple hours, many pieces were sold out. Fear not, however, as more stock is on its way!

Why did it sell out so quickly? Well, it's got a lot to do with Zoe herself, who has a refreshingly honest and practical approach to designing. She put several of her key hero pieces (the "cold shoulder" jumpers and smoky prints) into this collection, making her famous staple items available to a wider audience, and doesn't discriminate between these pieces and those from her own collection, seeing them as complementing each other. In a more general sense, she also believes in creating trans-seasonal, timeless clothes that reward the buyer by lasting.

With cute party dresses, smart tailoring, tough outerwear, cosy knitwear and dressy tees, the collection will easily fit right into countless wardrobes. And the balance between simplicity, badassery and impeccable fit means that, as she will tell you, Zoe Jordan's girl isn't any one girl but all.

You can shop Zoe Jordan x River Island online and instore with prices beginning at €47.00.

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Wide-Eyed and Blind Summer 2014 Lookbook - Summer Whites.

Hey! So, I'm pretty excited for this - my first lookbook! Summer to me is all about being light and airy and what with my tendency to never trust myself with the responsibility of wearing white and Wimbledon everywhere...well, I decided to go with three all-white (almost) looks. It's a pretty striking thing to wear, ensuring you stand out from the crowd and makes you look much more polished. Plus, it shows off any summer glow you might have going on.

I styled three different girls or three different facets of my style depending on how rigid you are to one look or not. One is uber-girly and cute, one is boyish and one has a little more bite to it - tipping my hat to my punk roots and all! Not all of the clothes are still available in stores but I'll note where things are recent purchases.

Enough babbling already! I hope you like my first lookbook.

(Italics indicate recently  purchase items.)

Dress - Charlise, Sliders - Heavenly Feet, Headband - Present from my sister, bought in Spain.

Cardigan - Primark, Tank - Illustrated People, Topshop, Trousers - Deck by Decollage, Shoes - Topshop, Headband - Tiger, Sunglasses, River Island.

Shirt - Pimark, Jeans - Paul Smith, Sunglasses - Topshop, Shoes - Next.

Which look is your favourite? 

Oldschool Colette.

It's funny wearing clothes again that were once near surgically attached to you. This Clash tee is one from my proper punk days. It was originally black but has been worn and reworn, washed and rewashed to a grey. It's also a babydoll fit which I've never been a fan of but back in my day, girls had two choices in band tees: to be swamped in a guy's or to feel like you shrank your shirt in a girl's. Now that Primark and Topshop and every highstreet store have jumped on the band wagon (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?), this generation of young whipper-snappers doesn't have to face this horror. But, I digress, we're here to talk OOTD.

I think it's interesting to see how time changes us. I'm still that punk at heart, though perhaps less judgey and naive. And hopefully somewhat wiser. The Clash changed who I was - no joke. But so did time. And now I wear that tee again and cannot help but notice how differently I'm doing things. 16-year-old me would have worn this with tight pants or a teeny skirt, too many accessories and Docs or Cons (what other shoes exist, right?). It would have been very literal and without any nuance or subtlety. Everyone needed to see how punk I truly was.

Now, I wear River Island leggings and this sweater-vest for comfort. I'm slightly more covered but it allows for ease and movement. The Primark brogues are a less obvious choice and are chunky enough not to look out of place with the rest but to be more interesting and dress it up a little. The waist-belt gives some shape and definition but allows me the breathing-room my too-tight everything of my teen years never did. The sweater-vest is by Cheap Monday and it adds a sense of playfulness and cool - it's a little more punk than your standard one but a sweater-vest none the less. I've also done a Chanel and paired back the accessories bar an Aldo men's knuckleduster and my standard Topshop sunglasses.

We all grow up and sometimes it's scary, bizarre, tumultuous. But when we see the ways we've matured for the better, it makes the rest seem more bearable. I like that I look more put-together but less try-hard and that it all seems more interesting and multi-faceted.

How are you guys different to the teenage you? Style and otherwise?

Weekend wandering and outfits.

Home again this weekend - it's rare for me to go back so often but I've been needing the familial bonding. Yesterday we took in a nearby house and gardens (Duckett's Grove) and today we went to Dunmore East in Waterford and hit up the beach there as well as three others. It's been a weekend of wandering the countryside, eating and exploring places you're probably not meant to.

Today I was a wee bit of a hippy in a billowing Savida peasant blouse and crochet kimono-style jacket over black River Island leggings with brown Clark's gladiator sandals. Later, as the evening became cool, I swapped out the crochet for a more solid oversized black Savida cardigan. Yesterday, I wore a draped navy Primark blazer over my Isabel Marant x H&M top with white Paul Smith jeans and my Next skate shoes. Both days I had my trusty Topshop shades and vintage navy leather bag.

The funny thing is, I thought I was finally old and mature enough to wear white pants yesterday...I ended up climbing a grassy tower of a castle...obvs...and now they're covered in stains.

What is my life?