Fundamentals of Fashion

A new season is upon us and along come new styles and looks to incorporate in our wardrobes.

Interpreting the new trends each season can be challenging, even when you have had months to pore over your favourite looks.

But help is at hand at the inaugural Fashion Fundamentals on September 10th and 11th in Dundrum Town Centre.

Dundrum Town Centre will become an extravaganza of fashion and beauty delights, packed full of industry experts and beauty professionals with an organised programme of events that will appeal to fashion fans all over Ireland.

Expect daily style processions of models showcasing the new season’s looks; hair, makeup and fashion masterclasses and even fashion movie screenings and treasure hunts showcasing all the highlights from the staggering array of fashion and beauty brands (over 1,000) available throughout the centre.

What’s more, it’s all free of charge. Irish Tataler are featuring everything you need to know about the event, so get your copy now.

For more information about The Fundamentals of Fashion visit Dundrum.ie.

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Ultimate Girls Day Out

It’s here! The Ultimate Girls Day Out has arrived and we have been busy at the RDS setting up for the event.

Doors open at 10am and you can still buy tickets on the door.

Congratulations to everyone who won tickets with iVenus. If you’re coming down to the RDS we hope you have a great weekend. Don’t forget to let us know about your weekend in the iVenus forum.

Come and say “Hello” to us at the Harmonia stand – we can’t wait to see you all!

Venus x

The final countdown

The Ultimate Girls Day Out is only days away and the final preparations are being made to this definite date in the Irish fashion diary.

We are looking forward to meeting you all at the RDS. If you have your ticket then don’t forget to register for The Smart Girls Zone where there will be experts on hand to give practical advice on career, alongside beauty, hair and fashion tips. Register at the Ultimate Girls Day Out website

We can’t wait to see the amazing looks that will grace the catwalk, which this year sponsored by Tia Maria. Hosted by Lorraine Keane it is a chance to see some of the best fashion Ireland has to offer as well as looks by H&M, House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer, Harvey Nichols and Debenhams.

Diet Coke bringing their ever-popular pop-up stand and this year is the ‘Confashion’ booth, step inside and confess your fashion sins and in return, receive a complimentary limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Diet Coke.

There will also be free beauty treatments by the likes of Neutrogena who will be giving free hand massages over the three days.

So get your best shoes on (they could win you a gorgeous goodie bag in the Cinderella search) and head down to the RDS.

Tickets are still on sale at only €30 for two (including booking fee) and are on sale from Ticketmaster. (Promotional code Har001) Normal ticket price is €20 plus booking fee.

Check out ultimategirlsdayout.com for more information.

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Love at first sight?

How long does it take you to fall for someone? You would assume that women become smitten with a man before men, but new research has found that men fall for Miss Right on their first date with her while a woman need to go out with a guy at least six times before deciding if he’s the one.

The survey found that one in five men have fallen in love at first sight, half were smitten after one meeting and nearly three-quarters had lost their hearts within three dates.

The research, conducted for the release of Elizabeth Noble’s novel ‘The Way We Were’, also found that the average man falls in love just over three times compared to the average woman who says she has only been in love once.

However, while they may fall in love more easily, men also get their hearts broken more often with more men claiming to having loved someone who didn’t love them back.

But the researchers did find that men and women do agree on one thing; their first love was the one that took the longest to get over.

Do you agree with these findings? Let us know in the iVenus forum.

Venus x

Are you a star model?

There is only one week to go until the Ultimate Girls Day Out kicks off at the RDS and with ticket sales going through the roof it’s time to get your ticket.

At this years’ Ultimate Girls Day Out, Irish Tatler in association with 1st Option Model Agency, Davey & Davey salon and photographer Maciej Pestka, the search will be on for Ireland’s next star model.

A panel of industry experts, including a model agent and Irish designer will be casting their professional eye over those who audition.

Open to girl’s aged 16- 21, with a minimum height of 5ft 7.5”, it will be an opportunity aspiring models don’t want to pass up. Each auditonee will get 5 minutes of fame, to strut their stuff in front of Ireland’s fashion elite, Irish Tatler Editor Jessie Collins, Director of 1st Option Model Agency Trish Fallon, international model Angelica Salomoa and Irish Designer, Deborah Veale.

For further details and to register visit ultimategirlsdayout.com/modelsearch.

Tickets are only €20 (including booking fee) and are on sale from Ticketmaster .

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Fashion Faux Pas

Hands up if you’re a fan of Jersey Shore? It's a show that has split the iVenus ladies. Some of us admit that MTV’s show is one of our guilty pleasures, while some of us would rather watch paint dry. But, we all had to laugh when we heard some interesting news about the cast members and a certain fashion brand.

Rather than paying one of the stars of the show to wear their clothes, Abercrombie & Fitch have paid Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino and other members of the hit MTV show to stop wearing their clothes.

The brand released a statement saying “We are deeply concerned that Mr Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino and the producers of MTV's Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”

Some are saying that this is nothing more than a PR stunt, if it is it may not have been as effective as Abercrombie & Fitch hoped – the company shares closed down nearly nine percent after the announcement.

A representative for MTV, which airs the show, told CNN: "It's a clever PR stunt, and we'd love to work with them on other ways they can leverage 'Jersey Shore' to reach the largest youth audience on television."

Venus x



Photo: Left Eyed Photography / Shutterstock.com

Pretty in pink

There is something strange going on in celeb-land. We are seeing more and more celebrities look pretty in pink as candy-colour hair is sweeping Hollywood and the fashion world.

Katy Perry, Sienna Miller, Kate Bosworth and Dianna Agron have all gone for different variations of pink hair!

But, they are not the first to add a touch of pink. Nicki Minaj, who changes the colour of her regularly, went pink last year but even before that singer Pink and Kelly Osbourne added some rose tones to their hair way back in 2007.

Glee's Dianna Agron showed off her almost neon look this week while Sienna Miller dip-dyed some pink into her blonde locks. So who knows which celebrity will go pink next.

Do you think we’ll be seeing pink hair emerging from Ireland’s hair salons? Would you dare to dye your hair a rosy shade? Let us know in the iVenus forum.

Venus x

Return of the X

The X Factor is back this weekend with three new judges in the form of Tulisa Contostavlos, Kelly Rowland and Gary Barlow to sit alongside our very own judge Louis Walsh.

Of course we’re looking forward to seeing the contestants who always range from amazing to downright abysmal competing to make it through to the live shows. But we are also looking forward to seeing what Kelly and Tulisa have to offer in the fashion stakes.

Tulisa and Kelly have already displayed their competitive edge and want to be the one to win the competition as well as the end the series with the title of most stylish judge.

Rumour has it that X Factor producers were concerned about Tulisa’s image and have tried to get her to dress with more class and less highstreet since she was hired as a judge. Then there’s Kelly’s recent wardrobe malfunction during a performance in New Jersey where her risqué outfit exposed a bit more flesh than it was supposed to.

But with promises of clothes by the likes of Alexander McQueen, DKNY , Olivia Rubin and Versace we can’t see what else the ladies have in their wardrobe.

One thing is for sure, they have some very stylish shoes to fill thanks to the style wars betweenn Dannii and Cheryl (some are already claiming that Tulisa is morphing in to Cheryl Cole).

So you know where you’ll find us on a Saturday night until Christmas. We can’t wait! Are you looking forward to the new series? Have your say in the iVenus forum.

Venus x

Girl talk

We love a good gossip, especially on a Monday when there’s plenty to catch up on.

But we were surprised to find out that on average women spend five hours a day gossiping with friends. A survey by wine makers FirstCape revealed that whether at home or work, women gossip for about 298 minutes every day.

So what are we women talking about? Other people’s problems, relationships and children are the source of much of the chat. Other frequent topics include sex, shopping and soaps. Women spend on average 24 minutes a day discussing their weight and diets, while health worries and arguments with their partner are also high on the agenda.

Other topics women talk about include cosmetic surgery procedures they would like, what the mother-in-law has said, and which celebrities they fantasise about.

Most women prefer chatting to their friends, but they do talk to their partner, mother and their best friend about completely different things. Husbands get the brunt of work talk with daily updates about how their day has gone and who has annoyed them, whereas a woman is more likely to share some juicy gossip with their best friend.

What do you and your friends gossip about? Share your thoughts in the iVenus forum.

Venus x

Fashion’s night out

We have been reading about some of the exciting things happening in New York for the annual Fashion’s Night Out, so we were delighted when we heard that Brown Thomas Dublin has been selected by Vogue magazine as an official partner.

On September 8th Brown Thomas will join New York, Paris, London, Milan and Tokyo to celebrate fashion and beauty at its best, with lots of fun and entertainment. It will also mark the start of the Dublin Fashion Festival

The night sounds like one any fashionista should noy miss. Irish designers will be showcasing their latest collections, the Personal Shopping and Buying teams at Brown Thomas will be on hand to show guests how to wear the season’s key trends and hottest looks, make-up artists will be on hand to provide beauty makeovers, while former model and stylist Elika Gibbs will be giving her top tips and advice on how to de-clutter and re-jig your closet to radically transform your life.

You could even get “papped” as you stroll through the Luxury Hall along with the other glitterati and celebrity look-alikes who will be dropping by to join in the fun on the evening.

If that’s not enough, five lucky guests on the night will win the chance to ‘sleepover’ that night with a friend in one of five 5 star luxury hotels in the city.

For more information on Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out at Brown Thomas visit brownthomas.com

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Sole wars

You might not know it, but one of the biggest legal cases in fashion history has been in progress since the start of the year when Christian Louboutin filed a trademark claim against Yves Saint Laurent over the red-soled shoes included in its 2011 resort collection.

The Christian Louboutin red soles are so famous they inspired a song by Jennifer Lopez and made countless cameos on Sex and the City and have adorned the feet of some of the most famous women in the world including Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham.

The million-dollar suit for "trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin" was filed in April in New York claiming the shoes by Yves Saint Laurent would mislead consumers familiar with the Louboutin soles.

However, Judge Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York ruled on the 10th of August that the trademark that Christian Louboutin obtained in 2008 for their “lacquered red soles” is “overly broad” and won’t stop other brands from making their own versions.

He said in his ruling; "Because in the fashion industry colour serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin is unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough protection in the market to have secondary meaning.”

So could we soon see red soles in our local discount shoe stores? We doubt that this is the end of this as Harley Lewin, Christian Louboutin’s lawyer, told Agence France-Presse: “We are profoundly disappointed at the judge’s decision. We are currently evaluating all alternatives.”

We’ll be watching to see if this will open the doors to retailers copying the famous red soles, they could be on our highstreet sooner than we think!

Venus x

Fashion festival

Listen up, Fashionistas. We were delighted to hear that the Dublin Fashion Festival is back this September celebrating style in Ireland.

Sonya Lennon will host the event which the returns this September 8th to 11th. Over the course of the weekend there will be a host of exciting events at this year’s fashion HQ, in the old Waterstones building on Dawson Street.

There will be live fashion shows, styling workshops and intimate talks and interviews with top Irish fashion industry experts. Sonya Lennon will host a makeover master class, and give a sneak-peak insight into her own journey through fashion.

There will also be discounts in some of the best fashion stores in Dublin as well as in-store events in stores including Arnotts and Debenhams.



For more information about the Dublin Fashion Festival visit www.dff.ie

Venus x

Shopping fatigue

We all know that shopping can be an exhausting experience and the thought of the journey home weighed down with bags can be a bit much to handle.

But all that could change as Travelodge in the UK has struck a deal with the Arcadia Group and plans to open a hotel that will incorporate a branch of Topshop on the ground floor.

The new hotel will be on Princes Street in Edinburgh and it seems it will be there for some time to come as the hotel firm has signed a 35-year lease with Arcadia Group.

Guy Parsons from Travelodge explained, “situated over four floors above Edinburgh’s biggest Topshop store on Princes Street, we will be utilising space that was previously used for office and storage space. Given the lack of new development sites in central Edinburgh this really is one of the most prominent sites left in the city and we are delighted to have secured it.'”

We love the idea of getting up in the morning and being able to walk straight in to a shop. Could this be the first of many? Watch this space!

Venus x

The Guinness collection

2011 has been a year where fashion has become art as thousands flock to the Alexander McQueen exhibition, Savage Beauty in New York.

Now Daphne Guinness is to show her couture wardrobe as part of a new exhibition in the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

The exhibition will feature 100 garments and accessories from Daphne's personal collection, including designs from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, and Valentino.

Daphne's own designs will also be on display as part of the exhibition which she will also co-curate. The woman who designer Tom Ford called “one of – if not the – most stylish women living,” has inspired some of the world’s greatest couturiers from Karl Lagerfeld to Valentino.

Cheri Fein of the FIT said "While there have been many exhibitions devoted to great fashion designers, only a few have focused on individual women of style. Yet certain singular women play a crucial role in fashion. Known as fashion or style icons, they are a special type of fashion insider, one who not only inspires designers and brings their clothes to life, but actually creates a look that affects the way other people dress and/or think about dressing."

The Daphne Guinness exhibition at The Museum at FIT will open on September 16, 2011 and be on view through January 7, 2012.

For more information visit FIT NYC.

Venus x






Photo:lev radin / Shutterstock.com

3 weeks to go


Ultimate Girls Day Out host Lorraine Keane wearing a dress by Brendan McDermott and model Isabelle Traber (1st Options) wearing a hat by milliner Lucy Murphy and a dress by Ingenue

There are only three weeks to go until the The Ultimate Girls Day Out and we can’t wait!

In the afternoon sunshine the Irish media gathered in Stephen’s Green for the official launch where host Lorraine Keane and model Isabelle Traber were on hand to answer any questions about the three day extravaganza which comes to the RDS on August 26.

The heart of the show is the glamorous catwalk, this year sponsored by Tia Maria. Fashions from all over Ireland will be showcased with something to suit all ages, shapes and sizes. Tia Maria also have a cocktail lounge where there will be the Pink ‘Tia Breeze’ a range of cocktails from Disaronno, including Disaronno and Orange Juice and Disaronno on the Rocks, not to mention ice-cold Corona beer and Ginger Joe, Ginger Beer.

The beauty zone returns with Diet Coke bringing their ever-popular pop-up. New for this year is the Confashion booth, step inside and confess your fashion sins and in return, receive a complimentary limited edition Karl Lagerfeld Diet Coke.

The Smart Girls Zone, will have experts on hand to give practical advice on career, alongside beauty, hair and fashion tips. Workshops and interactive shows will be running throughout the day, each day. The Business Zone will have programmes devised by Harmonia CEO and RTE Dragon star Norah Casey, allowing aspiring entrepreneurs to learn from Ireland’s leading women in business.

New for this year is the Irish Tatler Star Model Search. A panel of top model agents and magazine editors will be casting their professional eye over those who audition. Open to girls aged 16+ and a minimum height of 5ft 7, it gives an opportunity to get 5 minutes of fame in front of the fashion industry’s decision makers. A contract with a leading model agency is up for grabs.

Do you have what it takes to be crowned the Ultimate Best Dressed Lady? A celebrity-judge will each day choose stylish ladies who embody the ethos of each of Harmonia’s magazines (Irish Tatler, Woman’s Way and U Magazine) fabulous prizes are on offer. The overall winner of the best dressed lady contest will win a hat by milliner Lucy Murphy and designer dress by Ingenue.

Our Cinderella search is back…every hour the owner of the most fabulous pair of heels will be rewarded with a gorgeous goodie bag.

Always dreamed of gracing the cover of a magazine like your Hollywood idol? Then the Cover Girl stand is priority stop for you. Become part of Irish Tatler, Woman’s Way or U Magazines cover pages and take home a unique memento from your day as an Ultimate girl.

And that’s not all… there will be spas, jewellery, perfume, handbags galore, makeovers, flash sales, lots of competitions and much much more…

Tickets are only €30 for two (including booking fee) and are on sale from Ticketmaster . (Promotional code Har001) Normal ticket price is €20 plus booking fee. Check out www.ultimategirlsdayout.com for more information.

Venus x