Friday 21 April 2017

Galway Fashion Trail | Spring Summer Edit

Photo Credit: Jenny Duffy

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to get to attend Galway Fashion Trail as part of Galway Fashion Week. There is really no other city in the world quite like Galway this is just one of the many reasons why I think it is so important to have events where we can show our cities true potential. 

The morning began with a private breakfast with Galway Now Magazine in the Raw Penthouse Suite located on the 4th floor of the Radisson Blu. First of all the view from the penthouse is breathtaking. I don't think there was a blogger in the room who didn't capture a shot of the perfect views of Lough Atalia. The suite was also beautiful with its modern interiors and artisan twist.



Photo Credit: Ciara Walsh
Once all the bloggers and press had arrived, breakfast was served. The breakfast included delicious mango, passion fruit and ginger smoothies, strawberry and vanilla fool, greek yogurt served with Spring Berry compote and Athenry granola. As if this wasn't enough we were then served buttermilk pancakes with streaky bacon, stuffed portobello mushrooms and avocado with poached eggs. Everything was divine and we were truly spoiled. 


As we tucked into our breakfast the first fashion show of the day took of showcasing stunning outfits from the fabulous boutique Harper. Shoes to die for by Sheneil shoes, beautiful millinery by Brid O'Driscoll and Majella Lennon Dalton. The models were from Catwalk Modeling Agency, the makeup was by Aisling K Makeup and the model's hair was styled by Sarah Mason and her team. We were also fortunate enough to see pieces from some of the designers from the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards. Pieces were shown by Louise Porter and INNU.





We also got the opportunity to meet with a few local businesses based in Galway including Sheneil Shoes, Jewel Box and Optique Opticians. It was a great opportunity to meet the people behind the brand especially when you follow them religiously on social media.

Once the breakfast and the fashion show were over it was time to make our way into Galway's city center to start the fashion trail. We were kindly chauffeured into the city by Bradley Renault. I walk past Bradley showrooms everyday adoring not only the beautiful showrooms but also the wide choice of high-end cars they have on offer. From Audi's to Range Rover's you really are spoiled for choice not to mention The Galway Player's absolutely stunning Renault Megane. I have my eye on the classic white Range Rover which is usually parked outside. I believe that Victoria Beckham designed the interiors but don't quote me on that one.





First stop of the day is where the magic happened in none other than award winning stylist Sarah Mason Professional, We got to meet Sarah and she spoke to us about the inspiration behind the models looks. We then attended six fashion shows throughout the day including Swamp, Greenes Shoes, Colette Latchford, Brown Thomas, Choice and Willow. All shows were fantastic but my favorites had to be Brown Thomas and Willow. Their collections are to die for and are better suited for my age. 

We had a scrumptious lunch at Revive Cafe and again were completely spoiled. I have seen so much about this place all over social media and couldn't believe I had never been. No matter what you ask for they have you covered and the staff are so genuine and welcoming it is just such a lovely place to dine. 


Photo Credit: Ciara Walsh
We ended what was an absolutely fantastic day in the Front Door Pub. Only in Galway will you go from a Fashion Trail to a Gin Festival in a split of a second. We were treated to canapes and finger food and even taught how to make signature aromatic and elderflower Gin & Tonics and of course got to sample a few cheeky ones too. 

Thank you so much to Galway Now, The Radisson Blu, Bradley Renault, Revive Cafe, The Front Door and Into The West Blogger Network for having me along and to all the stores for holding such outstanding fashion shows. 

Until next time...

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie x 




  
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Saturday 12 November 2016

My Galway Fashion Trail Experience & Survival Guide


Last Saturday morning I arose as early as I possibly could to ensure that I was fully prepared for the day ahead. It was the morning we were all waiting for. The morning of Galway Fashion Trail. This was my fourth time to attend a Fashion Trail hosted and created by Golden Egg Productions  and Galway Now Magazine  in collaboration with Into The West Blogger Network. So as you can imagine I have really enjoyed each and every experience.


The morning began with a lavish Blogger's Breakfast in Colm Quinn BMW showrooms. Before we were chauffeured around the city ahead of the eight fashion shows that were to take place that day. Colm Quinn's BMW showrooms are absolutely stunning,which adds an even more luxurious experience. I couldn't help but take outfits photos in such a prestigious environment.


The eight fashion shows on the day took place in Colette Latchford, Greene's Shoes featuring Galway Hat Shop, Treasure Chest, Willow, Rococo, Choice, Kilkenny and Harper. All eight shows proved how much Galway's high street has to offer. Milliner's such as Majella Lennon, Brid O'Driscoll and Suzie Mahony also collaborated with exclusive boutiques on the day. We also got a glimpse of Colin Burke's high fashion collection which left us dreaming of sitting front row of Paris Fashion Week.


With a few moments to spare, we made our way to Caprice Cafe which has the most beautiful cream interiors which go oh so perfectly with my Instagram theme if I do say so myself. We were treated to lunch and their infamous organic coffee. If you haven't tried the mocha's here what are you waiting for? We finished the day with a 'Wrap Party' in the Front Door Pub in Galway, which is a very popular spot for locals and tourists a like.  


From start to finish the day was a huge success. #GalwayFashionTrail was trending number 1 on twitter from 11:30am which really proves the importance of having bloggers and press at an event if you are looking for high profile media attention. 

Now that I feel am an experienced Fashion Trail attendee I thought that I would put together a 'Survival Guide' for any newbie bloggers attending the event or for any guests attending the event for the very first time.

My Galway Fashion Trail Survival Guide 

1. Preparation is key
Fail to prepare... Prepare to fail. This quote does not only apply to exams but also very much to Galway Fashion Trail. Check the weather in advance, lay out your clothes out the night before. Pack your handbag the night before. Ensure that your phone and power banks are fully charged, believe me, you will need them. Anything that  you need to make your morning run smoother have ready to go. This can be something as simple has having your hair straighter plugged in so you don't have to go looking for plugs wasting time.  

2. Physical Comfort 
How you look and dress is always important, but also taking into consideration that comfort is key. You will be on those pins all day so how are you going to take in all the beautiful shows that you will be experiencing if all you are thinking about is how much your feet are killing you and how much you are looking forward to sitting down.

3. Location
If you are living in Galway make sure that you have your taxi booked the night before to avoid any delays. If you have to travel to Galway for the event make sure that you pick a hotel with easy access to both the location of the Bloggers Breakfast and the Wrap Party. This will not only save you time but also money as you wont have to spend as much on transport.

4. Snacks 
Throughout the day bloggers and press get treated to complimentary  breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. But it is a long day and you are on your feet so make sure to have a bottle of water in your bag to stay hydrated and a few snacks to keep your going until the next rest stop. 

I had such an amazing day at the Fashion Trail and believe that each and every event gets better and better. Thank you so much to Sinead and Saibh from Into The West Blogger Network, the team at Golden Egg Productions and Galway Now. Colm Quinn BMW Showrooms, Caprice Cafe, the Front Door Pub and all the boutiques that put on such incredible shows and for spoiling us with your beautiful gifts and generousity. 

Yours stylishly 

Kerrie x 









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Saturday 15 October 2016

New Beginnings

Image c/o Ali Gordon

Its been a very wet and autumnal morning. Its Saturday and its the first time I have sat down to write a blog post in what feels like forever. I started my day by drinking a smoothie cuddling on the sofa with Harper which I haven't been able to do in I don't know how long. Recently life has become very hectic. Continuous readers of my blog will have noticed it has been very quite on here for some time now. So I think it is about time we sit down and have a little chat. Filling you all in on this whirlwind I have endured. 

Looking back over this past year there has been many changes in my life some challenging and some so incredible rewarding I sometimes have to pinch  myself  to realize that this is real life. The real preparation started during summer time where my blog  sat on the back burning. Of course it wasn't completely neglected just the actual writing part and then September came and this is when my life got turned upside down in the best way possible. 

My blog Bella and Vogue is almost two years old now and I could never imagine my life without it. Even as I write this I have the biggest smile on my face. It brings me such happiness. In ways you will never know. The more I work on my blog and the more I put into it has given me the most amazing opportunities some I thought I would only dream about. Some are still top secret and others you will find out about over the next few weeks as I will be returning to full time blogging as we speak. 

Which brings me onto my next life update. The first week of September brought an other stepping stone into my life. I moved away from home to one of my favourite cities in Ireland. That is of course Galway. Growing up I could never imagine myself living there. I always thought it was too close to home and that it wouldn't feel like I had really left. But as I have gotten older I just couldn't get enough of the cities charm and at Christmas its magical. The people are so friendly here and I have settled in really well. 

I have wanted to move to Galway for probably over a year now but the timing was never just right until this year when an opportunity arose that I just couldn't say no to. As most of you know I am a qualified Beauty and Complementary Therapist and have been working in the industry since I was 21. I have worked in numerous places and feel that I have gained as much as experience as I can working in salons/spas and been my own boss but what I really want to do is grow my career in both blogging and business. So I decided to step back and think about my options. 

This is probably one of the hardest decisions I had to make but thankfully so far so good it has really worked in my favor and has opened so many more doors for me. I toyed with the idea of returning to college to gain a degree in business for some time but wondered if it was the right option for me. In the end I decided to just go for it. I had nothing to lose and if I decided down the road it wasn't for me I could always defer the year and move on. I thought it was better to take the chance now than regret it in the future. I did a lot of research and applied for a number of business courses in Galway but the one that stood out to me the most was a Bachelor of Business in Market and Sales. I was in the middle of a press event talking to Courtney Smith when I spotted the email landing into my inbox offering me the course. I had the cheesiest grin on my face for the entire event and this proved to me how much I really wanted the course. I am now over a month in and I couldn't be happier. 

Its hard to get my head around how much my life has changed in such a short space of time but I am so excited to bring you all on this journey with me. I am so grateful for all of your support and thank you for staying around! 

Until next time...

Yours stylishly

Kerrie x 
  
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Monday 29 August 2016

Ted Baker Autumn Winter Collection

Image c/o Ted Baker (Pinterest)

Summer time in Ireland is always a bit hit and miss but this year more than ever, even though we didn't get the worse weather it just seems to have flown by. Now that we are in the last few days of August our priorities have severely changed from planning holidays and outfits to focusing on appropriate work wear and college attire. I for one love Autumn. I love knitted jumpers, hot chocolate beside the fire and watching the X Factor curled up in a cozy blanket. But my favourite part of all is Autumn fashion. 

As I was browsing online looking at the latest trends I of course had to check out Ted Baker's A/W collection. I have always been a fan of Ted Baker and my love for the brand grows more over time. As I was browsing I stumbled across the Ted Baker Botanical Trail Collection  exclusive to John Lewis. I thought the collection was beautiful and I love how floral's were brought into this autumn collection. It has that perfect autumnal vibe that we all want in out A/W wardrobe but adding floral's in deep navy and oxblood makes it the perfect collection for people like me who aren't quite ready to let go of summer. I always like to take inspiration from latest collections while staying true to my own sense of style and this is another reason why I love Ted Baker they always have the perfect blush, creams, whites and grey's in luxury knitwear which work very well in the winter wardrobe. 

Here are just a few of my favourites from the collection: 


As you can see no matter what season it is blush and cream always have a way of making it into my wardrobe. What are your favourite wardrobe staples for autumn winter? 

Yours Stylishly

Kerrie x 

Shop this post 

 Ted BakerAfina Funnel Wrap Neck Coat By House Of Fraser
Ted Baker Babri Tie Neck Top By Harrods
Ted Baker Karn Thistle Print Jumper By John Lewis
Ted Baker Alexxa Bow Detail Medium Tote Similar By Ted Baker
Ted Baker Leysas Boucle A-Line Skirt By House Of Fraser
Ted Baker Sorelit Tailored Trousers Similar By Ted Baker   


     
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Wednesday 24 August 2016

#KindBloggerBoss Breakfast With Cocoa Brown


On Thursday morning I along with some of Ireland's leading bloggers attended the #KindBloggerBoss Breakfast with Cocoa Brown in Penney's headquarters in Dublin city center. The breakfast was to celebrate the launch of the newest products of the Cocoa Brown beauty line - Cocoa Brown Kind Shampoo & Conditioner .  As with all new Cocoa Brown products there is always a lot of excitement before the big reveal and this time it was no different.




From reading my blog you will already know that I have loved Cocoa Brown from day one and Marissa Carter has been the biggest inspiration for me. As those of you who work in the beauty industry will know that it is a very competitive industry and can be very tough at times but seeing people like Marissa Carter build such a high quality brand from the ground up is incredible and such motivation for me. She really is a girl boss and a kind one at that. Not forgetting her wonderful team Stephanie and Kate who were also at the event. These girls are so hard working and from speaking to them and following them on social media you can tell that they genuinely love the brand.


Throughout the breakfast we chatted about all things beauty, business and blogging related which I really enjoyed. I love meeting people working in the same industry as me who are so successful in what they do. It is such a breath of fresh air to meet people who are so passionate about their own careers, who are so positive and believe that anything is possible. We took loads of selfies and had lots of giggles before we sadly had to say goodbye to the beautiful interiors of Penney's headquarters. 


Make sure to keep an eye on my blog over the next few weeks as I will be sharing all of  my thoughts about the Cocoa Brown Kind Shampoo & Conditioner

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie x 




  

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Monday 22 August 2016

How To Style The Biker Jacket

Image c/o Pinterest

The 'Biker Jacket' has always been a classic for both men and women and for this autumn/winter the trend is just as popular. Although styles do change throughout the seasons the basics are always the same. When I was younger I never considered myself cool enough to own or wear a biker jacket. But what I have learnt that when buying into the latest trends it is still possible to hold on to your own sense of style. My instagram feed has been full of this look as of late which makes it really difficult to avoid this trend. The more I see it the more I love it and would consider this piece the perfect wardrobe staple for autumn/winter 2016.


The Biker Jacket 

The Biker Jacket itself can be the finishing touch to any outfit. Giving a simple outfit some edge, while also keeping the outfit classic with its structured tailoring and clean cut details. Channeling your inner Kate Moss or Kendal Jenner you will be ticking all of the most stylish boxes. 

The Pussy Bow


I for one love the pussy bow trend and was delighted when I saw that it was coming back with a bang this autumn/winter. It is sophisticated and feminine but can look super cool styled with a black biker jacket


Super Skinny Jeans 


I love a good pair of well fitted super skinny jeans styled with any outfit but especially this pair as they help to elongate your legs, styled with a pussy bow blouse and a black biker jacket it is the perfect outfit for a shopping trip, coffee or cocktails with friends or even for date night. 


The Perfect Shoes 

Whether you are a flats or heels kind of girl this outfit will go perfectly with both. For day time my favourite shoe of choice would have to be the Valentino Rockstud Ballerina Flats and for night time the infamous Gianvito Rossi Plexi Pumps. Both pairs of these shoes remain firmly on my wish list. 

Saint Laurent Monogram Shoulder Bag 

Another luxury item on my wish list is the Saint Laurent Monogram Shoulder Bag. It is such a classic and will go with almost any outfit. It is also perfect for both day and night. 

Sunglasses

What outfit is complete without a pair of sunglasses. Sunglasses have been a must have accessory for me as of late not only for the sunny weather but to be worn as a hair band to keep my hair out of my face. I love this look. The Celine Shadow Sunglasses are the perfect choice in my opinion as they go with a number or outfits and with the black and tortoise shell colouring they are perfect for bringing outfits together.  

Have you bought you 'Biker Jacket' yet? If so how are you styling it? 

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie x 

Shop This Post 

The Biker Jacket By Saint Laurent 
The Pussy Bow Blouse By Red Valentino
Super Skinny Jeans By Alexander Wang 
Valentino 'Rockstud' Ballerina #flats By Valentino
Gianvito Rossi Plexi Pumps By Gianvito Rossi
Saint Laurent Monogram Large Shoulder Bag By Saint Laurent
Celine Shadow Sunglasses By Celine 

All pieces listed in this post are available from Farfetch

*This post is in collaboration with Farfetch but all opinions are my own. 







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Friday 12 August 2016

Best Dressed Lady At Halo


Galway Race Week gets bigger every single year and this year was no exception. From twitterinstagramfacebook and of course snap chat (username: kerrieanneburke) I was constantly updated on all the action. Galway really does know how to hold a celebration. Unfortunately I was very busy with work that week but the one event that I was able to attend made up for all that I was missing. 

I was kindly invited as a VIP blogger to Halo which is a nightclub located in Galway's city center right in the middle of all of the excitement. The event I was invited to was called 'Dress To Impress'. It was the night of Ladies Day at the races so it really gave the day something a little extra. Our invitation stated that we were to arrive to the event at 9:30 but a bunch of the blogger girls and guys decided to meet up for cocktails and a catch up before the event began. 


We decided to meet in the Bite Club which is another cool venue just a few doors away from Halo so it was the perfect location. The Bite Club is really cool and has an American style diner vibe. We stayed there for a little while catching up and sipping on slushies before it was time for the main event.    

On arrival to Halo we were greeted by our hostess who then brought us to Halo's VIP Area. We were then served glasses of prosecco and treated like royalty for the entire night. The staff are always so friendly. The event kicked off with our blogger friend Laura Fox and special quest Roz Purcell judging the 'Best Dressed Lady'. Our excitement grew when Ruth from The Beauty Kemple got chosen as a deserving finalist. 

Yours Stylishly 

Kerrie x 

Shop this post 

Head Piece Similar ASOS
Coat Similar Farfetch
Dress By Boohoo
Sandals By River Island  

*This post is in collaboration with Halo and Into The West Blogger Network but all opinions are my own. 










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