A Dublin Flea Market you say...sounds a bit dodgy, however this promises to be the first of many and certainly with the success of many Temple Bar Markets there may be hope yet. It's scheduled to make its first appearance this weekend in the Dublin Food Coop building, Newmarket (just off Cork Street). It's all indoors and there are plans for musicians, food stalls, organic produce, vintage goods, art pieces, furniture etc. A worthy enough way to spend a Sunday afternoon for sure...







Also-and I'm quite excited about this-Billion Dollar Babes is coming to the RDS! The sale opens to the public on Friday 28 November
till Sunday 30 November. You will find
discounts of up to 70% and there are some real bargains to be had provided you arrive early. It's in the RDS Industries Halls and is open from 10am. For more information: billion dollar babes

Accessories

Some of my favourite recent finds from smaller shops around Dublin and Limerick..

Indian vintage silk scarf, from a selection at A Store is Born, Clarendon Row, Dublin
Dove earrings, 30e, from Circus at Powerscourt Town Centre
Pearls, from a selection at Crown Jewels, Castle Market Dublin

Check out lovehate for similar style jewellery




Dragonfly clip-on earrings about 150e, from The Foolish Fairy, Adare Co. Limerick
Pearls from a selection at Crown Jewels, Castle Market Dublin

PPQ

If I had the talent to design something that did not look like a scratchy potato sack, I could only hope that it would look like PPQ's latest designs...*sigh*

1. PPQ dress from asos, now 402.38e
2. PPQ skirt from asos, now 214.97e
3. PPQ cardigan from oli, 60 sterling
4. Marc Jacobs patent flats from net-a-porter, 260e
5. Siegerson Morrison flats from net-a-porter, 395e
6. Marni blue flats from net-a-porter, 304e

Catwalk photo from vogue

Hot Highstreet:November

1. Alexander McQueen Leather pants, 1,990e, net-a-porter


2. Warehouse Leather pants, 185e, warehouse

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs black beret with bow detail, 84e, net-a-porter and Brown Thomas Dublin


4. Warehouse black cloche with bow detail, 25e, warehouse

5. Anya Hindmarch box clutch, 343e, net-a-porter

6. Asos oval clutch, 34.45e, asos

7. Warehouse Janet Double Flat Strap Shoe, 105e, warehouse

8. Burberry Prorsum Ruched Platform Pumps, 500e, net-a-porter

Sewn in Earnest: The new "it" jean

To find the perfect pair of black jeans is becoming an increasingly difficult task quite simply because we are spoilt for choice. New jeans companies are flooding the market at the moment as all eyes turn to celebrities to show us the way forward.
I, myself, have been clinging to a pair of River Island black skinnies for the past couple of years. Although not necessarily the best quality, they certainly hug all the right places. Alas! The colour fade really is beginning to get a bit much now and while they await a little DIY dyeing I decided to seize the opportunity to pick up a pair whilst in Seattle.

Despite the buzz surrounding Earnest Sewn, they're still relatively under the radar-here in Ireland at least. The shop assistant in Barney's co-op didn't hesitate in telling me all about them, making me feel woefully under-informed.
Scott Morrisson, co-founder of Paper Denim & Cloth, founded Earnest Sewn and "The Earnest Co." in 2004 in attempt to create premium quality denim. The moniker quite literally refers to "products sewn in earnest", where the production of each pair of jeans is overseen by 3 people, whose names are printed on the inside.

Putting on a pair felt amazing-they blew any competing jeans in my changing room out of the water-the fit to these jeans is phenomenal. The material feels very soft for denim and is pleasant next to the skin with the just the right amount of stretch. The hype surrounding these jeans, at least, is justified. I left the store with my wallet significantly lighter ( The Harlan jeans came in at just under $200 incl. tax) but also with the elusive perfect pair of jeans in hand.

www.earnestsewn.com
Buy now from: www.net-a-porter.com

First Post!

Doors opened yesterday just after 9a.m. at h&m in Dundrum. Obviously the staff was anticipating a minor stampede caused by waiting shoppers (myself included). I came with a plan, having looked at the collection online for the past few weeks and, of course, it all went out the window the moment I hurried through the door. I bundled 10 pieces into my arms in a frenzied 10 minutes, including a shameful tug of war for the above dress (which I won!)

Sizing was, according to one of the assistants, a little on the small side. Mannequins which usually wear size 8(UK) were fitted with size 12-a collective sigh of relief all round I think. Not all the clothes displayed online were in the store and were instead split with the newly opened h&m next to the Gaiety.

So, the lowdown: how good are the clothes? Well in honesty they're pretty average. Previous designer collaborations have been a bit cheaper to the pocket and don't even get me started on the ridiculous sterling-euro conversion rate. I bought the black polka dot cardie and the navy shirt, as well as the popular white ruffle shirt as a gift. They were all priced between 40-60 euro.

The bold, often daring designs of Rei Kawakubo have been toned down somewhat for such a mainstream store and perhaps disappointingly so. The quality and cut of the clothes are good. The colours are what you would typically expect from Comme des Garcons collections. I have to say I found the amount of polka dots adorning most of the clothes a bit much. Many of the pieces were identical bar colour. Stand out pieces, for me, include the dropped-crotch pants and the disassembled blazers. Perhaps more of the unusual was needed to create something truly special. However the collection does what it says on the tin by introducing Comme des Garcons-lite to the masses.