When was the last time you wore a choker? Chances are you were about 10 years old and they were as cool as gel pens and candy cigarettes in the playground.
Chokers have undergone quite a makeover since then. Out with the cheap black plastic and in with velvet, colour, layers and embellishment.
Let’s skip over the bizarre trend of choker dresses and embrace chokers how they were meant to be worn-as jewellery and accessories.
Choker set, Bershka.Pic.Bershka.com
Although so far, I’ve only bought black chokers (which go with everything FYI), I’m loving all the colourful ones like the Bershka set above.
Wearing several chokers (if your neck is long enough!) or mixing them with dainty necklaces is the ultimate style statement.
Choker and necklace set. Pic: Bershka.com
Zara have some of the classiest chokers you’re ever likely to see. Also models with impossibly long necks…
Black chain choker. Pic: Zara.comStar choker set. Pic: Zara.com
I also really like bohemian chokers and pendant chokers. Etsy is the best place to find crystal chokers like this from ShopCrystalChild.
Crystal pendant choker. Pic: ShopCrystalChild Etsy.com
I also love the contrast in styles of this velvet and opal choker necklace from Alapopjewelry.
Pink Opal choker. Alapop jewelry. Pic: Etsy.com
If you want to customise your own choker, then hit up Choker Saint on Etsy.com.
Choker Saint chokers. Img: Etsy.com
For a punk vibe, try Nine Crow St’s heart chokers. I’m in love with this lilac one.
Lilac choker. Pic: Shopninecrows.com
I find the cord chokers are messy and difficult to wear and the chunky ones look a bit odd so I’m sticking to skinny lace styles. Most chokers are adjustable to prevent them being too lose or too tight.
However if you can perfect the bow style, go for it!
Pic: Pinterest,com
Pic: Pinterest.com
Pic: Pinterest.com
This black lace choker is one of a set of two from Penneys and is the best fuss-free accessory ever!
I’m definitely going to be buying some more chokers soon. Do you like the choker trend? Which styles would you go for? Leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks as always for reading and and don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Facebook page here.
It’s officially holiday season and although I’m not going anywhere just yet (my internship and part-time job are keeping me VERY busy) I thought I’d compile a holiday packing list.
We’ve all been there, you pack for holidays only to get there and find your new shoes aren’t cut out for walking around, your cut-off shorts are way too tight and that polyester mix dress is making you sweat buckets!
Here are a few fool-proof buys you won’t regret.
Pom-pom sandals are a cute holiday essential. These cute colorful ones from LaSula have a Mexican vibe.
Check out the LaSula Snapchat if you intend to buy, they always have discount codes and promotions! Plus they would also work for a night out- bringing heels on holiday is a waste of suitcase space.
Pom-pom sandals. Img: LaSula.co.uk
And for poolside, these Calvin Klein sliders from Asos are a luxury buy but look amazing.
Team them with any of these fab swimsuits and you’ll be set.
Slides:CK at Asos. Img: Asos.com
Bardot tops are pretty, bardot dresses are awesome! The hippy favourite has evolved into a dress and I’m dying to get my hands on one.
This shirt style denim dress from LaSula comes in two colours, which do you like best?
These cold-shoulder tops are all from Shein.com, all under €20, click images for individual prices.
Standard delivery to Ireland takes about two weeks. Shein usually has promotions and offers every week.
Lemon top €15.64. Pic: Shein.com
Picasso top €15.64 Pic:Shein.com
Tassel Blouse €11.96 Pic. Shein.com
Stripe top €12.88. Pic:Shein.com
Then you need some simple jewellery to go with everything.
This pearl choker from Shein.com and gold earrings from Missguided are cheap as chips and if you lose them on holiday it’s no big deal! NEVER bring the family jewels to Ibiza…
Pearl choker. Img: Shein.comEarrings. Img: Missguided.com
And a cute bag to put it all in! This holographic one is perfect.
Skinnydip backpack.Pic:Asos.com
All of these items can be purchased online so go forth and shop!
Where are you guys headed on holidays this year? Leave me a comment so I can live vicariously through your holiday! You can find the comment button below on the right, it’s the grey speech bubble.
Hope you’ve got some good ideas from the post and as always thanks for reading.
This evening I attended the 10th anniversary of Irish jewellery label Chupi.
Chupi Sweetman is one of Ireland’s most successful jewellery designers, known for her delicate pieces inspired by nature and the wild.
I love looking at the Chupi instagram account so I was dying to see the collection in real life!
The event was held upstairs in the Powerscourt centre and was decorated with gold balloons and bunting.
Chupi herself looked amazing in a flesh colour dress with white lace floral details, in the style of For Love and Lemons dresses. She also had a gorgeous gold hairpiece.
I went with a fellow jewellery fanatic Siobhan from Aquaruby so I was in good company. 🙂
We got a glass of wine first thing and browsed all the gorgeous jewellery on display.
Unfortunately, I’m still restricted by the student budget so I wasn’t buying but had a lot of fun looking. I wore a vintage shirt, black jeans and snakeskin boots to the event.
These are some of my favourite pieces from the collection. I loved the Constellation pieces especially each representing a star sign.
The farthing coin Worth your Weight in Gold earrings are amazing, a little piece of history in the palm of your hand. Available in silver, gold or rose gold.
Worth your weight in gold earrings. Pic: Chupi.ie
Outside a girl offered to take a polaroid picture of myself, Siobhan and her friend Meabh.
The picture came out lovely and we actually drew straws over who should keep it! I won 😛
Polaroid picture!
As well as the delicate gold pieces, there were also gorgeous colourful pieces like these beautiful rings.
And while I normally don’t wear rings, I did fall in love with the One in Million star ring below.
The Wild Ivy leaf earrings below were another favourite. These are cast from a real ivy leaf.
The swan feather necklace and I Can Fly earrings below on the right are exquisite. Again these were cast using real swan feathers and are plated with rose gold.
We also got a lovely goody bag with a cute notebook and pencil-perfect for college! I really wanted some nice stationary for college so I was thrilled.
Cute stationary
It was a lovely evening and it’s always great to see Irish and independent designers doing well.Here’s to the next ten years of Chupi.
Thanks for reading, hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Don’t forget you can like my page on Facebook here and keep up to date with my blog.
I’m just back from a great holiday in London. I love London and have documented my travels here before but every time I go there it’s a different experience. I arrived on Friday and was quite tired from travelling but managed to drag myself out to Oxford Street to shop. (I know what a hero…)
Ah, Oxford Street! I love Oxford Street, it’s like a pilgrimage to me but it is so crazy! Luckily I’m not daunted by this and set about shopping. The two main places to go to on Oxford Street are Primark/Penneys and Topshop. However they are both so packed and busy that its difficult to negotiate your way through either at peak times.
I’d often attempted to go into the flagship Topshop store before but each time left because it was too busy. For once it wasn’t too busy and I was able to look around. This Topshop is more like a department store with loads of concessions from funky jewellery brands such as Ottoman Hands, phone accessories, vintage handbags, a piercing parlour, makeup, a hair braiding service, a bubble tea and a cupcake stand. Oh yeah and clothes and shoes also…three floors of them! Here’s some of the items which caught my eye and some of the new season stock.
Turkish inspired jewellery from Ottoman Hands.
Vintage jewellery
Vintage handbags and scarves
Slogan handbags
With regard to autumn/winter clothing, there’s lots of suede, earthy colours, furry waistcoats and 70’s style clothing. This blue suede mini skirt is really adorable.
Topshop’s mannequin display is always creative. This vegetation background is really compliments the clothing and I love the long blonde dreads on the mannequin.
The next stop was obviously Primark where I bought some great holiday clothing. I’ll be featuring all these in an upcoming post.
On Saturday I spent some time at the National History Museum and the V & A. Both museums were near my hostel and easily accessible by the Underground.
National History museum.
The National History museum was full of kids on holiday so I left pronto but the V & A was a lot calmer. The Victoria and Albert museum describes itself as the world’s greatest museum of art and design.This musuem is a must for any fashion lover as they have amazing textile and fashion exhibitions. The last time I was here, I saw Grace Kelly’s wardrobe and their Alexander Mc Queen exhibition broke attendance records! Best of all most of the museum is free however special exhibitions charge a small fee.
The V & A museum.
Inside the V & A.
Christian Dior clothing on display at the V & A.
Currently, their exhibition “Shoes, Pleasure and Pain” is on display. Being a shoe obsessive I had to see it! This exhibition explores the erotic connotations with shoes and feet and the role of the shoe in different cultures, movies, folk-lore and fairy tales. Every type of shoe imaginable from different eras was on display from the red slippers in the “Wizard of Oz”, the Cinderella glass slipper designed by Swarovski, shoes made for bound feet to Christian Louboutins. Even the famous blue Vivienne Westwood platforms which caused Naomi Campbell to fall on the runway were on display.
Some of my favourite shoes in the exhibition: clockwise from top Prada “Tail Light sandals, Indian toe post wedding shoes and the iconic Vivienne Westwood platforms.
I also went to the Spitalfields Market in the east of London which is a real hipster neighbourhood, Notting Hill and spent a few days outside London by the sea. I’m going to devote another post to these adventures and look forward to writing about them soon! I’m also looking forward to doing another travel post on my holiday in Palma de Mallorca. Thank you for reading as always and to like my Facebook page just click here.
As I’m attending Longitude this weekend I’ve been scouring the internet for festival hair, beauty and accessories inspiration! Festivals are the perfect time to experiment and try out daring make-up or a new hair style.
I love the French braid pigtails trend and really want to try this out! It looks particularly good if you have balayage or dip-dyed hair.
As you may have seen in my previous 90’s post, the double bun trend pioneered by Gwen Stefani et al is really coming back into fashion. I love this hairstyle and the face jewels.
Image:audrey.buzznet.com
For extra cool hair you can add a temporary dip-dye like those from Bleach London if you’re blonde…word to the wise these colours only show up in bleach blonde/light blonde hair, they will not show up in brown or dark blonde hair! I know because I tried to colour my dark blonde ends!
Image:Bleach London
Hair chalks are fun to experiment also but again they show up best in light coloured hair. Chalk pastels or any coloured chalk will work, just wet your hair, twist it into small sections and run the chalk over the sections fully.
For festival make-up I love glitter, face jewels and fluorescent face paints! Festivals are your one chance to wear whatever the hell you want and there’s no such thing as make-up that’s too crazy or colourful.
Image:nylon.comImage: thecreativebook.com via Pinterest
This simple floral face paint on Pixie Lott is really pretty.
Image:Pinterest
This is how to do face jewels: Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella.
Festival nail art inspiration courtesy of loveshav.com.
Image:loveshav.com
Henna tattoos have become quite mainstream recently and are popping up everywhere. I think henna is a beautiful art and particularly love white henna designs.
Image: weheartit.comImage:weheartit.com
Metallic tattoos like these from ShimmerTatts on Etsy are the best festival accessory.
But if you prefer some lasting sparkle, Aquaruby have beautiful jewellery ideal for festivals. Their Daisy London range has gorgeous gold-plated necklaces and pendants just crying out to be worn!
These beautiful Kendra Scott earrings are really unusual and would compliment any festival outfit.
All the above jewellery plus lots of other fantastic styles can be found on http://www.aquaruby.com. I will have a post on Longitude very soon. As always you can keep up to date with my blog on Facebook here. Thanks for reading!
Sunday was my birthday and I thought I’d write a blog post to celebrate. I had a really amazing weekend and was spoiled rotten with some amazing presents including this Christian Louboutin nail varnish…literally a work of art!
(I’ve already almost stabbed myself in the neck by leaving this on my bedside locker!)
Now all I have to do is paint the soles of my shoes red to accessorise 😛 It could also double up as an excellent weapon!
I also got some other lovely presents (see below) including a new watch and ring from my friends so I’m feeling very lucky and loved!
I’m really grateful to all my friends and family who made my day with their wishes, cards, texts and presents. I don’t normally write “haul” style posts but my birthday is very important to me. Last year was a very tough year for me so this year I’m seizing any opportunity to be happy. 🙂
Miss Selfridge ringBeautiful watch my friend gave me
My weekend couldn’t have been more perfect. I started my weekend going for cocktails in Capitol and had one strawberry Daquiri too many… 😛
The next day I went get my hair done and I got very subtle balayage which I had been scared of trying but I came out of the hairdressers feeling like ….
I then had lunch with my friend in Musashi on Capel Street which is one of my favourite restaurants (not that I eat out a lot!). I had some delicious sushi rolls.
Later on I went out to Everleigh Gardens and got really dolled up for the occasion! I also did a good deed by informing some visitors from Belfast not to go to Coppers. My reward will be in heaven I know.
I love dancing so its important for me to go somewhere with a good DJ and the music was brilliant all night long, I barely sat down despite my vertiginous heels!
What I wore: Black leather skirt which I bought in Paris at a kilo shop. The store had amazing stock and I also got a Chanel style tweed jacket and a wool mix navy cardigan all for about €34! The skirt only cost €7!!
Underneath I wore a navy lace bodysuit I bought in the Bershka sale for €9.99, again another amazing bargain!
Bodysuits can be awkward but they remain tucked in unlike tops and give you a lovely streamlined silhouette.
I accessorised with red heels and gold padlock earrings which I bought in H&M for about €2! If you like this look, you can hype it on Lookbook here.
I had an amazing weekend. One week until I visit Brussels which I’m so excited for so looking forward to blogging about that soon! Thanks for visiting my blog as always. If you enjoyed this post leave me a comment below and let me know.
For a change I’m going to do a post on jewellery as I’m a jewellery fiend and a magpie! My taste in jewellery is big, bright and flashy to say the least. But in a semi-tasteful way. 😉 Rihanna in full carnival rig-out is my spirit animal..
I buy jewellery a lot, probably even more than clothes because it you can spruce up an outfit or work uniform and make it look different.
My favourite places to buy jewellery are from the Diva range in Miss Selfridge and Topshop’s Freedom jewellery. Kudos to the jewellery buyers and designers for the Arcadia group, they always get it right. I don’t usually find nice jewellery in charity shops but sometimes I stumble across a find like this little swallow necklace.
I also love Forever 21’s jewellery, it’s really price conscious and funky. As for independent stores there’s a great little store in the Ilac centre that has loads of unusual jewellery with loads for only €3.
I bought beautiful earrings and a pearl with a chunky chain for my college graduation for about €6 or €7 in total. I got lots of compliments on my jewellery that day which was lovely.
There is also another store called Adorn just off Grafton Street which has the same kind of jewellery, great selection and lots of cheap items.
My hometown of Roscommon has a beautiful shop called Timepieces, they always have an incredible window display and unusual jewellery, watches and home furnishings. One of the few shops in Roscommon that’s worth a look! 😛
Hearts of Galway is a gorgeous little shop which has some beautiful jewellery. A lot of jewellers in Galway appeal to tourists with Claddagh rings etc. but don’t let that put you off.
I got a really pretty bracelet here as a gift for completing my degree from my parents (and I needed serious bribing to finish it! ), it has a poppy enclosed in glass. It’s really delicate and pretty.
I tend to save it for special occasions as it’s not my day-to-day style. The only disadvantage is the clasp opens quite easily so you have to be careful with it.
My poppy bangle
Twice as Nice in Galway sell vintage and antique jewellery. It’s more expensive obviously but beautiful to look at. They also have some very nice clothing upstairs FYI.
There’s a lot of speculation about skin tone and whether gold or silver looks best on different skin tones. When I was younger I always wore silver colour jewellery but now I would prefer gold colour jewellery and I think it compliments me more. (Emphasis on “gold colour” rather than “gold”, I don’t wear real gold as I’m not Kanye West!)
Silver can look a little harsh on pale skin IMO especially near the face or neck. I like a lot of gold, chunky chains, pearls, plastic and costume jewellery. I also like ethnic jewellery, woven and beaded items, especially for festivals. I still can’t make a friendship bracelet though.
I mostly wear dainty necklaces and earrings during the day and for a night out lots of bangles, bigger earrings and long necklaces. I never wear rings as I have developed a phobia of them. I hate the feel of rings on my fingers so I just admire them from afar!
To give you a brief idea of my aesthetic tastes here is a car from Robbie Williams and Dizzee Racal’s new video…
I love spikes and recently got a silver spike bracelet in Penneys for €3. These are really easy to make if you have time, you can buy spikes on Etsy.com and string them together with elastic thread.
You can also buy a smaller version with one row of spikes in Penneys and they look cool mixed with other jewellery or other colours.
I’ve also been obsessing over the jewellery in Zara lately. I love this chunky pearl necklace, it would be amazing for a night out!
Also suitably glamorous for a formal occasion. The chain doesn’t look very bright in this photo but it’s nice in real life. I’m hoping this will go into the summer sale!
. I think it would be best with a black dress or maybe a black jumpsuit.
Chunky pearl chain €22.95 Zara
I love these cute beetle earrings below and I had similar colourful ones a few years back from Penneys. Unfortunately I lost/broke one of them, rendering the other one useless!
Maybe these could be my replacements? I lose and break a ridiculous amount of earrings. Or lose the backs which leads to earring loss.
And if you’ve ever seen the clip from Keeping up with the Kardashians where Kim Kardashian loses her diamond earring in the ocean you’ll know the pain of earring loss!
I know Kim I know!
Crystal beetle earrings €9.95 Zara
This is a really exquisite necklace. The detail is gorgeous but I don’t know where I would wear it! The Met Gala?! I don’t frequent many super formal occasions but I’m sure I’d find somewhere to wear this beauty! It would work best with a black, white or possibly a turquoise blue dress.
Keep it in mind for the races! Or someone get married and invite me.:) I don’t need a meal, I’ll just parade around showing off my necklace.
Crystal flower necklace €22.95 Zara
I love these cool evil eye styles. I’m not in the Illuminati I swear. 😛
I could literally buy everything in Topshop so it’s hard to pick out my favourites but here’s one I adore.I like the contrast between the flower shapes and the chain.
It’s a mix of glam and casual and I’m a sucker for monochrome. You could wear this alone without any other jewellery and it would really stand out. I would definitely pay Topshop a visit if you’re looking for some unusual jewellery, the range is just amazing!
Hope you all enjoyed the post. Thanks for dropping by! Don’t forget to visit my Facebook and Instagram and my next post will be on New York City.
“I want those of you in the cheaper seats to clap your hands! The rest of you just rattle your jewellery!” (John Lennon.)
Sugarpills is an amazing new brand and I absolutely love their irreverent trademark images usually taking something well-known like this Mona Lisa and give it a modern feel!
Most of their stuff has quite a unisex vibe, this top could work for a girl or a guy and I saw pictures of both guys and girls rocking it!
American Apparel Print Denim Shorts
Where to start these are just gorgeous! They are high-waisted which is really flattering although not after a big dinner! 😛
I spend a disproportionate amount of time in American Apparel literally drooling at their gorgeous clothes and I will try these on when/if we get better weather.
I would wear them with a plain top and ideally a tan…
They also come in a blue and white print if you don’t fancy this one but these just scream summer to me.
Cambridge Satchel Company “The Chelsea”
The Cambridge Satchel Co. have really amazing simple leather bags and this collection is no exception. It’s a new range of pastel colour satchels in cream, lavender, peach and blue.
I picked the pastel blue to show as blue is my favourite colour.
If the Cambridge Satchel Co. is a bit out of your price range (mine too) try LYDC in Soho Market in Stephen’s Green for lookalikes or Zatchels.co.uk.
Print Backpack Forever 21
I love backpacks but haven’t bought one yet. It’s a bit too close to a “school bag” for comfort but yet so cool!
This really caught my eye though, again love the print. I also like the denim and studded ones that are doing the rounds. Let me know what you think, would you go for one or is it a bit inconvenient?
Spike Pumps Miss Selfridge
These Miss Selfridge shoes actually went into sale but unfortunately, my size was miles too big for me and the next size too small. 😦
Spikes and studs are still everywhere and I absolutely love them and have a ridiculous amount of spiked and studded clothing! Love these bad boys!
Finally, china print/willow prints will be huge this year and I love them.
Penneys Dress.
Update: I found this in the charity shop for €4 five years on…
Hope you all enjoyed this post. I haven’t included any prices except ones I was certain of as I got some of the items from websites and the currency conversions are sometimes incorrect. Happy shopping!
Thanks for reading and if you would like to follow me on social media, check out my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook page.
The Joy of Blogs 