Fashion
Lusty List #1
The first installment of a regular list update of wants, desires and things I’ve got my eye on at the moment!
Fashion
I might be a little premature with the Jules Folk Paisley dress from Boohoo.com with thoughts of summertime music festivals, but I do love a good paisley midi dress. Would be great with some brown ankle boots for festival/messing type behavior in nice weather and equally as nice with a pair of sandals for some summertime strolling through town. Speaking of Boohoo, how awesome are these Sadi Clip Buckle Cut Out Ankle Boots?! Ankle boots are a running theme in my wardrobe so be warned. These would look great with a block of colour via some bright tights…. or equally as nice just by themselves too.
I’ve been interesting in amassing a little collection of jumpsuits lately. I’ve a great casual navy one from River Island but a lot of the more formal/evening ones can be a little bit too tight and catsuit-like for my liking. This one here from New Look has a fab shape and great 3/4 length sleeves which I’m a big fan of and a nice lace-back detail to up the fancy-stakes. A nice pop of colour on the foot would look perfect here. Topshop have a great Monochrome Gingham Tube Skirt that’s only about 30e and again in that great and very flattering midi length. And finally – one piece from the recent Penneys S/S14′ collection that caught my eye is this lovely bright orange clutch bag. Again… for someone with a lot of black in her wardrobe, I do like to accessorize with bright bags, coats and shoes. Loving this.
Home
I’m hoping to do a little redecorating over the next few weeks in my living room and really like the idea of the faux-brick wallpaper featured above. Gives a real New-York loft effect to the place. I’m not sure if it’s the right or wrong side of kitsch(!) but I think it looks pretty great so I’m going to give it a shot as soon as funds allow. You can get rolls in lots of places online and there’s lots of different effects. Think I’ll go with the stronger orange myself but I’ve still some browsing to do before I make a purchase. I’m also loving this Ikea bedding set. Again, I always keep my apartment walls and floor simple and plain and prefer to accessorize and dress up the place with bright, strong blocks of colour and design.
Weekenders #2…. Gallery Exhibitions, Films and a book on Psychopaths.
This weekend I shall be…..
Watching
As I’m trying to be frugal and cut back on my many indulgences I’ll be committing myself to a quiet weekend, which is also the perfect time for me to catch up on some film watching. Three that have been on my agenda for the last few weeks and are lined up for some prime viewing over the next couple of days are…
Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his business in the Ginza Tokio Subway station, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu
Room 237, another documentary directed by Rodney Ascher about perceived meanings in Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining…. which also just so happens to be one of my favorite films.
And finally Francis Ha, which I don’t know a whole lot about but comes highly recommended.
Reading
Hoping to get a little further along with this book The Wisdom of Psychopaths, been so busy and distracted of late! One of my favorite subject matters… a more erudite read than one of my favorites The Psychopath Test… but easy to digest and in no way an academic study.
Attending
I’ve a few New Years resolutions this year and so far I’m doing well. One of them being a plan to attend more theatre shows, exhibitions and cultural events of the non-music variety. This weekend I’ll be heading to the Hugh Lane Gallery where I haven’t been for quite some time. There’s 2 great looking exhibitions on at the moment. An installation piece Sleepwalkers: Jim Ricks – Bubblewrap Game: Hugh Lane and a painting collection Dublin Divided: September 1913 as well as plenty of other resident works of art. I’ll be dragging my son along to this too in an attempt to cram such non sports related content into his cranium.
What’s your weekend plans? Anything you want to recommend or shout from the rooftops about?
SMC Lifestyle | Subscription Boxes
I’ve just signed up for my first subscription box over at Glossybox, a company based in the Uk. There’s a huge number of these companies in the U.S. but very very few here in Ireland. For those of you who are unfamiliar with subscription boxes basically you sign up to the service and once a month (although this varies) you get sent out a little box of suprise products. Glossybox deals primarily with beauty but there is a whole expanse of different companies out there featuring different products covering underwear, lifestyle, home, men’s beauty – the list is endless.
Subscription Boxes are big business in the U.S and I’ve just signed up to the mailing list of a new Irish based company who look to be launching soon called Chic Treat Club. Personally I think it’s a fantastic idea and will be following the launch of the company closely to see how they fare in comparison to the U.S. boxes on offer.
Maybe it’s the curiosity factor and the excitement of suprise that drives the appeal of the phenomenon, or it could be the exclusivity factor as in many instances the nail polish or the jewellery or the tshirts featured in the boxes are available only to subscribers.
I’ll be including a review here too once the box arrives, so stay tuned. There’s a great blog called Must Have Boxes based in the U.S. which features and reviews many of the boxes available over there. Well worth a visit to take a look at the great ideas and offers. Hopefully the business model takes off over here too!
Are you a subscription box fan/addict?! What are your favorites or do you have any recommendations? Let me know in the comments below 🙂
SMC Fashion | COS store opening in Dublin
Great news came through recently that COS, the upscale H&M owned popular fashion chain will be opening a big ole store in Dublin City centre in the coming months.
It was just announced that Tower Records, Dublin are relocating from their famous Wicklow Street location to the premises formerly occupied by Waterstones bookshop on Dawson Street. Turns out COS will be moving into the premises to take over from the TR guys.
The news has come as a surprise to many in the fashion & retail sector in the city no doubt as the company is currently preparing for a major launch in the United States early next year.
COS (Collection of Style) caters for both men and women and is famously popular for its high-end design and quality at a far more affordable price with great pieces that effortless move from season to season.
Currently COS products are on sale in Ireland though BT2 in Dundrum Shopping Centre and Grafton Street but this will be the first stand alone store in Ireland.
Single Mum and the City 
