Ooh it's been a long while since I've devoted some time to the blog..the past few months have just whizzed by in a blur of work and busy family happenings..after a few weeks of promising myself I'd get back into it, now is the perfect time - so much has happened fashion wise in Dublin this past week that's inspired me.

Firstly the arrival of the huge new New Look store in Jervis St, garnering plenty of column inches in the past few days. It's a great addition to our high street and seems to be very popular with girls of all ages. Personally, I wouldn't be the biggest fan but was still inspired to check it out to see what all the fuss is about. I went in with a friend today for a leisurely Sunday browse, only to find ourselves fighting through the frenzy of shoppers - surely everyone is saving their money for Christmas, no? My friend agreed she wouldn't be a big fan of the clothes, but still we decided it's a good place for disposable fashion trends and will definitely do well in the months ahead.

I popped in for a very quick look at the Hermes bag in Brown Thomas too, which has caused quite a stir this week, along with the new Marvel room, showcasing a range of all that makes Brown Thomas the best place for wish list shopping. ahh!

Lanvin's arrival in H&M is also big news and there are a couple of frocks I have my eye on for the festive season, while other big news last Thursday was the launch of Debenhams.ie - hurray! The favourite department store has launched its long awaited online shopping service with free delivery to all Irish customers for the first two weeks! After this it's a recession-busting €5 for delivery no matter what you order! I'm not the biggest online shopper, usually I need to be tempted by the feel of clothes between my fingers and apart from some infrequent dabbling on ASOS I generally tend to do my shopping by foot. However, this site, which has everything from the department store under one roof (your roof!) allows endless hours of fun and browsing and takes the pain out of Christmas shopping for those who can't bear the crowds.

From some of their most popular concessions, Debenhams designers including Henry Holland, Jasper Conran and John Rocha as well as a host of favourite beauty brands ( Chanel, Benefit, Guerlain, Smashbox to name but a few) , home wares and gifts means it really is the one stop shopping site no matter what you are looking for ..Luckily I got to a detailed briefing on the site through work and am well and truly hooked - I can't wait to try it out!

getting very excited now about Electric Picnic next weekend - deciding on what to pack and who I'll see on the line up..spent a lovely afternoon with a friend in town yesterday, eating too many tapas in the Porthouse and drinking too much wine in the early afternoon, but we also managed a 'festival stocking up' trip to Boots for everything from baby wipes to anti bacterial handwash, mini toothpastes, deodrants and beroccas..yes we are organised! All we need now is the weather to stay fine, just like Alexa's sunny festival trip pictured here..

oh and for info on the Bacardi B Live Arena's 1920's fabulous 'Roaring Twenties' Costume Party on the Sunday afternoon, which is a great excuse to dress up at the Picnic, check out information here on www.stylebible.ie

http://www.stylebible.ie/Blogs/Niamh+Hopkins_electric-picnic-1920s-twist.htm

the bank holiday weekend is coming and with that is pay day! these 'Apple Wood Clog' boots from Topshop are top of my list for weekend shopping but I'm continually disappointed with the mecca that is Topshop and their unfavourable prices to Irish customers. While shoe horning my feet into them last Saturday in Stephen's Green I discovered they are €114 here, but a quick price comparison later online shows the UK ones to be 75 Sterling, which translated on the day as €89..so basically they are 25 euro cheaper once you convert the currency! disgraceful..well it's Topshop's loss, I'm all for favouring Irish retailers but with this UK flagship taking us for fools I can't find any reason not to save myself €25..anyone have any thoughts on this? I seriously love these boots too, I love the clunkiness of the wood and the hardness of the studs which will be perfect juxtaposed against the floral tea dresses I tend to wear a lot..I'm all about the florals and prints but have to always toughen them up with something less girlie, a boyfriend cardigan, brogues or even just toned down with neutral shades to mute the colour...summer be gone and bring on lots of new boots!

I'm seriously over summer. Greece was amazing and the beautiful sunny days we've had here in May and June were blissful, but now that soggy warm dampness and erratic rain just has me sick of sloshing about in pumps with wet feet and I'm longing for crisp autumn days, cool and sunny with no rain. Seriously it hardly ever rains here in autumn and winter..apart from one last blast of summer heat ( hopefully) at Electric Picnic, I'm ready for all things nice and autumnal - new winter coats, boots, woolly scarves, the turning leaves, layering, the anticpation of Christmas on the way ( ok I'm being really sad with this one) the smell of halloween in the air, the dusky evenings and lighting candles, and a fire when I go home..snuggly knits and knowing how to dress for the day unlike this crazy unseasonal rain that leaves you soggy yet sticky at the same time! ..anyone else out there prefer the 'back to school' season?

pics courtesy of the Sarorialist and zimbio.com

Lucky, lucky, LUCKY me! Yesterday, to cure a growing hangover I headed to Brown Thomas to spend my three birthday gift cards I received in May. Between work and being at home and on holidays in Greece for a few weeks in June ( hence inconsistent blogging again!), yesterday was finally the perfect afternoon to use them, after careful consideration. My choice -the black and white Alexander McQueen skull scarf, something I've lusted after for a long time...when it came to the crunch though, I nearly changed my mind and got the silvery white one, but went for this one instead - much more versatile..I'm almost afraid to wear it it's so perfect..all Monday/post holiday blues are cured! x

So finally the long wait arrived and many of us have now seen Sex and the City 2 over the weekend..if you haven't managed to organise a ticket yet then you might not want to read on, and wait to see it for yourselves..

In short, I did love it but it definitely wasn't as good as the series or even the first film - many people are giving it bad reviews because of this, but really I think people have built up such high expectations over the past two years waiting on it to be a-maaazing..it still was brilliant, for true fans like myself it was a chance to simply catch up with the characters and the writers really knew how to pander to people's affections, ensuring favourites such as Aidan, Smith and Carrie's old apartment all featured in the film. For the record Smith looked hotter than ever as did Aidan and even Big, surprisingly!

People have also been giving out about the lack of realism, the ostentatious fashion (hello? this is one of the main reasons we love it so much)..apparently there were over 300 outfit changes between the ladies throughtout the film and the fashion was a star all in itself, all of the outfits reflected a mix of what Patricia Field does best and she really matched the clothes to the scenes - Abu Dhabi saw the girls kitted out in fabulous floaty fabrics and bold colours and patterns, Samantha's trademark statement earrings were even bigger and more 'bling'..I thought Miranda looked better then ever, the whole holiday scenario was pure over the top, one scene in particular involving a camel ride and a tent full of designer clothes - but this is the point, no one wants to see the girls 'do' recession..I think my favourite was Carrie shuffling about the dessert in a full ball gown skirt with a Dior T-shirt..

The storyline wasn't as strong as the first film, and the whole thing felt like we were just dropping in to see how everyone was getting on - but that's what made it so good in the end, I definitely left feeling good and nostalgic about the whole series....and judging by the full house of stylish girls at the Savoy on Friday night and the rapturous applause at the end, the other fans felt the same - weak storylines and over the top scenes regardless..

Still a busy bee at the moment, literally counting down the days to my holidays - 3 working weeks left..whether you're lucky enough to be heading off in the sun or gearing up for the expected heat wave this weekend, these are some of my favourite summer finds from my browsing over the weekend, I bought the bangles and earrings and am mulling over the rest! chat soon x

Blue Print Cami, €20 from A-Wear..

Off White 'Seanna' Clogs from Topshop

Multi Stack of bangles, €12 from A-Wear

Disc and Chain Earrings, from Warehouse..

One Shouldered tiered Chiffon Floaty floral dress..reduced to €47 at Warehouse


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