Fashion Finale

Hello there. Finally back to blogging after a hectic couple of months. At long last, I have made my outfit and it was showcased last Thursday at the annual GTI Fashion Fiesta. It was a seriously long day but worth it in the end. 

I got to the college at around 9am and it really was all go from the second I walked through the door. We went straight up to hair and I was even treated to a bit of hair styling while my gorgeous model was getting her locks looked after. I then went to get my nails done as my model was still in hair and all of them were so lovely! At around 11am, we were sent down to makeup which was a long wait but they makeup artists did such a good job. There are some really talented people in that class! I opted for a 40's look with minimal eye makeup and a bold red lip. After the makeup, there was a long long wait until we could start getting everyone in their outfits. We entertained ourselves with Adam Devlin of course ;) I got myself ready in that spare time and at around half 4, I got my model all geared up in her outfit that I made. 

My original inspiration came from Paris. As some of you know, I went there with some people from my class back in early December. The fashion show theme was travel so Paris was perfect for my source of inspiration. It also interlinked with the project I had done on Parisian designer, Christian Dior. I was lucky in the fact that I found Dior fabric from Paris which is what I made my dress with. I also took inspiration from the shapes that Dior played with. He was most famous for the shape of a tight fit from the waist up and then a flared skirt from the waist down (known as the "new look"). It really was perfect and exactly what I needed. 

At 4.45pm, all the models got in line and began to prepare for the model walk up Shop Street. It really was spectacular and I couldn't get over the amount of people that were watching. We made it to the Meyrick Hotel by 5.30pm and the models had a run through (practise walking up the catwalk and the order that they would go in). Adam and I had nothing to do so naturally, we left and got a cocktail :P By the time we got back, it was nearly showtime. I check on my model to make sure she was hydrated and feeling okay (they all had to stand in a tiny room at the back which is now known as the "concentration camp"). I don't know how they managed the heat! Sonya Lennon from "Off the Rails" arrived to host and the show began. 

I was so proud to see my finished piece and especially proud to see the rest of my class with their designs as well. We never thought we would actually have it all done and all the weeks of panic and stress made it all worth it. My family, boyfriend and close friends came to support me and i received so many lovely compliments so thank you for that :) Hopefully this won't be the last of me and I hope to keep designing and making things from here on. So without further adieu, here are some of the pictures from the evening curtosy of Darach Glennon, Patrick Lennon and my classmates.

 

Thank you all again for the incredible love and support!

Much Love,

Shannon.

xoxo

GTI Fashion Fiesta 2013

The week is finally here! Tomorrow and on Thursday, April 25th at 5.30pm, it all begins. After months of preparation, the 2013 GTI Fashion Fiesta has finally arrived! It will also be my first fashion show and debut as a designer. You'll finally get to see the outfit that I've been working on for the past four months........... Anyway..... 

It all begins tomorrow with the live windows in Brown Thomas and Anthony Ryans. Real life models will be in the windows as apposed to the usual mannequins which makes everything so much more exciting! The theme is "The Journey" which was inspired by the Gathering of 2013. On Thursday, it will kick off at 5.30pm where the model walk will take place starting at the GTI, up Shop Street and ending at the Meyrick Hotel (just off Eyre Square). Then at 7.30pm, the fashion show will begin which is going to be hosted by Sonya Lennon from "Off the Rails". Admission to the show is by donation for our chosen charity, Console, which provides support to Ireland's suicidal teens. It's a great cause and all proceeds will go to them. 

Hope to see some familiar faces over the next week and can't wait to see how everything looks together. But for now, here are some pictures from previous fashion fiesta's. Enjoy!

Much Love,

Shannon.

xoxo

Fashion Shoot #1

Afternoon my lovelies. Hope that you are all enjoying this lovely weather that we've been blessed with. Apologies for my absense. I've just been so busy preparing for this fashion show next week! As I'm sure you know by now, I had my first styling gig yesterday with the amazing Lisa Griffin. She was so much fun to work with and didn't treat my like it was my first ever styling job. She really got me involved and was so so lovely. I also had the pleasure of working with Stephanie Casserly (model) and Ewa Doszczak (MUA). They were both such talented and beautiful women that I can only aspire to be like in the future. 

The shoot took place in Salthill near Blackrock. We had lovely weather thank God and it wasn't too cold. We also had a bit of an audience and a few boys didn't hold back on the wolf whistling! The rocks were perfect for the theme of the shoot and we then ventured to the abandoned cottage near the public bathrooms. It really was a suitable location for the post-apocalyptic theme. After seeing the finished pieces, dragging the suitcase around town all day was most definitely worth it! I also loved having access to the helmet (Britain WW2) the gas mask (Nazi Army WW2) and the very realistic pellet gun so thank you to everyone who was kind enough to let me borrow them. I got the helmet and gas mask from the antique shop called An Gailearai Beag on Flood Street, Galway.

So at long last, here are the ready pictures from the shoot. Once again, a huge thank you to Lisa and the rest of the team! Enjoy!

Photography: Lisa Griffin

Model: Stephanie Casserly

MUA: Ewa Doszczak

Styling: Shannon Barry

Much Love,

Shannon.

xoxo

  

Bookworm Beauty

After my post on how to be a fashionista, I've been getting some questions on where I got the books from the post. I loved all of them. They were a great read and so inspirational. So here is the list of books and where you can get them from :)

Some of my books for fashion. The others are for dressmaking and what not :)

Click HERE for Shoes Field Guide by Caroline Ashleigh

Available on Amazon.co.uk

(Small Handbook)

Click HERE for Lovely Things by Eithne Farry

Available in Easons and Amazon.co.uk

(Medium Sized Hardback)

Click HERE for Through Thick and Thin by Gok Wan

Available in Easons and Amazon.co.uk

(Softback Auto-Biography)

Click HERE for Secrets of Stylists by Sasha Charnin Morrison

Available in Easons and Amazon.co.uk

(Large Softback)

Click HERE for Fashion by the Kyoto Costume Institute

Available in Easons and Amazon.co.uk

(Large Hardback)

Click HERE from 50 Fashion Designers by Prestel

Available in Urban Outfitters and Amazon.co.uk

(Medium Softback)

Click HERE for Vintage Fashion Sourcebook by Cleo Butterfield

Available in Easons and Amazon.co.uk

(Medium Softback)

Hopefully these books will bring you as much joy and knowledge as they did with me. Enjoy!

Much Love,

Shannon.

xoxo

Top Tips on How to be A Fashionista

Here is my ultimate guide on how to become, be, and act like a fashionista. Talking stereotypically here, a fashionista is usually a person whose wardrobe is full of designer clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, lives the life of glamour, goes to all the expensive venues, has a non-stop social life and so on. But I have a much more different view on what a fashionista is. Here are my top 5 tips on how to be a true fashionista.

#1 Knowledge
As a person who is interested in fashion, YOU NEED TO HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FASHION WORLD. It is a key factor. Know the designers, the brands, the best locations, history of fashion, etc. It is all about what you know not how you act. It's the knowledge of the fashion world that will get you places. None of that airy fairy nonsense ;)

#2 Read
I personally found it very beneficial reading books on styling, clothing, branding, history, biographies, auto-biographies, etc of the fashion world. A lot of them are usually written by stylists or designers themselves so you are given a really good insight of the typical journey an aspiring designer/stylist has to go through. This part links in with the knowledge paragraph. It's a stepping stone to becoming a genius at all things fashion. Here are some books that I have read and found EXTREMELY beneficial:

#3 Trend Setting
A true fashionista styles her outfits with items that were originally figments of his/her imagination. It can be as easy as making the hottest new necklace into a hairband. It really is about making an outfit you own or you can be totally crazy and do the opposite to what everyone else is doing. For example, back when I was in primary school and everyone was going mad for the Canterbury track suit pants, I bought a pair of platform army boots instead. I literally wore them until the soles fell off. My Mum originally brought me into town to get the pants for school but I was only doing it because everyone else was. But then I saw the boots. That was the day when I stopped being afraid of not being "on trend". I began to create my own and to this day, I am proud to say that I am still getting compliments :P

#4 Bargain Hunting
Let's face it, there is no way in hell that you will be getting a new Dior jacket or Prada boots. Nowadays, you really have to sniff them out. The sales are an endless pit of material but with a good eye and determination, you will find a killer outfit that will knock everyone out of the park. I can't remember the last time that I didn't buy something in a sale. It really does require a lot of patience and free time. Charity shops are great for sneaking some cheap designer gear. A friend of mine got a Julian McDonald fur jacket for only €10 in the GSPCA shop a couple of weeks ago! Sometimes it just takes some imagination and a great sense of style to have an amazing outfit. Having something designer doesn't make an outfit. It's what you do and how you put it together that makes people go "Wow! Where the hell did she get that?"

#5 Confidence in your own Creations

DIY is becoming big now and it's also extremely enjoyable. I've seen some of my friends tackle the DIY experience and the stuff they produce looks great but sometimes they don't believe that it is. Confidence in yourself and your creations are what get you noticed as a fashionista. Mouthing off about what you have or what you're going to get just makes you look like a bit of a twit. If you want a tweed Chanel jacket but can't afford it, MAKE ONE! It's easy and there are patterns for it in all dress making shops. And it also gives you the chance to jazz it up a bit and make it a one-off original piece. I always say, it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it. Wear it with confidence and pride ;)

Much Love,

Shannon.

xoxo