A Dog's Life Auctions!

We're starting our Facebook auctions for our A Dog's Life sale today! All of our great pieces are ready to go, are you? 

We'v got auction pieces from Marc by Marc Jacobs, Yohji Yamamoto, Max Mara, Hobbs, John Roacha and loads more, so if you can't make it in to Sunday's sale be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page over the next two days!

Oh and remember you'll need a PayPal account to pay for your winnings, so if you don't have one set up then go, go, go!

We are aiming to raise over €2,000 which is what we raised last time and I just want to say a massive thank you to our generous consignors and everyone who dropped things in

Oh the Great Gatsby fashion!

I am so excited for May and the release of the Great Gatsby (this coming from a girl who hasn't been to the cinema since the Inbetweeners movie!). The book is a brilliant and beautiful but come on, Baz Luhrmann, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, even an Amy Winehouse track ... the movie is going to be epic!

Just Two More Days!!

We're getting the mountain of clothes, shoes and accessories all sorted (seriously, the pile is bigger than Ella!!), and it really looks like this €4 A Dog's Life sale will be the best one yet.

Style Off!

Rock Chic v Pretty Florals

This is a big one and we want to know what side of the fence you fall on. So go on, tell us, are you all about the rocker chic or are you more of an all-things-pretty kind of lady?

Fashion News: The $400,000 Pair of Heels!

Well spotted by Tanya, with a price tag of $418,450, it's official, these are the most expensive shoes in the world!

Fashion News: Marilyn Manson for Saint Laurent Paris

I think Yves Saint Laurent is going through its teenage, rebellious period. Four big things have happened at the brand recently; firstly Hedi Slimane was named creative director. Then he changed the name to Saint Laurent Paris. Thirdly, he took the brand back to the 90's with his grunge AW'13 show. And finally Marilyn Manson seems to have been made their menswear campaign star.

Steal Their Style!

Taylor Swift

Fashion News: Dolce & Gabbana Fined €343.40million!

Stefano Gabbana and Dominico Dolce, the pair behind the fashion powerhouse, have been fined a massive €343.40 million for tax evasion!

Steal Their Style!

Imelda May

Catwalk Cravings ...

Simone Rocha

She basically hasn't done any wrong since she burst onto the London Fashion Week schedule but this look might just be my favourite (apart from some of the AW'13 pieces, but let's get through spring first!). 

Style Off!

Mini vs Maxi

Proof that changing one piece can give a totally different look - but the important question is, which one is your favourite?

*GULP* Louis Vuitton prices are going up!

That's right the ones we have in stock at siopaella are going to look ever more bargain-beautiful because the luxury brand is upping their prices!

Steal Their Style!

Rihanna

Style Off!

The Wedding Debate

We've had so many customers in looking for wedding outfits that I had to do a bit of a Style Off. 

Style Off!

Minimalist vs Maximalist

Two looks that are always in style one way or another - simple, clean lines or bright pops of print. So what side of the fence do you fall on? Are you all about the basics or do you pack as much colour into your look as possible? 

Why Shopping Consignment is Awesome!

... in our very un-biased opinion!!

Vintage had it's moment a couple of years ago, now it's all about the consignment stores! Although they're a pretty new concept in Ireland the uptake we've seen has been amazing, by both consigners and customers!

A Dog's Life & the Oscars ... PHEW what a day!!!

THANKS GUYS!!!

First of all Louis and Raquel want to say a huge, massive, enormous
                        THANK YOU
to everyone who came out yesterday to support our A Dog's Life €4 Sale (especially those who queued in the cold!!)! And, of course, to our amazingly generous consigners who donated their fabulous pieces for the sale.

Thanks to you all it was a massive success and at last count we'd raised over €1,300 for the doggies! We still have to packed rails and lots of shoes and accessories available so do pop in for a look if you're about Temple Bar on this sunny Monday :)




Extra brownie points for those who waited out in the cold for A Dog's Life!!


If bagging Marc Jacobs, Vivenne Westwood and Comme de Garcons for €4 wasn't exciting enough, there was a little event in LA last night too!!

What did you think of the red carpet style from the Oscars?? Any huge hits or massive misses? Here's some of our favourites from the night:

Anne Hathaway, Prada

 

Charlize Theron, Christian Dior

 

Jennifer Aniston, Valentino

 
Anne Hathaway had some major dress drama last night. With a Valentino dress ready to go (and the press releases sent!), Anne apparently got a peek of Amanda Seyfried's embellished gown, which was similar to her own Valentino.

Poor Rachel Zoe had the fun job of pulling several gowns with just hours to go and Anne settled on the Prada - surely one of the best 'just threw it on' outfits we've ever seen!

Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Dior Haute Couture

 

Kerry Washington, Miu Miu

 
Can Jennifer Lawrence get through an awards ceremony without a wardrobe malfunction? The Best Actress looked gorgeous on the red carpet in her Dior (even though it did take 3 people to arrange the skirt!!) but as she climbed the stairs to accept her award she tripped on her skirt. Not ideal, but we're sure the award softened the blow!


Quvenzhane Wallis, Armani

  


Salma Hayek

 


Samantha Barks, Valentino

 Quvenzhane Wallis wins our award for cutest red carpet appearance. Her trusty puppy purse was along for the ride yet again (is it sad we're jealous of a stuffed handbag?!).

And in a break from the mega-pale gowns, Salma and Samantha looked strong and clean. We especially loved Samantha's minimal accessories and slightly undone hair - very modern red carpet methinks!

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So you've heard what we think but we want to know what you thought of the red carpet looks from last night - comment and let us know who won your best dressed award for the Oscars 2013!

And once again, THANK YOU from all of us here at siopaella to all of you who supported our A Dog's Life charity sale!!!!


:) Katie

Our Oscar Fantasy Fashion!

Ok, ok we've seen some awards season fashion but nothing compares to the Oscars. The lights are brighter, the dresses are better and I even think the carpet is redder!

So mark the 24th of Feb in your diary and get ready for some serious fashion. But to tide you over until then we've had a little look at the latest collections to see which dresses might be contenders for the night. The more couture the better!

Some people are against wearing red on a red carpet but an exception has to be made for a Valentino red, right? This dress is from their SS'13 Couture collection and does what the house always strives to do; it makes the wearer beautiful. 

Possible wearer: I'm thinking this would look unreal on Mila Kunis.

We've seen Jennifer Lawrence in a navy dress similar to this at the SAG awards. At least with this one we won't have the 'did it rip, or is it mean to be like that' debate (FYI it didn't rip, the top tier got folded up!). This Christian Dior Haute Couture gown is something that you might only get away with at the Oscars; yellow, sculptural, cutouts. But it still manages to be simple and chic!

Possible wearer: It's got to be Marion Cotillard, doesn't it?

Who said that black is the safe choice? If Elie Saab can do anything, it's make a gorgeous gown and his SS'13 Couture show was no different. Elegant but so intricate, this would photograph beautifully and look great on the red carpet. 

Possible wearer: Gwyneth Paltrow maybe?

Chanel always makes an appearance at the Oscars and I doubt this year will be any different. With a change of accessories - and maybe less eye makeup - this could wow on the red carpet. Soft and super-feminine, a light lining would make it a stronger presence and put a halt to all those 'granny pants' headlines. 

Possible wearer: Can't you see Anne Hathaway rock this?

If there's ever a time to break out the metallic fish-tail it's on Oscar night. Clean up the accessories and this Jean Paul Gaulier Couture gown could blow the rest of the red carpet away. I'm not a massive fish-tail fan but for this, I could make an exception!

Possible wearer: I would love to see Jennifer Lawrence in something like this!

So what do you think? What have been your favourite Oscar looks ever? Let us know! And don't forget to check out our Facebook for all our news and stock photos. 

:) Katie

Award Season Style: SAG Awards

Ooh award season is heating up! With just a month to go until the Oscars, the fashionable and fabulous of Hollywood are showing their sartorial credentials at every possible awards ceremony. 

The Screen Actors Guild awards took place last night in LA and saw the likes of Jennifer Lawrence (or J.La) and Anne Hathaway snag Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. 

But we don't really care who won what, do we? Let's face it, it's all about the best and worst from the red carpet. Here's some of our favourites!

Mad Men actress Kiernan Shipka killed it in Oscar de la Renta - did we mention she's 13?!!

Marion Cotillard was back in Dior (pre-fall '13-'14) and looking beautiful - love the simplicity in a sea of sequins!

Kerry Washington has a new stylist and it shows. She's been topping 'Best Dressed' lists from the last few events. She kept it simple last night wore white Rodarte.

Not one for taking risks, Nina Dobrev looked fresh & chic in this pink Elie Saab - refreshing and & so age-appropriate!

Zac Posen is a red carpet favourite but this pre-fall '13-'14 gown stands apart for it's amazing colour - it's so good with Amanda Seyfried's blonde hair!

Fresh off the Parisian catwalk this Christian Dior Haute Couture gown is simple, clean & beautiful (did it rip or was it meant to, we don't know!). A more pared-back look might have worked better with it though?

And we always like to support brave fashion decisions but there were some dresses that even we couldn't defend. What do you guys think of these?: 

Chanel Haute Couture. Julianne Moore. All arrows point to PERFECT! But is it just me or does this  dress neither fit nor flatter the actress?

I think we all got where Claire Danes was going with the Givenchy and the dark lip but it came across more 90's than anything else. Also, aren't we over the slits yet?

14 year old Ariel Winter was transformed into a 30-something year old last night! Swamped in her Alex Perry gown, she looks over done and washed out. 

Usually a fashion favourite but, for me, this Valentino Pre-Spring'13 dress looks a bit washed out with the heavy make-up and very 'done' hair. Thoughts?

Get in touch! We want to hear what your favourite looks were, and which ones didn't quite do it for you. Do you agree with my list or am I totally wrong? Let me know!!

:) Katie

Super Spring Trends!

It mightn't feel like it but we're told that it's almost spring! So once we manage to emerge from the pile of knits and duvets we're currently buried under, we'll have a whole new set of trends to get on top of. 

But because we don't want you to brave the icy high street uninformed, we've put together a list of some of the biggest trends of the season to come; or you can stay under the duvet and get on-trend with online shopping!

TREND #1: Monochrome

Get *back to basics* with black and white. It appeared in several shows but is most memorable from the Louis Vuitton show, mainly because the poor models had to manage escalators in their eye-bending attire! 

This one is a super-easy look to adopt because it's chic, it's always in style and, well, you can probably use pieces already in your wardrobe to get the look. Perfect if the purse-strings won't stretch to a whole new wardrobe!

TREND #2: Sheer

Ah, there's always one trend that's a minefield for possible fashion disasters, and this season it's sheer. From the bright coloured blouses at Roberto Cavalli to the semi-transparent skirts at Rick Owens, you can really interpret this trend any way you like. 

Whatever sheer item you choose, keep it loose-fitting. It will help dodge some of the pitfalls of the trend and can even make you look smaller!

TREND #3: Cool Collage

This one has been around for a few seasons now, basically the more textures and prints you can fit on your person the better! Proenza Schouler did it with clean lines and neon, while Alexander McQueen brought the drama with their bee inspired looks. 

The joy of this trend is that you can take it as far as you like. Go for a simple mix of leather and wool or go all out with faux furs, fringe and everything else you can think of. We so want to see how you work this trend!!


TREND #4: Ruffles

Before you discard this as just another ultra-feminine summer trend, take a second look. This season the ruffle was everywhere but not as we knew it. The likes of Gucci and Givenchy showed theirs with clean lines and a minimalist feel. Irish designer JW Anderson might have shown the coolest summer dress of the season!

Go for wide ruffles, nothing too fussy or dainty. An easy way to keep things simple is to choose an item in a solid colour, red or white are great choices. 

TREND #5: Alpha Female

The power suit is well and truly back but it's come a long way! Raf Simons gave us the perfect work suit at Christian Dior, while Victoria Beckham styled her super-skinny ones with a bra top. If you want to make more of a statement, take inspiration from Jonathan Saunders and go for a bright red trouser suit. 

This is another all-rounder. Not only can your suit be broken down into highly wearable seperates but it can be taken from day to night with just a few adjustments. It's also a trend that can work for someone of any age, shape or size, it's just a matter of finding the right style for you.

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So what do you think? What looks will you be going for and, more importantly, which would you not touch with a bargepole? We want to know!!

We'll be getting a whole new batch of stock in over the next couple of weeks, so make sure to check out the pictures on Facebook or call in when you're passing to say hello :)