Thanks for Supporting the ‘Best of Wexford’ Event

Best of Wexford event

I think I’m still on a high from the weekend! Such an amazing day was had by all at the ‘Best of Wexford’ event in Clayton Whites Hotel. The fundraiser was held in aid of the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre and you can read more about how it came about here.

‘Best of Wexford’ Event

Doors opened to the public at 2pm and there was a queue to get in. Guests were treated to a champagne reception on the balcony on the first floor in Clayton Whites Hotel and music by members of Danescastle Music Group.

'Best of Wexford' event

Pop Up Shopping Mall

The main function room was packed with a variety of pop up shops. It quickly filled up as the public shopped the various stands. Everyone was there; from The Nail Boutique, CoderDojo, Inglot, Dreamy and Chic, Glamourize.ie, Motivation Weight Management, Millinery Madness, Sew Fun, Shoe Style International, Gainforts Academy, Lily Bloom florists, Linda Shalloe, True Hearts Videography, The Foot Clinic, Health 3.0, Bazonk Interiors, The Nourishing Fairy and everything in between.

Irish Business Start Up

Wexford Business

Best of Wexford

Wedding Videographer Wexford

Wedding Florist Wexford

The Nail Boutique Wexford

Millinery Madness Wexford

The Main Stage

Clare Williams is the manager of the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre. She took to the stage just before 3pm to welcome everyone, share some information on the centre and explain the running order of the day. She then asked me on stage and I kept my intro short and sweet 😝 The reason I was up on the stage was to tell everyone about the winner of our Makeover Competition with South East Radio.

A little over a week prior to the event, Hannah Burke from Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford won the prize and she came out on stage sans-makeup and hair styling, for a quick chat with me. Hannah is a mum of one and hadn’t had her hair or make up done in two years since having her son. She felt that she never really had the time to treat herself, like so many mums. She entered the competition not thinking that she would win in a million years! But her’s was the lucky entry and she was thrilled.

We then went off backstage to begin the glam process with Ciara from Salon Diva on hair and Dawn from Sam McCauley’s on makeup using Lancome products. I styled Hannah in an outfit from Si Jolie and Pamela Scott and the ladies at The Nail Boutique had looked after her nails and brows earlier in the week as part of her prize. This is her ‘Before’ shot.

Kevin Dundon Cookery Demo

Celebrity chef Kevin Dundon then took to the stage for a delicious cookery demonstration. He was joined on stage by some of the unsuspecting audience. One lady in particular was such a character, she had the whole room howling with laughter! Kevin made a couple of gorgeous dishes which went down a real treat with the room. Throughout the afternoon there were raffle winners pulled and there were some fantastic prizes won on the day. The main door prizes will be pulled with former Miss World, Rosanna Davison later this week.

Sam Kelly, the Tweeting Goddess, was also there on the day and helped us get the #BestOfWexford trending in Ireland – a brilliant achievement – she had social media covered for the afternoon!

Kevin Dundon

Creating your Capsule Wardrobe

After a short break, I took to the stage for a Winter Styling Session. I had 3 gorgeous models styled in looks from different local retailers. Each look featured a hero piece that I feel everyone needs in their wardrobe for the season.

Winter Fashion 2017

Put A Bow On It

The first model was Maria, whose outfit was from Put A Bow On It. If you follow me with a while, you will know that I love this boutique which is on the Main Street in Enniscorthy. You can read more about my love for the boutique here and hereAoife, the proprietor has a great eye for style and her shoes and accessories are to die for! The hero piece here was the leather jacket. The black jacket featured gold zips and a detachable fur collar, meaning you can get 2 different looks out of it. We teamed this with one of the boutiques best sellers; a purple mini skirt, embroidered with gold thread. Teamed with tights and a polo neck, this is a chic day time look but could be easily dressed up with a fitted top, lose the tights and opt for the stunning Kate Appleby patent leather heels that Maria wore with the outfit.

Put A Bow On It

Leather Jacket – €95

Polo Neck Jumper – €15 (also available in red, mustard and grey)

Embroidered Skirt – €40

Kate Appleby Heels – €50

Tassel Earrings – €15

Chloe Inspired Bag – €45

Pamela Scott

The second look was modelled by my mam, Majella 😄 I roped her in to helping me out but she was the perfect model for fashion from Pamela Scott. The focus here was on the stunning leather boots by Susst. They have funky stud detailing on the back and are the ideal, everyday boot. Easy to keep clean and very comfortable with the block heel, yet super stylish.

The shirt is by Betty Barclay, a label synonymous with quality. I layered this look with a red Sophie B jacket. The waterfall effect on this jacket is very flattering and makes it easy to wear day or night. The knitted wrap is by Opus and comes in other colours such as soft pink. It’s a little bit warmer and can be accessorised a few different ways. With a jacket that has a collar such as this one, this was just one way to style it.

Pamela Scott

Susst Boots – €55.99

Betty Barclay Shirt – €59.95

Opus Wrap – €49.95

Sophie B Jacket – €49.99

Wonder Jeans – €89.99

New Look

The final look was from New Look and modelled by my doll Jenna, (I’m so lucky to have model friends 😉). Knitwear was the focus in this outfit, so I styled Jenna is an embroidered jumper from our Way Out West trend. It’s a super cosy jumper and is long enough in the body and arms, something that ladies are looking for when shopping for knitwear more lately. I paired it with the aptly-named ‘Jenna’ jeans, which are the super skinny style of denims at New Look. They have just one rip on each knee and a turn up hem. The denim is super stretchy and has a lovely stonewashed finish.

The boots have a suede finish and featured silver hardware on the sides. This tied in nicely with the belt that I styled over the mustard coat. Adding a belt over a coat like this gives the illusion of a slimmer waist and draws the eye in to the slimmest part of our bodies. The coat is truly gorgeous; knee-length and lined for warmth. It comes in grey, red and black also and for €44.99, it’s extremely reasonable!

New Look Winter fashion

Embroidered Jumper – €34.99

Jenna Jeans – €34.99

Mustard Coat – €44.99

Suede Boots – €39.99

Best of Wexford event

Obviously with it being the beginning of the winter, I wanted to focus on more casual, day-to-day looks. I will be sharing more party-wear inspiration on Holy Chic over the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for that here. The pieces in these looks can all lend themselves to a variety of different outfits, which was important for me when pulling the looks.

 

The Pièce de Résistance

Finally, it was time for the Big Reveal! Ciara, Dawn and I had been working with Hannah all afternoon and she definitely enjoyed her time spent being pampered. I reminded the audience of the background to the makeover, a little bit about Hannah and her ‘Before’ picture was streamed on the screens around the function room. Hannah walked out to a huge round of applause and she looked absolutely stunning.

Makeover After

I styled her in clothes from Si Jolie Boutique in Wexford town. The faux fur stole is by English designer Helen Moore; the crushed velvet top is Brigette Bardot and featured gorgeous detail on the shoulders. The black jeans were just out of this world. We went down two sizes when trying on these Forver Unique beauties. They give such a great shape to the legs and bum and are the most comfortable jeans ever. Hannah said they feel more like a leggings, they’re that comfy!

Makeover After

Her boots and bag were both from Pamela Scott. The high heeled boots had pointed toes, which is really popular this winter as opposed to a round toe. Thinking ahead to the party season, the embellished clutch bag added some mega sparkle to the outfit. A beautiful person, inside and out, I’m so delighted that she enjoyed the experience.

Best of Wexford Makeover Winner

Who? Me?!

I think the biggest compliment I got was when a lady approached me at the end of the event to ask if I was the stylist from Ireland AM and that she was certain I was on the TV presenting fashion slots like that! Well God, I wish I was 😂😂 I get a real buzz from pulling the looks for shows like this, as I did with the Glitz and Glam Masterclass earlier this year. When I’m chatting about fashion, I zone out and don’t even notice that I’m up on a stage with Lord knows how many eyeballs on me. To be completely honest, I had so much going on in my personal life the week leading up to the ‘Best of Wexford’ event that I wasn’t 100% prepared. I just got up on the stage and hoped for the best, with a couple of notes with prices on them that I had just written up backstage. As is my life, last minute dot com 😝 But when it’s something that you have a passion for, it just flows. I will have a post detailing my own outfit and makeup on Holy Chic soon too; it needs a post of it’s own.

'Best of Wexford' event

Finally…

Thankfully the whole day went so well and everything ran smoothly. You would think that the committee had been organising this event year on year, not for the first time! The feedback from everyone since Sunday has been incredible. Ladies remarked on how the event catered to all ages and tastes, there was something for everyone to enjoy. I really hope that the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre are able to host this event annually and I’m absolutely delighted to have been able to donate my time to help such a worthy cause. Thanks so much to the committee for asking me to come on board and I’m looking forward to sharing the final figure raised with you guys as soon as I know!

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