The Fashion Student: fashion blogger

Friday, 10 November 2017

My First Fashion Memory

My first strong memory of fashion that I can recall is at chapel. I’m struggling to pinpoint an exact age, but I couldn’t have been very old – around 5 or 6.

Where I’m from, (and I believe this is generally the case with Irish Catholics in general) going to Sunday mass was the best opportunity for mothers and wives to dress to impress and wear their Sunday best, as there wasn’t really any other opportunity to do that in a town where nothing ever really happened.

I had no interest whatsoever in God or Catholicism at that age – I don’t think any 5 year old does to be completely honest. The only thing that made mass remotely enjoyable was gawking at all the fancy, designer clothes that everyone was parading around in on their way to get communion.

It’s the first time I got excited about fashion and style, quickly becoming more and more intrigued by the different patterns and textures.

While everyone else’s parents had to keep their children quiet with cars and Barbie dolls, I was quietly fascinated with fancy dresses.

It was like my own personal fashion show every Sunday.

S/S 18 TRENDS: THE RUNDOWN

What a season it's been. Being more engaged in fashion than ever, I looked at all the SS18 shows in a different way - more focused maybe. From Chanel's stunning setting to the rise of the new 'It' girl, Kaia Gerber, its certainly been an interesting and exciting Fashion Month.

As it is basically now tradition, I'm gonna give you a rundown of all the biggest trends and the best shows (which will obviously be biased as it's very hard to talk about fashion without your own opinion).

I might as well start with probably the biggest trend of all - sequins. They were huge this season, and as much as I hate anything with sequins (too tacky and too eighties), some brands managed to make it work.

I saw a lot of pink this season, particular soft, blush and baby pink. While it's a pretty predictable colour for Spring and Summer, there were definitely some interesting takes on the textures and cuts that partnered the tone, such as Fendi's more sexy take on the colour compared to Chanel's more feminine style.

There were plenty of full skirts flouncing down the catwalk, some loose and some more structured, but what I noticed is that a lot had very bold prints - very retro. Vintage shops are your dream if you wanna try your own take on this trend!

It was a boho girls dream this season, with lots of different designers using bohemian elements in their designs, think peasant blouses, bold floral prints, lace up sandals and drop earrings.

The last trend I'm gonna talk about is the puffy sleeves. I could see a lot of exaggerated shoulders (Gucci) and wide sleeves cuffed in at the wrist (Isabel Marrant) - sort of a mix between 60's and 80's styles, but with a modern twist. Great for making a bit more of a statement with your outfit.

So those were all the biggest trends for the upcoming S/S season! Other trends included animal print, pvc and schoolgirl prep! Hope you enjoyed this post and I will be writing again very soon.

Lots of love,
Orlagh xx

It's Time For A Change

Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know, but I've had a big life change recently and I wanted to get myself organized and basically get my life together before I got back onto my blog and youtube channel.

A lot has changed so I thought it was only right that my creative outlets did as well.

About a month ago I made a big move across the water at Bristol to study Fashion Communication at UWE. It's been tough moving so far away from home, but I feel like it's the right place for me to be at the minute. f things don't work out it and I want to move back home it isn't the end of the world, but all I can do is give it a try. This is an excellent opportunity for me and I worked really hard to get here; I'm really excited to be on the path to a career in fashion which I have wanted for such a long time!

The course is basically for the 'behind the scenes' aspect of fashion (or at least that's how I like to explain it). It takes into account things like photography, styling, journalism, PR, business and loads more! It's a great course for people who want a career in fashion but don't want to do design or textiles. At the minute our projects are very much photography based which I'm not complaining about as photography is one of my favourite hobbies. Although the course is pretty fast paced, I still can't believe that doing something I love and find fun can be considered 'work'. It's such a change from A levels!

I'm currently living in uni accommodation which is pretty good. I'm right in the city centre which is a major bonus, but also very bad for me because it means I'm really close to all the good shops which is extremely tempting!

I'm getting slightly off topic now, but I just wanted to make this post to explain that my blog and youtube channel will be getting some slight changes. For one, I have changed the name to 'The Fashion Student' as I feel it suits me better for this time in my life and will help me stick to a certain niche. Also, if you're a bit confused by some posts titled 'critical thinking' or 'visual culture' just ignore them, they are blog posts I have to write for my course!

'Orlagh Marie' was essentially a year of experimentation which I absolutely loved. It helped me work out what kind of videos I do/don't like. From now on you can expect lots more fashion + lifestyle videos/posts! I have a few exciting ideas for series so definitely stay tuned!!

Lots of love,

Orlagh xx

The Liebster Awards 2017

I've been seeing a lot about this tag recently and I love the concept of finding out a bit more about your favourite bloggers and supporting each other.

The rules of this tag that I have to follow are:

1) Answer the questions asked by tagger/blogger

2) Tag bloggers with under 200 followers on twitter

3) Create 11 new questions for bloggers to answer

4) Recognise who tagged you

I was really happy to be tagged by http://www.shonaghscribbles.co.uk who has a great blog about travel and lifestyle! Here are the questions she asked me:

1) Who or what inspired you to start blogging?

Zoella. 100%. I know how basic that sounds but I started watching/reading Zoella from such a young age and I feel like in a way I've grown up with her. She introduced me into this wonderful world of blogging and when I was about 13 I started to imagine how fun it would be to do it myself but never had the confidence, until I watched her video about anxiety and thought 'if she can do it, I can'. Also, my need to express creativity in some way inspired me to start blogging.

2) How would you describe your life so far in five words?

Fun, fortunate, stressful, lesson, enjoyable

3) If you had a re-run at life, what would you change (if anything)?

I honestly don't have any regrets in life as I kind of believe that everything that happens to you has a purpose or lesson, however the one thing I always wish I done was start youtube earlier when I wanted to. I always thought that I needed a good quality camera to start but I've realized now that everyone has to start somewhere. Also, I wish I'd started earlier so I had more videos and memories to look back on!

4) What is the best place you have ever visited been and why?

Cala D'or, Majorca. It is one of the most beautiful places and by far my favourite holiday I've been on so far. The best thing about it was the little cove beaches with the clearest water I've ever seen.

5) Name your top three highest ranking activities on your bucket list..

1) See Lana Del Rey in concert

2) Buy a Camper Van and travel around Europe

3) Visit the blue lagoon in Iceland

6) One thing your subscribers or followers wouldn't know about you IS?

As much as I love fashion and beauty, I spend 99% of my life in leggings and a hoodie with no makeup on. Youtube and instagram can be very deceiving, trust me.

7) What is your biggest accomplishment in life thus far?

Receiving offers for University. With the way my anxiety was affecting me at the start of the year, I thought there was absolutely no way I could go to an interview and be successful. The fact that I got all offers including the 2 offers that required interviews made me so proud of myself. I spoke well in the interviews and didn't cave under the pressure, which may not mean much to some people but to me that was a great accomplishment.

8) Go-to music artist or song at the moment?

I've been really enjoying listening to Gavin James at the minute, and my favourite song would have to be For You.

9) What does your favourite outfit consist of?

You can't go wrong with a pair of mom jeans and a cropped, long sleeved top (what can I say, I love Rachel Green's style).

10) Who did you want to be when you were younger and are you happy with the reality?

When I was younger and Jacqueline Wilson obsessed, I adored writing and wanted to be an author so badly. As I got a little older I dreamed of having my own magazine, and that dream has actually sort of endured. I'm going to (hopefully) be studying Fashion Communication in September, so I guess you could say I'm turning my dreams into reality!

Here are the people I am nominating to do the tag:

www.saramccloskey.com

www.britishbeautyaddict.com

www.bekylou.com

www.memyselfandorla.wordpress.com

I'm not sure about followers but I only wanted to nominate people whose blog I actually read.

My questions are:

1) What is your favourite book?

2) What's your dream job?

3) What place in the world would you most like to go to?

4) Holy grail beauty product?

5) What's your favourite thing about where you live?

6) What makes you happy?

7) Favourite subject in school?

8) What's your all time favourite tv show?

9) If you were an animal what would you be and why?

10) Favourite quote?

11) What quality do you most appreciate in someone?

So that's it from me! If you're tagged I'd really love to see you answer the questions, and if not, I'm tagging all bloggers reading this who are up for it!

xo, Orlagh

OOTD // Parisian Inspired

Hi! Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately, I'm trying to focus more on revising for exams but expect a lot more posts when they're out of the way. I was going out for dinner and it was such a nice day so I thought I might as well take advantage and get use out of my summer clothes that I never get to wear. I kept it casual so this outfit would be perfect for wherever you're going, and could easily be dressed up with heels.

Top // Vintage

Skirt // Zara (I've linked a similar one)

Shoes // Converse

Earrings // ASOS

xo, Orlagh

Spring/Summer 16 Trends

I always love doing these sorts of blog posts, researching all the looks that were on the runways for Spring and Summer. I fell in love with the collections for this season, so many designers had a feminine spin on their clothing, and I absolutely love it. I usually tend to be drawn to the more out there, futuristic styles but this season I'm obsessed with the more minimalistic, dreamy and pretty styles. Calvin Klein stole the show for me, their pieces for Spring/Summer 2016 were so understated and stunning. There were a lot of trends that were seen in several collections, but I just picked out a few of my favourites and pieces that are very similar for a lot cheaper.

1) Ruffles
This was seen so much for S/S 16 but in different ways but ll had a very feminine shape. This look is really easy to wear as long as you keep the accessories simple.

http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/tops/ruffle-top-c358004p3256033.html

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-ruffle-detail-vintage-blouse-with-high-neck/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6141646&clr=Lilac&SearchQuery=ruffles&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=250&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=2

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-high-neck-ruffle-tiered-top-with-short -sleeve/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6250821&clr=Ivory&SearchQuery=ruffles&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=250&gridsize=3&gridrow=3&gridcolumn=1

2) Romantic Florals
There was a lot of flowey, sheer floral maxi dresses this season which were stunning, and designers also took inspiration from Victorian fashion with high necks and buttons

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-pleated-maxi-dress-in-floral-print/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5930428&clr=Multi&SearchQuery=ASOS+Pleated+Maxi+Dress+in+Floral+Print&pgesize=4&pge=0&totalstyles=4&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1

http://www.asos.com/Little-Mistress/Little-Mistress-Floral-Print-and-Lace-Maxi-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspxiid=5997829&transaction_id=10256ce163e502b1db933582beeb7f&affid=14329&istCompanyId=6f061ed0-7427-4b6c-bb90-987c0bd08468&istItemId=qrimrtwra&istBid=t&pubref=1015

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Wrap-Front-Maxi-Dress-In-Floral-Print/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6094058&transaction_id=1027ca6472351e5252077fe2cc9258&affid=14329&istCompanyId=6f061ed0-7427-4b6c-bb90-987c0bd08468&istItemId=qlpwtpiat&istBid=t&pubref=1015

3) Lingerie
I think this was my favourite trend. The 90's trend is definitely not going anywhere for a while which I am very happy about! The slip dress is huge this season, and while it can be worn dressed up, I think it would look amazing with some slip on trainers and a leather jacket around your shoulders for a more casual take on it.

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-mini-cami-slip-dress-in-hammered-satin/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5979509&clr=Pink&SearchQuery=slip&pgesize=36&pge=2&totalstyles=380&gridsize=3&gridrow=5&gridcolumn=2

http://www.office.co.uk/view/product/office_catalog/5,21/2496576294

xo, Orlagh

January Outfits

For some reason when January comes along I wear a lot more casual, minialistic clothes and neutral colours. Maybe it's the dark, dull weather (which I actually love) or the fact that I've been dressing up throughout Christmas but for some reason I just want to wear whatever's comfortable and keeps me warm. While wanting to be comfy it wouldn't be me to wear something completely just for comfort so I've came up with these outfits which are cosy but still look stylish at the same time.

Khaki coat
newlook.com

Topshop black ripped skinny jeans
£49 - topshop.com

Vans sneaker
£32 - zappos.com

Zara striped sweater
£14 - zara.com

Topshop high rise skinny jeans
£49 - topshop.com

Vans lace up shoes
selfridges.com

Zara black shirt
£16 - zara.com

H&M khaki pants
hm.com

River Island black booties
riverisland.com

Accessorize wool hat
£9.89 - accessorize.com

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xo Orlagh

OOTD // 90'S INSPIRED

Today was a really nice day for a change so I thought that I would take advantage of the good weather and wear something summery that I never normally get the chance to wear (gotta love the Irish weather).

Outfit

Top // Forever 21

Skirt // Zara

Sunglasses // River Island

Shoes // Converse

Makeup

Face // Mac Studio Fix Foundation & Springsheen Blush, Benefit Hoola Bronzer & Watt's Up Highlighter

Eyes // Soap&Glory Eyeliner, Rimmel Wake Me Up Mascara

Lips // Mac Velvet Teddy

xo, Orlagh

Instagram // @_orlaghmccloskey

Twitter // @_orlaghmarie

A/W 15 TRENDS

It's finally my favourite time of year again. I can finally ditch the summery clothes (that I never got to wear because the Irish weather has been terrible) and bring out the coats, boots, hats and everything great about Autumn/Winter. I love this time of year in terms of fashion because I feel like shops get a complete refresh and change dramatically, and the passion that designers put in really shows on the A/W 15 catwalks.

There are so many trends that I love this season, but I thought I would show you just a few of my favourites and how you can get them for a quarter of the price.

Bold Prints

The 60's are making a big comeback this season with geometric patterns and bright colours.

River Island black romper
£58 - riverisland.com

Zara red shoes
£51 - zara.com

Accessorize red hobo handbag
£38 - accessorize.co

Fur
This trend was shown on the catwalk in so many different fun colours such as green and teal.

AX Paris fur coat
axparis.com

Topshop black jeans
£9.62 - topshop.com

Nude shoes
newlook.com

H M black purse
hm.com

Gothic
Mixing different edgy textures such as mesh and leather with feminine details and accessorize was popular, and creates the perfect balance between goth and girly.