Month: October 2012

Kate Middleton style icon white headscarf

Steal her style: Kate Middleton edition

Kate Middleton has fully established herself as a style icon and all she had to do was marry a prince, easy.  Still, though her lifestyle is beyond the reach of most, her wardrobe isn’t, as she mixes designer names with high-street favourites making it accessible for everyone. Even if you can’t get your hands on the exact items she wears, it’s easy to borrow from her style.

Kate usually favours simple block colours and neutrals but when she wants to make a statement with a bold print, she knows simplicity is key. Simple shapes won’t distract, or detract, from the main attraction.

Here’s Kate in one of our favourite looks, a gorgeous simple sheath from Jonathon Saunders:

Kate went for a very vintage look but if you swap those accessories out for opaque tights and a great pair of ankle boots and you have a striking and modern outfit for work or an occasion.

Prints, well, they’re kind of our thing. We think this great wrap dress from the new Carousel collections hits all the right notes; a simple, flattering shape, a striking print, and a shot of vibrant green which Kate always looks so good in. http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/dresses.html

When she gets the chance to dress down, Kate, like most of us, sticks to her tried and tested skinnies. She knows that when you’re keeping it simple below, you can afford to have some fun on top. On a tour of North America she got in the cowboy spirit with this western inspired outfit:

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We might suggest you lose the hat but pair this Carousel blouse with jeans and a blazer for a chic daytime outfit.

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/carousel-easy-fit-blouse-by-cato-textles-cream.html

One of Kate’s most famous looks is this McQueen tennis dress:

Most of us don’t have Sarah Burton on call but we can definitely steal elements of this style. The pussy-bow is a perennial favourite and this black and white print dress with pussy-bow detail inverts the palette for a sophisticated alternative.

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/carousel-tie-front-dress-by-cato-textles-black-19950.html

Spooky Style: Carousel Celebrate the Ladies of Horror

Things are getting very spooky in Dublin this weekend with a Horrorthon taking over the IFI in Temple Bar. The series of creepy cinema wraps up on Monday so be sure to scare yourself silly before it’s too late! Horror films over the years have featured plenty of damsels in distress in some seriously scary styles.  So as Halloween weekend kicks into gear we’re remembering some iconic looks and their terrifying threads!
We adore Jenny Agutter in American Werewolf in London…a true classic!
Who can forget this iconic image from 1976’s Carrie? A remake is currently being filmed starring bright young star Chloe Grace Moretz.
 
Woolly hats were never the same after the Blair Witch Project…
Gotta love the Suspiria girls…
 
Awesome 80s style from “Alice” in Friday The 13th…
-Sasha Hamrogue

Carousel Loves Ruby Spark’s Style!

This week we saw Ruby Sparks, a new film from the makers of Little Miss Sunshine, and what a ray of romantic light it is! The movie explores the story of a young novelist, “Calvin Weir-Fields,” portrayed by Paul Dano, whose fictional love interest, his dream girl “Ruby Sparks,” comes to life. “Ruby” is played by actress Zoe Kazan and we love her on screen vintage-inspired style. And as luck would have it we have so many dresses here in Carousel that mirror the larger-than-life character’s fashion sense!

Zoe swirls in this beautiful red and white number as she and Dano (her real life boyfriend we might add!) share their first on screen kiss. You can get the look here with our beautiful red Lucy Dress…

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/red-lucy-dress-in-polka-dot-by-emily-fin-red.html

When “Ruby” first meets “Calvin’s” parents she is dolled up in a sweet white sleeveless vintage day dress which reminds us so much of our Alexia…

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/rise-alexia-lace-50s-inspired-by-rise-cream.html

“Ruby” loves to spark up an outfit with a pair of coloured tights and we think our red Freya dress would light up with a pair of purple stems…

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/freya-red-dot-dress-by-independent-red-532.html

Zoe’s stylist must have had tons of fun picking out her vintage looks for the film and we particularly loved this orange tea dress she teamed up with a pair of soft brown ankle boots. We’ve got hundreds of unique vintage dresses to choose from here at Carousel and we particularly love this Sweet Like Marmalade dress for the “Ruby Sparks” look…

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/sweet-like-marmalade-by-original-vintage-pink.html

Ruby Sparks is in cinemas now!

-Sasha Hamrogue

Halloween Costume

Halloween Costumes at Carousel – Fashion Frankenstein

The leaves are falling, there’s a chill in the air and Halloween is fast approaching so it’s time to think about Halloween costumes. I know there are those who started planning theirs in June (they’re the same people who start buying their Christmas presents then too), but for people who like to be, ahem, more spontaneous with their costumes, the 31st can devolve into a desperate trawl through emptied shelves in the €2 shop. Or pulling on a pair of leather gloves and calling it a serial killer costume – in my defence  I was desperate! To make the process a little easier, we’re sharing a selection of our more unusual vintage dresses to spark some ideas for unique costumes. So, no risk of turning up in the same pre-packaged outfit as someone else, and anyway, buying a ready-made costume always feels like cheating. The true spirit of Halloween is about make-and-do, so feast your eyes on these potential costumes* and check out our huge selection of vintage online and in-store.
 Halloween Costume 1
Rosy cheeks and a pail for a perfect milk-maid costume. Pig-tails and a tray of pints and you’ll seem to have marched in straight from Oktoberfest.
 Halloween Costume
80s Madonna? Glamorous Hocus Pocus style witch, wear with a pointed hat and stripy green tights.
Halloween CostumeHalloween Costume
Honestly, we have no idea where this item originated from but it is a very versatile costume. This year you’re part of an alien invasion, next, a frog. Check out these gloved sleeves! Very amphibian.
Halloween Costume
Hmmm, a sweet, romantic dress, how can we use thi… Corpse bride! Creepy doll! Victorian child! Terrifying!
 If you’re feeling inspired, have a look at our online vintage selection here:
*As is always the case, zombie versions of all these costume ideas are to be encouraged.

Bond Girls

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movies. With the release of the twenty-third film in the series Skyfall, this seems like a good time to revisit the real stars of the films, Bond’s legions of ‘girls’. (Although does anyone else hate that they’re referred to as girls?) Putting aside the grim sexual politics for the time-being, the Bond girls are perfect inspiration for glamorous vintage style – that is, when they’re not just running around in their bikinis. Here are a few of our favorite Bond girls:

Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger (1964).

With possibly the most ridiculous name in the whole franchise (which is saying something when Dr. Christmas Jones is knocking around in there), Pussy Galore, as played by the divine Honor Blackman, manages to rise above this inauspicious detail.

Her outfits play with menswear styles, camped up to suit the setting. Her purple wrap shirt and suede trousers are racy but wearable. No, I didn’t imagine ever typing those words but context is everything.

Bond girl Pussy Galore

 

A trusty gold waistcoat works hard paired with a black, possibly velvet, suit. And really, who among us doesn’t have a trusty gold waistcoat, or old reliable as I like to call mine.

Bond Girl Pussy Galore

 

Jane Seymour as Solitaire in Live and Let Die (1973).

Before she was Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Jane Seymour was, to my knowledge, the only psychic Bond girl as Solitaire, the tarot card reader in Live and Let Die. In-keeping with her mystical bent, as well as the period in which it was filmed, Seymour’s costumes consisted of highly embellished maxi-dresses, ornate head-dresses and elaborate make-up.

Bond girl Solitaire

Though full outfit images are hard to find, this picture of Solitaire in a high-necked, red velvet maxi encompasses everything that is amazing about these over-the-top confections.

Bond girl Solitaire

 

Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006).

Alas, the most recent Bond movies have dialed down the high-camp and frippery of their predecessors. On the plus side, this has resulted in slightly more developed female characters, hey, it’s only taken 50 years, as well as giving us some astonishingly beautiful gowns.

Bond girl Vesper Lynd

Bond girl Vesper Lynd

 

We have our own Bond girl in Carousel. The name’s Betty-Jean and here she is modelling some glamorous looks from Uttam, a new brand to Carousel and our favourite, Emily and Fin.

 

 

Bond girl Betty in Emily and Fin

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/elsa-dress-with-flower-buds-by-emily-fin-black.html

Bond girl Betty in Uttam

http://m2.ilovecarousel.com/uttam-geo-print-wrap-dress-by-uttam-black.html