Circus Summer Lookbook: A Trip to the Beach!

Our latest Circus summer lookbook is all about laid back vintage style, that’s perfect for staying cool, calm, and stylish, no matter where these sunny days take you! We were inspired by vintage photos of some of our favorite old school Hollywood icons letting their hair, and their guards, down in relaxed and playful shoots by the sea. We knew the beach would be the ideal location for us to showcase the latest summer collection from Circus. As always, the collection is jam packed with fun and unique patterns, bright, fresh summery colours, and flattering shapes made from light, comfy, breathable fabrics – and all designed by the team here at Carousel in Dublin to boot!

Keeping things casual, we decided to keep hair and make up simple and not too groomed. Although many of these dresses look just as fab dressed up with heels and accessories, we paired them with simple sandals and pumps for a beach look that’s just right. We think the resulting look book is dreamy and romantic, but playful and relaxed at the same time, and reminds us of long summer days gone by spent at the beach. We can feel the sand between our toes! Take a look at a selection below, and let us know what you think. You can shop all the looks included in the lookbook here.

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Some of our vintage inspiration

circus vintage style summer lookbookGina polka dot dress

Circus Olivia dress summer lookbookOlivia Boat Dress

Circus summer lookbook at the beachGloria Polka Dot Dress

vinatge inspired beach lookbookDebbie Boats Dress

Dublin seaside summer lookbook Lily Striped Dress

We also made a video lookbook, so you can see the collection in action, take a look below!

Summer Movie Style Inspiration – Look One: Grease!

It’s the height of summer, and on those days when it’s just too warm to go outside, or you’ve already been out and about in the sun all day, we like to cool down by watching some of our favorite (and most stylish!) summer movies. Over the next few days, we will be revisiting our top 3 summer movies, and creating outfits inspired by each one! So first up is the colourful and rambunctious musical “Grease”!

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A classic story about a good girl and bad boy falling in love, this movie is what we wish our summers in high school were like! Even though made in 1978, this movie still looked back to the 1950’s for it’s setting and style, and the outfits are to die for! With lots of retro fit and flare dresses, poodle skirts, cute little sweaters, bobby socks, and bad ass jackets, this movie is a treat for any vintage loving stylista.

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Getting the Grease look for yourself isn’t too difficult. We really love lead character Sandy’s style throughout the movie. She has that classic prim 1950’s style – all big full circle skirts, petticoats and cardigans. To pay homage to the movies girl gang “The Pink Ladies” we’ve paired this cute pink polka dot shirt with this gorgeous anchor print full skirt. Just tie your hair into a prim ponytail, add a cardigan (worn on your shoulders only of course!) and a pristine pair of white bobby socks, and you have the Sandy look! If you want to represent Sandy’s “bad” (but oh so good!) side that emerges in the movie, you could pop the collar of your shirt and add these sassy vintage inspired cat eye sunglasses. 

Get Look Grease Movie CarouselCheck back soon for more of our favorite summer movie style – next up is “500 Days of Summer”!

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Trés Chic! Vintage Cannes Film Festival Style.

In celebration of the beginning of the Cannes film festival 2014 this week, we’ve decided to take a look at some vintage Cannes style! This prestigious festival has always attracted the biggest stars from all over the world, and they really put their best fashion foot forward. Celebrities are mobbed by the paparazzi everywhere they go, and every minute spent there is turned into a photo opportunity. Cannes style seems to go from one extreme to the other, with no in between. It’s either laid back and casual chic as stars relax by the beach during the day, or all-out glitz and glamor as they strut the red carpet and attend parties at night. Here are some of our favorites:

From the beach…

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Brigitte Bardot – barefoot and careless on the beachcannes film festival mens fashion retro

Cary Grant – so dapper!

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Grace Kelly relaxes in chic floral capri pants

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Love this laid back all white look on Jane Birkin

…to the red carpet.

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Sophia Loren stuns on the red carpet

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Elizabeth Taylor doesn’t need a crown to prove she’s the queen of style!

cannes retro style polka dot dress

Mitzi Gaynor and some delightful polka dots!

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Grace Kelly’s polished ladylike evening look

Find your red carpet look with one of our modern vintage dresses, available here!

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Summer Essentials: Gorgeous new arrivals from Emily and Fin!

Seven new dresses have just arrived from Emily and Fin, and they are stunners! emily and fin dress vintage inspired carousel

We’ve been planning our wardrobes for better weather and summertime, and these new dresses are giving us lots of style inspiration! With a riot of patterns, colours, and gorgeous shapes to choose from, there is a dress for every occasion here. A classic polka dot dress can take you anywhere. You could easily wear these polka dot Emily and Fin dresses to work, a wedding, or a night out on the town. (You can find dress number 2 here, dress 4 here, and dress 5 here)

The two vibrant floral dresses from Emily and Fin will really get you in the mood for summer! Add a pop of colour to your wardrobe with the Sophie dress (here). We love its cinched waist – so flattering! Rock some vintage tropical vibes with the Scarlett dress (here). We’d add a big straw hat and sandals for summer. All we need now is a tropical beach!

Summer is always more fun than winter, and this year you can really up the fun factor with the Jessica and Lucy dresses from Emily and Fin. You’ll stay cool all summer long in the Jessica dress, with its ice lolly print and knock out shirt dress shape (available here)! We’d add some wedged sandals, cat eye shades and a retro hairstyle. Shake off the winter blues for good in the Lucy dress (available here), covered in energetic acrobats flying through the air. We love its longer length skirt, perfect if you want to stay cool with bare legs in the summer heat, but don’t like to show off too much leg!

We can’t decide which is our favorite – can we just have one of each?
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Weekend Style: We Style A Skirt 3 Ways For Every Day of The Weekend!

Around this time of the week, our minds often turn to whatever it is we’re looking forward to this weekend – and what we’ll wear! We decided to take one of our favorite pieces in the shop at the moment, and see how it can solve all of our weekend style woes, and get us through a busy weekend with ease. With its block red colour, this pleated midi skirt (available here) will go with almost anything. We adore its vintage inspired shape. We would wear it high on our waist for that classic 1950’s fit and flare look. So, let the weekend begin…

Friday night: Bowling Bonanza!

Ahhh work is finished for the week – now it’s time for the fun to begin. You’re joining your friends for the most retro of activities – bowling. You may not get a full strike every time, but this cute outfit is guaranteed to bowl everyone over! We unfastened the last few buttons on this cute bird cage print shirt and tied it in a knot to exaggerate this outfits retro vibe. You may not actually own a bowling ball, but this adorable bowling bag is just what you need to keep all your essentials in. Add some saddle or oxford style shoes, and you’re ready to hit those lanes! You can find the shirt here, and bag here.

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Saturday: Shopping Trip

It’s Saturday morning, and time to meet up with your best friend for a relaxed coffee and a wander around some of your favorite shops or markets. Comfort is key here, but you won’t want to compromise on style. This gorgeous shirt puts a darling twist on the standard white shirt, with its dainty print and pretty pleating detail. Paired with the red midi skirt, this look is casual, but chic. Add a neckerchief to get a look reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” (1953). You’ll need a bag that can hold all the precious new trinkets you may pick up on your shopping trip, and this shopper bag is fit for the job. It’s gorgeous blue colour will compliment the whole outfit. Add a comfortable pair of flats or loafers, and you’re ready to head into town! You can find the shirt here, and bag here.

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Saturday Night: Restaurant Date

It’s time for some romance, and you have a tasty trip to a restaurant planned. Don’t be afraid to make a glamorous statement. Use block colours to add a contemporary edge to the vintage inspired skirt, and pile on the bling. You can make sure your accessories aren’t too overwhelming by sticking to accessorising one area only. Here we layered some large statement necklaces over a black top, but left our hands and wrists free of any decoration. This top is anything but plain. It has a sparkling sheer pleated panel on the back, ensuring you look great from all angles! Add this black and white bag and some bright colour block heels to complete this look.

date style weekend style circus midi skirt

Sunday: Time to Relax!

Phew! After all of that we think you deserve a rest! So throw on those comfy pajamas and head for the couch.

Take care!
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Xposé comes to Carousel

It’s always exciting when Carousel gets a visit from the glamorous Xposé team from TV3, and their visit last week was no exception! They wanted to take a look at the new, vintage inspired, U.K. brand “Circus”, stocked exclusively in Ireland by Carousel! Stylist Irene put together some of her favorite looks for the piece, which you can watch here.

Keep on scrolling to see some behind the scenes shots from the filming of the final piece, featuring some gorgeous looks from Circus.

xpose carousel vintage inspired circuscircus vintage inspired tvcarousel circus pose vintage stylecircus fashion style vintage tvvintage irene karen koster tv xpose TV3
To shop for these looks, and more from Circus, go here.

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Spring Style: The Deirdre Dress is Back!

One of our favorite styles of dress – the Deirdre – is back just in time for spring, and we just had to share it with you! With three gorgeous new floral prints to choose from, its the perfectly fresh update for your wardrobe. Whether you’re meeting the girls for a bite to eat in town, taking a stroll with an ice cream by the beach, or hitting the dance floor for a shimmy, this cute and comfortable dress can take you everywhere this spring summer season!

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Vintage Inspired Spring Style

With its mandarin style collar and adorable puffed sleeves, we think this dress has a 1940’s vintage vibe, but is kept thoroughly modern with its shorter length A line skirt and popping bright colours. With so much styling potential, you could make this dress extra pretty by adding a cardigan, sling back wedges and matching flowers in your hair. Alternatively, dress it down and grunge it up with some thick tights, boots and a denim jacket. Play around with your spring style with the Deirdre dress, because this dress is definitely made for fun! Available here.

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10 Vintage Fashion Photographers That We Love

We love vintage fashion photography! It’s not just because of the amazing vintage style on display in the photos. These photographs are as fresh, influential, and innovative now as they were over 50 years ago – and some of them are even older than that! Masters of their craft and full of creativity, the photographers who made these images create a world around each outfit and add new layers of meaning. Making both the clothes and a lifestyle even more desirable, these photographers influenced fashion and taste as much as the designers of the time did. We made a shortlist of our favorites, and wanted to share with you 10 vintage fashion photographers. These photographers have created some of the most magical and iconic fashion images of the last century.

Nina Leen

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John Rawlings

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Richard Avedon

avedon carousel vintage fashion photographer

Louise Dahl Wolfe

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Lillian Bassman

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Mark Shaw

Mark Shaw vintage photographer carousel

Erwin Blumenfeld

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Karen Radkai

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Horst P Horst

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Cecil Beaton

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Irving Penn

Irving Penn Vintage fashion photographers carousel

Who is your favorite? Let us know!

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Mod Style Inspiration: The Mod Couple Portraits of Carlotta Cardana

Modern Mod Style Inspiration

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that Carlotta Cardanas portraits of mod couples are straight out of 1960′s England. In fact, these photographs were only taken in the last three years! This blurring of time is part of why we adore this project. Cardana has taken so much care to place these couples in surroundings that mirror their mod style, and evoke the time and place that mod originated. The surroundings become a part of their style as much as their clothes are. Cardanas photography style – the square format of the photos, the colour palette used, the lighting, all capture a retro vibe perfectly.

Speaking of retro vibes, who can ignore the amazing vintage style inspiration that these couples are? Their dedication to mod style, and also each other, is admirable. It’s so sweet how the couples complement and reinforce each others style. Do you think you could dress like this with your partner? Could you be as committed to a style and subculture as much as these couples are?

We picked out some of our favorites photographs below, but head over to Carlottas website (here) to see the rest of the project and more of her incredible work.

mod style inspiration valentines carouselmod style inspiration vintage carouselmod style cardan carousel retro inspiration

To get your own vintage inspired style, head to our website m2.ilovecarousel.com now.

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3 Date Ideas – And What To Wear On Them!

Fresh Spring Date Ideas

No two couples are the same, so no two dates should be either. Since it’s almost Valentines day, we’ve been thinking about some of our favorite date ideas that are a little different to the usual fancy restaurant or cinema – and some inspiration for what to wear on them. Of course, these date ideas are not only suited to loved up couples. If you’re single, grab your best gal pal, sister, mother, or work colleague, and get out there and have some fun together!

A Heart Warming Nature Walk

Wrap up warm and head to the hills (or your local park)! A walk in the fresh, chilly spring air, surrounded by nature, is the perfect way to get your blood pumping, and gives you and your date a brilliant chance to talk and share stories. You could bring along a mini picnic of warm soup in a flask for extra heart warming goodness. Best of all, it’s completely free! You’ll need a warm and comfortable outfit, but it should also make you feel gorgeous. Layer this richly textured, inspired by nature dress under a parka jacket and a cosy scarf. Add thick tights, a slouchy hat, and comfortable boots, and you’re ready to get back to nature.

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A Loud and Live Music Gig

What better way to get up close and personal with your date then shimmying to the beat together in front of a live band? Bound to turn up the heat and get pulses racing, the music might be too loud for conversation, but this is a great way to loosen up and become relaxed in each others company. We’d wear this gorgeous graphic floral print dress under a denim or leather jacket, for that perfect mix of tough and pretty that really gives you an edge.

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Become A Tourist In Your Hometown

Grab your camera, a map, and a date, and head out into your hometown to visit places that are usually the haunt of tourists. Wandering around museums and exhibitions is the perfect way to explore the interests and tastes of your date, and will give you plenty to talk about. Don’t forget to take lots of photos of each other on your adventures! By rediscovering and exploring your hometown, you might also start to see it through fresh eyes to boot. This cute and laid back printed dress is perfect for the urban explorer.

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Have you ever been on a date like any these? Do you have any unique date ideas?

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