Carousel Summer: Patterns, Press and Puppies

Carousel Summer: Patterns, Press and Puppies

Welcome back to the blog! We’re here to keep you updated on everything Carousel – from design news to event information and everything in between. Happy Carousel summer shopping!

Hot off the press

It’s been an exciting summer so far here at Carousel. While the bees are busy with the blooming flowers , the papers have been abuzz about our own brightly coloured creations.  On the 28th of June, we were delighted to be featured in the New York Times as one of the Five Places to Shop in Dublin! In a piece written by Elaine Glusac, we were mentioned alongside some of our favourite boutiques and restaurants in the city centre. The article touts our brand Circus and our beloved A-line skirts and unique vintage-inspired dresses and blouses. You can read the piece here!

Carousel summer 5 places to shop in Dublin New york Times article

If that wasn’t enough press coverage for one summer, on July 17 we were featured in the Irish Times Magazine. Irish Times fashion editor Deirdre McQuillan interviewed Carousel creator Tom Walsh about the story of Carousel and how Circus came to be. In the piece, Tom speaks about Carousel’s modern vintage style and the importance of Irish design. We’d like to thank Deirdre for her article and for continually promoting Irish design and small Irish companies.

Irish Times in interview with Circus creator Tom Walsh

canines at carousel

We held our first pup-friendly event  in our Exchequer Street shop on July 19. We opened our doors to our furry friends to raise money for Dogs in Distress. This brilliant charity works to find foster homes and forever homes for their rescue dogs. Between the hours of five and seven, we allowed our canine companions into the store and took donations for the charity in exchange for a personalised portrait of our customers’ pups. We offered a 15% discount on our Circus range on the night and 10% of all proceeds went to Dogs in Distress. Keep up to date with our Facebook page for information on more of our events!

dog photography and shopping night at Carousel summer Dublin

 

The Circus Vera dress from Carousel, Ideas and Inspiration - vintage - retro - fashion -style

Circus Design & Inspiration Ideas, Vera

Wondering what the inspiration was behind the Circus Vera dress design? Well wonder no more….

Vera Ellen was a dancer starring in the likes of ‘White Christmas’ and ‘On the Town’. She danced with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly,Danny Kaye and Donald O’Connor amongst others. She was graceful, vivacious and energetic and we think that sums up the Vera dress. Featuring 2 punchy patterns, one a bird design in an autumnal colour scheme and one a more Vintage-inspired navy & brown floaral pattern. The dance influence is in the pleats of the skirt creating a great little kick…very swishable 😉

Here’s the final design & inspiration for the Vera-

The Circus Vera dress from Carousel, Design and Inspiration Ideas- vintage - retro - fashion -style

The Circus Vera dress from Carousel, Design and Inspiration Ideas

In other news our Design team have come back with loads of ideas and different fabric swatches for the next season! You helped to contribute to this process by choosing your favourite fabric patterns and colours via Twitter and Facebook. As you can see from the pictures below there are a lot of really different prints and patterns to choose from so it can be a tough job!  We really can’t wait to show you our ideas for future designs. We know you’re going to love them.

 Ideas and Inspiration - vintage - retro - fashion -style

Our Design Team hard at work Finalising Designs and Fabrics

We will be back here in a few days with more news from Carousel Headquarters. In the meantime have you checked out our videos? We’re having a bit of fun talking about our Circus designs and showing you how to style yourself up! They are a work-in-progress but we’re learning quickly. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that :D. Check them out here: Carousel on Youtube

Talk soon! Carousel, xoxo

 

Circus-Carousel-iLoveCarousel-Vintage-Retro-Design-Dress-Ava Gardner

Circus Design & Inspiration Ideas, 2

We got some more swatches in to Carousel HQ this week and we’re having fun playing around with them for our new designs.

We narrowed it down to these two fabrics for our Ava dress and we’re really excited to find out what you think of them! One is a Fan design in two tones of purple with a little orange accent. The other swatch is a graphic floral design with a red base colour…almost like a painting.

Circus-Carousel-iLoveCarousel-Vintage-Retro-Design-Dress-Ava Gardner

Circus Design Inspiration: Fabric options for the Ava dress

Click the pic to see what versions of the Ava we currently have online. In the meantime leave a comment below letting us know what you think…purple or red?

Lots of Love, Carousel xoxo

Gingham is Great! Get Inspired With One Of Our Favorite Patterns.

We’re taking a look at and getting inspired by one of our favorite patterns today – gingham!

With a history stretching back as far as the 1600’s, when it was first imported to Europe, gingham has always been a fashion staple. Fresh, fun, and easy to wear, it’s the perfect pattern to welcome spring into your wardrobe.

Gingham gained a new found popularity with style leaders during the 1940’s and 50’s. Featured in many movie wardrobes, such as on Katharine Hepburn in “The Philadelphia Song” (1940), and seen on many glamorous stars of old Hollywood, this checkered classic was having a stylish revival. Brigitte Bardot even got married in a gingham wedding dress, causing a shortage of the fabric in France! We’ve gathered together some of our favorite vintage gingham looks below, and we’ll show you how to get the look from Carousel!

vintage summer style inspiration carousel

summer dress style inspiration carousel

marilyn monroe style fashon carouselretro icon style hollywood carousel ginghamwedding dress style vintage carousel

Get some gorgeous gingham from Carousel!

We have a major crush on this adorable fit and flare dress from Circus! It’s cute checkered pattern and beautiful blue color will add a breath of fresh air to any wardrobe. Combined with it’s vintage inspired shape, this dress is an instant classic. Based on gingham’s rich and long history, you can’t go wrong with this fab frock! You can find out more about this dress here.
Circus clothing gingham vintage dress carousel

Carousel xox