Get wild

My deepest apologies for my long absence beloved followers, I have been abroad all summer and just completed my big move to MOSCOW. However I owe you guys a lovely big backload of recent work, plenty of snapshots coming your way and got some new editting software so things will be looking a little more put together in future posts and less bland! Exciting stuff.

Found in a kitschy shop in a Barcelona side street I am in love with this panda pencil skirt. Makes a bold statement but the monochromatic colour scheme means you can pair it with just about anything. Looks best with heels and a bright top. 

Crop tops - how to

As it's summer this is another summery post. My lovely chum Ellie is the featured model this week. After a week of Mythfest shows together Ellie proposed we crop some of her old t-shirts (something I do with all of mine especially for summer!). All of these tops started the day with the standard tshirt shape - shorts sleeves, hip length and squarish.
The OMG t-shirt was a simple crop job - if you want an even line all around, and if like Ellie and I you have boobs, you're going to want to be wearing it when you cut it. Ask someone with steady hands to cut it to the level you want -do NOT try to cut it yourself while wearing it as it will inevitably be uneven!

The Life Café tshirt was also cropped, but not to show the belly but to be a longer crop for wearing with lower-rise jeans. To liven it up we cut holes in the back and added a bow tie in the centre to give a plain tshirt a slightly sexier look from behind.

Finally came a tshirt Ellie and I both own from the previous year's theatre festival - the Dublin Shakespeare Festival. We cut the sleeves off (always cut right at the seem to leave neat edges) to turn it into a tank top. We had to put a pin (or alternatively you can stitch) in the sides to fit the underarm fabric closer to the bust in the absence of the sleeves). 

Then we decided to do the magnum of all t-shirt cutting techniques - fringing. This technique is super easy and transforms a plain t-shirt into a festival shirt in a few swift snips. Simply choose the length of fringing you want (we shortened the hem of the shirt as it was very long, but if you can leave the lower hem your fringing will hang a little straighter) then make a cute. The best width for the fringes is about one and a half centimetres (because the sides will curl a little). Then simply cut upwards to the same height, maintaining the same width for each fringe until you have gone all the way around.  This style is also better to do while wearing the shirt so it hangs more or less evenly at the front and back. 

My last piece of advice on the fringe top is if you have one, don't fold it into a drawer - always hang it or you'll have to iron the fringing every time you want to wear it - let's face it ain't nobody got time for that. 

If you crop any of your shirts or have questions comment below or message me at alternativekitten10@gmail.com! Happy Summer!

Playsuit

Here's my outfit from my friend's going away party. The boots are Doc Martins from TKMaxx, the bold-print playsuit is also TKMaxx. I added the red bowler for colour and it's from Georges Street Arcade.
Super comfy look - was able to dance, sit one the ground and even cartwheel. The hat takes it from day to night or from casual to dressy in one move. Wear with heels and an up-do for a more high-fashion take on the playsuit or with trainers and a big cardi to keep it casual and cosy.

Photoshoot - Make-up

I like to share all things fashion that I'm involved in here on the blog and I recently got requested for this make up shoot. The theme was mermaid so they let me keep my hair au natural and the artist used fishnets to create the scale pattern all over my face and neck in translucent colours. 

Will definitely be adopting this technique in future stying and costuming work and maybe for the odd party! 

The make-up artist is Kine Good from LA Makeup academy.

sun sun sunglasses

It is finally summerrrrrrr! Hallelujah and so on. It's time to get your shades out! Whether like me you have weak little eyes that hate the sun, you want to look cooler or you just want to shield your eyes so you can perv on people sunglasses are an accessory everyone can enjoy.
                                       
I had to search out all of my beloved sunnies for a photoshoot I was potentially styling for and photographed them so I figured why not showcase the paltry collection I have which probably cost me less than a tenner all together!

So these three are in the same style - the ever popular square cut mock raybans. The first pair were bought on holidays for 4yoyos and lets be honest - who doesn't need a pair of green zebra print sunnies? I know I sure do. The other two pairs were inherited from friends and are, I believe from dear old Penneys. 

These are my newest babies which were only 4euro in Tiger. They're the big round ones that all the hip kids around Dublin are wearing. They have cute little gold stars on the bridge and their extra dark tint means they're actually ideal for checking out talent on the beach (or in the park if you're trapped in Ireland for the summer!). 

And finally, my old favourites, these were inherited from a gentlemen friend who had a second identical pair and got both sets for a pound in a market in England. The best thing about them, apart from the kitschy tortoiseshell frames, is the fact that the arms fold right up and the centre bends in half. This means they fit in even the tiniest of pockets.

I hope you all get a chance to wear yours this sunny summer! 

Braid

This has been a year of big hair colour changes. Recently my mum remarked on the incredible mix of colours when I had done it in an inside-out plait. I've had the blonde/white layer underneath for 2years now and currently have the top layer dyed half purple and half orange. Parts of green and blue from my previous dye jobs are still showing in areas though which adds a little. Soon the slate shall be wiped clean again, bleached over before I grow out my natural colour. It has been a fun ride and a joy sharing my colour journey with you all!

Craic with costuming

So a little bit more costume work came up and I had the chance to resurrect (excuse the pun) my Corpse Bride look. I repeated the hair and make-up, teamed with a wedding dress and added bone and scar details with facepaint. I also made up a Cruella DeVille look, doing a heavy smokey eye and a red lip and some sharp contouring. I also made a dalmatian shrug and hand-bag and a fake long cigarette holder. The centre drag look was a Tina Turner attempt but is photographed without the makeup.

Leather pants and 50/50 hair

So I finally did a look that's been on my hair wishlist for a while, the 50/50 colour split. Because I have a side fringe I partially dyed that rather than doing a centre split. I went for orange and purple because they are bright and I love contrasting colours.

Below was trying to get a full length photo featuring both my hair and my new M&S leather trousers but my puppy wanted to be in the picture so it kinda takes away from the outfit.

Here you can see my leather trousers, a look I would never have considered but I tried on these trousers as a joke and actually quite liked them and I thought the colour was very unusual for the trouser type. I teamed them with a simple loose black tank top and low heeled black boots so it didn't look too vampy. 

More colours

So I had another little bit of a hair journey in the interim where my blog was quiet, I was an attempted ginger before it went awry and turned partially green. Luckily it worked well for my Paddie's day look. (You can't see the hair that well here but it was sort of streaked green and orange from my dodgy dye experiment) I teamed it with Bowie style makeup in patriotic colours and my beloved but drastically underused orange Clarins lipstick.

In an attempt to make my hair identity a little more secure I added a red tipped layer to my hair to liven the dodgy dull greenish tinge.

When it faded I finally had a chance to liven it properly without worrying about the dye going funny. You'll see my half and half look in my leather trousers post! 

Theme Party!

So once again I am uploading a backlog because I had exams and since the exams finished I've been in rehearsals for a theatre festival. In the spirit of the theatrical my first post from my backlog is a costume one.  

My friend has a fairytale themed birthday party and I decided to opt for an unconventional gothic fairy tale - Tim Burton's corpse bride. It's simple to do but makes a big impact and it worked well with my blue hair

The outfit was pretty straight-forward, I would have liked to have made it more elaborate but I had a serious lack of time to get ready and out to the pub for the party. I used a plain white cotton summer dress from American Apparel as the base and covered it with a white silk mini dress/top that I made a few years before from and old camisole.
Rather than make it to elegant, I kept it short and suited it to my own style by combining it with my beloved white Docs so I was dressed up but still able to party!

Obviously the most complicated aspect was the make-up but again it was surprisingly straightforward to create a decent likeness to the character.. I used bright blue tights to cover my legs and painted my arms, neck and chest with blue facepaint, using a large paintbrush. I then used dark blue paint to suggest bones and especially ribs in my chest. 

The face was the most important, I covered it as evenly as possible then drew dark blue circles around the eyes to give the sense of large, round, deep eyes. Then I painted dramatic black brows with a curl at the front, using a picture from the film to help me. I also added exaggerated black lower lashes. I finished it with a  pink lip and a flower crown made from an old lay.

Photoshoot 3!

Here's my final instalment from the photoshoot. These shots were particularly important to me because I hand-made this jacket as a costume for a play. It is one of the items I'm most proud of that I've made in the last year! It started out as a plain tweed charity shop jacket, but I added a border of gold sequins and sequined panels for the lapels. I also cropped in into a short front and a back with tails to create a ringmaster style cut. I then sponged the coat with gold fabric paint to create a pattern and add texture and colour. These shots were purely to show off the jacket which is why it isn't combined with any other elements.

The rest of the photos from the shoot can be found here.

Photoshoot 2!

So this is my second round of shots from my styling shoot with Kate Turner.

I really think these ones show off the clothes spectacularly. The heels are snake-print with a bright yellow heel. The culottes are a charity shop find and have these phenomenal pleats that will withstand any and all activity and stay looking super chic. Again this was a kind of high fashion look, I teamed the long and classic culottes with a more modern, sexier lace top with the bra showing through. We finished it with a light purple lip and a chunky gold necklace (Kate's).

Once again the colour scheme complimented my hair colour, matching the culottes almost perfectly!

Photoshoot 1!

I recently had a photoshoot with the lovely Kate Turner  where I got some snaps taken with my own styling. This one features the tartan blazer from siopaella but this time I went for a high fashion look with the simple black leotard and heels and green tights to pick up the green in the jacket. 

This is one of the first times I've got to get into the clothes and in front of the camera myself in terms of styling- normally I'm making clothes or putting together looks and rarely get to model them myself. Had a lot of fun doing it!

Clueless!

 So my obsession with tartan suddenly led me to wear head to toe tartan. The blazer is a recent purchase from Siopaella in Temple Bar and the skirt is an unusual cut from Bershka last season. The bowler is from Georges street arcade and I teamed them with black footless tights, furry converse and an up-cycled striped top. I thought the combo ended a little bit 'Elle from Clueless'.

Women in History Shoot!

So here are two of the shots from the University Times' 'Women in History' photoshoot.

Once again I was lucky to work with the wonderful Hayley Stuart who has shot for UT before. (Her album from the shoot is here)

Our photo was to replicate 50s fashion. My models were two close friends of mine, Lorna and Anna and for a change I was working with another stylist, Danielle Courtney. Danielle came up with Lorna's look (the feminine look). We used a blue full skirt and combined it with a striped blouse of my own and blue dolly heels.
The hair was a classic soft curl and we chose a subtle 50s make-up look with cat-flick eyes, a pink lip and neat, sharp brows.
Anna's look was my design, I wanted to show off men's 50s fashion but with a modern, androgynous twist. She is wearing stone-washed high waisted jeans from Urban outfitters teamed with a high collared white shirt and a black blazer. We finished it with heeled brogues, slicked back hair and a bold purple smokey eye. She also wears an asymmetrical fedora from TKMaxx.

Both make-up looks were done by Helen McGinty.

Snapshot 25!

   So here's another wee snapshotty for you guys! Bit similar to some of my other stuff, mostly because the climate does not allow for too much skin til at least April here! Brrr! 

I am mostly trying to showcase the accessories here. This look would be a bit plain and simple for me without them, I like to always include something that makes a look a little more unique and standout. 

Here I used the knee socks for extra warmth but also to cute it up. Navy with white hearts stood out against the black tights and chops the leg to create a geometric look that fitter with the layered hems of the jumper and tshirt dress. The necklace is a big ole kiss from Camden market that adds a bit of pop funk fun to the mumsy high-necked jumper and the red beany was to add a splash of colour. Finished off with brown boots and black hoop earrings.

Snapshot 24!

So this is a little more subdued than I usually dress. It was just what seemed right on the morning. The black silky maxi is actually a slip. I got it from my mu mum but I found out when I was wearing it  this day that she's actually been given it my my grandmother (her mother in law) to go to some ball with my dad which I thought was quite sweet.
The top was my mum's too, I don't tend to buy long sleeves so any I do have are inherited - it's nice to think that if I'm warm its because of my mum!
The hair was a bit interesting because I'd just washed it and didn't have any makeup on so I felt a bit pale and gothically wraith-like.
Dooby is posing away in the middle one because she kept jumping all over my dad when I asked him to take the photo so I picked her up. The first time we took the shot she was wriggling and licking my face so it came out blurry. Once she saw the flash though she looked right at the camera with her little quizzical expression and that's what we ended up with!

Language Ball!

 So my college had a lovely little mini-ball for the language societies and departments.
The dress code was cockatil dresses and I was delighted to get to wear my birthday gift. A short black bodycon number with foam shoulder padding and two sheer panels at the waist and these gorgeous pastel pink neatly creased chiffon skirt wings. I teamed it with my white doc martins, a scorching red lipstick and my stunning new cristal flowered headband (which more or less perfectly matched my hair!


The night took off in 4 Dame Lane and featured
international food samples and a dance floor just bursting with well dressed linguists! A gorgeous time was had by all!

Behind the scenes!

We in the fashion section of the University Times has our second big photoshoot recently. We had a really exciting concept, we were chronicling the history of women in trinity using photos showcasing the fashion of different periods in photos depicting some big events of the Trinity history. The accompanying article is fascinating but the shoot was just plain fabulous. I was doing the styling for the 1950s shoot with the help of fellow stylist Danielle Courtney. Shots to come soon!

 Here's a shot of me with my lovely models Anna and Lorena. Lorena was our femme and Anna androgynously showed off some of the highlights of male fashion of the era.

Snapshot 23

So the snapshot is back!
This was a comfy colourful college look.
The dress is an old one and a little small in the bust but the frill is to adorable for me to throw it out. I teamed it with the thin purple long-sleeved top to keep me covered and protect me from the chill that's still in the air these days.
To brighten it more I added the hot pink tights and finished off with the wide black belt to cinch in my waist and give the childish dress a slightly more mature look.
This shot is one of my first without makeup because it was one of those rare good skin days and I was just going to classes.

Catch up!

So I have just about caught up on my backlog of things to upload but I must share an important change once more.
I am now blue (da ba dee da ba...).

This has posed quite a challenge for me as I have realised that a rather substantial proportion of my wardrobe is in this colour, meaning it has been challenging to avoid matching my hair and my outfit! It has also proved one of my more interesting temporary colours as it fades, some days being green, others, turquoise, others positively silvery!
It's looking much greener as we run up to Paddy's day which is very convenient altogether!

Violet!

One of my favourite quotes from the original Willy Wonka film is 'Violet, you're turning violet Violet!' and I am indeed!
Barely had a washed the pink from my hair than I went for a violet tint!

It is particularly challenging to master a subtle tint if, like me, you dye your hair at home. The dye I used I had tested as a thin layer when I did my pink. This one is a temporary colour that comes in at more of a violet than a purple which saves you a lot of work and worry trying to not leave a purple in for too long!
These shots were from a night out in the Workman's club (one of the very hippest of local venues). The coloured jacket is particularly dear to my heart and I will be making a separate post to extol it's virtues at a later date!

A belated merry Christmas!

As I said I am working through a bit of a backlog!

I hope all my fashion friends took a break from their usual looks to revel in the uniquely spectacular tackyness of the Christmas jumper!

I got to go to a lovely Christmas party with my friend and her housemates where we all rocked our Christmassy best. My jumper I have had for a few years and I roll it out every year for the festive season. I don't believ in subtlety when it comes to Christmas attirre-go hard or go home! Hence it has an absolutely enormous Rudolph on it!

Once again I had to be a bit brave with the clashing look because my hair is still pink! Luckily the house was pretty toasty, especially as I was helping out with making the mulled wine, so I got to showcase my lovely velvet bodycon, which is a nice festive green too.
(Though it being me, the three colours weren't enough, I had to team with bright blue tights as well!)

Kirumi!

This is a look that I tried to give a bit of an Asian twist. My Korean class and I went for dinner to celebrate finishing our Christmas assessments. The black lace dress is from TKMaxx and cuts in tight at the waist and a cheeky cut out in the front to show some cleavage because it's a very high-necked dress. I did my hair in the two buns to cutesy up the look (Koreans are all about being cutesy!). I finished off the outfit with some sleek black liquid eyeliner.

In the pink

So it was changed once again! I temporarily dyed my hair pink to liven it up during my university holidays. This is an outfit I wore for the cast party of a play I helped with.
I liked the idea of doing a really obvious contrast combination with the orange and the pink. I kept it simple with stone washed high-waist jeans and  a plain black bowler. I completed it with black doc martins.