Anya Hindmarsh at KV

In the bag: 1. Aisling O’Loughlin; 2. Poppy Delevigne; 3. Pippa Holt. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Top British model Poppy Delevigne jetted into the country to celebrate the launch of the newly located Anya Hindmarch boutique at Kildare Village. The British society model is a muse of Anya Hindmarch and the current face of Mango as well as an ambassador for the designer Matthew Williamson. In terms of style, Poppy don’t preach, she just knows.

The boutique was transformed into a pop-up tea room for the day for a special group of guests to peruse the season’s collections. The tea room featured bespoke cakes created by Clodagh McKenna and inspired by Anya’s most iconic bags (which, discerning fashionistas, can be had for up to 70% off at Kildare Village).

Most Invited

Lost in Music: 1. Ian Galvin & Lisa Cannon; 2. Aislinn O’Toole & Emma Ross; 3. Paul & Lisa Fitzpatrick. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The appropriately named Lost Society club is the newest place in town, situated in what was formerly Spy on South William Street (which, I guess, has become society’s loss). Anyhoo there was a double whammy celebration recently - not only was Lost Society, run by night life supremo Jason Denham, making its debut but it also played host to the Social & Personal magazine Christmas party.

This raucous event is the unofficial kick start to the festive season and also acts as the platform for the magazine to announce its annual list of the 50 Most Invited. The roll call, which appears in the December issue, features many a sought-after socialite but leading the party pack this year is TV star Kathryn Thomas, who comes in at No.1.

“I knew my years of perfecting my late night stamina would pay off eventually,” she quipped as she accepted the award.

Also featuring in the Top 10 on this year’s list are MTV presenter Laura Whitmore (#2); Amy Huberman (#3); Aoíbhínn Ni Shuílleabháín (#4), Glenda Gilson (#5); Louis Walsh (#6); Lisa Fitzpatrick (#7); Caroline Downey (#8); Ryan Tubridy (#9) and Amanda Brunker (#10).

Goodnight Argentina

Night Life: 1. Dawn Alison and Jason Fournier; 2. Siobhan O'Dowd; 3. Jamie Sterling and Harry Orr. (Pix. Paul Sharp)

Over 2,000 braved the snow to venture out to the Wright Venue for the finale of the much anticipated Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. In all more than 18,000 people from five continents witnessed the best of global nightlife come to life as part of the international events.

Ireland partnered with Argentina for an event that featured delicious drinks including an Argentinean take on the signature Smirnoff Mule, the best food of Argentina including an asado style BBQ in the penthouse, music from Argentina’s top DJ Elio Riso and Argentinean inspired theatrical acts including tango dancers, Paka the fire-breathing horse and specialist dancers, arcadia.

Riso’s set was complete with a variety of genres mixed with his own style of music which has been developed over years of experience as a DJ, producer and remixer. His eclectic style is easily recognized by anyone from South America, or indeed Ibiza where Elio has summer residencies in many clubs.

Meanwhile Argentina was treated to top Irish DJ Dave De Valera, who, I’m reliably informed, rocked Buenos Aries for the Irish contribution to the project, which was ably put together by Siobhan O’Dowd who acted as Creative Director and ensured it was a “Be There” event. Overall the one-of-a-kind experience saw 14 countries pair up to exchange crates containing the best of their local nightlife culture, as voted by the public.

Megamind 3D

Megaminds: 1. Gail Kaneswaren & her son Jackson; 2. Marty & Thomas Whelan; 3. Yari Jegebefume (centre) with Obage Jegbefume, Taghg Jegbefume & Azi Jegbefume. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Paramount Pictures unveiled their latest 3D animated offering "Megamind" at a special Irish Premiere Screening at The Savoy cinema. Celebrities were out in force and spotted in attendance were Morah Ryan and her children, as well as Marty Whelan who was accompanied by his son Thomas, Royston Brady and his son Ethan, Fair City actresses Aoibheann McCaul and Aoibhin Garrihy as well as Elaine Crowley and Romy Carroll and Diane Henderson.

Regeneration Retail

Team effort: 1. Sarah Hartnett & Jackie McDonagh; 2. Dale Powell, Louis Copeland & Denise Brady; 3. Shane McGourty & Michelle Daly. (Pix. Richie Stokes)

Teamworx, Ireland’s leading retail recruitment firm, recently hosted a special event to help those seeking employment in the retail sector at the Morrison hotel. Regeneration Retail focused on advising people about how to secure their dream job in retail and was both informative and educational.

Among the experts who were hand to offer advice were Jackie McDonagh, Head of Operations with Lifestyle Sports; Nikki Mullen, HR Policy Advisor with B&Q Ireland; Michelle Daly of Paddy Power and Julie Cobbe of Stylefish.ie. These speakers are all very successful in their chosen fields and were pleased to impart valuable information to those looking to thrive in an industry that has great rewards to offer.

“Having worked in retail recruitment for the past 10 years, Teamworx wanted to give something back to a sector which has had a very tough year. Although there is an abundance of candidates in the market, retailers are still finding it difficult to find qualified staff. Quantity doesn’t always equal quality and now, more than ever, it is imperative to invest in the services of a specialist recruitment agency such as Teamworx. This will not only save the employer’s time and money but will also ensure they recruit the perfect fit for that urgent vacancy,” explained Denise Brady of Teamworx.

Let's Do This Again

Snapped: 1. Aoife Cogan; 2. Jenny Kiernan, Leighton Wall and Grainne Wafer; 3. Jenny Lee Masterson. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

To Fade Street and the No Name bar where Baileys launched the ‘Let’s Do This Again’ campaign. The iconic Irish brand has partnered with one of the world’s greatest (and original) supermodels, Helena Christensen, to capture photography of a day in her life and inspire people to share their moments enjoying Baileys with friends and upload them onto the Facebook page www.facebook.com/Baileys from now until the 16th December.

Guests including Jenny Lee Masterson, Aoiffe Madden, Dearbhla Lennon and Aoife Cogan enjoyed an exclusive look at Helena Christensen’s never-seen before collection of photographs for the campaign, which show a day in her life, hanging out with her close friends at her upstate New York home. DJ Alex Donald provided a backdrop of funky NYC style beats whilst the guests enjoyed yummy Baileys cocktails and got into the festive feeling.

XXX

Xtravaganza: 1. Andrew Hanlon & Lisa Cannon; 2. Sinead Wixten & Aisling Brennan; 3. Karen Koster & Jamie Archer. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The Xpose Xmas Xperience drew thousands of people to the RDS recently for a pre-festive show with a difference. Fashion shows, beauty master classes and musical entertainment from X Factor finalists FYD and Jamie Archer were some of the highlights at the weekend event. West Coast Cooler hosted a VIP reception to kickoff the show with Louise Jordan of FM104, Liz Dwyer of Beauty Bootcamp and stylist Darren Kennedy in attendance.

Hairspray

Hair Raising: 1. Mairead & Dave Egan; 2. Ellen Bernett, Breda Cashe & Liz Bernett; 3. Brian Ormonde & Pippa O’Connor with Chloe. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Hairspray the musical touched down at Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre on Wednesday night when the musical featuring Michael Ball rolled into town. The colourful show was attended by a host of well known faces including Gerald Kean and Lisa Murphy, Brian Ormond and Pippa O Connor, Mary Kennedy and Jenny Buckley. Linda Martin was also in attendance on the night and recalled how she sung against Michael Ball in the Eurovison Song Contest in 1992. He sang "One step out of Time" while Linda won with "Why Me".

Toners Snug

More Power to you: 1. Lauren Duggan & Aine Kilkenny; 2. Aoife Connaughton & Diarmuid Marrinan; 3. Leah Shanley & Suzanne Lawlor. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Powers Whiskey announced that Toners of Baggot Street, Dublin 2, is the winner of the ‘Ireland’s Best Pub Snug’ accolade. Toners topped the poll in votes cast by the public, winning the title which crowns its snug the nation’s favourite. When the weather outside is frightful a few cosy hours here is just what's needed.

A total of 110 pubs around Ireland were shortlisted for the Powers Whiskey competition, launched in early October to celebrate the Irish Pub Snug, regarded as a lucky find on a great night out and a traditional enclave of great chat. The Palace Bar, Fleet Street came in a close second place, while third placed is Griffins Pub, Trim, Co. Meath, known locally as Lenihans.

Toners is one of Dublin’s oldest and most famous traditional pubs, steeped in history and charm thanks to original features that take visitors back in time. Frequented by many of Ireland’s literary greats, including Patrick Kavanagh, the pub was also a favourite spot of WB Yeats and its snug is rumoured to be the only place he would drink when he took an occasional tipple.

CARI Ball 2010

Glam Slam: 1. Karl Broderick & Alan Hughes; 2. Sebastian O'Shea-Farren with his parents Linda & Brian; 3. Cecelia Ahern & Lisa Duffy. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Miriam Ahern knows how to draw a crowd and her annual CARI ball, hosted at the Shelbourne Hotel, certainly had pulling power. Miriam has been a supporter and fundraiser for CARI for over 11 years and this annual gala is the organisations main fundraising event.

The evening, presented by Alan Hughes, commenced with a champagne reception kindly sponsored by M&S, after which guests enjoyed a four-course meal accompanied by M&S wines after which an auction took place where Pat O’Hagan from HOK put a number of lots under the hammer (a rare occurrence these days).

A host of well known people enjoyed the evening including Boyzone babes Lisa Duffy, Yvonne Keating and Karen Graham, Derek Mooney and Debbie O’Donnell who all helped to raise over €70k for CARI.

Dax 2

Dax Pax: 1. Andrea Hussey & Stephen McAllsiter; 2. Karleen Smyth; 3. John Maguire & Karen Koster. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The latest addition to Dublin's restaurant scene opened last week on Pembroke Street. Dax Café Bar is jointly owned by restaurateur Olivier Meisonnave and his business partner John McGuire, who is best known for his various property enterprises and TV show I’m An Adult, Get Me Out Of Here.

Dax Café Bar is located on the ground floor above Dax Restaurant and offers the same great service and award winning food that its big brother is renowned for but in a more relaxed atmosphere and casual setting.

It opens early in the morning with an extensive breakfast menu, all through the day and late into the night and caters for two distinct markets, the daytime customer who will enjoy excellent value quality food and service, privacy and little extras such as free wifi. The secondary market is the evening crowd who are looking for somewhere special to unwind with a quality wine and specialty beer list to go with the tapas menu.

A number of familiar faces attended the opening evening including those from the neighborhood like publisher Michael O'Doherty, solicitor Gerald Keane and his partner Lisa Murphy and publicist Joanne Byrne. Xpose presenter Karen Koster (John Maguire’s other half) was also there along with restaurateurs Kevin Thornton and Sebastian Massi.

Shopping & Rocking

Shock: 1. Grace Miltan and Karen O'Callaghan; 2. Katie Grannell and Angela Scanlon; 3. Ceri Phillips and Zoe Clarke. (Pix. Leon Farrell)

Dundrum Town Centre was a beacon for rock chicks, boho babes and everything in between at the recent ‘Shop & Rock Late Night In’ event. Guests were treated to discounts in their favourite stores, fashion shows, Lindt chocolate and a West Coast Cooler bar on arrival. Live music on the night came from The Shoos, The Camembert Quartet & new band The Overtones.

Get your Skates on

Up on the Roof: 1. Lisa Murphy; 2. James Whitehead and Trish Fallon; 3. Avril Bannerton. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Arnotts department store has done it again and scored another coup – it’s opened Ireland’s first rooftop ice rink! This rink is the newest one for 7Up Christmas on Ice and the only one in Dublin city centre.

Hundreds of guests turned out to skate on the new rink and to see ice skating and ice hockey demonstrations. It was a festive feeling with mulled wine, mince pies and marshmallows drenched in chocolate, while the younger guests enjoyed visits to Santa, face painting and balloon modelling.

Among those in attendance were Sonya Lennon and family, mum-to-be Pamela Flood and her beau Ronan Ryan, Rachel Kavanagh, Lisa Murphy, Arnotts CEO Nigel Blow, Avril and Sharon Bannerton, Lord Mayor Gerry Breen, Karen Koster, Rhona Blake, Justin Green of MCD and Jessie Collins of Irish Tatler.

The ice rink at Arnotts is open daily from 9.30am – 9.30pm until 9th January and tickets are available from http://www.arnotts.ie/ and the iceline on 0818 717 200.

Self Advice

My advice: 1. Brian Keenan & Rebecca Nolan; 2. Senator David Norris & Damien Dempsey; 3. Miriam O'Callaghan & Bill Cullen. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

I think it was David Beckham who said that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Well if you could turn back time to when you were sweet 16 what advice would you give yourself? With Love from Me to Me is a collection of letters written by some of Ireland’s best know people to their 16 year-old selves.

The letters are by turns poignant, hilarious, confessional, confrontational and surprising but never less than thought-provoking. Contributors include Joe O'Connor, Roisin Ingle, Ray D'Arcy, Sonia O'Sullivan, Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, Andrea Roche, Jason Sherlock, Nell McCafferty, Senator David Norris, Ross O'Carroll Kelly, Ardal O'Hanlon and Victoria Smurfit.

The book, which is in aid of the Irish Youth Foundation, was launched at Easons who also announced a partnership with the foundation designed to raise funds to provide opportunities for young people facing adverse and extreme conditions in their lives.

Some of the contributors were there for the launch including Miriam O’Callaghan, Damien Dempsey and Bill Cullen, who looked much less dapper than his boardroom persona in what looked like a shiny tracksuit top...

Style Secrets

Style Queens: 1. Ian Galvin & Sandra Byrne; 2. Lisa Fitzpatrick & Gary Kavanagh; 3. Michelle McGrath & Brian Dowling. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The name ‘Lisa Fitzpatrick’ has long been synonymous with style and fashion in Ireland (she won the VIP Most Stylish award in 2007). As an authority on style it was about time that she put her thoughts, hints and tips into book form for those in need of a fix.

Showing their support for the popular author was her friend and Ireland AM colleague Alan Hughes, Aoife Cogan and Brian Dowling, who this week began his new role as Katherine Lynch’s sidekick in her new RTE show Wagon’s Den. Other familiar faces from the fashion world included Andrea Roche, Pippa O’Connor, Virginia Macari and Ian Galvin.

No slave to fashion, Lisa has thoughtfully entitled the book "Enjoying Style and Fashion" (in all good bookshops now!) and she hosted an exclusive party at The Morgan hotel, Dublin for the launch. The event was the culmination of a very busy year for the wife and mum of two as she balanced her work commitments with running a home AND writing the book. Maybe her next one should be on time management.

Paul Stafford 2010

Havin’ a Ball: 1. Kathryn Thomas & Joanne Rochford; 2. Sarah Gray & Paul Caden; 3. Nadine Wai-O’Flynn & Sarah Lynch. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The Paul Stafford Ball has become a firm fixture on the social calender and is now in its 4th year. It always draws a glam crowd to the Mansion House and this year was no exception. Kathryn Thomas did an excellent job as emcee for the evening, as she always does, and 20th Century Gold kept the dance floor hopping with a medley of every song you’ve ever loved.

The Paul Stafford Foundation was established in 2007 to raise awareness and address the serious issue of suicide in Ireland. It was founded by a group of people who were directly affected themselves by suicide and had lost someone they loved to this ever increasing problem. The whole thing was in aid of Turn The Tide on Suicide and its 1Life campaign, which has launched Ireland's first dedicated 24-hour suicide helpline.

Check out www.paulstaffordfoundation.com for more info.

Rasher art

Casher: 1. Eoin Higgins & Lauren Hisada; 2. Lottie Ryan; 3. Rasher with Bernard Dunne & his wife Pamela. (Pix. Sharpix)

Artist Rasher, aka Mark Kavanagh, hosted the opening of his latest exhibition, Womb to the Tomb, recently and a host of well known faces came out to lend their support despite the cold, wintery weather. His art isn’t for everyone and the main piece is certainly an acquired taste, if not slightly offensive (though that didn’t stop Bill Cullen from buying a few of the prints).