New York state of mind

 

City Slickers: 1. Lottie Ryan and Bonnie Ryan; 2. Dee Burdock and Kristin Skinner; 3. John Fitzpatrick and Alison Canavan; (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Fitzpatrick Hotels USA hosted an exclusive New York, New York evening in the Residence where CEO John Fitzpatrick had a warm welcome for all.  A stylish evening of all things New York, guests were treated to a celebration of the superb value this unique city has to offer as they enjoyed signature city Cosmo’s and Manhattan’s.

Among the globetrotting crowd were Ireland’s most stylish lady Sharon Corr, her TV colleague Kathryn Thomas and Rosanna Davison who was celebrating her birthday.  Also there were Kristi Kuudisiim, Morah Ryan together with her equally glamorous daughters Lottie and Bonnie Ryan, Roisin Tierney-Crowe, Ronan Collins and Alison Canavan , all eager to plan their next visit to the Big Apple.

Sugar Club Magic

 (Pix. Richie Stokes)


That’s Magic: 1. Aly Marron and Cici Cavanagh; 2.Keith Barry and Shane Gillen.

Late Night Magic launched on Friday the 13th at Leeson Street's well known Sugar Club venue.  Hosted by illusionist Shane Gillen, Late Night Magic is a tailored event designed to engage an audience with parlour, vaudeville, street and stage magic in a way that remains intimate, humorous and memorable.

The auditorium's round tables are under candlelight to create an atmosphere for the on-stage performances and guests can also find themselves in the Parlour Room. for one-on-one close-up and intimate magic performances by the entertainers.

Patrons can sit around the parlour table and even learn some of the secrets of magic. Games of 'Beat-the-magician' are played at various intervals throughout the evening where guests will be encouraged to guess how the trick works or perform a trick for themselves, if they can do it - they'll win a cocktail named after the magician they have just beaten.

There will be 5 'Queen of Hearts' cards hidden within the venue. Find one of them and automatically find yourself in with the chance of winning €250.  Late Night Magic will run monthly in The Sugar Club will alternating performers and acts every month, set to become one of Dublin's flagship events. Admission is €10 on the door and spaces are limited. Doors open at 7pm, and the show begins at 8pm sharp.

Miss Ireland

Don’t Miss it: 1. Lisa Robertson and Ciara Kelly; 2. Declan Leavy and Brian Healy; 3. Karen McEvoy and Elaine Crowley. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Bucks Townhouse played host to the launch of The Valera Miss Ireland 2012, where a bevy of Ireland’s most beautiful ladies stepped out for the first time as finalists. This year’s final takes place at The Berkley Court this Saturday night and will be presented by Sinead Desmond and Ray Shah.

One lucky girl will take over the crown from 2011 winner Holly Carpenter and will go forward to represent Ireland at Miss World  2012 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China.  Previous Miss Ireland Winners include Siobhan McClafferty, Olivia Tracey, Emma Waldron and Andrea Roche as well as Rosanna Davison who went on to win the title of Miss World in 2003.

HTC one

Call me: 1. Megan Mullen and Shauna Conroy; 3. Neysa Jacobs and Gavin Barrett. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The HTC One series arrived in Ireland with much fanfare at a launch in Vanilla Nightclub.  Guests were given first view of the phone which boasts the best camera of any mobile phone and goes on sale across all networks this week and they were also treated to a viewing of the world's first free fall fashion shoot filmed on a mobile phone.  The shoot took place in January over the Arizona dessert and featured model and champion skydiver Roberta Mancino, LA Times Stylist Hayley Atkins and Hollywood Costume Designer Martin Izquierdo filming a fashion shoot on a mobile phone whilst plummeting earthwards at over 120mph.  

Simone Rocha

Coolest: 1. Katie Canavan & Sarah Rickard; 2. Emma Waldron; Angela Scanlan & Simone Rocha. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

West Coast cooler know how to throw a party…the truly decadent City Hall was as you have never seen it before….transformed into a cool, understated room fit for Dublin’s style kings & queens who turned out in force to see Simone Rocha’s inaugural collaboration with the brand.

Inspired by Simone’s S/S 12 collection the limited edition designs reflect her fascination with fabrication and texture creating a fresh femininity. Simone’s S/S 12 collection is a mix of transparent textiles encasing panels of lace and pieces of vintage embroideries which has been wrapped onto the West Coast Cooler limited edition designed bottle.

Speaking on the launch of her inaugural collaboration, she said, “I am looking forward to the West Coast Cooler launch and am very happy to have designed a limited edition bottle inspired by my S/S12 collection, hopefully it will be an evening everyone involved can enjoy!'

Simone’s collections have generated great press recognition including the January cover of ELLE featuring Lady Gaga in Simone’s green tulle dress to Dazed & Confused and i-D magazine. The Simone Rocha collection is stocked in some of the world’s most prestigious stores. Last September saw Simonelaunch a capsule collection for Top Shop, Simone presented her S/S 12 collection as a solo catwalk show during London Fashion Week.

Red Bull Paper Wings

Flying Form: 1. Sean Burke and Catherine Lowe; 2. Karine Ronan; 3. Fiona Haugh and Aaron Cronin. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The Red Bull Paper Wings National Final took place this week at O’Reilly Hall in UCD. There were 9 University Qualifier heats in Universities across Ireland producing 27 student finalists. Student Finalists from All Ireland qualifier heats took part 3 categories: Longest Distance, Longest Airtime and Aerobatics. The winners will now represent Ireland at the World Final in Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria next week (24th and 25th April). Judges included Paddy Rhatigan of Fox Avenue, lecturer Roddy Mc Namee and Niall Daly of Red Bull.

Good foundations

Good cause: 1. Lisa Brady, Lisa Fitzpatrick & Sam Hopkins; 2. Rachel Roche and Sinead Donnellan; 3. Don Nugent & Andrea Roche; 4. Adam Lee, Rebecca Broni & Sorcha Crosse. (Pix. Stuart Lang, Gazette Newspapers)

TV presenter and stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick hosted a fashion show with a difference in aid of the Ross Nugent Foundation at The Wright Venue in Swords recently.

The charity was set up in the name of 18 year old Ross who lost his courageous battle against cancer in 2010. Ross's parents, Don and Sandra Nugent and sister Emma set up the foundation in order to raise funds to purchase equipment for the Oncology ward in Beaumont Hospital.

Models from AR Model Agency along with a number of Ross' friends took to the catwalk to raise funds for the cause, which to date has funded 40 pieces of equipment from blood pressure monitors to electric beds and chair beds.

"We would like to thank everyone who is helping us with the foundation by the giving of their time and services for free in order that we can raise as much money as possible. If we can make life more comfortable for patients, relations and nursing staff in oncology facilities nationwide then we are achieving our goal in Ross's name" said Don Nugent.

For Further Information on the Ross Nugent Foundation log onto www.rossnugentfoundation.ie

Wine & Dine

Wining: 1. Iian Plunkett and Amy Curran; 2. Karina Finnegan, Joanne Bannon and Emily O’Callaghan; 3. Grainne Duffy and Corinna Hardgrave. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Foodies joined award winning Australian wine brand, Jacob’s Creek in the historic surroundings of Tailor's Hall, Dublin for the launch of the Jacob’s Creek ‘Wine & Dine Experience’ Roadshow .The roadshow will visit Cork, Galway and Waterford during the month of April.

For one night only, 50 guests in each location will be given the opportunity to take part in a free wine tasting masterclass and delicious dining experience, which will encourage them to ‘See Beyond The Label’ and discover the true character of the wine and food on offer.

To request a reservation at these special culinary events, logon to facebook.com/jacobscreekireland

Olivia Palermo

Iconic: 1. Diane Davison and Eleanor Hennessy; 2. Olivia Palermo; 3. Aoife McNamara and Bairbre Power. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Fashion fever hit Kildare Village today as American television star, international fashion icon and model Olivia Palermo, visited the village to shoot for Vanity Fair and shop the designer boutiques.

Olivia is a regular on the front row of international catwalk shows. She is best known for her sense of style and chose her top picks from many of the charming boutiques that line the open air promenade of Kildare Village.

Kildare Village, a favourite among A list stars, is open seven days a week. For details of opening hours and more information visit www.KildareVillage.com.

Get the Luke

Luke-ing good: 1. Stephen Baitson, Ciara Hughes and James McDonald; 2. Elaine Cooper.

(Pix. Kieran Harnett)

At the launch of the Luke Spring Summer 2012 collection there were 160 people in attendance at the menswear department of Arnotts. Guests enjoyed Peroni beer and music by popular band Key West and DJ Gavin Feeney.

The Luke collection is available in the menswear department on the ground floor and is favoured by celebrities such as Rio Ferdinand, Nicky Byrne and Ant and Dec. One lucky customer on the night drove away on a Luke electric scooter!

Vodafone DIT Fashion Show

Fashion Forward: 1. Brendan Courtney; 2. Victoria Kinsella, William Meara and Megan McDermott; 3. Orla Kinsella and Marion Kelliher.

NCAD student Aisling Connell from Knocklyon, Dublin was over the moon when she won the overall Vodafone Student Design Award 2012 at the Vodafone DIT Fashion Show in Vicar Street Dublin on Wednesday night .

Aisling picked up a cash prize of €2,000 for her winning design which was worn by student Niamh Walls. For Aisling, the prize also includes an opportunity to have her designs featured in an upcoming Vodafone campaign. Aisling’s winning design is entitled "Religion and the Apocalypse" and consists of two garments, a large outer cape and a skin-tight body suit.

The theme of this year’s Vodafone DIT Fashion Show, which was attended by a crowd of almost 1,000, was "End of the World – Dawn of a New Era". The judging panel consisted of Ireland's top fashionistas including stylist Maria Fusco, broadcaster Brendan Courtney and stylist and writer Angela Scanlon.

The popular annual show, now in its ninth year, is organised by 70 students from DIT. One of the most rewarding elements for the organisers is the charitable aspect of the show with the beneficiary this year being the Alan Kerins Projects.

Fashion Forward: 1. Brian Conway and Evelyn Mooney; 2. Maria Fusco; 3. Stephen Pierce and Tania Zorilla. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Amazon in Clane

Glamazons: 1. Bernard Dunne & Katherine Lynch; 2. Sharon O’Leary & Niall Breslin; 3. Grainne Seoige & Keith Duffy. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Clane in Kildare became a brief mecca for the bright and the beautiful recently as they flocked there for the opening of Amazon Hair and Beauty Clinic, run by Sharon O’Leary.
She was previously a make-up artist at TV3 and the bubbly blonde is clearly still a firm favourite with her celebrity clientele judging by the number in attendance at the event.

Keith Duffy did the honours while other well-known faces included, football hero Paul McGrath, Katherine Lynch, Grainne Seoige, singers Ryan Sheridan and Rebecca Storm and everyone’s favourite, Niall Breslin, aka Bressie.

Amazon has been a big success at Friary Road in Naas Co Kildare and now Sharon is delighted to bring both Hair and Beauty to her newest clinic which is a one stop venue for pure pampering and indulgence for both men and women!

Leinster Ladies

Leinster Ladies: 1. Rebecca Crotty; 2. Dairine Cullen & Cliona Goodwin; 3. Jerri Mahon. (Pix. Stephen McCarthy / Sportsfile)

Leinster treated their female supporters to an extra special match evening recently with the sixth annual Leinster Ladies' Night which raised over €5,000 in aid of Action Breast Cancer.

The Concert Hall at the RDS saw a who’s who of the rugby world drop in to support the initiative including Leinster’s Rob Kearney and Jonathan Sexton and a number of partners including Leo Cullen’s wife Dairine Cullen, Shane Jennings’ fiancée Cliona Godwin and Devin Toner’s girlfriend, Headchef runner-up Mary Scott.

The girls were treated to a drinks reception as well as a beauty pamper zone, live music, a Q&A session with Leinster rugby players Sexton and Kearney as well as the Best Dressed Leinster Lady competition sponsored by Bank of Ireland.

The style competition was won by mother and daughter Liz and Ginine Power from Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Adding to the style around the grounds the Official Leinster Supporters Club were selling bespoke Leinster Ladies T-shirts, all proceeds of which went directly to Action Breast Cancer.