All that Jazz

Jazzed: 1. Niki Kelly and Emma O'Callaghan; 2. Sarah Finn; 3. Chris Engel and Julie Blakeney. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The launch of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, which takes place from 25th - 28th October, had jazz fans enthralled in Whelans recently. Tens of thousands of people will descend on Cork city from all over the world to enjoy a Jazz Gathering featuring over 400 gigs in over 50 venues around the city, plus a very impressive Fringe programme.

For full festival details and to purchase tickets for the 2013 Guinness Cork Jazz Festival log onto www.guinnessjazzfestival.com

 

Samsung Young Designer

Style: Brendan Courtney and Aisling Kilduff; 2. Alex Ludwig; 3. Sarah Lennon and Lavinia Gallagher. (Pix. BME)

Claire Lynam from Ratoath, Co. Meath who studies in NCAD won the overall Samsung Young Designer of the Year 2013 from an impressive shortlist of 12 designers.　 Claire’s prize package included a Samsung Galaxy smartphone; Samsung Galaxy Note tablet; a Samsung NX 300 camera, an exclusive portfolio shoot with renowned fashion photographer Barry McCall and PR representation from Limelight Communications.

The judging panel consisted of top Irish fashion photographer Barry McCall, the Design Centre’s Aisling Kilduff, fashion editor of the Sunday Independent, Constance Harris and General Manager of Samsung IT & Mobile Ireland, Gary Twohig.

Guests at the VIP reception sipped on Baileys and dined on bespoke fashion inspired canapés. The awards were hosted by one of Ireland’s leading fashion couples Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney. Also in attendance was Alexander Ludwig, star of the Hunger Games movie, Samsung DFF Ambassador Darren Kennedy, stylist Maria Fusco and fashion blogger, Emily O’Donnell.

Get ready for Arthur

To Arthur: 1. Alice Keogh and Paul Dunkin; 2. David Harris and Sean Munsanje; 3. Alan Coffey and Aoife Kelly. (Pix. KH)

The launch of Arthur’s Day 2013 took place at Hogan’s recently.  A showcase of the best of Ireland’s creativity and talent from the world of music and culture, Arthur’s Day will take place on Thursday 26th September across numerous venues in Ireland and abroad.   

Check out full details on www.GUINNESS.com

DFF 13

Fashion Fit: 1. Anne Marie O'Connor and Darren Kennedy; 2. Aoibhin Garrihy and Aoibheann McCaul. (Pix. Samsung)

TV presenter and style icon Laura Whitmore jetted in to Dublin city centre to officially launch this year’s Dublin Fashion Festival in association with Samsung.   Organised by DublinTown.ie, the fashion festival will run next week, from the 5^th to the 8^th of September. 

As this year’s official face of the festival, Laura Whitmore will return to Dublin town in September to take part in the packed DFF programme, which will unite fabulous fashionistas, chic city-slickers, and an eclectic mix of fashion retailers under the DFF umbrella – with more events, more participants, more special offers, live fashion events and in-store activities than ever before!

DFF in association with Samsung aims to put the fun and theatre back into shopping and socialising in the city centre by offering daytime catwalk shows, fashion parades and tailored events in bars, restaurants and special venues.  The festival will return to Dublin’s streets from Thursday the 5^th to Sunday the 8^th of September and will bring together over 100 retailers, including the city’s nine flagship retail stores - Brown Thomas, Stephen’s Green SC, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Arnotts, Clery’s, Ilac SC (incl. Debenhams), Jervis SC, Marks & Spencer, and Penneys.

One of the festival highlights last year, the Creative Quarter Fashion Show, will return again this year and feature the very best of Irish designers, vintage and one-off fashion pieces sourced from the Creative Quarter area (Clarendon Street to South Great Georges Street).  New this year is the Young Designer Fashion Event – a convention and competition which will celebrate the best in young Irish design.

Keep an eye out for show-stopping fashion moments – from spontaneous Fashmobs to a full sized Samsung ‘selfie’ photo-booth and roving DFF style teams making Dublin even more beautiful.  A new feature this year will see the Samsung DFF Beauty Bus  touring the city, decked out in latest mobile devices and notebooks – shoppers can stay connected in style while the on-board DFF beauty team offer makeovers, hair styling and goodie bags.

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby

Good going: 1. Ally Garvey; 2. Celia Holman Lee and Breeda McLoughlin; 3. Claudine Keane.. (Pix. KH)

Deborah Barrett from Lehenaghmore, Co. Cork, was announced as this year’s Most Stylish Lady in association with Boodles, at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

As always, the fashion stakes were high as hundreds of Ireland’s most fashionable ladies put their best foot forward to impress this year’s judging panel, which was led by award winning actress and Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan.

Other notable attendees at this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby were tennis ace, Ana Ivanovic who is a brand ambassador for Dubai Duty Free, film director Jim Sheridan, UK talk show host Jeremy Kyle, Claudine Keane and with her mother Joan Palmer, Xpose presenter Aisling O’Loughlin, television veteran Gay Byrne along with singer Bryan Kennedy

Michelle was joined by a team of expert judges charged with the enviable task of crowning this year’s winner, which included Breeda McLoughlin, wife of the Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, Melanie Morris, Editor at IMAGE Magazine, James Amos of Boodles and Ally Garvey, The Face of the Curragh Racecourse and Miss Kildare 2013.

23,407 attended the Curragh on derby day, 900 up on last year’s attendance figure. The full festival included several ancillary events which ran on and off the track including a Golf Classic which was held on Thursday the 27th of June at the Palmer Ryder Cup course at The K Club and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Ball, also held at The K Club on Friday 28th of June which was in aid of Irish Autism Action.