Don’t forget to let us know what you think! See you there x

If you consider yourself to be a bit of an art buff, or are a total novice who’d like to know more, why not do something altogether different this weekend and head along to the Art Fair in the RDS. The ma-hoo-sive hall at the RDS will be with exhibits from some of the country’s most renowned artists, as well as some up-and-coming, and very talented newbies. There is tonnes to see and it will be a crash course in what’s happening in the Irish art scene. It’s a great spot to pick up some really unique Christmas gifts, and who knows, you might pick up something really special for yourself while you’re at it?

 
The Art Fair runs from Friday the 5th to Sunday the 7th of November, General Admission is €10 but check out our Facebook page to learn how you can win tickets to the event. For more information log on to www.rds.ie/artfair

From Wed 6th-Sat 9th October in Citywest Hotel, Acappella will be holding a sample sale of their S/S10 and  A/W10 must-have pieces. Brands included are Darling, Rare, St.Martins, S’nob, Culture, Yuki, Fever, Jarlo, Religion, People’s Market, Supertrash, plus more, all selling at discount prices (how much has not been revealed).

Sounds like there is going to be a fashion frenzy in Citywest. We recommend you get down their early- it’s open from 10am to 7pm daily and make sure to bring cash no cards are accepted!

We’ll see you there!

Mike camped out on Kilimanjaro...

So our bachelors are all pretty dashing, right? But one lovely Mr Mike McGuire has proven himself especially eligible. Not only has he recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital  in Crumlin (where he passed Stellar Point on the way to the top BTW) but he’s also running two, yep two, marathons in the coming weeks for the charity. Oh yeah and he ran this itty bitty 65km Adventure Race while he was at it.

Mike says he’s more than just a bit petrified about the double marathon leg of his journey, (Chicago on October 8th and Dublin, October 25th) having never run a marathon before, so why the bejaysus is he doing all this? “I was kindly taken around Crumlin Children’s Hospital to see where the money is needed.  While walking through, I met a 2 year old girl called Lucy who was undergoing her first chemotherapy session that day.  Since then, I have been in touch with her parents through the hospital and they have agreed to let her be my little motivator through my last few challenges.  The way I see it, if she (and her parents) have the bravery to go into a hospital every few days to go through the hell that is chemo, I should have the balls to go out running (I hate running, it’s the devils work) when I don’t want to.” 

Well isn’t he just dreamy? If you want to support Mike and his campaign to raise funds for Lucy, and the other children at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, you can register your donations here… http://www.cmrf.org/SponsorshipManager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=748 (100% of donations will go towards the charity, as Mike has covered his own training and travel costs.) 

Mike and his fellow climbers at Stellar Point *Mike says to excuse the wardrobe mishap, " I had ordered gear in from the manufacturer and when it arrived, the XL stuff made me look like Tom Hanks in “BIG”. As a result, I had to take the only jacket available, along with my turquoise snowboarding pants. The purple hat is the icing on the cake, I love this photo it looks like serious climbers were posing for a photo when a clown crept in."

 Don’t forget to vote for Mike and the other bachelors n our Bachelor of the Year competition. You could win the chance to meet all the lovely gents at our exclusive Birthday Party, and a gorgeous Tissot watch to boot. The deets are all in the October issue of STELLAR and voting closes on October 13th.

Last week one of Ireland’s leading fashion agencies Acappella launched their Autumn/Winter 10 fashion brands in the beautiful setting that is their showrooms in Fashion City, Ballymount. With an abundance of labels to be seen Stellar went along to check out the latest offerings from the likes of fashion brands Snob, Darling, Religion, Rare, Carousel (a new Irish owned label) to name a few.

The Acappella fashion presentation was inspired by the 1960s US drama Mad Men where Rare Opulence (Rare’s more glamorous older sister range) featured along with the one size fits all, adjustable collection from Jolaby.

Edgy, rock-star labels Religion and Supertrash stuck to what they do best offering up embellished leather jackets, skull printed tees, and skinny pants but not forgetting the more grown up elements like sequins, faux-fur and perfectly fitting dresses.

Darling offered a contrast to this with pretty floral-printed dresses and lace-trimmed pastel cardigans that seem to be inspired by clothing of the past. The mixture of vintage influenced clothing with modern shapes makes for one really cute, and on-trend label. After all everyone loves and needs a floral dress in their wardrobe. Our fave item was the Adele dress, which is perfect worn with riding-boots and ribbed cotton tights for winter but also the perfect transitional spring dress.

New Irish owned label Carousel was also exclusively featured for the first time. Their collection includes a number of adorable kitschy dresses that are nipped in at the waist and covered in strawberry, floral or cupcake prints. How cute, we hear ya say!

Acappella now supplies over 15 internationally recognised fashion brands and supplies up to 350 boutiques and stores around Dublin, so girls no matter what brand of choice is your bound to find it in a shop near you!

For stockists and buying enquiries contact barbara@acappella.ie.(Credits: Photography Patrick O Leary and Brian McEvoy, Make up Gillian Rafferty, Hair Gina at Zeba and styling Barbara Meade.

Head down to Andrew’s Lane Theatre, Dublin 2, from noon tomorrow where you will see Superbeing, GSUS and Frenchurch all showing their stuff.

If casual street wear is your thing then you’ll find it here with sports wear inspired looks, as well as checks and acid brights included in the collections

What’s more, when you buy 4 items you can pick up a Frenchurch piece for free!

Shop the day away to the sound of the in house DJ and make use of the coffee and snacks to keep you going.

Take a break to check out the artwork sale that will also be running or chill out at the full bar.

The sale continues until Sunday at 6pm but be quick; we bet everything will be snapped up before long.

See you there!

Swapping is the new approach to shopping that is catching on everywhere. And we in Dublin are lucky to have Ireland’s very first Swop Shop boutique.

If you’re thinking musty old shirts and grandad jumpers then think again. The team at this Dublin fashion exchange only accept items that are in “immaculate condition, seasonal and reasonably on trend”. Which is great news for all of you who are lusting after a bargain designer buy.

‘Through the Looking Glass’ is the theme of their second Autumn Winter collection which has just launched. Their use of lace, velvet and ruffles help to create the Alice in Wonderland fantasy with pieces coming from Tommy Hilfiger, Topshop and Fornarnia.

Many items are available from between €0 and €10 depending on what you swap. So whether you want to create a new look or exchange that dress that has been hanging at the back of your wardrobe get down to their Crow Street store in Temple Bar and use your clothes as currency.

Outside the collection there are other great bargains to be had. Our favorites have to be these Miss Sixty leather effect trousers.

Log onto their website to check out more pictures from the gallery or for more information.

With recessionista shopping the new norm and renewal collections a big favorite, learning to get creative with your own wardrobe just makes sense.

Here to help are the Sip n’ Stitch team who promise not only to help you revamp your wardrobe but assess what suits your figure as well as give you some great styling tips.

So far so deadly? Tell us more you ask?

Well, no sewing machine? No worries. The focus of the six week course is on hand sewing and embellishments rather than technical machine work.

The course moves from revamping tops and dresses to a jacket overhaul and it doesn’t stop at clothes. The final week looks at hair accessories as well as bags and other bits and bobs. The team suggest bringing anything from runners to old curtains to help recreate your wardrobe. The potential seems never ending.

Alongside your wardrobe revamp, each week has a particular lesson from basic stitches during the first classes to ways to use elements such as cuffs, sleeves and pockets in a different way, towards the end of the course.

On top of all this the course will give you the opportunity to swap clothes and get to know new faces in a ‘boutique style’ setting all while sipping a glass of wine

Free drinks eh? Where do we sign up?

The course begins on Wednesday the 22nd at Om Diva Loft, Georges Street Arcade from 6.45 – 8.30pm at a cost of E108.

Places are sure to fill up quickly so to secure yours or to find out more information, give the team a call on 01 6791211. You can also check out their Facebook page here.

With the New York Spring shows in full swing you would be forgiven for thinking that we were all getting ahead of ourselves! So on Friday we went to check out the new Autumn/Winter Airborne Denim Collection for ONLY. Between tiger tees and stars and stripes, the fashion show at Weston Airport was a feast for the fashion senses!

Stand out pieces for us came from all sections, with the American flag motif jumpers from the Stars and Stripes collection a big favorite at STELLAR towers.

The Animal Rock collection was on trend with a great pair of slouchy yet stylish patterned trousers featuring as well as some laid back tees which looked the right side of worn. Their leopard print high-waisted shorts looked like they would flatter as well as make a statement this season.

With a good price point and basics as well as on trend looks we will definitely be picking up some items for our autumn/winter wardrobe.

ONLY, Jervis centre, Dublin and stockists nationwide