Friday 22 August 2014

Channelling my inner French fashionista

Sometimes I feel there is a preconceived idea that all French women are effortlessly stylish and knowledgeable about fashion.

In my case, this couldn't be further from the truth. Contrary to my sister, who is a borderline shopaholic, I don't really like shopping for clothes. And if I have to buy an outfit for a special occasion, I always need someone with me for advice. I'm terrible at knowing if something suits me. My other problem is I usually have such a precise idea of the outfit I want, that I never find exactly what I had in mind and I get frustrated very easily. Yes, I'm pretty much a nightmare when it comes to clothing.

So imagine my surprise when I was invited by Fanny Crown to take part in a fashion blogging contest. They couldn't have picked the worst person participate! But you know what, I'm always up for a challenge. Here's how it works: I had to choose a dress from their massive collection (more than 1500 models!) and explain for which occasion I would wear it and how I would style it. The blogger who comes first wins the chosen dress. That is such a cool prize that I couldn't resist and I have an occasion coming up so the timing couldn't be better. I'm not kidding myself though, I'm probably up against every fashion blogger in the world, so no pressure at all...

Next summer, I will be the bridesmaid for my best friend's wedding. But this won't be an ordinary event. French weddings and Irish are different anyway but this one is the most unusual I will go to. It's a Celtic wedding, the ceremony will take place outdoors and it will be performed by a druid. My friend told me that what is important to her on her special day is to be close to nature. So I wanted to find an outfit that would represent that Celtic vibe, but still be elegant for the occasion.


It only took me 4 hours of browsing the Fannycrown website to finally find the perfect dress! But look at it... The colour is absolutely amazing and I'm usually not fond of green. In this case, the green blends in with the grey and it seems to be changing colour with the light, which would just look fantastic on the day (if it's sunny of course!). I'll definitely be close to nature with all those flowers as well, plus the one I'll have in my hair...

I went Celtic with the jewellery of course and picked simple but gorgeous earrings and matching necklace from St Justin. I used to work for them so I'm not biased at all in saying they have really great Celtic inspired jewellery at affordable prices. The wristband bracelet adds a touch of ethnic vibe to the ensemble.

I know you're wondering about the shoes and why I didn't pick heels. Well, the ceremony is in a field... I'd be too afraid of staying stuck in there or breaking my neck. I also can't walk with high heels. What if it rains? Well then I'm screwed...

I know I will never be able to afford it, but what the hell... This absolutely amazing Celtic design Chanel bag would just be the extra fancy touch.

About the make-up and hair, I know it's mad, but I usually always wear the same colours (brown and gold eye-shadow and brown lipstick), and I style my hair the same way. I'm definitely not your typical French fashion girl. So I'm not going to lie, my face will pretty much look like this (just add the flower in):
Yep, that's me


So that's it, I can't believe I actually manage to write a post entirely about a dress and accessories. Maybe I found my inner French fashion girl after all. OK, not really but it's a good start... 

If you want to treat yourself to a fabulous dress (and you should), the team at Fanny Crown has given us a 15% discount on any purchase. Just use the code NEARLYIRISH14 at checkout. It's valid until 4th of October, so start looking!