It’s been a few days since I attended the Galway Fashion Trail 2015 & I’m still buzzing from the amazing experience! I’m honored to have been one of the twenty bloggers selected to follow the fashion trail as a VIP. Eight shops around Galway city hosted a fashion show. Each show featured the shops fashion along with that of an Irish designer. In between the shows, there were opportunities to meet the designers. The fashion available in Galway is amazing – there is a fabulous variety of some really unique & stylish pieces.
Some of the Shops featured on the Galway Fashion Trail.
This was Galway’s very first fashion trail & it went so smoothly! Galway Now Magazine did an amazing job organizing the event. I attended as a member of the ITWBN (Into The West Blogger Network) group. This was my first event invitation & I’m so thankful to the lovely Siabh & Sinead of ITWBN for inviting me! After meeting the ITWBN group at three events now, I feel like part of the family.
Top Left, Clockwise: Wrapping up at The House Hotel, a stop at Garvan’s along the trail, all of the amazing goodies from the Galway retailers – I was spoiled rotten! With selfie buddy, Sinead Carroll.
I’m wearing: Coat by Dunnes, Top by Wallis, Leggings by New Look & ankle boots by Clarkes.
Our fabulous day started with an amazing breakfast for the bloggers & Galway Now at Cupan Tae in Serendipity, their private function room upstairs. Both the presentation & quality of the food was gorgeous.
The first show was held at Colette Latchford. The clothing was so elegant with clean lines & crisp colors. I’m totally in love with this pink coat!
This was the first fashion show Colette had in store. She thoroughly enjoyed it & hopes it will be the first of many. The featured Irish designer was Heather Finn. Her knitwear was gorgous & looks so warm for the winter.
Collete with the Catwalk Models.
Each show was handled so professionally. There was music & commentary by Galway Now. The models were flawless & everything ran smoothly. Here is a peek behind the scenes of the busy Galway Now & photography teams at work.
For the second show, we headed over to Gosh Shoes. This fashion show featured Greene’s shoes along with hats & accessories from the Galway Hat Shop. The shoes & accessories really stood out against the black trousers & tank tops.
After the show, a few of us headed downstairs to the Hat Shop & of course, we tried on some hats. They have a fabulous selection of hats & accessories. I don’t know how they fit so many lovely items into their shop.
Our next show was held at the Treasure Chest. We were greeted by Mary Bennett with a lovely glass of bubbles. The shop was beautifully decorated for Christmas.
The fashion was stunning. Treasure Chest has so many beautiful outfits for a wedding. The pieces went so well together & each model had a polished look. The stunning hats are by Irish milliner Suzie Mahony. I’m thrilled that Suzie gave us each a voucher for a hat rental. I can’t wait to wear one of her amazing creations next year!
The fourth show of the day was held at Anthony Ryans, featuring millinery by Caithriona King. For me, Caithriona’s headpieces were the highlight of the day. Each one was more stunning than the last with an artistic & daring flare.
The Anthony Ryans outfits were classic, beautiful & clean cut. Watching the elegant models put me in the mood for a Christmas party!
We had a little break for lunch at Cask. Being a wine bar, it would have been rude to eat without having a glass of wine, so we did. The food & wine were both excellent. The flavors were fresh & delicious.
With fellow bloggers & wine lovers, Triona from Moda Fix & Sandra from A Modern Mommy’s World.
With bellies full, we headed over to Willow for the next show. The fashion in Willow was trendy & feminine. Many of the pieces could be worn day or night. The featured Irish design was millinery by Brid O’Driscoll. Here’s a short clip of the Willow fashion show.
I made a purchased this wallet / purse in Willow. I really needed it (lol I know). Willow was offering a discount during the show & very kindly gave each blogger a gift card. They have so many lovely things I could have kept on buying.
Happily the morning’s rain had stopped & the fashion show at Kilkenny was held outdoors. There was a fabulous buzz to that fashion show as people walking past stopped to watch the models walk down the footpath runway. You can spot the bloggers tweeting & snaping in the crowd.
The fashion was a mix of day wear & beautiful dresses for an occasion or wedding. The fashion was paired with hats by Emily-Jean O’Byrne milliner & jewelry designer.
The seventh show of the day was held at Muse by Dee, a brand new shop that has just opened in Galway. Dee has a fabulous selection of affordable, stylish clothing.
Irish Designer, Dearbhla Joyce showcased her newest collection. This dress was my favorite of hers, it laid beautifully on the model. Dee held a raffle for the bloggers & I had my lucky number 7 & won this stunning necklace!
The final show of the day was at Pia, winner of best boutique in Galway 2015. They have a trendy & stylish range of clothing, including the Freddy jeans known for adding a nice shape to your bottom. I loved this coat with the fur collar.
I found this gorgeous bracelet in my blogger goodie bag from Pia. It matches my new necklace perfectly. Thank you, Denise!
On my travels, I stopped into Hartmann’s to see their jewelry collection by Maria Dorai Raj. Her pieces are contemporary & unique. I also perused the rest of the shop. They have a fabulous selection of designer jewelry. The Marc by Marc Jacobs watches particularly caught my eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the Galway Fashion Trail 2015. It was better than I had imagined it would be. Meeting shop owners, designers, Galway Now & fellow bloggers was so fun & educational. The fashion was spectacular & I enjoyed every show. The models were fantastic. I was super impressed with them moving from shop to shop. I can’t say enough about the experience. This is a free event & it’s open to the public so keep an eye out for next year’s fashion trail.
The most amazing part of the day was how everyone banned together to make the Fashion Trail a success. Galway Now, Catwalk Modeling Agency, GMIT & ITWBN all volunteered their time. I can’t wait for next year’s fashion trail!
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