I can't believe I've had my blog for entire year!

What started as a secret little project (I didn't tell anyone about it for the first 3 posts!) has grown into an important and fun part of my life.

I couldn't have done it without my friends and family and my extended circle of blog friends who have been invaluable in their advice and support.

To celebrate my first birthday, I've put together a wee haul pack containing pieces from some of my favourite brands who have kindly gifted me during the past year.

The prize contains:

• Smyth & Browne polo shirt - as featured here
• Be Unrivalled t-shirt - as featured here
• Burtonwode boxer shorts (don't worry, they're brand new!)
• Monty Brown pocket square - perfect for a summer suit!
• Wolf & Ink notebook - for jotting down all those blog ideas
• Recto Verso leather bracelets - clothes make the man but accessories make him better...

The prize is worth over £150, to enter the competition just complete the rafflecopter below the pictures!

the full prize!

burtonwode boxer shorts

wolf & ink note book

recto verso bracelets - the wrap bracelet can double as a key chain!

monty brown pocket hankie

smyth & browne and be unrivalled t-shirts

a Rafflecopter giveaway

my red velvet birthday cake on a stand my dad made for me

It's that time of year again when The Blog Awards Ireland open up for nominations.

I would be delighted if any of my readers would take the time to nominate me in either the fashion or newcomer categories (or both if you are feeling particularly generous.)

Just click through the pages to find the relevant categories and fill in the form.

Many thanks in advance!

I am immensely proud of Belfast, I have said this before. It has moved from a city destroyed by years of conflict to a growing cosmopolitan hub. Yes, growing. While I accept we have much to gain through increased diversity and opportunity, we are light years from where we were. Take that HBO exec!

In order for this to happen, we have to nurture and support our own. For years there has been an intellectual and cultural vacuum as some of our brightest young people move across the water for university or employment. The developments of the past decade in Belfast and across the province, especially in the media and creative industries has seen talent come back to us. Look at the success of St George's Market; voted best market in the UK and champion of local craft and produce.

I digressed a little there, but it helps support the main jist of this post...
We have some amazingly talented fashion designers right under our noses!

I recently attended the Belfast School of Art Fashion graduation show at T13 in the Titanic Quarter. I was kindly invited by Fintan Mulholland, one of only 2 graduates who designed menswear for their final collection.

Fintan's collection, entitled Degradation was avant-garde apocalypse. Combining exaggerated knitwear with equine-esque flared trousers, there was a distinct tone and story carried through the palette of khaki green, grey and black; this is the end of days.

hooded and hooved

four horsemen

• Skeletal rib detailing on the knitwear
• Flared trousers (to the point of almost becoming hooves)
• Over-sized horn buttons, engraved with a subtle circuit pattern, mixing techno and organic.
• Spiked mace incense burner
• Goggle feature on the hood, if Mad Max did knit wear
• Visors engraved with the same circuitry found on the cardigan buttons

It wouldn't be fair to talk about the show without mentioning the other designer showcasing menswear. Emma Zacharopoulou's Baile puts a "modern twist on quintessential Irish men's knitwear". Her use of colour and contrast is fresh and I loved the mod-like styling with cropped trousers and laced boots.


Follow Fintan and Emma on twitter for more updates and information.

We must look after local talent so we can all enjoy it - you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!

After an amazing week in San Francisco, we moved on to Chicago to catch up with friends who just added a cute little bundle to their family!

Chicago was a city I knew nothing about and hadn't given much thought to visiting other than catching up with the Petersons. My knowledge and opinion of the city prior to my visit was based on episodes of ER and all I knew was it looked frigging freezing!

I am glad to say that the weather and the city did not disappoint!

The 6 hour flight from San Francisco to Chicago was a little bumpy, however this was made all the more tolerable with in-flight wifi. On a domestic flight. We didn't get this on our Dublin-San Francisco British Airways flight. Some airlines really need to catch up!

We tried to cram as much of the city in a possible during our short stay so first on the list was the Hancock Tower, an imposing iron-clad block on the Chicago skyline.

i love the harsh crosslines of the structure

but first, let me take a selfie

snapping the snapper

loved these plaques dotted around the zoo, dedicated to sponsors

caelan loves polar bears and we got so many snaps of this amazing beast

navy pier

note my sunburn & caelan's kung-fu grip...

lost in thought

one of those arty photos with the clever lighting #nofilter

the higher the hair the closer to god #quiff

the view through

Father's day is rapidly approaching and while we are all being bombarded with perfect gift articles and emails, how many of us have dads who would actually want or need these supposed essentials.

My dad is a quiet man, he knows what he likes but will never say or drop hints when it comes to gifts. I can't see him wanting a "Best Dad" t-shirt or hanging a hand-written sign on his shed door. He owns 2 ties - a black one for funerals and a navy one for everything else. He doesn't wear aftershave and he certainly doesn't moisturise (although for a while he used my face scrub as hair gel, reasoning they were both in black tubes.)

So this is my guide (for want for a better word) not for the man who has everything, but for the man who asks for nothing.

Get him a hobby
My dad has retired and to keep him occupied (and out from under my mum's feet) he has developed a hobby of starting hobbies; gardening, woodturning, family ancestry, chicken keeping... the list goes on.
Check out part-time courses, magazine subscriptions or starter kits. The beauty of this is it will make future gift buying easier as you just need to top up his materials or get a new book etc. Just make sure it's something he's interested in!


Go for classic
If you are buying your dad clothes, make it something that isn't going to quickly date. A casual watch, a white oxford shirt, chinos or a decent wool sweater - wardrobe staples that he will be comfortable in will always make him look good.


Dads are men
As stereotypical as it might sound, most men don't want a teddy bear. Or a mug. Or ornaments. Or any kind of  impractical gifts really. If it has a function, it will usually be well received. Gadgets and tools can be a little boring but look for something with unusual features - if in doubt, look for either the biggest or the smallest! He might never be James Bond, but let him have a little fun!

After taking a month off, I'm getting back in the blogging habit and I have amassed a shedload of topics to cover so brace yourselves for a torrent of posts in the coming week!

I haven't told you about my vacation yet and it's hard to believe it was a month ago. Just under 3 weeks hopping from coast to coast across America - I have never had a more enjoyable, interesting and invigorating holiday.

Touching down on a Monday evening, we checked into our hotel, changed & freshened up (necessary after a 12 hour flight from Dublin) and stepped out on to the steep streets of San Fran.

We headed down to the Embarcadero and port of San Francisco for dinner and a snoop around. Despite being a new, big city; it wasn't intimidating.

mine?

The clocktower at San Francisco port

 Waking early on Tuesday morning (stupid jet lag) pulling on Converse, jeans and my favourite ever tee, we set off to see the Alamo (however, we ended up in a different park) so we took a walk down Lombard Street, famous for being the crookedest street in the world. It's like Screwball Scramble set at a 45° angle.


One of my favourite book series is Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. A frank, funny and heart felt serial spanning from the 1970's to present. Set in San Francisco, it features the intertwined lives of a mixed bag of characters, centralised on the fictional Barbary Lane so naturally I had to visit Macondray Lane, believed to be the inspiration for the setting. I could definitely see myself living here, the communal atmosphere sums up the relaxed and bohemian vibe of San Francisco.

the secluded, shaded and secretly special Macondray Lane

We had read the forecast to be mild, but the temperatures quickly climbed to the high 20°s so a stop-off in H&M for shorts  and we were back on the streets.
I considered myself quite the accomplished pedestrian but my faithful Converse let me down - their lack of insoles and support were not enough to cope with the long walks and steep inclines; the ensuing shin splints and blisters led me to Nordstrom Rack (their outlet store) and I picked up a pair of New Balance sneakers for under $50 and my feet have been grateful ever since. 
(I had a pair of bright blue and neon New Balance waaaay back when I was doing my a-levels and then the boys from Steps wore them - I thought I was such a trendsetter)

We headed to Alcatraz on Thursday, I had pre-booked the trip before I left home and I advise you to do the same if you ever visit as you cannot buy a ticket at the port for the same day of travel.

panoramic view from alcatraz - a harsh reminder to inmates how close freedom was

after closing, alcatraz was taken by native american protesters

home sweet home