Ulster University Fashion Graduate Show 2016

Fashion followers from across the island of Ireland gathered at the Europa Hotel last night, as some of the country’s newest and emerging home-grown designers launched their collections to the public.  CMPR models helped the runway burst into life as they fashioned an array of different designs in a multitude of colours and a variety of different textiles wowing audiences at the Ulster University Fashion Graduate Catwalk Show.

I was in attendance to watch fresh new talent grace the catwalk.   All of the designers brought something special and unique to the table.  Here are a handful of some of my favorites.  

Molly Jeffrey wearing UU Designer Sarah Walker

All white everything.  Textures and paneling add depth to this very cute two piece

Model Aimee Boyle wearing UU Designer Amy Roulston

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my draped red chiffons,  This dress is all kinds of dreamy perfection

Model Lynley Megaw wearing UU Designer Amy Scanlon

The cut away mid rift pattern cutting makes this garment unique yet the white keeps the look pure.

Model Joy Ellis wearing UU Designer Caroline Cochrane

Power shoulders and tailored paneled pants.  This collection screams 80's chic to me.

Model Sacha Livingstone wearing UU Designer Hannah Aicken

Block colours and textile tassels.  I <3 texture galore!

Model Lynley Megaw wearing UU Designer Jose Varandas

Little red riding hood meets big bad wolf.  I am feeling the black fur in this collection!

Model Aimee Boyle wearing UU Designer Sarah Hickland

Red mesh mixed with leather harnessing.  Devilishly dominatrix.  I definitely feel this was my favorite look from the show.  

Big congratulations to all of the final year graduates on their great new collections.  Its nearly 5 years since my University of Ulster end of year show and it really feels like a lifetime ago.  Here are a few shots from my final year show <3 

This very well groomed production has been brought to you by Cathy Martin CMPR team.  Hair by Sleek high fashion ponytails by Andrew Mulvenna. Fresh and flawless make up by MNX PRO.  A refreshing drinks reception was of course provided by West Coast Cooler.  Keep an eye out for style spotting blog to follow soon from the Ulster University Fashion Graduate Show.

Peace and Love Lisa xx

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Ulster University Graduate Fashion Show 2016

Get prepared for a fashionable finale. The University of Ulsters end of years show is always bursting with bright creativity. As a graduate of the Fashion and Textile course myself I am a big supporter of helping new up and coming designers. Its not easy coming out of a fashion degree into the real world but with a lot of hard work and dedication these fresh new faces can do anything they set their minds to.

If I could give any advise to the newbies it would be 

Dont be afraid to try something different, if it doesn't work out try again.  Work as hard as you can and give it your all then at least you can never say you didn't try.  In the words of my father "All we can ever do it our best"  

The designs I have seen so far make me hopeful for some unique innovative designs and I am very excited to see the show in full.  

The students will see their collections modeled on CMPR Models with hair perfectly styled by the inventive team at Andrew Mulvenna hair and beautiful make up looks created by the talented artists at MNX Pro.  I have no doubts that this show will running smoothly and to perfection as all of director Cathy Martins shows do.

All and all this show promises to be a success with a super team to boot. Get your tickets now before they sell out, dont regret missing out. Myself and Blogger Printed Skull Ink will be suited and booted to attend this event and we cant wait to take in all the fashion vibes. 

Get an insight to the best of new designers.  Is this the best of future fashion?  

Tickets are on sale now at just £15 per ticket, which includes a fabulous goodie bag and are available from https://getinvited.to/ulstergraduatesfashionshow2016.

Vision - Joy Ellis, Roseanna Crawford

Vision - Joy Ellis, Roseanna Crawford

Ambidextrous - Joy Ellis, Sarah Walker

City Tribes - Joy Ellis, Jose Varandas

The Meadow Restaurant Enniskillen

If you live under a rock and haven't heard of The Meadow which is taking Enniskillen by storm then in summery it is a fantastic restaurant which uses local produce to create delicious well proportioned meals at a reasonable price.  The staff are well presented, helpful and polite which is very important to me.

On top of generally being well priced they also do these great themed nights such as Wednesday steak night, Sunday set menu and Italian Thursdays.  Every night you can either go by the set menu or choose from the on going regular menu which is great for a group of people with various tastes,  In a nutshell you will always find something for everyone.

As a big lover of Italy I was so excited when I seen the Italian night advertised that I straight away invited my sister blogger from Printed Skull Ink to come along with me for a girly night of sampling. We love any excuse to eat everything.

On a little side note I personally love when a restaurant provides a menu online before you attend, firstly because you are sure you will like something and do not want to waste your time secondly because it saves time knowing what your going to order when you arrive.  So if any restaurant owners or managers read this get on it.  

First up of course has to be the cocktails.  My sister doesn't drink so it was good to see they had a range of mock-tails for her to try.  They serve all the classics but have also created a few of their own. Donna ordered the daiquiri were as I opted for a custom made cocktail.  Presentation was flawless as you can see.

Me and my sister share food because we are adorkable like that so we ordered the salmon and the antipasto al italiano.  Both were served cold and the mix of textures and flavors really did it for us.  The size of the starter was amazing as we discussed how we have had smaller mains for double the prize in other local restaurants.

Yes we ordered three mains.  Dont judge us but we just couldn't decide and we could have definitely ordered more.  Its safe to say leftovers were taken home for the doggy and boyfriend. If your a cheese fan you have to try the Gnocchi Al Quattro Formaggi. Four different cheeses all blended together to make the most delicious dish I have ever had. We also had the Penne Al Salmone Killybegs smoked salmon , as a sauce lover I really appreciated the rich flavor with the crispy veg. Lastly we had the Pollo Al Funghi which again came with a creamy sauce which in my opinion made the whole dish come together perfectly.

 

Now time for the most important part.  The dessert.  Im not sure if this was on the menu but they were more than happy to give us a trio of desserts, Im not a fan of sticky toffee pudding but I loved this one, it was gooey in all the right places.  The chocolate fondant was soft, creamy and heavenly. lastly I had a mini creme brulee and Donna had the cheesecake both were a nice milder taste which made a good mix on the plate.

All in all The Meadow has just got to be one of my favorite places to eat.  I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone.  Please pop over and give them a like!
www.facebook.com/themeadowenniskillen

Peace and Love

Lisa xxx

West Coast Cooler Belfast Fashion Week Sushi Saturday at Zen Belfast

Belfast Fashion Week has been and gone but we still have the memory's from the Spring/Summer to see us threw to next season!  As a showcasing designer the week was full of West Coast Cooler cocktails, Press Calls, beautiful models, networking, organizing, steaming garments, styling but I just had to take the time out to attend some of the events myself!  My favorite event had to be Sushi Saturday at Zen.

Sushi Saturday is a fantastic event held every season which you guessed it mixes a mini fashion showcase with a sushi version of afternoon tea.  Zen is one of my all time favorite restaurants not only in NI but in the world.  If you have never been you are quite simply missing out.  What makes Zen stand out from the crowd is the out of this world interiors, the staff have hospitably skills and attention to details like no other and the food is heavenly flavour some.  Only the best local ingredients are used and it really does show in the end product.  

West Coast Cooler unsurprisingly made an appearance at the start of the afternoon tea.    I was delighted to see they had gone to the effort of treating us to a cocktail which made a lovely change to the rest of the nights.  With a complementary original top up I was more than delighted.  

The designs on the catwalk were all selected by Belfast Fashion Week Director Cathy Martin and advertised as Directors Cut which included some of her favorite looks from all of the shows.  It must have been a difficult decision as the fashion was really on point this season. 

Grainne Maher ::VAULT Boutique

I want to thanks Cathy for including me an an amazing event here are some images of my Blue Floral Dress on Miss Ireland Sasha Livingston and my Red Ruffle Dress on Molly Jeffrey.  

Molly wears Nor Lisa Fashion Designer Red Ruffle Dress 

Photographer Brendan Mariani 

Make Up Oonagh Boman School of Make Up

Hair Jason Shankey

Model CMPR

Sasha wears Nor Lisa Fashion Designer Blue Floral Dress 

Photographer Brendan Mariani 

Make Up Oonagh Boman School of Make Up

Hair Jason Shankey

Model CMPR

I myself decided I wanted to wear something elegant, classic but still with my own personal stamp.  I opted for a satin deep red dress with silver embroidery paired with a silver sparkly clutch bag,  shoes wise I wore a pair of nude pumps and finished the look off with a bling silver chain bracelet.  

Social Shot Brendan Gallagner

Dress Chi Chi London

Bag Dune

Bracelet Nor Lisa Fashion 

Shoes Vivienne Westwood

In summary I hope you can make the next Sushi Saturday and if you cant wait til then make sure to pop in and treat yourself in Zen Restaurant Belfast.  I want to thank everyone involved for such a fantastic event.  

Peace and Love

 Lisa xx

Style Spotting - West Coast Cooler Belfast Fashion Week

Another Season of West Coast Coolers Belfast Fashion Week has sadly been and gone.  We had some fantastic fashion on the catwalk but it wasn't just the models that were turning heads.  Fashionistas flocked in numbers to attend the shows wearing key trends and flaunting their own personal style.  Here is a um up of some of my favourite Style Spotted looks.

Zara Beggs - Style Sunday

 

This orange jumpsuit is summer in a nut shell.  Paired with simple nude accessories including a tassel necklace (I <3 tassel's) Zara couldn't go wrong with this look.

Rebecca McKinney - Sushi Saturday

 Mono and stripes have been around for the last few S/S seasons and they wont be going anywhere soon.  I loved how Rebecca simplified the look with clean edges and these stunning lace up heels!  Finished off with some tassel earrings.

Donna McCabe - Designer and Boutique Night

Donna Blogger from Printed Skull Ink wore Nor Lisa Fashion kimono dress. I created Donna's custom look from a concept board Donna created.  She wanted draping, bohemian and floaty.  We went for a bold striking silk chiffon print paired with heavy jersey sleeves for a contrast.  I loved how she has styled the look up with block coloured orange accessories and even opted for a pom pom tassel bag.  

Nicole Hollinger - Designer and Boutique Night

 I absolutely loved this nude and red lace dress by local designer Chloe Dougan for Lotus Boutique Dress Hire.  The dress is the perfect colour to match Nicoles skin tone and I loved how she kept the accessorises minimal to let the dress do the talking.  

Louise Vance + Katie Larmour - High Street Night

 These two make such a cute fashion team.  Adrian Quinn snapped this picture after Katie interviewed Louise for Belfast Fashion Week TV.  Louise's off the shoulder mono look was timeless and classic.  Katie's white power suit was cut i9n all the right places, I especially liked the big gold buttons on the blazer modernising the look.

Lauryn Hall - Fashion Awards

 

Lauryn dresses to impress in this full length white/blue ombre Nor Lisa Fashion plait dress.  I like how she let her personal style flair by rocking it up with a spike body harness necklace by Bohemian Vixen.  The feathered bag by Mohawk really brings out the colour in the dress.  

Rachel Shivers - Designer and Boutique Night

 

 Rachael's look was perfectly styled all in one tone of navy with a huge bling matching necklace which was a great addition to dress up the rest of the outfit.  The nude heels where the perfect item to complete this well groomed look.

 Courtney Kirker - Fashion Awards

 

Prints on prints.  This outfit is a perfect mix of clashing prints mixed with simple silhouettes which equals a classic yet quirky look.  Coutnety wears a custom made Nor Lisa Fashion top and skirt.  

 Laura Blair - Designer and Boutique Night

 

Laura shows off her perfect pins in this preppy stripe look.  The oversize bag dresses down the look which turns this outfit into a fantastic combo for any fashion event.  She looks well rounded and perfectly styled.

Katie Ellis

Katies edgy punk inspired look was both grudgey and sleek.  A very hard combo to pull off but I think she looks amazing in Nor Lisa fashion SS16 denium skirt with silver vest top which ties in well with her tattoos and rich curly hair.  

Peace and Love

Lisa xx

Co Couture Belfast Dessert Club

If you haven't heard of Co Couture Belfast it is a chocolate boutique based in the centre of Belfast.  I have been a massive fan of this chocolate heaven for years and try to get in each time I am in the city centre (I'm addicted).  They have a range of pre made chocolate packs you can pop in and pick up or you can sit in to enjoy a Delicious hot chocolate which is simply death by chocolate.  Which in my opinion would be the best way to go.  

Once in a while they run a dessert club for a week where they sell exclusive unique desserts.  When I heard they where having one around Valentines I had to book straight away.  The one before this one was November to give you a time line of how often they do it, which in my opinion isn't often enough.  The menu was so full of choice we found it difficult to choose which ones we loved most.

My partner went for the Mississippi Mud Pie.  In true Valentine theme the mud pie was adorably heart shaped.  The pie had a moist rich brownie base topped with smooth light fluffy chocolate mousse finished with white chocolate cream.  The textures combined made for a very delicious dessert experience. We loved how they had the warm melted choclate sauce to the side so you could try it with and without. 

I chose the harte to heart dessert.  I am a big fan of both brownies and pecans so I was super excited to try this.  Basically in a nut shell (or in this case a chocolate shell) the dessert consisted of brownies, nuts, sauce and a gorgeous after taste of sea salt served within a heart shaped chocolate heart.  On the side you had a hot chocolate sauce so the idea was pour the sauce over to melt your heart awwww <3

The desserts were only £6 including a hot drink which I thought was very reasonably priced and I definitely would pay more for this experience.  Especially  as it’s not on all the time.  If you haven’t tried this chocolate boutique it’s a must do. 


To keep up to date and to see when the next Dessert club is happening pop over and "like" the Facebook page www.facebook.com/CoCouture

Peace and Love

Lisa xx