Elaine Curtis

London Fashion Week Part II

2012-03-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

While in London buying for Autumn/Winter 2012 another trend that was very strong was fur.

Faux fur trimmed coats, gloves and almost all our labels showed fur neckpieces. In water colour inspired tones such as water green, deepest navy, grape and hues of pink and raspberry. Some were with tactile silk ribbon closures whilst others were designed to just sit on the shoulders of your coat.

All made my heart flutter! :)

Fur trimmed dress and cape coats for AW2012

Hoss Intropia Fur Neckpiece AW2012

As always we bought into the colour themes with in our brands. Hot pinks and greens were the most prevalent colours with all our collections.
Here is Sonia by Sonia Rykiel. Her signature striped knitwear in luscious shades and coats that had lining in colour explosion fabrics-fabulous!
Just because it's Winter don't mean it has to be dark, dull and boring, oh no! :)

We'll be back soon with more of our buying trip from London Fashion Week! :)

The Elaine Curtis gals <3

London Fashion Week

2012-02-25T04:41:00.000-08:00

So everything in life is cyclical and so too is life in a busy boutique. We've just come out of our Autumn/ Winter Season and are smack bang in the middle of buying for next Autumn/ Winter. It can get very confusing at times! Elaine & I flew to London for London Fashion Week early on Tuesday moring. With a schedule of seven appointments in two days, we were armed with large coffees and loaded suitcases! :-)

It is always interesting to see new trends emerging. Most notable for me was the re-emergence of sharp tailoring. We had seen a little of this last season (Which is actually this season now, see what I mean about confusing!?) with blazers but for Autumn/Winter 2012 sharp trousers and skirts were aplenty.By Malene Birger showed structured brocade shell tops with a beautiful barely-there lace top underneath.

Lace and knitwear softened her structured silhouettes.

BY MALENE BIRGER AW12

Leather sleeved coats, skirt s & shorts made for beautiful foundation pieces.

Cashmere knitwear, amazing little black dresses and printed little blouses were as always, evident. New mini trends that I noticed were side splits. Diane Von Furstenberg's colectionw as called Rendezvouz and showed tops and filmy silk-chiffon dresses with the same detail. It's a lovely unexpected feature that everyone can wear. Here are some of the looks we bought...

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG AW12

Here is one of our favourite bloggers Garance Dore meeting with Diane Von Furstenberg discussing the new collection amongst other things. It's a lovely relaxed insight into Fashion Week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more from our London buying trip!

The Elaine Curtis Gals <3

Spring has Sprung!

2012-01-28T02:10:00.000-08:00

Spring has Sprung at Elaine Curtis!
A new season means beautiful new clothes. And despite the fact that we have just said goodbye to Christmas, every day feels like Christmas morning here as we open boxes of delightful new Spring deliveries. There is an abundance of colour, which we and our customers are just loving! So far we have received some beautiful pieces from By Malene Birger, Sonia Rykiel and Diane Von Furstenberg. All of our clothing is pictured on our online boutique so here's the front row video for you all to enjoy instead.

When Diane came out for her bow, she handed out small American flags to people here and there in the crowd as a way of marking September 11. Optimism was the message of her Spring show. There were clues aplenty in addition to the stars and stripes: Nina Simone on the soundtrack crooning "Feeling Good," with its chorus of "It's a new dawn"; the collection's title, Beginnings; and, naturally, the clothes themselves. DVF opened with a series of all-white looks: a gauzy pantsuit, a lace frock, a drapey kimono dress cinched with a utility belt. Her prints, which were legion, were positively exuberant. She focused mainly on florals: green and royal oversize Marimekko-style bursts on a sleeveless white dress, smaller white buds on a blood orange jumpsuit, Wedgwood patterns on a sweatshirt and knee-length skirt. The variety of pattern was remarkable, if not a bit overwhelming.

Still, there were things other than those prints to grab your attention, and we aren't talking about the designer's usual starry front row, which included the éminences grises Oscar de la Renta and Valentino. Von Furstenberg gave no short shrift to menswear-inspired looks. For the girl who prefers not to say it with flowers, she showed crisp, tailored jackets with button-downs and Bermuda shorts. Something-for-everyone diversity is this designer's strength!
The Elaine Curtis Gals! <3

Sale Steals!

2012-01-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

Just a quick blogpost to showcase some of our remaining super sale buys!

A girl can never go wrong with a little black dress and this one from Manoush is amazing. With couture like tailoring and details it is a fantastic sale buy and one that is sure to get you noticed at any event!

Manoush Dress Now Just €242.50 Buy it here: http://bit.ly/z4P7TH

A Diane Von Furstenberg dress is a great investment at any time. Her dresses can be dressed up or down to suit almost any occasion and they truly are a dream to wear. But when the dress is HALF PRICE well then there really is no excuse to not treat yourself!

Diane Von Furstenberg Kimian dress. Buy it here: http://bit.ly/yjVQox

Equipment Shirts have recently been relaunched and have quickly become a firm favourite with the fashion set, due in no small part to Carine Roitfeld, (Ex-editor of French Vogue) They are all 100% silk and are a great addition to any wardrobe. I wear mine with...Everything! :-)

Here are the 3 styles that remain instore and are all HALF PRICE!

Buy Equipment from our online boutique here: http://bit.ly/uYVJOp

Lastly and by no means leastly is this opulent silk printed two piece (pencil dress with detachable overskirt-clever or what!?) from Hoss Intropia. The rich colours will suit most skin tomes and the clever way it can be worn means it will suit most body shapes too! Wear it with opaque tights or bare legs later in the Season!

Buy it here: http://bit.ly/yCciCr

Watch out for next blog post when we'll be giving you a run down of all the upcoming trends to come this Spring!

The Elaine Curtis Gals! <3

A New Year!

2012-01-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

So Christmas has come and gone. Caffeine got us through the worst of it! :-) Our Winter Sale is in full swing. We have had a very busy Sale so we said goodbye to lots of pieces have sold but we still have some really beautiful bargains to be snapped up. Here are our favourites...

Elaine's Sale Steal
By Malene Birger Fur-lined Wedge Boots.
Perfect for the cold weather we're having now!
Were €400.00 Now €200.00
Buy them here from our online boutique: http://bit.ly/A1RYy9

Susanne'e Sale Steal 

Hoss Intropia Layered Lace Dress

Got a Summer event? This will tick the box!

Was €335.00 Now €200.00

But it here from our online boutique:

http://bit.ly/yNH07N

Lynda's Sale Steal
Hoss Intropia Leather Jacket. Was €360.00 Now €216.00
This is a great sale buy as it is a piece that you will be wearing well into the Spring.Wear it with jeans or over a little dress for offduty chic Buy it here from our online boutique:
http://bit.ly/ulROhj

Catriona's Sale Steal
I couldn't pick just one piece so I picked these 3 by my new favourite Belgian designer Sandrina Fasoli. They're all galf proce and make fantastic additions to any wardrobe in need of new key pieces! Buy them here from our online online boutique: http://bit.ly/ziXPS7

We'll post some more Sale Steals and give you lots of new season news very soon so stay tuned.
Wishing all of our customers a happy and healthy 2012!

The Elaine Curtis Gals ! <3

Winter Woolies...

2011-12-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

As the temperatures plummet in Ireland and it looks like we may be in for another white Christmas we thought we'd share some of our favourite Winter woolies with you.

What girl doesn't love cashmere and this season Qi Cashmere has kept it simple and used soft buttery shades that are very flattering to the Irish skintone and those of us who haven't seen a bit of sunshine in a few months will appreciate this greatly! :-) This is our favourite sweater from Qi. It is oversized enought that you could use it as outerwear. Just remember to balance the look but wearing slim fit trousers on the bottom.

Buy it from our online boutique here: http://bit.ly/rKvv1Z

So red may be a bit obvious on the approach to Christmas but this beautiful coat is a sumptuous deep red shade. The gold hardware on the belt and the length make this coat a little different than the others around this season. It is from Diane Von Furstenberg and you could just imagine her wearing this piece herself! It is definitely not one that you would wear everyday but it is one that you would look forward to wearing and would most certainly pull it out of your wardrobe every Winter for years to come.

Buy it from our online boutique here http://bit.ly/vih9Ey

Every wardrobe needs a black coat and our most popluar this season are all from longstanding brand Hoss Intropia. Don't be fooled though. they may be black soats but they are far from predictable-the fabrics used from cashmere to Goatskin and the details added such as beautiful pleated half belts, ensure you will not tire of these coats easily! They are smart enough to wear along but for those who like to mix it up a little, simply add a bright scarf!

Buy ffom our online boutique here http://bit.ly/u0Into

Sonia Rykiel is known for her love of colour and even in the Winter when most labels shy away from brights, Sonia never lets us down! She has a real following with our customers. It is rare that people buy just one sweater from her collection and this really is a true testament to her attention for detail and quality.

Buy them from our online boutique here http://bit.ly/rBkBnt

The heritage look is a big influence in knitwear this year. So if some of the cardigans and sweaters you see remind you of the 80's then the designers job is done! :-)

Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti chunky cardigan http://bit.ly/tNxGTH
Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti chunky scarf http://bit.ly/vEuVJM

The last two pieces of knitwear below are from Diane Von Furstenberg.

If you are wondering what to get a loved one (or indeed yourself!) for Christmas, look no further.

You will be loved forever! :-)

Diane Von Furstenberg oversized sleeveless cardigan.
Buy from our online boutique here http://bit.ly/sOV2Z4

Diane Von Furstenberg Printed,knitted dress.
Buy from our online boutique here http://bit.ly/tWBOD5

Hope you've seen something you like! Don't forget to "accidentally" leave this page open if you're trying to drop some hints! ;-)

The Elaine Curtis Girls! <3

2011-11-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

So here at Elaine Curtis, we are in Festive mood! Some of our lovely customers have already been dropping us in gifts, the decorations are up and plans are afoot for our Christmas staff night out! :) With thoughts of Christmas, come thoughts of gifts so here are some of our favourite pieces instore at the minute that we though would make perfect pressies, for others or yourself! :)

Elaine Curtis Gift Vouchers are available in all denominations

We have been stocking Wolford tights for just over 5 years and they are as popular now as ever. If you have never worn a pair of Wolford tights you will wonder what all the fuss is about but if you have then you will know that you would love to receive a pair wrapped up under the tree. Here are our favourites:

L-R: FATAL 50 (SEAMLESS, SO PERFECT FOR UNDER CLOSE FITTING DRESSES) SATIN DE LUX (WITH A HIGH GLOSS AND BACK SEAM , VERY GLAMOROUS) AND SATIN OPAQUE (A SEMI OPAQUE TIGHT WITH A SLIGHT SHIMMER)

Wolford Tights, from €26.00

Cloonkeen Atelier Candles are a year round favourite with our regular customers. They are a great alternative to a bottle of wine if you're visiting someones home for dinner, as a small gift or a stocking filler. Handmade in Galway, Ireland; their scents and indeed the packaging is exquisite.

The selection of beautiful Cloonkeen Atelier scents we have instore. All €24.95 each.

No, you don't get the man for €100! It's the Archie Foal socks! :)

These beautiful socks come in two different lengths and are made from Lamora-a mixture of lambswool and angora (but without the itchiness) They are a take on the traditional hunting socks worn many generations ago and combined with the traditions from this time, the result is a hard wearing yet beautiful sock that is as practical as it is unusual.

Just a sclection of the colours we have instore, Archie Foal socks from €68.00

What girl doesn't love a bit of bling, and our Italian jewellery label, Rada is sophisticated and chic without being over the top. Any of these pieces would be a great addition to any wardrobe. They could be worn with a simple little black dress as a point of interest or layered up for a more is more effect!

Rada bracelet Now €68.00 Follow the link to view on our online boutique; http://bit.ly/vE0qTf

Rada Feather Drop Earrings Follow the link to view on our online boutique: http://bit.ly/rJNT3f

This season scarves are everywhere! With most of our brands including at east one style in various prints and shades there is definitely a scarf to suit everyone. They are a quick and clever way to instantly update and old coat or for those that are a little afraid of colour they are just enough. Here are our 2 favourite silk scarves...

L-R: Diane Von Furstenberg washed-silk scarf Now €100.00 Click to buy: http://bit.ly/sJJ4i6
Tim Ryan Fringed Scarf Now €88.00 Click to buy: http://bit.ly/v9dio0
Attic & Barn silk print foulard. Click to buy: http://bit.ly/s8Glo0

Don't forget to call us with any queries you might have about any of these items. We can arrange payment over the phone with next day delivery if necessary (T&C apply) This includes gift vouchers too! Happy shopping whether it be for your loved one or just for yourself! :)

The Elaine Curtis Girls x.

Our New Home...

2011-11-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

So it's our first blogpost from our new store. We are almost settled in and are loving every minute. It's such a beautiful building with so much natural light streaming in and high ceilings, we almost feel like we are "Playing Shop!" Today we're busy as always. I'm updating all our social media sites and pricing our latest Diane Von Furstenberg delivery (photos to follow very soon) Elaine is busy photographing the DVF delivery for our website, Lynda is a busy bee with customers (we have lots of ladies in looking for Winter wedding outfits this week) Here are some photos of the new shop for anyone who hasn't got to come and visit us yet.

Our uber spacious fitting rooms complete with gorgeous chandelier!

We will post photos of our launch night and mew DVF deliveries very soon!

<3 Elaine Curtis Girls!

It's the last few days in our old shop!

2011-11-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

These are our very last few days in 122 Tullow St! We'll be in our gorgeous new home by the end of the week & it is gorgeous but more of that later!

So we thought we'd share with you some fond memories of working here over the last 8 years..

Lynda:

"I remember our first move 8 years ago. Elaine was expecting her twins & my old shop mates Marietta , Louise & I were killed trying to stop her from lifting things. Marietta is now freelancing, Louise is working in Burberry in London & I am happily still here looking forward to move no.2!"

Then...

Now...

Catriona:

"I started working here in August 2002... I decided it was less expensive and gave me the fix! (I'm still broke)! I have seen lots of talented designers come & go like Antonia Campbell Hughes (now an actor) but my greatest memory has to be meeting John Rocha & his amazing wife Odette. I had always been a huge fan...he's up there with Bono for me!!"

Then...

Now...

Susanne:

"I started working in here in 2006; like Catriona, I was a regular customer but I was working in retail close by and knew all the girls. I remember literally skipping into work I was so delighted; it was such an easy transition. I really remember my first buying trip to Paris also..I felt like I had arrived! Lastly, never drank coffee before I started here......"

Then...

Now...

Elaine:

"Where do I start? I have lots of great memories from this place but it did coenside with the birth of my girls. My girls turned 8 yesterday and compounds the feeling of.. where did that time go!"

Then...

Now...

Having John & Odette Rocha attend one of our Fashion Shows (AW08) was definitely one our special memories!

Anyway, we'll leave you with a few pics of 122 Tullow Street with others from the past. Thank you to all of you who have shopped with us here...please feel free to share your memories!

Our next blog post will undoubtedly be about our new space! We can't wait to show it off!!

The wait is over!

2011-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

47 hours of overtime, 342 coffees and 927 photographs later http://www.elainecurtis.ie/ is now live! :-)

All the hard work has been worth it and we are very proud of the end result. We have already been inundated with orders since going live last night at 6pm so hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Everybody knows that economically this is a challenging time for all businesses, large and small and this webiste is our way of future-proofing the boutique.We hope that all our customers will enjoy browsing and purchasing. We really want to convey the message that there is a face behind the site and we are only at the end of the telephone to answer any of your questions or queries. Our customers will not lose our one to one service now that we are also an online boutique. As our slogan says "Elaine Curtis...the boutique with a personal touch"

Elaine on her way to the post office with our first days online orders!

We're now excited about our next project-our new premises! We are moving just around the corner to a beautiful new premises. Think brick walls and beautiful lighting. it's all change here at Elaine Curtis but it's all positive! Hopefully this will be within the next two weeks. but we'll keep you all updated!

All at Elaine Curtis! <3

It's the weekend!

2011-10-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

So the weekend has finally arrived! Lynda and I (Susanne) are working today. We love working on Saturdays. We get all our regular customers in looking for that something special plus we always get to meet some new customers too. Saturdays always feel a little different to the other days in the shop. For some reason there's a certain frisson of excitement in the air. We have had a great week in the shop; Attic and Barn arrived-this is a gorgeous Italian label comprised mostly of brightly coloured silk printed dresses.

We also had a lovely delivery of embellished jersey tops and shrugs from Rutzou (perfect for evening wear as the party season approaches)

We also had a little set back with the website launch so there's am a bit of a delay. It's all for security purposes so when it does goes live (in about 10 days) all of your information will be safe as houses!

Lastly... here's what Lynda and I are wearing today!

Lynda in Equipment silk shirt, M.i.H. jeans and Rupert Sanderson shoes.

Susanne in Tim Ryan fringed top and By Malene Birger leather trousers.

Happy weekend y'all! <3

"It's the final countdown"

2011-10-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

In the famous words of the 80's band Europe... we're now just days away from our online boutique launch.
Things have calmed down a little for us regarding the website, (now the last of the work is up to our web design company) but we're already busy working on our next big project-our new store! The builders are, as I type, fitting out the new premises. I went for a look today and was pleasantly surprised by just how much space we're going to have. We've gone for a different look entirely. We love it and can't wait to see what all our customers think of our new home too! :-)

Today Elaine has been at a buying appointment for By Malene Birger for Spring/Summer 2012 (Print is huge, you heard it here first!) Lynda is busy sourcing mannequins for the new store and packaging for the online business, Catriona is off today and me; (Susanne) I'm doing a last minute proof of the website, aswell as writing this blog post and doing the online marketing. Straight back in at the deep end after my week off! We often get asked our favourite pieces so we've decided to post what we wear to work.

(L-R) Lynda wearing Beija, Elaine wearing Orla Kiely and Susanne wearing Diane Von Furstenberg.

Stay tuned for more news on the new website, the new store and lots, lots more! <3

M.i.H. Jeans

2011-10-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Behind the Scenes at the MiH Jeans Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook studio shoot. We all own a pair or two of them and love, love, love them! They are our very favourite jeans brand, and are sold instore coincidentally! :-) The various fits feel like they are tailor made to every figure and the fabrics are super soft, comfortable and flattering. What's not to love?

The collection has a vintage feel; with a mix of Brigette Bardot inspired looks and 80's inspired high-waisted (very flattering ladies!) jeans. Don't worry though all their classic cuts are there too.

We'd love to know what your favourite looks are before we go to the buying appointment???

Please leave your comments below! :-) <3

Welcome to our blog! :-)

2011-09-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our very first blog post. We are in exciting and busy times...

We've just held our bi-annual Fashion Show (see the side bar for our Favourite looks), we are days away from our new Online-boutique (www.elainecurtis.ie) Plus we are moving location very shortly. (More on that later) There's so much to do and stress levels are high but we love it that way. Thank God for coffee from Brooks (http://www.dinnri.com/brooks%20cafe%20bar.htm) to keep us going throughout the day!

In case you wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a busy boutique this blog will reveal all (well actually, maybe just a little) Mostly we'll be talking Fashion...the thing that we all eat, live and breathe! But we will also feature other things of interest to us.

(L-R) Susanne, Elaine, Catriona & Lynda

So..... today I (Susanne) am writing our first blog post. Elaine is in Paris on a buying trip. Catriona is busy selling her little socks off on the shop floor and Lynda is on a much deserved day off!

To get the ball rolling on our first blog post here is the video of our slot on last night's Expose. <3

http://www.tv3.ie/xpose.php?video=40584&locID=1.65.68