Summer Must Haves

By Jennifer Ennis
Originally published on WhatSheWears.ie

It’s May and that means only one thing. It’s officially summer if we stick by the rule book and, although we don’t have “continental” weather, we can prepare for the summer with the following wish list from WhatSheWears.ie contributor, Jennifer Ennis.

Before Jennifer shares her summer favourites with us, let’s take a moment to get to know her. This gal lives and breathes fashion and her favorite collections include Isabel Marant and Balmain.

She is inspired by Olivia Palermo and Rosie Huntington-Whitely in the style stakes and when she’s not working her day job or writing for WhatSheWears.ie, she takes shares her own fashion ramblings on Jennifer’s Closet.

Playsuit
This summer I am all about the playsuits. I have bought a few nice ones in Topshop and am waiting for J Crew to hit Net-A-Porter this month as they have a striped one for £78 which has caught my attention.

I love wearing them with a cardi and flats or boots during the day, and upping the glam factor to wearing them with heels on a night out.

Summer footwear
Even though the month of May is here, I’m still wearing my boots (my favourites all season have been my laced up heeled military ones from River Island, €101) but I am gradually moving to ballet flats and soft brogues as my summer footwear of choice. And naturally, when the sun shines, I’ll be showing my pedicured toes in some nice gold sandals from Office (pictured).

I love experimenting with different colours and patterns. Flats and skinny jeans are certainly a summer staple for me.

Tinted moisturiser
With the change in season comes a lighter makeup for me. A tinted moisturiser is what I’ll be reaching for soon and Dior’s Hydra Life Pro Youth Skin Tint (€39) is the best tinted one have found.

Bronzer
My blusher is ditched for bronzer and I love Chanel’s Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universal (€37) for the perfect sun kissed glow. Often sold out in Brown Thomas, you might find it at the airport before you head off on your holidays (if it’s possible with this ash cloud saga?!).

At the lower end of the scale, you can’t go wrong with Rimmel’s Sun Shimmer bronzer. I dust it on my shoulders and chest before going out at night.

Mascara
The best mascaras for my summertime look are Bare Minerals Flawless Definition mascara (€18) and Cover Girl’s Lash Blast which can sadly now only be bought on eBay (but great bargains of only €10 shipped from US to Ireland).

Lipstick
I recently ditched my beloved gloss for lipstick! My favourites are Chanel’s Rouge Coco in La Pausa and Rimmel’s Moisture Renew in Nude Delight.

If I am going for bright lipstick, I stick to the rule of a soft eye and if I am going for smoky eyes, I rock a nude lip. Simple.

Perfume
In my books, summer always needs a fresh, fruity scent. My current perfumes are Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Rose The One’ (€71), Chanel’s Chance Eau Tendre (€58) and Givenchy Ange ou Demon.

Pictured, Jennifer with her go-to products for summer:

Dior Hydra Life Pro Youth Skin Tint SPF20 (Image: sephora.com)
Chanel Soleil de Tan Bronze Universal (Image chanel.com)
Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick (Image chanel.com)
Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One perfume (Image strawberrynet.com)
Denim playsuit, Topshop (Image, Topshop)
Office sandals ( Image, office.co.uk)

Images from whatshewears.ie

Style Crush: Harley Viera-Newton

By Jennifer Ennis

New York based model, DJ, student and party girl Harley Viera-Newton has got to be one of the coolest girls on the block right now. Her long hair, dark eyes and slim figure make her right at home with fashion's elite and after following her for a while now, I have come to the conclusion that I adore her style!

Harley is definately a dress girl and she has a good eye for accessories and layering. Her style is very young and pretty but with an edge. Make up is minimal, mostly just a bit of eyeliner, and her hair is loose and effortless.

She just graduated from NYU with a first class degree despite many Fashion Week appearances, DJ sets and attending Coachella in recent weeks. Is there anything this girl can't do? Can't wait to see her next move...



Images from The Cobrasnake and style.com

Summer Beauty: YSL

By Jennifer Ennis

Just a quick note to say how STUNNING is this? Shot by Terry Richardson (I am convinced for every 'pervy' shot he takes, he also takes ten beautiful ones), YSL's S/S 2010 campaign features one of the 'It' models of the moment, Miss Karlie Kloss.

I'm a huge fan of Karlie (damn that girl can walk) and despite some of the blogs slating this image, I personally think it's very striking. Her eyes, eyebrows and nails are immaculate and I love her almost haunting stare.

I hope Karlie gets more beauty campaigns as she definately has the face for it! I love this.

Image from yslbeautyus.com

i-D Magazine: Miranda Kerr

By Jennifer Ennis

Miranda's i-D cover is the strangest thing I have ever seen - because it looks nothing like her! The Aussie beauty has been quietly breaking in to high fashion and this shoot is far cry from all the Victoria's Secret promotion she has done this month.

Am I the only person who hates bleached out eyebrows though? I don't get the fashion world's obsession with them. Lara Stone's Jaeger ads are the only time I have seen it look nice. Miranda looks almost alien-like and her hair has seen better days but I admire that it's different and proves she can be versatile.

However is beautiful, bubbly, happy Miranda what she does best? Her smile is too pretty to be hidden!



images from celebritysnap.com and daylife.com

Just Cruisin': Chanel Resort 2011

By Jennifer Ennis

Ok if there is ever a luxury show I want to attend it's Chanel resort. Previous shows have been in amazing locations such as Shanghai but this year Karl Lagerfeld stayed on home turf in the beautiful and very glamourous St. Tropez in the Cote d'Azur, South of France.

It was a fun few days for guests in the Riveria with the screening of the Lagerfeld-directed short movie 'Remember Now' in the Cinema de la Renaissance the night before followed by a party and the catwalk show the next day. The show took place outside St. Tropez's Senequier and guests were seated in the famous red wooden chairs. Karl and the models all arrived via speedboat (of course!).


The collection itself has received a mixed reaction online but I personally liked it. Yes there were one or two awful pieces (including some revealing black crochet numbers) but in general it was fun, floaty and summer-y. Models were often barefoot as they danced and strolled along the runway. There was a large 70s theme with plenty of sunhats, caftans and maxi dresses. There were 87 different looks in total including the signature tweed, beautifully embellished swimsuits and great tailored jackets.


All the models were there - Abbey, Freja, Natasha, Anja, Eniko, Magdalena, Hanne Gaby and a few suprises like Karolina Kurkova and newcomer Georgia Jagger (who came out on the back of a motorbike to a Rolling Stones tune at the end).


A host of Karl's muses were in attendance including Vanessa Paradis and Leigh Lezark.


It was beautiful sunny evening with the party continuing long after sunset at the VIP Dinner. It must be said, Karl really does things in style and looks after his guests. It has been years since I was on the French Riveria but this show has me yearning for another visit.

Oh sigh, how the other half live...

Images from daylife.com and style.com

Cover Style: Harper's Bazaar UK

By Jennifer Ennis

It's been a year now since I purchased my first Harper's Bazaar with Alexa Chung on the cover (below) and it has fast become one of my 'must have monthly mags'!

The editorials, features, fashion and beauty are really strong but it is only in the last few issue that I have really noticed how beautiful their covers are! A lot of my faves in particular Vogue (UK & US) are letting me down this weather but Harper's have raised the competition. I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston's editorial in the May issue so much that while attending a short course at the London College of Fashion I choose it as my 'piece that really stood out for me lately'. In a class of 12-15, another girl had also chosen it (out of every single thing in every current magazine). The colours and lighting are spectacular and so flattering. It is a real soft and feminine image to highlight the 'rebirth' of the actress.

June is amazing too with a very dreamy and gorgeous Cheryl Cole. We are used to seeing her dolled up to the nines but this is very relaxed and natural. The colours are a soft mix of brown and beige. It definately stands out on the shelf. Both covers are great art shots, as opposed to just photographs.

Alexa's was very dreamy and beautiful too. Harper's portray their leading women with elegance and class while also being drop dead gorgeous!

BEST covers right now.



images from harpersbazaar.co.uk and magxone.com

Style Watch: The Met Ball 2010

By Jennifer Ennis

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala Ball (try saying that fast) took place in NYC last night and the creme of the crop where in attendance! The benefit is known for being one of fashion's premiere events, yet last night's bash is being hailed as a bit of a disappointment. That may have something to do with this year's theme - 'American Women: Fashioning A National Identity'- but it seems most fashionistas went for safe, simple and beautiful looks. I suppose the absense of Miss Lady Gaga from the red carpet (she was performing inside at the time) probably didn't help! However, there were some stunning dresses and it has been hard to narrow it down - everyone seems to have been there!

Here are some of my favourite looks...


L-R: Camilla Belle in Jason Wu, Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad and Mila Kunis in Vera Wang.


L-R: Rosie Huntington Whiteley in Burberry, Natasha Poly in Michael Kors and Lily Donaldson in Marc Jacobs.


L-R: Blake Lively in Marchesa, Coco Rocha in Zac Posen and Alessandra Ambrosio in Versace.


L-R: Jessica Stam in Rachel Roy, Donatella Versace in Versace of course and Bar Refaeli in Rag & Bone.

And some not so good looks...


L-R: Demi Moore in Lanvin, Kristen Stewart in Chanel Haute Couture and Riley Keough in Thakoon for Gap.

As you can see, it was an uneventful night for outfits. There were some pretty dresses but nothing that will be remembered in a week's time! It can be frustrating as these people have access to the best frocks, the best stylists, the best designers but I guess maybe it is better to be safe than sorry even if that means - boring. Oh Gaga, you were missed...

All images from style.com and elle.co.uk