Parson's Podium

It's safe to say Penneys is a favourite haunt of many Irish students so we thought it befitting to shoot some of their Autumn Winter 2013 collection in the grounds of Trinity College. With one of us still attending college and the other working in London, we couldn't be happier with what Penneys has in store for us this season! 

Parson's Podium, designed by Grafton Architects, was built in 2002 as an extension the Department of Engineering. The architects had a number of conditions to take in to account when designing this space. Aside from issues of materiality (existing stone university buildings lay to one side with the brick urban block to the other) and marrying the old with the new, an old sycamore tree had to be preserved. Most interestingly of all the architects had to ensure that the 'Finn's Hotel' sign painted on a nearby brick gable end remained visible as this was where Nora Barnacle was working when she met James Joyce in 1904. 

The podium successfully ties together these disparate elements all the while providing the department with additional research and teaching space.  

For all of you (p)leather lovers out there, this season's collection at Penneys will not disappoint! Whether its pencil skirts you're looking for, coats, jogger pants, chunky heels or 'all you can carry' bags, there's a leather version to be found. For those of you looking for an alternative to the staple beanie hat, there's a beaut of a fedora set to hit stores in October. Our favourite piece in this shoot was the tailored jumpsuit featuring cut out details. The cobalt blue biker coat even has us excited about being cold again! 

Ciana wears

PU pencil skirt 

grey tshirt with roll up sleeves

bejewelled collar

black peep toe suede effect ankle boots

black coat with leather sleeves

PU joggers pants

black and white mixed knit jumper with PU shoulder details

ankle boots with multiple straps and gold buckle detail

limited edition bag with gold chain trim

Becky wears

black fedora

tailored jumpsuit with cutouts

ankle boots with multiple straps and gold buckle detail

round rimmed sunglasses (asos)

cobalt blue biker coat

slim fit PU pants

black ankle boots with gold plate detail on toe

over the shoulder bag with crocodile skin texture

All clothes available from Penneys. All styling and photography is our own. Many thanks to everyone involved!  

And if you haven't gotten the chance yet, please vote for our post 'Bull Island' to win best blog post at this year's Irish Blog Awards. Just follow this link:http://www.blogawardsireland.com/category/best-blog-post-2 Click 'Concrete Collar-Bull Island' and 'Submit'. Simple! 

Many thanks!

B+C

OoohLaLa

 

As you may have seen on our facebook page, instagram feed and twitter feed, (a tad excited so we were) our blog was shortlisted for Oohlala Magazine's blog awards, standing alongside Life's Lust Haves and Haute So Fabulous as one of three Best Newcomers. Unfortunately we didn't succeed in nabbing one of the top prizes but were absolutely delighted to have made it to the final twelve. 

The announcement of the awards coincided with the launch of Oohlala Magazine's Launch in 37 Dawson Street, Dublin. It was the perfect opportunity to finally meet some of our fellow Irish bloggers off the screen and in the flesh and to bump in to all the other lovely fashion folks we've met along the way. One highlight of the night was the catwalk show- styled by the expert Grace Moore,  the show had models clad head to toe in Penneys Autumn Winter '13 gear. We're itching to get our hands on that pink dress coat! 

Before we got to the awards, a bit of prep work had to be done to get us looking camera-ready. We booked into our new favourite salon Sugar Cubed where we were pampered in the talented hands of Noel, Mark, Kate, Jason and Dearbhla, sampling retro Soda Stream all the while! The team there are sensational and had us feeling like queens by the time they were done with us. We were also lucky enough to have our talons tended to by the tropettes of Tropical Popical. We both opted for gelish manis. Be sure to choose your nail art wisely though because with a manicure this good you'll have be looking at it for weeks!

Concrete Collar has provided us with an incredible creative outlet and these awards have encouraged us to pursue it further, but before we do...we'd like to take this chance to thank absolutely everyone who has helped us get this far! Thanks to those who drop by our blog for a read or a scroll, to everyone we've collaborated with up until now, to everyone who voted for us and shown support and to our pals and parents for their unwavering enthusiasm. 

On that note we're delighted to announce that Concrete Collar has been long listed in 6 categories for the Blog Awards Ireland! If you'd like to see us shortlisted you can vote for us here for Best Blog Post. You can vote up to once a week if you so wish and we would really appreciate it!The other 5 categories are unfortunately not open to public voting for the shortlisting process. 

In conclusion please DO stay tuned... we have a lot of exciting posts and projects coming your way very soon!

images 1-8 
Getting our troppette on

images 9 - 15
Pamper session in Sugar Cubed

images 16 - 21 
Penneys AW13

images 22 - 26
posing sessions at Oohlala magazine awards party

Ciana wears

web top - weekday
vinyl skirt - asos
white strap heels - zara
bag - diy 
rings - h&m, river island
watch - fossil

Becky wears 

leather jackets - new icons h&m
blue silk flared leg jumpsuit - topshop
black shaker hat - river island
bag - chanel clutch
rings-stack rings from h&m, House of Harlow.