My Fair Lady

I'm so excited to be attending my first official Ladies Day at the Grand National this coming Easter Monday, trend reporting on behalf of ladiesdayireland.com. The strictly formal dress code at Ladies Day requires pulling out your best frocks and frivolties, entering into a sophisticated style realm far from my usual grunge of chunky boots and oversized everything. Feeling like a real life Eliza Doolittle, I have set to work immediately on sourcing a suitable outfit in line with the ''Purple Reign" theme of the Carton House Most Stylish Lady Competition, to be judged by Brendan Courtney and Rosanna Davison.

''Best Dressed Lady'' competitions are big business and with prizes worth up to tens of thousands on offer,months of planning takes place in homes nationwide, with ladies seeking to achieve the most original, quirky yet chic look on the day. Don't feel you have to be a lady who lunches every other day of the year to be in with a chance of winning however, the judges favour a contestant who glams up a simple Penneys dress over a top-to-toe Designer Diva and giving your look an edgy twist is key to fighting off the competition. Similarly, you don't have to spend your life savings on a suitable headpiece. Local milliners will make one-of-a-kind pieces at the same cost as most Department store hats. I can't wait to pick a piece to complement  my frock this week from the lovely Hat Society, a Dundrum-based milliner who designs personalised pieces for every occasion from Ladies Day to bridalwear.

So this racing season, why not embrace your inner Eliza and try your hand in the style stakes? For a full list of Ladies Day events check out www.ladiesdayireland.com

Some of the stunning race-appropriate pieces from www.hatsociety.ie

Leather Weather

Leather on leather: Once the ultimate fashion faux pas, now a hot statement trend... Isn't that the way this fashion thing  always works?! Embrace your inner Harley Davidson and brave the look head to toe by teaming your biker jacket with leather trousers and chunky boots. For a more subtle nod to the trend, team your ''leather look'' wax jeans with a leather patch detail top or complement patch detail leggings with a leather jacket. The key to this look is not overthinking it- ensure an air of effortless cool by keeping the rest of the look minimal in muted tones and avoid heavy prints.

The Dungaree: How Cool Are You?

Brace yourselves. The dungaree is back. Yep, I never thought I'd see the day either. Well let's face it, we did see the day -the 90s were the day- and then that day about four years ago when someone pretended dungarees were making a comeback for about a day and failed, miserably. This summer season however, they're back with a bang and are the hottest item on the festival fash-pack's ''To Wear'' list.

Go for the shorts variety over an ombre tank top for warmer climate cool; layer them over a 90s sweater for vintage cool; leave one suspender hanging down for "I barely got dressed I'm that cool" cool or go for the full pantsuit option if you can pull off that level of  ''99%-percent-of-the-world-are-not-as-cool-as-me'' cool.

Oh and don't wear printed dungarees. Ever. You're not Blossom. Even she wasn't that cool.

Drink Aware. Party Consciously.

Join an orderly queue fashionistas, for the latest conscious collection from affordable fashion powerhouse H&M is available online and in stores from April 4th. Entitled ''Conscious Exclusive'', this is the brand's first  conscious collection with a focus on Partywear, following the huge success of their summer conscious collection last year. The focus for this collection is on Hollywood glamour-, both old and new- from the dusty pink maxi dress  made from 100% recycled polyester to a beautifully tailored organic cotton blend three piece suit. For men, the collection features sharp tailoring and grandad-collared shirts, giving the classic suit an up to date hipster-edge.

With each garment in the collection being made from entirely sustainable materials, from Tencel to recycled polyamide, I feel it's my Civil duty to both society and the environment to snap up every piece...

Hunting for Hipsters

One of the greatest concerns facing the festival fash-pack as the summer season approaches is of course what the latest trends in wellies will be. Well fear not fashionistas, as Hunter-the high end outdoor brand long at the forefront of welly design- have you covered yet again.

The news sure to set the hipsters' hearts racing is that Alasdhair Willis (aka Mr. Stella McCartney) is taking on the role as Hunter's new Creative Director . If anyone knows what it takes to change the face of the wellington for the better, Willis is the man for the job. As well as being an experienced brand consultant and furniture designer, it's Willis' firsthand social insight into the Camden Crew -who made bohemian festival fashion a trend- that equips him to take on this task.

Speaking to Vogue's Sarah Karmali, Willis said "It is a genuine honour and tremendous opportunity to be in this role at such a significant moment for Hunter... Hunter is a fantastic British brand with enormous potential. It has a very strong history dating back nearly 160 years, and I believe the Hunter story and spirit are just as relevant today. Going forward, we will be focused on expanding the footwear business while building on the exciting opportunities in other categories such as outerwear"."

With the Times Style Magazine already predicting "...A ""stellar"" collection of reworked country classics fit for the fashion set" I have no doubt that Willis' good friend, longtime Hunter-wearer Kate Moss and his fashion maven wife will use their influence to ensure this season is Hunter's strongest yet.

Be My Best Friend

Just when I thought she couldn't get any cooler, Lena Dunham- the hilarious actress/ writer/ director behind HBO's latest phenomenon Girls- has entered the fashion world. The artistic genius has written a short film entitled ''Best Friends'' for her real-life BFF, designer Rachel Antonoff's Fall 2013 collection. This interesting project combines naturalist mockumentary-style filmmaking whilst capturing the strikingly beautiful essence of Antonoff's quirky-cool collection, bringing fashion into a new digital realm of pop culture that really works. Although Dunham has been slandered as a nepotist in the past (herself the daughter of noted artist Carroll Dunham and photographer Laurie Simmons), this bestie collaboration opens Antonoff's collection up to a whole new audience of Girls viewers and thus reminds us to be thankful for Best Friends.

Watch the full video at: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/video/F2013RTW-RANTONOFF

So Hot Right Now

Since Daisy Duke first rocked the denim hotpant, the cutoff short has never gone out of style for summer. Now synonymous with festival season, the denim short comes in a range of cuts and colours, from ombre to distressed, low slung to high waisted. It is important to keep your own shape in mind when choosing the perfect pair. High rise shorts will flatter most figures, holding the stomach in and drawing attention to the waist but may cut shorter torsos in half so opt for a midrise waist if this is the case. Low rise cuts should be avoided at all costs as they enter into muffin top territory which is never a good look. The denim hotpant isn't just for summer, rock your shorts year-round by layering them over tights with boots and a chunky knit as a sexy Autumnal alternative to jeans.

Asia Fantasia

One of the hottest inspirations for the Spring Summer 2013 catwalk was Asian detailing, from kimono-shaped pieces to Oriental prints. The kimono-as seen on the catwalks of John Galliano and Lanvin- emphasises the natural female form, adding a cap-sleeve structure to the shoulders which narrows the waist whilst a heavy waist-tie emphasises it even further. This season is all about mixing prints, so if you're fashion forward, feel free to team your pretty oriental detailing with bolder plaids, as seen at Dries Van Noten or for a more subdued look, just a splash of Asian detailing will bring muted tones into Spring.

John Galliano RTW SS13

 Lanvin RTW SS13

Dries Van Noten SS13