honeymilk

Lifestyle and travel writing from Ireland

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DUBLIN ROOFTOP LIVING

There’s something about a rooftop bar. We flock to it like puffins to a rocky outcrop. 

Last week in Dublin, The House of Peroni arrived for a short sojourn on the roof of the Andrew’s Lane carpark and it’s magical. Like there’s an infinity pool just around the corner. Like every day is a sunny day and every sunset is soundtracked by Italo-disco and cocktail babble. 

Like nothing else in Dublin. 

It will be with us only for the blink of an eye before it vanishes into the minds of the people of Peroni, finishing this Saturday, on May 28th. In the meantime, and in this glorious weather, make the most of it - go see the Italian films, go see stylist Aisling Farinella and photographer Rich Gilligan’s For the Love of Italian Style about the vivid Italian-American culture and style in New York, go try the pesto and white chocolate cocktail.

Most of all, just go, because this joyful confluence of a rooftop bar and a week of sunshine is too good to miss. And those views.

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Stay // See // Eat // Shop

Before Christmas, Sam and I spent five glorious days in Paris. Here’s my very belated guide to some of our favourite spots to while away a few Parisian days.

STAY AT LE PIGALLE

We stayed in the newly opened Le Pigalle, in the heart of - you guessed it - Pigalle, the once seedy neighbourhood synonymous with wild parties in the 1920s, burlesque and red velvet curtains, situated at the foot of Montmarte. Staying in Le Pigalle feels like living in your own petite Parisian pad, each room stocked with vinyls, local curios and bespoke Le Labo products. While we were there we also happened to get engaged on our balcony - so it’ll forever have a special place in our hearts.

STROLL ALONG THE SEINE

One of the most iconic and romantic walks in the world - take a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Seine in the late afternoon lights, across Pont du Sully and along Quai de la Tournelle toward Notre Dames, browsing the little stalls selling everything from vintage movie posters to miniature bottles of long gone perfumes, before turning inland to explore the Rive Gauche.

LUNCH THE TRADITIONAL WAY

Not fine dining, but a great spot for a long, lazy, wine-filled lunch - the authentic feeling Cafe de l’Industrie is spread across several corner buildings on a quiet crossroads in the 11th. As Sam looks perplexedly at the all French menu, take a look at the guy to the right pouring the wine - he and his friend had obviously been out all night and were keeping the party going, they demolished most of their table when they stood up to leave, hilarious for the rest of us watching.

GET LOST AT MERCI

Shopping in Paris is a joy, with Sandro and APC stores at every turn, but for somewhere to get lost for a couple of hours, make your way to Merci on the Boulevard Beaumarchais. Three levels of clothes - vintage and new, sweet trinketry, homewares, and a stationary area to satisfy the biggest pen and paper nerd will make sure you’ve worked up enough of an appetite to take a welcome break in their bookshop cafe.

DON’T MISS

The view from the ‘dome panoramique’ at the top of the Sacre Coeur. It’s a climb to get up to it - once you’ve made it to the top of the tiny spiralling staircase, you have to scramble across slippery rooftops among the gargoyles, but it’s absolutely worth it. The photo at the top of this post was taken from there, it’s quite the view. Go late morning/early afternoon on a Monday or Tuesday to have it all to yourself.

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                IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING: DO THIS

Online life, social media, the connected world, smart homes, smart devices: I think we all know that it’s in overdrive. 

Digital detox became an increasingly visible term last year, as this hurtle toward the singularity continued unabated, and for me, two things triggered a change, or an attempt to change, my addictive relationship with technology, which I did by altering just one thing.

First – one April morning very early, I was traveling on the airport bus, someone I knew was on it and we talked a bit. He mentioned how sad it is that being on a flight is now the only legitimate excuse for being offline. I was flying to New York and he to London, and he felt envious of the 7 hours of uninterrupted offline time I would enjoy. Coming from someone who has built a successful business around an extremely healthy, active and outdoor lifestyle, this was surprising. I had naively assumed that he wasn’t affected by the same incessant need to be online as the rest of us.

Second – in the first half of 2015 I was immersed in the first few months of a new, high-stress, job, of which being a social media specialist was a large part. I was working across three devices at any one time, and switching rapidly from one to the other if pages or apps didn’t load instantaneously. My mind was addled, to put it mildly. In hindsight, I was in a deranged fever of social media-ing and procrastinating at the same time. With all the tabs open in my mind screaming for attention all at once. 

In June I went on holiday to a remote part of Morocco, but not so remote that it didn’t have wifi. Or so they said. Turns out the wifi was next to useless, and, my phone network didn’t work over there. 

I had an enforced five-day digital detox and it literally changed the way I dealt with my online overload.

When I got home I turned off all notifications, everything down to the badge icons on apps – aside from alerts for phone calls and text message (because let's face it, they’re not the truly intrusive thing, and are usually welcome). It freed up so much space in my mind, like deleting everything in your downloads folder and emptying the trash. 

Most importantly, I felt like I was in control of the technology, rather than it being in control of me. 

It’s true, my experience is probably exacerbated by managing social media for a brand, as well as fixating on my own networks, and my obsessive need to have no red icons on my phone or iPad screen was definitely a problem – but now that they’re gone I don’t feel the need to incessantly check and refresh apps and am working on weaning myself off idle scrolling.

I know my family would still consider me ‘addicted’ and I definitely do spend more time than is really necessary checking my phone, but mentally, I am considerably less frenetic, better able to focus on one task at a time at work, and my knuckles crack less. And one day, I’ll regain a balance between what is unreasonable and what is acceptable. 

For all the wonders life online brings us, there’s a lot that’s wrong with it. Very wrong. There’s so much unknown about the effect that it’s having on us and particularly on children and teenagers and their mental, social, and even physical development. 

I heard today that on average our thumbs scroll eight feet, daily. 

That alone is a sobering thought.

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Hello world.

Dublin Street Style is now Honeymilk.

This hasn’t been a street style blog for a very long time, and it has been very neglected over the past couple of years. So now, expect more travel, more lifestyle, and less fashion. And maybe even some ranting.

Keep reading, and join me on Instagram and Twitter.

Let the journeying begin.

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For this weekend only, luxury equestrian tailoring label Alessandro Albanese is having a flash sale: 20% off everything until midnight on Monday 15th June 2015. I put together some of my favourite pieces from the current collection to create a sleek off-the-horse outfit for summer competition days for equestrian lifestyle mag The Gaitpost. Accessorise with this season’s trainer of the moment – the Nike Juvenate, which you can customise to your hearts delight on nike.com and the remarkable, tactile, Bradley Compass watch to add a design edge to classic equestrian chic.

Find your favourite AA pieces at 20% off until midnight on Monday 15th June 2015 at shop.alessandroalbanese.com.

Pictured: AA logo belt buckle // Reversible belt // Monaco ladies dress shirt // Athens ladies breeches // Venezia down gilet // Customised Nike Juvenate trainers // The Bradley Compass 

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Everlane have finally released two styles of trouser (or pants as they say in the US) and, of course, they're perfect. So perfect, that they say 'you probably need both'. And I probably will Everlane, I probably will. 

Images via everlane.com.

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Photographed at London Fashion Week, by

thisdailygrind

, with my new favourite bag from Paul's Boutique - a brand that has undergone a total transformation and returned with a vast and colourful collection of lovely bags and accessories. I got the leather and suede Brooke which is big enough to fit my laptop and notebooks as well as all my usual bag debris so I don't have to carry around two bags anymore. Joy! 

Paul's Boutique Brooke luxury leather shoulder bag // Max Mara coat // Simple Things throw // Cos cashmere hat // Cos roll neck // Cos shirt // Random Japanese trousers that I got in a long gone Dublin boutique called Costume // Nike Roshe Runs // Watch by Ansley Watch Co // Ring by Christina Nicole

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Street style scrum at LFW.

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The LFW elves.

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Model Sang Woo Kim at LFW.

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Sweet pinks on Day 2 of LFW.

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Stripes. And a pigeon. LFW AW15.

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The Orla Kiely presentation was the first of the day, and after a long Friday night it was debatable whether we’d make it. I’m so glad we did because it was such a lovely experience. Set in a 1950s-esque library and soundtracked by Björk’s It Oh So Quiet it was the perfect way to ease into the madness of LFW Day 2. The collection was elegant, wearable, mid-century chic with Kiely’s signature graphic patterned bags and demure shoes. Hot chocolate and homemade biscuits made the perfect end to an entirely charming show.

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The Irish Times nabbed me on the street this week for their winter layers edition of their street style video. Winter is my favourite time of year, style-wise, and there's nothing I love more than swaddling myself in a vast scarf and some form of cosy knit. I'm an advocate of wearing as much natural fabric as possible and will go around shops examining the material composition of clothes before trying them on. There are always exceptions (like the Zara jumper I'm wearing in this video) but on the whole I find that jumpers and scarves and coats made from wool, cashmere, alpaca and so on are going to keep you warmer and keep looking luscious for a lot longer.

Wearing: Max Mara unlined wool coat // Simple Things alpaca wool throw (as a scarf) // COS cashmere hat // Zara apres ski jumper // Zara coated denim jeans // Kurt Geiger Chelsea boots // Johnstons of Elgin cashmere gloves

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COS Long collar shirt / Asmar Equestrian Riding Apparel Clothing / Dr. Denim jeans / Asmar Equestrian Riding Apparel Clothing / Massimo Dutti black leather boots / Úna Burke cuff jewellry / Anna Byers silver cuff bangle / Everlane Petra tote

Equestrian x Real Life | Part 3: Statement knit

United States based label Asmar Equestrian does an interesting line in luxurious equestrian wear that will definitely spend a lot of time in your non-horsey wardrobe. For this winter, I love their Fireside Sweater, a chunky roll-neck made from a soft wool and cashmere blend, with faux leather detailing on the sleeves. Maybe a little too luxe for wearing around the yard, it’s a distinctive and on-trend piece for wearing between classes at winter training shows. For real world wear this one’s easy – pair with black jeans and just a hint of a white shirt for a monochrome look, and add one of their infinity scarves to maximise the statement swaddling.

See the full post here. First published on The Gaitpost.

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Monki black jacket / NIKE black and white shoes / ALEXANDER WANG x H&M IE / COS slouch sweater / COS bar necklace / Polo Carel Ladies Breeches / Everlane / Push Watches > DAWN SMALL

Equestrian x Real Life | Part 2: Shades of Grey & Sport Luxe

Bear with me on this one, I know the breeches look weird. I was lucky enough to be able to trial these before they went into production and in the 18 months I’ve been wearing them I’ve had more compliments on them than on any other breeches I’ve ever worn, ever.

First off, they’re incredibly comfortable. Then there’s the side pockets, which are A REVELATION when it comes to riding in the summer with no jacket pockets to hold your enormous smartphone. And then, there’s how they look, which I think is pretty great. So much so, that I bought a second pair to wear ‘in real life’. I’ve worn them several times to work and no-one has batted a negative eyelid. (And I work in a trendster-central part of Dublin.)

The sport-luxe look has been dominant for several seasons now, and while it’s less at the forefront than it used to be, its influence is still all over the shops, with statement sweatshirts, bombers and Nikes firmly entrenched on the street style and personal stye blogs. Style these breeches with grey and black layers for an understated equestrian-sport luxe look, or add in a pop of pastel for some soft winter colour.

See the full post here. First published on The Gaitpost.

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Mary Portas button up shirt, / J Brand black pants / Alessandro Albanese Technoready Jacket / COS ankle boots / NTN W1 Watch / COS metal ring

Equestrian x Real Life | Part 1: Tailoring

I’m delighted to now be writing for equestrian lifestyle magazine The Gaitpost. For my first post for their Gaitcrash Blog, I’ve put together three looks around current trends, using three of my favourite pieces from the AW14 equestrian collections. 

As the worlds of high-street and horse-world fashion grow ever closer, there are more and more pieces in the equestrian collections that easily cross over to ‘real life’– just as long as you remember to wash them after mucking out all 7 stables of a Saturday morning.

Not just an outstanding competition jacket, the Alessandro Albanese Technoready makes the most perfect tailored jacket for wearing over a white shirt, with dark denim skinny jeans and Chelsea boots for an effortlessly chic look. Now that the competition season is over, mine is off to the dry cleaners to transition straight into my work wear wardrobe to work the tailoring trend. 

See the full post here. First published on November 14th on The Gaitpost.