Damsel in a Dress’s Cara Rose and Holly Buttleman flew to Dublin on 24th July to launch Damsels first concession in Ireland. The exclusive collection was launched in Dublin’s finest department store Arnotts.
3:30am BEEP…BEEP…BEEP… Today is going to be a long day.
After continuously rubbing my eyes to try and wake my not-so-willing-self up, I showered, preened myself, through on my Etro Jacket and waited impatiently for my cab to the airport to embark on my adventure in Dublin. Well…actually…if I’m a little more honest with you all, I did waste a lot of time choosing the perfect necklace to complete my ensemble. One has to look fabulous even when flying.
5am… Shortly after arriving at the delightfully busy Heathrow (clearly that ungodly hour is quite popular amongst flyers), I met up with Holly and we walked through to departures. It’s always a pleasure to be stopped at the metal detectors and have a body search especially at such a time. IT WAS THE NECKLACE. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay to look glamorous.
After grabbing a quick caffeine fix and half of WHSmith’s collection of magazines, we realised we had 25 minutes until the gate closed. We panicked a little whilst reading the sign that said it was 25 minutes to walk to our gate. Luckily, we made it on time and boarded the plane.
It was strange to have left the heat wave in London and entered, well, what looked like London the week before. Thank goodness for umbrellas. The airport is so conveniently near to the city centre (about 15 minutes drive) so we got in a cab and got dropped off in the heart of Dublin. We quickly ate some breakfast in Starbucks before walking down to Arnotts.
For those of you who haven’t been to Arnotts, you must! The building is wonderfully traditional on the outside with a contemporary feel on the inside. The main entrance is every woman’s dream – shoe heaven luring you in with the beautifully sweet aromas drifting from the perfume department. Obviously, Holly & I were a little mesmerised and had a brief encounter with some fabulous heels but then remembered the purpose of the trip! Ah yes, on to Damsel.
We got very excited when we saw where Damsel In A Dress was positioned in the store. A fabulous location for a fabulous Autumn Winter collection. The delightful store assistants of Arnotts lead us on our way to merchandising our stock on the shop floor whilst discussing the new range, the fantastic fabrics and super-flattering shapes.
Next we had lunch meeting at Clodagh’s Kitchen within the store with the marketing team at Arnotts. Clodagh’s Kitchen is a small contemporary tearoom with a real homely sense. I’d liken this Betty’s Tearooms in Yorkshire mixed with a modern-day edge. We met with the marketing team and after eyeing up all the dishes on the menu (I must admit that I struggled to choose one dish), we decided on our lunch. I ordered crab cakes with a lime guacamole and a basil mayonnaise whilst Holly opted for the mini gourmet burgers. Anyone who visits the store must make time to eat there.
Late Afternoon, Holly and I set off into the centre to explore Dublin. Everyone we encountered was incredibly friendly and welcoming - it was quite the culture shock coming from the hustle and bustle of London.
After finally getting to Grafton Street (whilst reading an upside down hand-drawn map and getting lost), we walked down the picturesque cobbled streets and set our eyes on Brown Thomas. For those of you who don’t know, Brown Thomas is Ireland’s version of Selfridges. With the Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Chanel window displays, how can a girl resist?
The entrance is filled with that same beautiful perfume aroma as Arnotts enticing you into the bag department (my personal favourite) with all the designers that one can think of. The upstairs floors have fantastic shoe displays and collections of clothes. Brown Thomas is a capsule Selfridges with a perfect collection for each brand.
We headed back towards Trinity Street ready to indulge in dinner at Pichet. Pichet prides itself on being a restaurant that is ‘a modern take on the classic bistro’. This was definitely the case and we both thoroughly enjoyed the huge portions and delicious food. As time was running out, we quickly got the bill and headed back to an ice cream shop that we had passed earlier and gone into for a taster. Murphys is on Wicklow Street and boasts an array of tempting flavours as well as an old fashioned wooden swing at the entrance (a great way to entice people in). We both tried their ‘caramelised brown bread’ ice cream which may sound a little odd yet was incredibly tasty. After trying almost all the flavours and joking about with the staff, we settled for two flavours each and tucked in. For anyone who is accustomed to a bit of ice cream and has the chance to get to Wicklow Street, you MUST to go to
Murphys. With fresh ingredients, you cannot go wrong. If we would have had more time, I could have eaten a scoop of every flavour!
With little time left, we ran to get a cab to the airport and before we knew it, we were slumped on the big sofas in the middle of the airport lounge. Who knew that walking around shops all day could be SO tiring? Before jetting off, we bought some touristy leprechaun lollies for the office to share, checked into Twitter and browsed through each others’ photos from the day – a great ending to our Damsel Dublin adventure.
