Costumes Parisiens at The Chester Beatty Library

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Writing in the Journal des Dames et des Modes, (issue no.11 on 10th September 1912), Lucie Delarue-Mardrus noted: “if it were simply a matter of clothing oneself, fashion would certainly not exist. But it is above all a matter of attiring oneself, and whoever says attire says ornament, and whoever says ornament says art… So, ladies, be stylish. It is a great civic duty. Though Notre-Dame is a cathedral, it is nonetheless une dame. May your exterior be also the cathedral of your soul.”

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The Chester Beatty Library has a wonderful exhibition celebrating this Parisian fashion magazine. Running until March 30th, Costumes Parisiens has almost 150 of the Journal’s unique fashion illustrations. The exhibition is a vivid record of Parisian culture and fashion in the last years of the Belle Époque.

And bringing us bang up to date is Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring Summer 2014 Haute Couture show in Paris, where he described his inspiration as: “Life is a butterfly! So all the collection is that!”

 

 

 

Tourism in Ireland in 2014

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We’ve started working with some clients in the hospitality sector and it has got us thinking about what tourists can expect of Ireland in 2014.

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In the wake of The Gathering, there certainly appears to be an upsurge of confidence in the tourism sector, with independent researchers indicating that the project delivered 250-275,000 overseas visitors in 2013. According to the website, 5,000 gatherings were held in honour of returning friends, loved ones and connections from around the world. The initiative is reported to have generated double digit growth in the number of US tourists visiting our shores and around €170 million in revenue.

So, where does that leave us for the coming year? Well, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar is determined to build on this success for 2014 and the focus now is to empower local authorities to lead community tourism initiatives in each area.

The launch of Destination Dublin hopes to grow tourism in the captial and enhance tourists’ experience of the city. The initiative was launched in direct response to feedback from tourists who found the city dull.

And developments like the Wild Atlantic Way, due for launch in March 2014, are certainly on the right track.

Predictions for 2014

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By its very nature, the start of a new year heralds lots of predictions and trend alerts. From wearable technology to the death of Facebook, here are some of the things experts are predicting for 2014.

Almost everyone is in agreement that the coming year will be a challenging one for Facebook, as teens turn away from parents and grandparents watching their every move. The overriding feeling among teenagers is that Facebook is no longer cool and kids are using Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to share photos and stay in touch with each other, away from prying eyes. Sky News is declaring the social network dead and buried (something we blogged about last summer) and The Huffington Post has11 reasons to quit Facebook this year.

Silicon Republic is predicting that the adage “work is what you do, not where you go” will never be truer than in 2014 and Social Media Today is forecasting a killer year for social media and small business with 11 web marketing and social media trends that will shape 2014

For the movies buffs among you, Movie Insider is predicting a year of sequels and remakes and Pinterest has a world of fashion trends. The BBC asked its panel of experts for the big news stories of 2014 and the International Business Times takes a look at the travel trends for the coming year. Wherever 2014 takes you, have a good one! And, whatever your resolutions, just remember…

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