It's fashion forward in Dublin!

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Sonya and Brendan

What with all this unexpected sunshine we're getting, it's hard to know how to dress and what are the key trends for this summer. Luckily for us, Brendan and Sonya were on hand last night to give us a few (much needed) seasonal tips.

This week Off the Rails - On Tour was in the Pavillion Shopping Centre in Swords, checking out the style Dublin has to offer. Judging by the six finalists taken off the street for wearing it well, the capital has upped its street credibility since the last time I looked.

Sonya took us to Paris Fashion week with a sneak peek behind the lives of Ireland's most important players on the international fashion scene. Brushing shoulders with the likes of Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, fashion buyer for Brown Thomas Shelly Corkery certainly knows what she is talking about. Critic Godfrey Deeny however knows the power of the front row at fashion week and explained how writing a bad review has on numerous occasions landed him a seat beside some of Hollywood's biggest stars, in the hope that he would be more generous in his views.
It was a very interesting insight into the ethics of fashion journalism.

Meanwhile back in Dublin Brendan was dressed in his Domino's gear, ready and waiting to surprise Anne Moore on a girly night in. Anne is a 47-year-old from Dublin who lost two and a half stone two years ago but has since piled the pounds back on. Now with a wardrobe that has as many sizes as a shop rail and little or no clue as to what suits her body shape, Off The Rails called in the experts.

Answering the door in an unsurprised manner (the cameras in her garden probably gave it away) to Brendan, Anne quickly set about revealing to him the contents of her dreadful wardrobe. Usually dressed in Uggs and leggings, Brendan explained that the mish mash of sizes in her wardrobe was making her feel guilty. There's nothing like opening up a wardrobe every day, where half the clothes are too small for you, to make your confidence plummet to the ground.

After a disastrous shopping trip, Anne came back with an outfit that made her look like a box. Her legs looked short, she had no waist and her chest looked twice its size. Brendan quickly got working on banning black from her wardrobe, instead opening up her eyes to the wonders of navy. While navy can be flattering, somehow the navy dress, shoes and tights was a bit too much school uniform for my liking.

Finally Anne's big day came and she got her chance to parade her new image in front of her friends and family. With new Rihanna-esque hair and beautiful clothes and make-up, the old Anne was out of sight and out of mind. She even had her mother in tears.
This week's style challenge between Sonya and Brendan was to create an occasion outfit for under €100. Both of them choose to take on the guest wedding ensemble, but of course it was Brendan who won again with his stone coloured dress from River Island, which he teamed with some killer heels. While we loved Sonya's sixties outfit and beautiful accessories, it seems the Pavillion shoppers didn't. Maybe next week will be your week Sonya.

Finally last night, Joseline Mitchell from Dublin was transformed into Mary Kate Olsen for the day. Billowing dressed and fur coats were on show and Joseline looked a million euro.
Next week the duo take on Jennifer Aniston's style. Don't miss out.

Sarah Carty