#FridayRetailTherapy | Dunnes Stores

Back with a Friday Retail Therapy after a little break. My phone is full of pictures to share every week but I don't always get the time to write up a post. But this week I was determined to get a post up about Dunnes because I was blown away by their current offering when I popped in for a quick visit earlier this week.

When I was growing up, Dunnes was where we went for groceries and basics - underwear, school uniforms etc. It was known for being good value and a bit better quality than Penneys/Primark - it definitely wasn't recognised as being a particularly fashion forward store. It's fair to say that in recent years, it's struggled to find its place in a busy supermarket fashion space with the likes of Tesco and Lidl extending their clothing range so a couple of years ago, there was a massive investment put into some of their flagship stores turning them into something more akin to a department store, with dedicated brand areas and designer collaborations, including Paul Costello and Lennon Courtney.

My local Dunnes in Forestside was one of those flagships and every time I visit I'm always so impressed with the merchandising and the quirky and beautiful pieces. Look at the beautiful display that currently greets you at the door:

What I love is that none of this top notch merchandising has come at the expense of the staples they do so well like tights and underwear.  It's still my shop of choice for basics. But I'll not bore you with big knickers and flesh coloured tights...instead here are some pieces that you'll want to show off starting with these on trend pumps from designer collaboration Carolyn Donnelly, of Quin & Donnelly fame - remember Q&D? I LOVED them!

Carolyn Donnelly:The Edit - Red Leather Pumps

Red leopard is all over the high street this season - a Christmassy version of traditional animal print. This dress is from Savida but it's not showing online:

Also Savida, this is THEE Christmas jumper for discerning fashionistas:

Pink Savida Fluffy Stripe Jumper

This Chanel inspired boucle bag caught my eye:

Perfect stocking fillers - a leopard purse and red cashmere gloves:

Paul Costello Leopard Envelope Wallet

Also loved this red collarless coat:

This orange dress is one you'd have to try on - it's the most gorgeous colour and look at that sleeve detail. There's a great model photo on the website - link below:

Orange Lennon Courtney Knit Dress

Also Lennon Courtney, this black based print dress has the most gorgeous print - beautifully made too with lovely detail:

Lennon Courtney Retro Square Dress 

Moving to the Gallery range and I was tipped off about this next snakeskin dress - it's not unlike the M&S one with a black stripe down the side and an elasticated waist:

Gallery Printed Dress

My eye was drawn to accessories all over the shop - just look at this embellished clutch:

Sequin Envelope Clutch

Staying on a blue theme, this blue shirt dress is stunning:

Gallery Shirt Dress

Here's the snakeskin dress in a different colour way:

These boots caught my eye - knee length is making a come back again and the elastic in these means they will fit all sizes of calves - the biggest headache for longer boot wearers:

Gallery Leather Knee High Boots

I'm always asked about where to get great leopard heels and scarves and right now, Dunnes have both. These shoes are great because the leopard print is black based, making them more wearable. I avoid brown based ones as I find you'll wear them less often. Great heel height here too - sadly not online:

This scarf is an amazing buy - a great size, cosy and leopard. What's not to love....only the fact that it's not showing online:(

And if you can't decide between leopard and snakeskin, how about a dress with a bit of both?

Animal Midi Dress

Back to Savida and on a similar colour palate, this cream jumper has the most gorgeous embellishment - another classy Christmas jumper option:

Savida Jewelled Shoulder Jumper

A curveball here with a bright yellow dress which would take you right through to spring summer too. But for winter, add some opaque tights and a blazer and make a statement on your Christmas night out!

Yellow Savida Button Detail Collar Dress

The embellishment theme continues in Savida with this mermaid inspired top to bling up your blue jeans:

Savida Tulle Sequin T-Shirt

but if sequins are not your thing, how about ruffles and pearls in a stunning shade of pink:

Savida Frill Pearl Collar Top

And finishing with a fab throw it on dress for this time of year. It's a boucle shift style dress with a waist cinching tie and a subtle sparkle. Add some body blur and blingy heels for a night out, add a black roll neck and ankle boots for a cosy Christmas Day outfit or add tights, court shoes and a white shirt for work:

Silver Savida Tweed Dress

And there you go - that's just a tiny proportion of the gorgeous womenswear section...I only wished I'd had time to try on. As for the homewares and kids....two separate blog posts required there! Hope you enjoyed the round up. I've linked where I can - the entire range is not online and I should say at this stage that I've no relationship with Dunnes, I wasn't invited in store and none of my links are affiliate links.

Have a great weekend! 

Ax