Fashion forward: A Stella McCartney steal and a good-looking smartwatch

TREACY TREAT AT TRINITY

Former model turned PR Mari O Leary was Philip Treacy's first muse when the milliner was a student in NCAD and the pair have been friends since. It was through this alliance that Treacy agreed to make a rare appearance in Dublin with his creations for what promises to be an exciting fashion show in Trinity College on April 29th. Organised by fashion designer Deborah Veale and sponsored by Lexus, the event will also feature clothes from Simone Rocha, Helen Steele, Mariad Whisker, Sharon Hoey and Mary Donoghue of Ireland's Eye. Tickets are €100 for the event in the Dining Hall preceded by champagne in the Long Hall. All proceeds will go to the charity building a dementia village in St Joseph's, Shankill. Veale has a special interest as her father architect Ken Meehan (85) is in care there. (Orange dress in linen and chiffon, €350 by Deborah Veale).

STEAL VS SPLURGE

Floral on black from Stella McCartney will look beautiful this summer for €2,575 (right). Or you could be beautiful all year round with this €29.99 (left) dress from H&M.

LYRICAL JEWELS SCORE IN NEW YORK

The Irish jeweller and classically trained musician Genevieve Howard will head to New York this month to take part in an international jewellery exhibition called Loot – Mad About Jewellery in the Museum of Arts and Design. Her work, which we featured in the magazine last year, is inspired by songs: she uses the scores to create her own form of graphic notation. She then stacks them like staves and rolls them into scrolls. The main material is paper, using Japanese linen cards which are laser cut and assembled to mirror musical sequences. The exhibition highlights the designs from international emerging and acclaimed jewellery artists – many of whom have never shown work before in the US – and takes place from April 11th-16th.

STYLE SECRET

“To avoid clashing, never wear more than three colours. I like to choose one or two monochrome shades mixed with one other colour for a fail-safe outfit!”

Tar Mar, blogger at tarmarz.com

SMART SMARTWATCHES

Designers have turned their attention to smartwatches. Michael Kors has taken its first step into the market with the launch of "Access display smartwatch", due in the autumn. The watch, which runs with both iPhone and Android phones, closely resembles other Kors watches in style. The touchscreen display shows social media updates as well as text, email and app notifications. It also uses Google and has a built-in fitness tracker. Michael Kors said: "Why can't tech accessories be chic and glamorous? You wear them every day. After all, technology is impacting life more and more. It should reflect your personal taste as much as anything else, but it should also give you access to all the experiences that you want."

Wear IT

The “aggressively cuffed” blue jean is a trend that sounds angrier than it appears. One big flip is all you need to hit the style on the mid-shin. Perfect for warmer temperatures, the ankle revealers look good paired with runners, heels or midi boots if there’s still a nip in the air.