Clothesline

Vintage buyersWhile William Doyle of Newbridge Silver certainly made headlines spending €160,000 on a pink Givenchy dress for his new Museum of Style Icons, not all vintage clothing achieves such stratospheric prices.

There may be huge media interest in vintage, according to Andrea Machen of Wellers Auctions in the UK, who have twice-annual vintage clothing sales, but the reality is that many traders are suffering because of sizing; most items from the 1920s and the 1940s are in small sizes, she says. At a previous auction of clothing from 1880-1980, a Chanel couture dress from the 1950s purchased by a US buyer who travelled to the UK specially to buy it. It was a brown silk dress with a gold and rust lily print, entirely handstitched, and it sold for £600, size 12. Their next auction is in November when the collection can be viewed online at www.wellersauctions.co.uk or contact andrea@wellersauctions.com.

Race is onLadies Day at the Galway Races (Thursday, August 2nd) is always a stylish occasion, and the winner of the Anthony Ryan Best Dressed Lady title at this year's Festival meeting will pick up a voucher worth €4,000 to restock their wardrobes with stylish outfits such as the gold dress by Rouge (€179) and headpiece (€129), at the Anthony Ryan store in the city. Unlike other events where racegoers vying for the "Best Dressed" title have to suffer the ignominity of being herded into a crowded paddock to line up for a snapshot and a quick trot in front of the judges, there is no entry required for this competition. Instead, a shortlist of finalists will be selected from the most elegant, and appropriately dressed, racegoers in the crowd. The winner will receive a trophy by sculptor Donnacha Cahill in addition to the €4,000 shopping voucher.