Clothesline

Shaping up nicelyA lovely new shop selling beautiful leather bags and clothing called M0851 has just opened on one of my favourite streets in Paris, the Rue des Saint Peres.

It's a Canadian design company based in Montreal with outlets in Canada, the US and Antwerp, and the leather used is the finest Italian calf treated with aniline dyes. Along with the conventional black and brown leathers are lively shades of orange, pewter or purple. The bags are lightweight and come in simple, functional shapes, some leathers having a kind of papery feel, while a collection of high-tech nylon bags are oil treated to make them water repellent and create a vintage look. Peggy Mamarbachi runs the Paris shop, speaks perfect English and is a mine of information on leather. Prices range from around €95 to €500 for travel bags and from €750 up to €1,000 for jackets and coats. It is also possible to buy online from www.M0851.com.

Tailor made

Jennifer Rothwell, who won the Brown Thomas Mentor Programme award at Dublin Fashion Week last March, impressed buyers with the quality of her tailoring and finish. The New York-born NCAD graduate set up her own label after a decade's experience in the Big Apple working for design houses such as Calvin Klein and Norma Kamali. Her work also caught the eye of Helen McAlinden, with the result that Rothwell's autumn/winter collection can now be found in McAlinden's shop, No 6 in Castle Market, Dublin. With prices starting at €195, the collection, limited to two to five pieces of each style, includes tailored coats, jackets, skirts, trousers and evening wear.