With Deirdre McQuillan.
STREET STYLE She's a single mother who sings, lives in Birmingham, takes the bus and is now giving her name to a big brand. R 'n' B diva Jamelia has endorsed the new NFL sportswear range, Raiders, from Reebok, following in the tracks of 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams. The partnership between Reebok and music, called Rbk, features designs inspired by both streets and tracks (sports tracks, that is) and the Raiders collection has fitted, low-slung velour tracksuits, slinky satin sleeveless jackets as well as sleeveless tops and T-shirts. In Ireland it can be found in Lifestyle outlets.
OPEN HOUSE When House of Fraser opens in Dundrum in March - and everything seems to be happening in Dundrum in March - there will be a number of familiar names among an upmarket list that includes Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Girbaud, Moschino, Sonia Speciale and others, as well as a range of what they call "contemporary" brands such as DKNY, Ghost and Karen Millen. New labels include full collections from Irish designers Mariad Whisker and Aideen Bodkin, following in the footsteps of Quin & Donnelly, who have sold in House of Fraser for the past two seasons. "We approached them, sent photos of the collection, and they then put a capsule on trial," says Carolyn Donnelly. Now Q & D is in 22 stores in the UK and their collection is bigger than ever, with some 20-30 different styles introduced every three weeks. For Mariad Whisker, the association with House of Fraser is her first big step into the UK market with a major company. "They just walked in [to see my collection], I did the modelling and they took 100 pieces."
BLUE NOTES Denim dominates the season again and so does the fuller skirt. In a/wear's take on the trends, they've put broderie anglaise petticoats under denim tiered skirts, added smock tops, cowboy boots and turquoise buckle belts. You can almost hear the wind in the prairie. Easier on the urban eye is the denim jacket, with the greatest staying power of any item in a modern woman's wardrobe. Over a gypsy skirt, it toughens up the look, or adds the right kind of counterpoint to a romantic summer dress. In its forthcoming show on February 7th, a/wear will also stir into the mix its version of a "Biba" look, casting a backward glance to the 1970s, as well as a slew of safari styles, cotton smocks and all sorts of romantic details and embellishments for spring/summer 05.