BLISS was a pair of tall boots and a short - very short - skirt, and before Pin Bang came along there was very little bliss around in Dublin. She hit the scene at 19, opening a shop in Pembroke Street over which her father, in an amateurish way, painted her name in coloured letters. It may sound dotty but this was Ireland's answer to Carnaby Street.
That's a long time ago, and Pin Bang has moved a long way since then, but bringing in the latest clothes fashion is still her passion.
The Grafton Street shop, where a collection of the latest clothes was shown recently, is currently committed to every shade of brown from espresso to cafe au lait.
There are three main buys the trouser suit (£319), the perfectly tailored coat dress (£189.95), and the long, fitted coat, often fur or velvet trimmed (under £300). Note the name Theresa Baumarre, because it is one of the best for the aforementioned, though is not well known in Ireland. That is typical of Pia Bang, who avoids the famous and so gets exclusive labels.
Unlike daytime, evening wear is dominated by black, and the tuxedo and the sheath dress - garnished with something splendid like a whole lot of rock crystal up the side - may be old favourites, but for a very good reason. They are stunning.
At the moment the newly opened upstairs shoe department is the busiest part of the shop and has a waiting list of 50 for the stretch crepe boots (£79-£89 depending on height). There are some super shoe styles, mostly of the new square toed kind, and makes are not just French but Italian, Spanish, and Danish (prices about £59-£69 a pair). There is a lot of mock croc very a la mode.
But back to things French. French fashion is stunning, and Pin Bang, with her fortnightly trips to Paris, has always been a stunner in what she did ever since those Pembroke Street days, when bliss could be bought.