CAPSULE SHOW:IRISH AND British fashion was celebrated jointly yesterday in the convention centre in Dublin at a special seven-minute "high-impact" capsule show staged for Queen Elizabeth and 200 VIPs by Irish Tatler magazine.
A dramatic opening presentation featured 10 models wearing colourful headwear by the award-winning hair stylist Michael Leong with jewellery from Boodles. “I’m in a state of shock” said Leong, “but it’s a great honour”.
Irish designers featured were John Rocha, Paul Costelloe, Louise Kennedy, Deborah Veale, Quin Donnelly, Tim Ryan, Helen McAlinden, Aideen Bodkin and Joanne Hynes all of whom export to the UK or, as in case of Costelloe and Ryan, are based in London.
Costelloe and Kennedy were later part of a group of nine people in the fashion industry introduced to the Queen by the show's producer, Norah Casey, chief executive of Harmonia, which owns Irish Tatler.
Representing British fashion in Ireland were creations from Kate Middleton’s wedding dress designer Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, Amanda Wakeley, Jonathan Saunders, Ben de Lisi, Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham, with items from Marks Spencers, House of Fraser and Designers at Debenhams. “Fashion is a major part of the British-Irish relationship. It makes a significant contribution to both economies and reflects our shared interest in creativity and craftsmanship,” said British ambassador Julian King.
In the Irish line-up, most designers showed from their current collections with Paul Costelloe and Joanne Hynes opting for items from their winter 2011 season. Costelloe’s plaid suits and skating dresses used colourful heritage plaids from John Hanly in Nenagh and Hynes’s modern take on cliched notions of Irish dress and her collaboration with basketmaker Joe Hogan made for some zany outfits and headwear unlikely to crown many royal heads. Dublin-based Deborah Veale, a favourite of President Mary McAleese who has worn a number of her designs, including the blue ensemble at the Dublin Castle banquet, showed evening dresses.
The Irish Tatler Designer Showcase highlighting Irish design at international level, which is now in its seventh year, has been shown in London and Dublin and most recently at the Shanghai World Expo last October. “It’s a collaborative effort between us and other countries” said Casey.
“There is great energy in both Irish and British design that is quite unique and coveted the world over. Fashion is very important economically to both countries with over €l billion of trade,” she said.