IT'S not often that TD Tony Gregory is seen in a shirt and tie, let alone a smart suit. However, he was persuaded to do so recently by Rory Egan, owner of Custom Shirt International in Dublin's Royal Hibernian Way. Mr Egan first opened his business in 1993, specialising - as the shop's name suggests - in made to measure shirts; given that his father is former Supreme Court judge Mr Justice Seamus Egan, it's not surprising that many loyal customers are members of the legal profession.
Now Custom Shirt has become Custom Store International because Rory Egan has launched a range of made to measure suits such as the one modelled here by Tony Gregory. The new service offers a choice of more than 400 cloths in an enormous range of colours and an equally generous selection of styles; 15 different ones for trousers alone. While measurements are taken at the Dublin shop, the actual suits are manufactured in Strasbourg, where operations are overseen by five master tailors. Each suit is individually cut by laser before being sewn in the time honoured fashion. Prices start at just £350 (depending on the cloth) which is at least half the price charged by any of London's Savile Row tailors. From ordering to delivery, the entire operation takes three weeks.
Mr Egan already offers a made to measure shirt service for women and says he plans to provide them with the same option for suits next year. He's also planning a similar custom made shoe business but in the meantime will be opening his first Custom Shirt franchise in Belfast next month. Presumably he'll also be asking one of Northern Ireland's politicians to model for him then.
THIS autumn's favoured hairstyle may suggest the armed services - short, licked smartly into place and with a crisp side parting are the essential characteristics - but some men who've spent years growing a luxuriant tonsorial crop may be reluctant to have this all cut off. If that's the ease, they can take inspiration from Liverpool Football Club's new Czech star Patrik Berger. A week ago, he not only scored two goals for his team but managed to keep his glossy locks firmly in place throughout the game.
Berger's secret? An old fashioned Alice band, of the kind more usually seen on the heads of schoolgirls and well bred English women who like to look neat at all times. Soccer players have in the past been responsible for starting a number of hairdressing trends, not all of them successful (think of Kevin Keegan's perm and Paul Gasgoigne's bleached mop) but it remains to be seen whether others will now follow where Berger has boldly led. Next Sunday's replay between Meath and Mayo could provide an opportunity for Ireland's sporting heroes to show their support. If they're wondering where they can pick up a few Alice bands, chemist Hayes Conyngham Robinson has a wide range of styles with prices starting at just £1.99 for a smart velvet covered example.
CATCH Brown Thomas's windows at the moment and you'll see they're dedicated to the work of Lainey Keogh, who has now produced a range of home furnishings every bit as covetable as her sweaters. Don't forget the latter aren't just for women, because Keogh also produces some wonderful work for men too. Right now, a new crop of her sweaters are in stock at Brown Thomas. Enormous, oversized pieces in rich olives, inky browns and black and decorated with pagan Celtic patterns, they have the same tactile quality as all her other designs and are priced at £510 each.
GIVEN all the attention that A Wear debutant Cuan Hanley is receiving right now (that mustard check suit looks set to become the country's favourite buy of the autumn) it's easy to overlook the fact that he's not Ireland's only menswear designer. Pat McCarthy's third collection has just come into shops around the country and it's well worth a look, especially if weekend casual styles are required. McCarthy specialises in reinterpreting traditional Irish clothing in a less structured and more contemporary mode.
So as before his latest collection uses fabrics such as tweed, corduroy and wool but in lighter weights and softer shapes than used to seen. His clothes work best when layered over each other, particularly since the colours are complementary with lots of autumnal browns and greens around right now. Among the most expensive items are big drop shouldered leather jackets at £390 and generously big jerkins costing £255 each. Coarse slubweave four button wool jackets in black or olive green are priced at £165 with matching waistcoats £82.50. A zip front polo sweater in flecked alpaca/wool costs £94.50 and cotton/wool mix check shirts £59.95; collarless examples in deep green plaid corduroy are £69.