MARKS SPENCER yesterday launched "Destination Style New York", a collection by Patricia Field, the celebrated stylist of Sex and the Cityand The Devil Wears Prada.
Initiated by Field, the once-off collaboration with the UK retail giant follows a number of similar successful retail alliances, such as those between Stella McCartney and HM, and between Kate Moss and Topshop.
The 60-piece collection of clothing and accessories goes on sale today at Marks Spencer on Grafton Street, Dublin. Selected pieces will also be on sale in the retailer's Mary Street, Dundrum, Liffey Valley and Cork branches.
Many items reflect the glamorous styles worn by the characters of the Sex and the Citytelevision series. There is, for example, a vampish sheath with oversize corsage - a typical Carrie number - and an off-the-shoulder red jersey dress that Samantha might flaunt on a date.
The collection's mix of flirty, flouncy dresses, silk biker jackets and lean high-waisted trousers is clearly aimed at the city girl who wants to look sexy both at work and play. A shapely scoop-neck black dress with studded belt would certainly liven up an office atmosphere, especially if teamed with strappy, peep-toed stilettos.
Field (65), a straight-talking New Yorker who started designing in the 1970s for her own store, made her name and her fortune when hired as a costume mistress for Sex and the City10 years ago. Field's irreverent approach to designer clothes and versatile way of dressing the characters made names such as Manolo Blahnik and Gucci familiar to a whole new audience and gave her enormous power in the fashion world. She once told an interviewer that she spent her formative years dressed as a cowgirl, "and there's still a cowgirl in me".
This collection, Field said, was "for girls on the go - affordable, easy to wear, and flattering".
Prices range from €69 for a black corset to €190 for a backless black sequin shift. But while the flamboyant New York look will certainly appeal to Irish Sex and the Cityfans, only three dozen of each design will be on sale.