Purple Haze
Coat, €129, Zara; dress €650, by Aquascutum at Harvey Nichols; bag, €780, Mulberry Bayswater in Rouge Noir, and gloves, €60, by Ted Baker, both at House of Fraser
More photos:Saturday November 07 2009
Mix red and blue and what do you get? Purple: a thoroughly modern, regal colour and a great addition to any wardrobe. From high-jewel tones to inky grapes and subtle mauves, purple works brilliantly at revitalising closet staples in black, navy, brown and greys of all hues. Indeed, it looks amazing teamed with silver or some grey ocelot animal print, so it will make an eye-popping combo in the run-up to Christmas. Wear it in solid blocks or rock it with accessories such as gloves, a chunky belt, a beret (as on our cover) or lycra tights worn with berry-toned suede shoes. Even a flash of purple fishnets under a black dress and knee-high boots is bound to get a reaction.
Our hero dress this week (far left) comes from Irish design duo Quin & Donnelly. What a pair of inspiring working mums. Liz and Carolyn have succeeded in paring down their prices impressively in these tough times to deliver wool coats at around €300 and fab, girly georgette dresses at around €150. The designers' latest collection includes brocades, interesting lace pieces and vintage-feel elasticated furs that add a touch of Hollywood glamour to any basic working coat. Their sleek tailoring is a given each season and, for winter 2009, they have wool jersey shifts in colours such as ink and grape, crimson and emerald. Don't you just love demure dresses that pack a subtle, ever-so-sexy punch? The Q&D charcoal dress with ultra business-like purple and chalk stripe features a purple twist at the neckline which, let's just say, arouses curiosity.
Speaking of wow dresses, it has taken me a while to 'fess up to my secret discovery, the Obi label from Doncaster. Anyone who has admired the figure-hugging qualities of Victoria Beckham's super-expensive frocks (the waiting list if not the price will discourage many stalwarts) will sit up when they see these dresses selling at between €150-€220, with most averaging at around €170. The tailoring pays homage to womanly curves while cleverly hiding the other womanly curves that most of us struggle to camouflage in regular frocks. A lot of work has gone into their control lining and stomach panelling. There's often lycra in the mix and, if not, the control underskirt will pull you in. The necklines open out so that the dresses don't swallow you up. There are asymmetric peplums across the tummy area, now a signature look for Mrs Beckham, and insets of sexy ocelot in dresses and a wow catsuit.
What I appreciated most was throwing the guna into the washing machine and watching it come back out perfect an hour later. Hang it up overnight and you don't even have it iron it!
Stockists include Hidden Closet, Tuam; Shadore, Greystones; Blush, Douglas, Cork; Tiger Lily, Cavan; Lure, Longford; Liberties, Westport; Goddess, Newbridge; Divine, Kinsale; The Fashion Shop, Mullingar; Mimi Boutique, Kilkenny; Rio Brazil, Belfast; Ollie & Mac, Navan; and Edge Emporium, Dungannon. For more information email penelle@ireland.com.
You don't need the excuse of a party to wear sequins these days. I recently featured a sequinned cardigan from Jaeger on a post-mastectomy make-over on The Afternoon Show and the reaction from shoppers was mighty. Granted, it was expensive at €510 but it gleamed like a mermaid and can be worn as a button-through dress or open as a long-line cardi-jacket. But you don't need to spend a fortune to gleam this year, as overleaf we have some sequinned wonders starting from €21.
W
Bairbre Power Fashion Editor
weekendfashion@independent.ie
Irish Independent
