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Holly White road-tests...Tweed

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By Holly White
Saturday Sep 26 2009

Tweed jackets have mainly resided in fashionable territory as a result of being synonymous with Chanel. In recent times, tweed has appeared in the collections of Balenciaga, Moschino and Luella, among others.

After a weekend of summer weather teasing us, the typical Irish dullness returned with a hint of autumnal chill. I set off in search of all things tweed with an echo of chagrin to my demeanour, due to the weather and the need to dress warmly for the next six months, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I met Charlotte Temple in Magee in the Dundrum Town Centre. She is the fourth generation of family working in the business, which was set up in 1866. Here, it got quite exciting and as I stroked all the lined-up blazers and suits, I was quite enthused with the idea of warmth, practicality and traditional Irish clothing.

My first memories of Magee were far from traditional, and consisted of a billboard and Gordon D'Arcy looking rather scruffy clad in tweed holding a rugby ball. The men's tailoring is divine and if I could dress a guy I would probably put him in one of these jackets. They are far more interesting than the staid shiny black or navy blazer that seems to be a fixture in every Irish man's wardrobe. The company's sense of heritage is also incredibly impressive and it is easily one of the oldest Irish fashion brands.

I love the finer blazers, although I am sure American tourists would leap on the thick, chunky variety. Some blazers had cashmere and mohair in them, which was lovely. I left with a blazer, a handbag and a little purse, and a newfound appreciation for all things Irish and tweedy -- plus a sense of enthusiasm for wrapping up warmly this winter.

In The Harlequin, I found a vintage trilby hat that reminded me of the kind of thing a cool Kate Moss would throw on with a vintage T-shirt and jeans. The last find was Topshop's interpretation of the look. There is lots of tweed all over the high street. Zara has shoes and jackets aplenty, but some were too chunky and woolly looking for my taste. I love this high-waisted skirt from Topshop.

I shot the photographs of it with a little black top and tights in my sitting room. After the photoshoot, an invitation to a David LaChapelle exhibition on my mantelpiece caught my eye.

Me and the tweed ensemble headed out. The opening was exceptionally packed. Daphne Guinness and David LaChapelle conversed with six photographers flashing constantly and prowling around them. I got a glass of wine and happily took in the celebrity images. I felt incredibly smart in said skirt and was happily teetering about in my massive heels when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a tanned face and slick long hair -- the sleazy socialite.

He motioned some sort of cheers gesture and started coming towards me. I had to escape. I mock answered my phone and apologetically waved to him implying that a vitally important call had come through. I stumbled out into a freezing night. And as I shivered, I wished for one of the mammoth coats from Magee, if only to hide from the socialite. Winter is coming, but with visions of myself decked out in tweed and cashmere, it feels somewhat cosy.

- Holly White