Dublin designer Daniel Kearns continues to create impressive menswear collections in London, reviving the spirit of heritage brand Kent & Curwen in a fresh and modern way in association with David Beckham. Beckham and his wife Victoria were in attendance at the London breakfast launch of the latest autumn/winter 2019 collection earlier this month.
Victoria dressed in an oversize mannish tweed trouser suit (not from Kent & Curwen) with a pink ruffle neck blouse. Kearns played with ideas of formal dress codes – upending uniforms and military references as sportswear and daywear, cricket whites and college stripes as evening wear with cropped jockey silks coupled with tweed and plaids for race meetings. He also unveiled a capsule collection referencing Peaky Blinders with classic three piece suits, collarless shirts, peg leg wool trousers and flat caps in autumnal tones that looked of the moment for a modern menswear wardrobe. Visit kentandcurwen.com
Laying the golden egg
The Galmont Hotel Galway (formerly The Radisson) will once again be the location for the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards, an event celebrating its 10th year. The awards are for Irish talent in fashion, millinery, jewellery and accessories and many former winners have gone on to establish successful careers. Fashion collections will feature Katie Ann McGuigan, Alanagh Clegg of Four Threads, Amie Egan, Anne Behan and Helen Hayes with Ones to Watch including Colin Burke and Alla Sinkevitch, both recent NCAD graduates.
A special finale called the Perfect 10 will showcase special pieces from 10 of Ireland's leading designers, many of them former winners of IFI Awards - Sarah Murphy (Angela Scanlon wore one of Murphy's pieces for her appearance on the Late Late Show in London), Katie O Riordan of Theo & George, milliner Leonora Ferguson (who has worked on Games of Thrones), Niamh O' Neill (who recently showed at a gala presentation in London in aid of the London Irish Centre), Sara O' Neill from the north Antrim coast who designs her own prints, talented weaver Deirdre Duffy of Wild Cocoon, along with jewellers Helena Malone and Blaithin Ennis. The event takes place on Thursday, March 14th – for further details and tickets visit www.goldenegg.ie.
Kilkenny Sparkle
Yvonne Ross admits that she has a magpie’s passion for gems. A jeweller who operates from an artisan studio in Kilkenny who initially trained in fine arts, she brings a keen eye for colour, shape and simplicity to her work and was voted Kilkenny Craft Producer of the Year last year – no mean achievement in a city well known for its association with craftsmanship. Ross’s completion of a jewellery making course with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland was a life changing experience and in 2012 she was awarded the RDS Company of Goldsmiths Award for a piece called “Punk Rocker” launching her own business a year later. Her handcrafted pieces with stones carefully selected from around the world, marry her technical goldsmithing skills with contemporary design. As she also has a Diamond Diploma, many are often chosen as engagement rings. Find her at 19 Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny or visit yvonneross.com
