Bags of style
Dublin-based designer Silvana Landa grew up in her native Argentina watching her Italian grandfather Miguel, a cobbler, in his workshop where her love of leather began. Two years ago, she set up her bag brand Landa with her grandfather’s attention to detail and hand stitching aimed at working mothers like herself. One of her new bags called Teca (teak), is a leather crossbody with inside compartments and an adjustable shoulder strap. Fully lined with beige suede and finished with gold tone hardware, it costs €365. A smaller leather wallet Tilia (linden) with a chain handle can be worn as a crossbody or clutch €185. There is also a colourful vegan pouch alternative in microfibre, €55.
Find online at landabags.com.
Forty foot ring
Sonia Reynolds and Frances Duff of Stable dive in at the deep end this Christmas with their first specially commissioned jewellery collection from designer and gemmologist Niamh Breen in colours that reflect their lovely tweeds and linens and the landscapes of Ireland on their journeys to find them. Called the Halo collection, it is a series of high-quality rings with fair-trade stones set in gold like this one, a deep blue topaz called the Forty Foot for €980 shown here with a blue herringbone linen scarf, €120.
See the collection at stableofireland.com.
Vintage specials
Every year Cathy White makes a collection of evening bags reworked from vintage finds, heirloom gifts that sell all over the world. This time she has been working with antique French beaded handles made in the 1940s by a company on Rue Cambon in Paris beside the headquarters of Chanel. They are extraordinarily detailed with hand-painted porcelain medallions from Limoges inserted in very fine beadwork, White has remade them in French gold-beaded lace stretched over duchesse silk and finished with vintage ribbon inside. Priced from €185 to €295, they can be posted the next day and wrapped in time for Christmas.
Find them online at cathywhite.ie and CathyWhiteVintage on Etsy.
Putting the boot in
Zips, tractor soles, studs, tassels, stirrups, they are all there in Marco Mareo’s winter footwear collection with its super-stretch leather in calfskin or patent in black, blue, red and brown. Ankle boots have flared heels, bikers have higher, thicker, ultra-sporty soles, sneakers have screen-printed logos, while their signature snug knee boots complete the look.
For local Irish stockists, WhatsApp 086-8550566. In Dublin you can find them in Fitzpatricks on Grafton Street.
Jump to it
Would you wear the same clothes as your toddler? Polish-born Ella Magnuszeweska, who is now living in Clontarf, certainly does and started a brand three years ago called Ella and Holly selling matching outfits, which now include everything from tulle skirts and coats to T-shirts and even aprons. For Christmas she has identical red reindeer jumpers for mother and daughter in acrylic/wool/nylon mix for €22.50 and €17.50.
See ellaandholly.com.
Morris slippers
After 10 years with her own footwear label as well as director-level positions at Hobbs and Lulu Guinness, designer Olivia Morris (with Irish connections in Spiddal) has now launched a new website Olivia Morris at Home. Her new range of leather-soled slippers, handmade in family-run factories in Spain, come in luxury soft velvets and satin, bedecked with oversize bows and pompoms and trimmed with frills. Just the sort of comfort and flamboyance for more lockdown days at home, the Daphne bow slippers and others in graphic floral silk, linen or corduroy are £245 in sizes from 35-42 (EU).
Neck it
We have been inundated with scarves as of late – a traditional way for designers to use silk or modal as a canvas for graphic design, colour or statements; those from Susannagh Grogan, Louise Kennedy (who has recently collaborated with Ballyfin), Ciara Silke, Jennifer Rothwell and Debbie Millington are a few that stand out, as well as Victoria Clarke’s quirky Angel collection. Newcomer Niamh Gillespie – whose design experience includes working with Paul Smith, Liberty and Alexander McQueen – is one to watch. Some of her playful handrolled silk scarves come with slogans such as “Chin Up” or “Keep Your S**t Together” and this striped necktie, which she calls Absolutelyf***inglutely is €145.
See tidings.ie.
Leopard lift
These cute leopard swing earrings are by Mignonne Gavigan, priced at €459. Find them exclusively at loulerie.com, while others featuring owls, butterflies, pearls and feathers can be found on mignonnegavigan.com.
