Studying the form takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to dressing for the races. Next weekend the stakes are high with the Longines Irish Champions Weekend taking place on September 9th in Leopardstown and 10th at the Curragh with the Longines Prize for Elegance competition and €25,000 worth of luxury prizes. "Champion" stylist Ingrid Hoey offers tips on how to master racing style for interested contestants and the first is not to follow other winners. "It's about personal and practical elegance and what suits you. So it's no to outrageous millinery, stilettos and open toed sandals, frilly,broken or matchy umbrellas, fake tan overload and extravagant updoes. And yes to keeping pattern and print simple, to good grooming and manicures and remembering that less is more", she counsels. "And if a hat frightens you, opt for a pair of statement earrings instead." Photograph by Alex Hutchinson.DMcQ
“Men shop on a mission. Women shop for an adventure”, so says Shane Burke, proprietor of Stylish Guy, a brand new menswear shop on the Clontarf Road, (formerly Pace Boutique) attracting a lot of attention.
Burke always had a grá for fashion and was a former personal shopper, male model and blogger (thestylishguy) who sold everything he had and moved back home in order to open his own shop which he fitted out on a limited budget with the help of family and friends. "I wanted it to be affordable menswear with service and put my own stamp on it," he says.
Prices start at €5 for socks up to €189 for jackets with bestsellers being striped and plain shirts by Pure for €85. "If men like something, they buy two and sales never work with them," he says. He certainly knows his customers; for instance, all €49 jumpers are cotton "because they are machine washable unlike wool" and jeans €89 are deliberately chosen to flatter all body shapes. "I buy for the store not for my eye," he says. Stylish Guy is open seven days a week at 53 Clontarf Road. Visit www.thestylishguy.ie DMcQ
Superga, an Italian company from Turin that started making tennis shoes and rubber-soled footwear more than a hundred years ago may not be a brand well known in Ireland, though it has a store in Covent Garden in London. Familiar in Italy, it has expanded all over the world and more recently appointed the Olsen sisters in the US as creative directors. Its latest collaborations are with cult boutique Luisa Via Roma in Florence with two sneakers, one canvas, the other in velvet at €140 a pair. Buy on the luisaviaroma.com website. DMcQ
Wear it
Simple, modern, sustainable and organic are all the words we want to hear when buying clothes for our kids. Wrap up your little ones in this dress for €50 from Monkind, a new brand now being sold at younghearts.ie. DMcM
Steal vs splurge
A red trouser suit (or pant suit if you're a Hillary Clinton fan) is a must for the season ahead. Blaze a trail in this red jacket (€25) and trousers (€16) from Penneys, or set the world on fire in this Gromwell crepe blazer (€1,325) and nettle crepe flared pants (€450) from Altuzarra. DMcM
Style secret
"Invest into timeless accessories" Erika Fox, fashion and lifestyle blogger, @retroflame
