Deirdre McQuillanasks six stylish women about confident, comfortable dressing
PAT DELMONTE
TEACHER
"I wear the same clothes all the time, and if I find something I like I might wear it a whole week. Living in Ireland, you can wear the same things all year round. Summer clothes don't suit this country, and I am always cold, so I wear what I call demi-saison clothes, for spring or autumn, most of the year. Comfort is important. I don't have a big wardrobe.
"I prefer simple rather than high-fashion clothes and don't buy on impulse. With age you learn what suits you. I might go to Topshop for T-shirts and Brown Thomas for jeans. I also like Dolls on Clarendon Street in Dublin, and in France I like Agnès B. It's very plain, so it means you can wear anything with it.
"I used to dress more eccentrically when I was young, but, at 54, I have dropped something every decade. My clothes are casual rather than classic, and I like things that fit well and materials that feel good against my skin, such as cashmere.
"I don't have evening or sports clothes, and many of my dresses can be worn for any occasion. I go to Djinn on Wexford Street in Dublin for jewellery. I love necklaces.
"In France I buy Comptoir des Cotonniers cashmere, which is not very expensive. Probably the most I ever spent on one item was on an Isabel Marant tweed jacket from Costume. I usually shop with a friend. About once a month we go into town, have a coffee and discourage each other."
ANN MARIE RIGNEY
FASHION STUDENT
"My big thing is dresses. I love them, even though I wear a lot of jeans, too. I'm always on the hunt for bargains, but the most I ever spent was over €200, for a special occasion, the least €15. One of my favourites is a Karen Millen check dress. It totally does everything right for you, it tucks you in at the waist and I got it in a sale for €60.
"Most students like me are high-street shoppers, and I try not to go into places I can't afford. If I had the money I'd buy something from Preen or Chloé, something feminine but different. "I use black as a base and have a lot of black tights and tops. You get to be very clothing-conscious as a fashion student at college, and you can't wear the same thing every day. You have to set standards. If I see a top that I like that's too large or a dress that's too long, I'll buy it and take it in or up. That's the great thing about having your own sewing machine, being able to alter it yourself.
"I enjoy making stuff. I started early. My mum and my neighbours gave me old clothes or old fabrics, and I remember hacking in to my brother's school trousers to make a pair of shorts and a waistcoat.
"I always look for something different, something nobody else has, and sometimes I even hunt in older shops. I love layering and have a multitude of coloured tights. When I wear a white silk shirt with leggings and black ankle boots I feel like Kate Moss."
CARLA BENEDETTI
GRAPHIC ARTIST
"I am not a labels person and not a slave to fashion, but I find style and quirkiness in clothes appealing. I like individuality, and I hate to be the same as everyone else. I was always interested in clothes. I loved dressing dolls, and I enjoy needlework and was always quite creative. I like making things with my hands. I recently bought a sewing machine and have started doing alterations.
"There's no difference between the clothes I wear to work and what I wear outside work, but I would never wear suits. I work for myself, and I think what I wear should reflect well on my work. I hate suits and would find it a nightmare to have to wear them. I think it's a stale look; it makes everyone look the same. And I am allergic to the dolly Dublin 4 look of so many girls in Dublin.
"I tend to shop in little boutiques, such as Aura in Sandymount, because I love the style of Laura Bradshaw, its owner, but I also go to Topshop, the Loft in Powerscourt and, when I'm in London, the Spitalfields market. I like Ave Maria, on Clarendon Street in Dublin, especially for weddings.
"I like feminine but not girlie clothes. I'm a bit of a coat addict and buy a lot of coats. The most I ever spent was €800 on a Mui Mui purple velvet coat in Florence, but I also have a Marc O'Neill cherry brocade coat, and one in wool and linen by St Martins, and a stripey one from Reiss.
"I love accessories but would never spend more than €200 on a bag. Momuse jewellery is a particular favourite; I have at least 20 pieces, mostly rings and necklaces, including a lovely one in smoky quartz.
"I went through a phase of hating black, but I'm wearing more of it, maybe because I think it suits me better now. I love the way people such as Mischa Barton, Rachel Zoe and Sienna Miller dress, and I hate glitz and women groomed to within an inch of their lives, like Victoria Beckham. I don't follow fashion and the trends. I prefer people who express themselves differently and don't feel the need to conform."
ANN McGOVERN
PARIS-BASED AGENT
"My style is sporty, casual because of my body shape. I feel more comfortable in things that are not terribly smart and tend to prefer well-cut pants, good black or chocolate-brown trousers and jeans, particularly white jeans. Cream pants are really important, because you can wear them casually with cashmere and pearls or dress them up with a mandarin silk jacket. Because I am quite tall I need to wear jewellery that's bold or else it disappears on me. But I don't wear much, just one piece.
"I have clothes which I have worn for years, such as a black leather jacket by Donna Karan, which has survived several winters. A good trenchcoat can keep for 10 to 15 years. I buy really good coats and shoes, and the rest I just fill in.
"A friend who works for a forecasting company invites me to their talks about forthcoming trends for fashion, homes and interiors. What I tend to do is pick a colour and base clothes around it. For example, I have bought a grey sweater, T-shirt, pants and silver-grey shoes; you can pull things together that way. "I never spend more than 10 minutes getting ready. I would spend more time on a good haircut, a manicure and a pedicure than on what I am going to wear.
"A good pair of jeans is essential, and it's important when shopping for jeans to try on a lot of pairs. I pick up long- and short-sleeved white T-shirts with scoop or V-necks, because I think they make you look slimmer and it's good to show a little bit of cleavage. My style of dressing is simple, simple and nothing else."
PHILLIPPA BUCKLEY
INTERIOR DESIGNER
"I mostly wear black, because it makes me feel comfortable and I enjoy it. I sometimes wear white, and occasionally I might add one colour, but 99 per cent of the time it's black. For work very good trousers and jackets are important, and there's really no room for skirt suits. I like trousers by Prada, Ann Demeulemeester and Yohji Yamamoto, and one of my favourite shops is Havana in Donnybrook. You can get away with shirts if trousers and coats are well cut. My mother always said that a good coat covers everything. I like John Rocha clothes, because they look smart and yet quirky and you can dress them up.
"I always look for good quality, and I adore Prada but am also happy with Zara and Massimo Dutti. I buy season by season and, occasionally, on impulse. I hang on to my clothes and wear coats and jackets for years; otherwise I give them away. I rarely wear jeans - my thighs are not my best feature - and I don't wear dresses to work apart from one John Rocha jersey dress which I wear with black leggings and silver brogues.
"I spend too much money on clothes, but I absolutely love my clothes and find it hard to let go of them. My latest buy is a padded Prada jacket, and since I spend a lot of time in cold houses I need to be warm and smart. I tire of colour so easily."
SOPHIE FLYNN ROGERS
PUBLICITY AGENT
"I get notions about what I want to wear and will buy something and then not wear it for three years. I never buy clothes when they are terribly au courant. I go for stock items instead. I have just bought four items for €134 in Zara: a grey scoop-neck, a black skinny top, black jeans and a long, dark-champagne knit, which is a great colour for either pale or tanned skin.
"I can't wear leather, because I'm allergic to the chemicals used in the tanning process, but I have, occasionally, gingerly bought leather shoes, and sometimes I can get away with it. If you have the perfect black boots and the perfect black cardigan you can fit everything else in. "I love Zara and Topshop because they make fashion accessible to everyone. I like things that I am comfortable in: T-shirts, jeans and yoga gear. I've recently got into dresses, and Miss Selfridge is my bargain place. I don't spend much on clothes - the most was €200 for a Hugo Boss cream silk dress.
"My Paige denims come from the US, for a fraction of what they cost here. I have three shirtdresses I wear at the moment, and if I am wearing a dress I have to have high heels. I am not into high-end fashion and would never wear a tulip skirt. I prefer to wear things my own way, with accessories such as scarves, belts or hats. I order online from the Boden catalogue and the Pajama Room, and I buy shoes from Bertie, Nine West and Pied-a-Terre from www.shoestudio.ie - they have free delivery.
"All my T-shirts are from M&S, which is my second-favourite shop, and a bit of H&M. My perfect outfit is a white shirt and black trousers, like Audrey Hepburn. It's the feelgood factor.
"I do really well at the sales and am a bit of a bargain hunter, though it doesn't stop me buying something I really want. I got a gold Anya Hindmarch bag for €170 in Brown Thomas, down from €750. That is all I want to pay for a gold bag. I only buy a bag if it is below €500 and the tax and VAT man have been paid, and I always do a cost-per-wear check. The first thing I ever put on my credit card was a ballgown by MaxMara in perfect black.
"You have to look for value. I have never really felt that I have spent too much, and I don't believe in spending money you don't have. I am quite efficient with money and don't splurge. I am practical. I buy what I can afford."