Deirdre McQuillan's fashion file
LIGHT TOUCH:
Dandelions, butterflies, piglets and strawberries are some of the zany motifs used by Catherine Byrne and Olga Maguire for their capsule clothing range, Armadilo. It consists of two simple dresses, a gored skirt and six different tops, in silk, chiffon, brushed satin, linen and cotton. The designs are applied with a light, delicate hand - a little flock of chicks on a black vest, a line of strawberries strung across a pink T-shirt, or a discreet dandelion sketched on the hem of a silk skirt. The collection can be seen in the Design Centre, Dublin; Blue in Blackrock; Clothes Peg in Sutton; Bella in Drogheda; Sugar Pink in Galway; Samui and Anna in Cork; Cobou in Mayo and Tippe Canoe in Limerick. Prices are from €85 upwards.
ALDO TAKES OFF:
Geraldine Swarbrigg discovered Vero Moda on a skiing trip to Norway in 1990, brought the brand to Ireland a year later, and by 2001 had established 17 stores. She sold her share back to the company a few years ago and retired for a period. But it wasn't long before her restless business spirit took over again. Her latest venture is Aldo shoes, a Canadian company founded in 1972, and now one of the largest footwear chains in the world. Aldo produces inexpensive fashion shoes for men and women, as well as handbags and jewellery, and the first Irish store has just opened in Dundrum Shopping Centre (beside H&M). Jewellery prices are from €5 to €25, watches from €25 and shoes sell for around €69-€79.
SPIN SISTERS:
The beautiful people will be out in force for the upcoming Corona Extra @ttitude events, which will combine fashion, dance and music. Don't go along if you're having any sort of a bad hair day as you will be in danger of feeling intimidated. Dancing models will be wearing clothes by Jack and Jones, Miss Sixty and Energie among others, while multi-talented DJ Mo Kelly will be on the decks. This calls for the sparkliest of sparkly tops. @ttidude is travelling around Ireland: Dublin, Temple Bar Music Centre, Apr 6th; Waterford, Club Ten, Apr 7th; Galway, the Radisson Hotel, Apr 8th; Cork, The Savoy, Apr 12th; Limerick, The Trinity Rooms, Apr 13th; Naas, Time, April 14th. Tickets are €25. Book on 1890-470270 or at www.attitude.ie. Nicoline Greer
THE CLOG BLOG:
Wondering what shoes to wear? Craving some super fantastic fashion tips? There's only one person to ask - the Manolo. No relation to the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, the mysterious and hilarious Manolo dispenses sartorial advice and dissects celebrity fashion on his website, Manolo's Shoe Blog. The Manolo adores Miuccia Prada and David Hasselhoff, but hates Birkenstocks and Karl Lagerfeld. And he dreams of a world where everyone realises that they can be "super fantastic", regardless of their size or income. Witty without being nasty (except when Lagerfeld is concerned), the Manolo is a must-read for every fashionista with a sense of humour. Become automatically super fantastic by reading his words of wisdom at www.shoeblogs.com. Anna Carey
PENNYWISE:
Ever since I found a perfect white shirt carrying the Maxmara Pennyblack label, I have been a fan of the brand. It's stocked widely throughout Italy and around the world, and features great jackets, beautiful shirts and well-cut trousers. Signature items in the current collection include a shapely military jacket, a dusty pink dress with pintucking detail and skin-tight shantung Capri pants. And the white shirts this season have deep cuffs with naval-style detailing. Pennyblack can be found in Dublin at The Collection, Powerscourt Centre, at prices from €70 for shirts, €105 for trousers and around €190 for jackets.