CLOTHES LINES:The secret of astute wardrobe organisation is to spend your money where you spend your time. That's according to Mary Holmes, who set up Ruby Seven image consultancy two years ago. With experience of both personal and corporate clients, she reckons that 40-50 per cent of the wardrobe of someone who works from nine to five, Monday to Friday should be workwear, with the balance made up of weekend leisurewear.
"Your way of dressing should correspond to your lifestyle," she says "A lot of people who are not happy in their work spend on what they wear at weekends because that's what they associate with real life." A big mistake, she thinks. Clients seek advice because they want a change of image, or because they buy separates without having anything to put with them, or buy the wrong colours or shapes.
Alternatives to the conventional black trouser suits for work, she suggests, would be navy or taupe, while "business casual" can be a minefield she can help to clear. A personal 1.5-hour consultation costs €75 and a three- to four-hour shopping trip is €250. See www.rubyseven.ie.
Devilish details
Guys love details and the latest range of Momentum Good Schuhs feature tatami slippers, silver and canvas lace-up runners and slip-ons decorated with silver bullets and skulls, discreetly positioned on eyelets or tucked into laces. Schuh's versions of Van slip-ons, for example, come in black Prince of Wales check or gingham print. Prices start at €25 for the tatamis, €45 for lace-ups and €80 for a chukka boot in stone leather with one eyelet and a solitary skull. From Schuh outlets in Dundrum, Liffey Valley, Jervis Street and O'Connell Street, Dublin.
A stunning silence
This dress, made from stringed and plaited viscose jersey by Grace Mangan, who has just graduated from NCAD, is from her White Silence collection, inspired by the saga of the Children of Lir. Mangan is the winner of this year's River Island bursary and she will go to London in September, following in the footsteps of talented graduates such as Anne-Marie Rigney, Lucy Moller and Sarah Cochrane, all of whom have made their mark on River Island's collections. Mangan, who is from Co Meath, studied dance originally and says that the theme was a natural one to pick because she is always conscious of the line and grace of bodies in movement and the agility and strength of birds. "I can't wait to start my career as a designer and I love the challenge of designing for the high street," she says.
