His collections for A|wear are bought by women of all ages - perhaps because Peter O'Brien knows instinctively what women want to wear
Irish designer Peter O'Brien gives a self-effacing laugh as he walks towards the rail of garments that make up his third collection for Awear, and says: "I absolutely hate talking about fashion. Fashion designers are the worst people in the world to talk about clothes. There are too many words everywhere about everything."
The clothes hit the shops on Monday, so time is of the essence for those who want to get their hands on O'Brien's coveted white shirts, which always sell out in days. The shirts in this collection are the usual gorgeous, crisp white, with O'Brien's clever detailing lending an edge to a classic. The ever-popular cashmere sweaters are there, too, in the blacks, taupes and blues that make up the bulk of the colour palate for this collection.
O'Brien has learned from the customers who bought his previous two collections for Awear and has designed more of what women want. "There's less tailoring in this collection," O'Brien explains. "I try to approach this as sort of a mini wardrobe, so you have white shirts, a pair of black pants, dresses - it's what everyone wants, and wears, I think."
Everything he pulls from the rail - from a long black coat that buttons up the side in an almost military fashion, to high-waisted trousers with side button detailing - is classically stylish, but each piece is, in its own understated way, bang up-to-date.
This classic but quietly on-trend look seems to span the generations. "I'm a firm believer that you can do attractive, classic clothes and they won't look mammyish." O'Brien explains. "I like the fact that when I go into the shop on the first day the collection goes on sale, I see girls who are 20 and women who are 60, all buying the clothes."
There's something about the dresses. All of them, from the jersey ones to the pleated georgette slips, look beautiful on the hangers, but you know that they will really come into their own when worn. O'Brien says: "I always think that if someone wears my clothes and they look nice, I've done a good job. I'd hate if a woman was wearing one of my dresses and the first thing someone said about it was that she was wearing a PO'B dress. That's not what it's about."
Again and again, O'Brien refers to what he has learned about what Irish women want. "They love long dresses, I've noticed," he says, pulling a long jersey number with fine, see-through sleeves off the rail. "Jersey's great," he continues. "You can roll it in a ball and it doesn't crease."
He seems to get a kick out of designing garments that make women look and feel good. "When I was in Paris, I got to do fashion shows and put dresses on these fabulous seven-foot-tall girls with no breasts and no hips and they all looked wonderful," O'Brien says. "But there really is a buzz about walking down Grafton Street and seeing a woman wearing something of mine and she's looking great." O'Brien may hate talking fashion, but he doesn't need to. His clothes speak for themselves.