Finally, after repeated telephone calls, we got to see Fabric Select at 181 Parnell Street in Dublin. This is a retail outlet specialising in end-of-line fabrics which are then sold at very reasonable prices - Fabric Select says the reduction on original prices can be as much as 70 per cent. While there, we certainly saw a couple of bales worth buying. Among our favourites: a heavy, woven, flecked tweed for £8.99 a metre and a pure-wool plaid for just £6.99 a metre.
Already offering a made-to-measure service from Ermenegildo Zegna, Dublin menswear shop F.X. Kelly can now provide the same option from Giorgio Armani. The advantages of custom-made tailoring scarcely need to be enumerated and men who have begun to wear clothing of this calibre rarely return to off-the-peg garments. F.X. Kelly says from measurements being taken to finished suit being delivered takes around three weeks and prices start at £695. This is around 20 per cent more than a ready-made, but in terms of quality the difference is well worth paying.
Bras on the web is a new idea from Triumph which has just recorded a show using the company's lingerie modelled by flamenco dancers in Madrid. Edited down to around 12 minutes, this is now available for viewing on Triumph's website (www.triumphinternational.com) for the next couple of weeks. Naturally, the only people likely to want to see the show are women interested in purchasing a new bra.