The closing of Threadbare Wild last year left a gap in Wicklow for a boutique with a similar fresh approach to fashion, now filled with the opening of Boutique Belle in Ashford. Located in a loft-style building with white walls and white stone floor, it carries a number of interesting brands, including Mascaro shoes from Spain, whose pink suede shoe boots for winter are bound to be winners.
Owner Susan Fox, a former Aer Lingus hostess, opened a successful beauty salon in Wicklow eight years ago and her 3,000-strong customer mailing list helped kick-start the opening of her first fashion shop. Her careful line-up includes some great leather jackets from France, in black or tan, with detachable collars, which will be in store at the end of August, along with Craft jeans, from a duo who designed for Paul Smith and Helmut Lang before branching out on their own.
Her best seller, however, has turned out to be Butter by Nadia, a New York cult label specialising in one-size-fits-all wrap dresses that, she says, can be worn in 30 different ways (pictured right). They come in stripes or plain colours, in matt jersey or jersey satin, and cost from €240. “Customers want something they can wear during the day and dress up in the evening – value for money,” says Fox.
Fashion on show
In a departure from the norm, selected work of NCAD fashion and textile graduates will be showcased in the college gallery in Thomas Street in Dublin until August 22nd. Those who missed the end-of-year exhibition will have a new opportunity to see the exceptional creativity and skills of this year’s fashion students, including Rebecca Flanagan and Demelza Buckey, and the clever upcyling of Tammy Larkin’s textiles and Amy Brennan’s computerised embroideries. The selection has been made by external examiner Professor Roy Peach of London College of Fashion and the exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm.
Is it a boot, is it a shoe?
High-heeled mountain boots may sound like a wild, wilful combination, but they are the work of German designer Bernhard Willhelm in his latest collaboration with Camper. The new shoe, inspired by the outdoors, is a reinvention of the classic mountain boot, with rounded forms, dented soles and padded leathers. Even more daring and original is the so-called C-shoe for Camper (left), created by Maria Blaisse, a Dutch artist who describes her style as somewhere "between architecture, design and fashion." Her shoe, which looks like a curved collapsible boot, comes in six colours and makes its own quirky statement about footwear as art. Willhelm and Blaisse are part of a group called ToEther, including Jaime Hayon of Spain and Alfredo Haberli of Argentina, who were given free range to create "modern and original" products for the Spanish company.