Fashion Forward: Sparkling party dresses and pants, and a stunning diamond ring

French diamond ring finds its way to Athlone

This magnificent diamond and sapphire fleur-de-lys ring, which is over 150 years old, comes from a private collection in the United States that belonged to a noble French Huguenot family who settled in New Orleans in the early 1700s.

They were fur traders and related to the Duke of Orleans. The ring is one of Leisa Grant’s recent finds from her regular shopping sprees in the United Kingdom, France and the US for her Strawberry Hill antique shop in Athlone.

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“Try to find a style that suits you and you feel stylish and comfortable in" Ellen Kavanagh, founder of Waxperts; Jacket €69, organza-layered skirt (€79) boots, €229; Lennon Courtney at Dunnes Stores

A trained gemmologist who studied in the Gemmology Institute of America, her sources include everything from French and Italian waterfall and basket chandeliers and selected pieces of furniture to a wide array of both fine and costume jewellery from modern minimalist to vintage pieces. The ring is priced at €2,800. For further details phone 090 6476618. DMcQ

Wear It

Get ahead of the crowd with the Embroidered Twistlock bag for €37.50. It’s M&S spring stock, but available online now. DMcM

Yuletide party dresses

There is safety in black when it comes to Christmas parties – this black twosome from Lennon Courtney at Dunnes Stores from their "Back to Black" collection including the striped boots comes to €377 – that includes the jacket (€69), the organza-layered skirt (€79) and the boots, priced €229.  Another simple way to update a black dress is to jewel the neckline – this slim black dress is from Divine called Keira and costs €110 from Mary Greene's Divine boutique in Maynooth and online at www.divine.ie. DMcQ

Steal vs splurge

Sparkle in these nerd cropped wide-leg pants for €169 from Tibi or shine in these crepe wide-leg pants for €2,500 from Sonia Rykiel. DMcM

Remus Uomo opens pop-up shop

Velvet, the fabric of the season, has also infiltrated menswear. This black cotton velvet dinner jacket with satin trim lapels for €220, which is perfect for partygoers, is from Remus Uomo who has just opened a pop-up shop at ground level in 12 St Stephen’s Green (beside Elverys) in a former four-storey coach house, a precursor of their full store opening on two levels in the spring.

The company have three other stores, in Belfast, Galway and Ballymena and the brand is stocked in more than 350 retailers both here and in the UK, but this is its first standalone in Dublin. Voted Menswear Brand of the Year by Drapers, the northern Irish company celebrates its 25th anniversary this year sharing the shortlist with Paul Smith, Farah and Ted Baker. DMcQ

Style secret

“Try to find a style that suits you and you feel stylish and comfortable in as opposed to following all the trends. And it means you can dress to suit your body shape better. I invest in handbags and shoes as they’ll always fit me!” – Ellen Kavanagh, founder of Waxperts