It is entirely appropriate that the picture of Patricia Jorgensen shown here should be in black and white since, together with grey, these are her favourite colours. She may occasionally be found wearing other shades, but this is an example of that rare creature in Ireland, a woman of absolutes. To everything she does, she brings the same discipline and drive for perfection. Whether the arrangement of pebbles in a glass dish, the preparation of an afternoon tea tray or her own choice of dress, no element is left to chance. She knows what suits best, and nothing other than the immaculate will ever do.
Jorgensen's personal style, like her choice of colours, is pared back and informed by experience. She prefers simple shapes and blocks of solid tone; the possibility of prints is rarely entertained and usually only for accessories. Although not tall, she invariably succeeds in making her presence felt, thanks to layering clothes in contrasting colours. The possible hard-edged quality of her more tailored clothes will be softened by the addition of a scarf or wrap, and she frequently sets off her otherwise orderly appearance with pieces of faintly barbarous jewellery. Her approach to dress is exceptionally practical, and for this reason she usually wears trousers; even among those who know her well, surprise is always the first response on those rare instances when she is seen in a skirt. Recognising the advantages of order, she chooses to apply this with a rigour unusual in Ireland, where rules - in fashion as elsewhere - frequently seem to exist only so that they may be broken. Jorgensen has made her own rules and been faithful to them.
It would be understandable if, on the basis of this description, she were perceived to be austere and remote but nothing could be further from the truth. As her very wide circle of friends and her lush flower paintings testify, she is a woman of enormous warmth, generosity and exuberance. In Jorgensen, this combination of sense with sensuality produces an abundance of flair. R.O'B
