It's Called Flair

Attending an English wedding earlier this summer, Marie Donnelly was introduced by her hostess to other guests as "the most beautiful woman in Dublin". Possession of this title may be open to debate, but what cannot be disputed is that Donnelly, chairman of the Irish Hospice Foundation, is the capital's most consistently stylish dresser.

Good looks confer an advantage on their possessor, of course. However, they do not necessarily provide a sense of flair. What sets Marie Donnelly apart from her peers is the fortuitous combination of beauty and a brilliant eye for what works to her best advantage. Furthermore, unlike most women, she deliberately dresses against her appearance, customarily juxtaposing a slight frame with clothes of hard-edged architectural rigour.

Her favourite designer is Japan's Yohji Yamamoto, her preferred colour black. But occasionally she may be diverted; two years ago, for example, she could be seen in a red gingham bustle dress by Commes des Garcons. But she makes a powerful impact even in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.

Whatever the choice, Donnelly is a rigorous minimalist. She eschews seasonal extremes and is consistent in many aspects of her appearance - her blonde hair is always slicked back in the same manner, her makeup defined by bold lipstick. Her jewellery is confined to one, perfectly understated ring on her hands and perhaps a pair of 1950s costume earrings or a chunky bracelet from earlier in the century. By keeping everything else totally simple, Donnelly can wear even the most complicated piece of Japanese design with aplomb. And aplomb, after all, is the very essence of flair.

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