One guy, one girl

Alanna Gallagher is the editor of In Dublin magazine - but if your idea of a magazine editor is Patsy Stone from Absolutely Fabulous, think again. While Alanna does love to shop, it's highly unlikely you'd see her draped across her desk in a pastel Chanel suit and swept-up, bouffant hair. Like many in the young workforce, she wouldn't touch a suit for work and sees office gear as an extension of her everyday wardrobe and her personality. "I don't even own a smart jacket - I just gave my last one away. I really don't differentiate between what I wear to work and what I would wear when I go out." She reckons comfort is a big factor in choosing her clothes for work and play but also comes down firmly on the side of a look that is individual and personalised.

This combination is reflected in the five pieces that Alanna nominates as her key pieces - garments she just couldn't get through the week without. First up is a concoction called Starck Naked - an all-in-one tights-cum-dress-cum skirt in opaque black nylon, dreamed up by French designer Phillipe Starck and made by Wolford. "It's like a tracksuit, you can just throw it on with any number of things." Next is a pair of black, pencil-leg trousers Alanna claims she would quite happily live in all the time. "They're a really flattering line and best of all you can just throw then in the washing machine. If there's one thing I really hate, it's clothes that need dry cleaning."

The third essential would have to be a pair of black, high-heeled boots. Alanna is fairly petite and rarely wears flat heels: "I usually go for boots. I think I like the security of having my ankles encased in leather."

Then there's a fitted, black shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves, a particular favourite for the office. "That shirt is usually as structured and formal as I get. It's smart but it's sexy too."

Finally there's a coat that is something of Alanna's trade mark. Discovered in Se-Si in Temple Bar, it is a swirling, 1970s, mid-calf affair with a diagonal pattern of different coloured furs. "I can't get away with a thing in that coat, it sticks out a mile," she says.

These essentials she teams with any number of eclectic tops, skirts or dresses, many of them picked up during the years Alanna spent as a fashion stylist. She reckons she shops "everywhere from Brown Thomas to Penneys" but has particular admiration for smaller, independent boutiques such as Costume on Castle Market for smart, individual clothes and Vivien Walsh on Lower Stephen Street, for accessories. "I really believe in supporting shops who are going up against the larger chains and offering a bit of choice." One glance at Gallagher's wardrobe and you can see unusual second-hand buys are as important as new purchases. "To me they're much more interesting, although I do think the second-hand scene has gone quite stale recently. The shops seem to be aimed at the teenage scene and very few places are doing interesting pieces like bijoux twin-sets."

While there are few constraints on Alanna's style at work, there are other considerations. "As I'm small, there are quite a few things I just can't wear, like really structured suits which look ridiculous on me. Marc O'Neill's are great for my build and John Rocha's stuff is also good for small women. Some of the high street chains like Oasis now offer shorter lengths too, which is great."

Alanna's philosophy when it comes to fashion is typical of many women who like to look good but shudder at the thought of Abs Fabs excess. "It's nice to present yourself well but it's hardly a matter of life or death. Dressing well can be a cheap way of giving yourself a bit of a lift."

The working day for Fergus Murphy, club promoter and DJ with Velure Productions, is rarely nine to five and rarely office-based. He might be meeting with clients, lugging round sound-equipment, or overseeing a club night until the early hours. Not surprisingly, his wardrobe is not the usual working one of suits, shirts and polished shoes.

"Essentially, I'm lucky the job I have suits what I like to wear anyway," he explains. The items Fergus decided were his five beloveds make up a capsule wardrobe that he can mix and match to achieve different looks. First and foremost is a classic, black, polo neck which he usually wears with jeans or a suit. Ditto a white T-shirt which has to have a good neck line for Fergus to be happy.

Then there are fine leather boots by Debut which he scooped on a holiday to Denmark: "The quality of the clothes tended to be better than here." A Dries Van Noten jacket picked up in a closing-down sale a few years ago is still getting good wear; "I often wear just the jacket of a suit for a more casual look and the Dries one is definitely a favourite."

Fergus's final item on his list of five is an oft-forgotten essential; "It'd have to be a decent pair of boxers - Hanes for me. It's the first thing you have to think of each morning after all."

His wardrobe also contains an eclectic selection of suits, trainers, casual gear and hats. When Velure Productions first started promoting lounge-music events, Fergus wore a lot of three-button, Mod-style suits which came from a variety of sources. Some were second-hand where the cut was vintage while others were sourced from Bogarts on Aungier Street, an Aladdin's cave of suits and oldstyle menswear. In general, he tends to go for clothes that are plain and simple with a classical cut: "I'm fortunate in that I'm tall and that style is what suits me best."

More recently, he has found himself moving away from the vintage suits and towards slightly more casual wear, such as the fleece top in our photo which come from Cuba on Trinity Street and the jacket which was another trophy from the Danish shopping spree. "I like the mix of streetwear and tailoring they're putting together in Cuba. It's very new and fresh." He usually takes a look in Brown Thomas but finds that, like many Dublin shops, the prices put him off. "I really like the value aspect when I'm buying clothes and often that's missing. That said, I'm not really a bargain hunter - I just don't have time to wade through piles of rubbish to find something I like."

Still, there are always the odd bargains such as a pair of John Rocha trousers he picked up in T.K. Maxx for £25.

Every year, Fergus does a pilgrimage to Coyles on Aungier Street for a new hat. "I got a really great hat there one year and I've been going back ever since, although I've never got such a good one again. I don't know whether I really go for the hats or whether I just like the ritual." His one bugbear is the "woeful" choice of shoes on offer in Dublin. "It's impossible enough if you're a woman: if you're a man, forget it. If you like Buffalo boots or styles like that you're OK, but if you're looking for a leather shoe that's not aimed at my fathers' generation, then forget it." he usually opts for trainers.

Overall, Fergus is content with his wardrobe but he does have one sartorial ambition. "If I could look good in golf-wear, I'd be a happy man. Not to wear on a golf course at all but in a nightclub - rehabilitating the Pringle jumper, that's my aim in life."