Clothes lines

Compiled by DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN

Fashion day out

Tomorrow is a fashion day with a difference – all about South William Street in Dublin 2. It kicks off with a “tableau vivant” on the steps of Powerscourt Townhouse, followed by a free talk on the street’s fashion history to be given by Ruth Griffin at the Pepper Pot Café at 3.30pm. Those attending will be given a fashion map to follow a trail through makers and retailers including Project 51, Bow, Indigo Cloth, Smock, Costume and others, followed by a tailoring workshop with Paddy Rogers, who started his tailoring career on the street. The event, part of the Absolut Fringe festival, will end with a “fashion snug” in Grogan’s pub. See fringefest.com/event/the-lost-fashion-history-of-south-william-street.

Rocha at Topshop

Simone Rocha, who showed in London last Sunday, has just launched her first capsule collection for Topshop. The collection, in which contrast sleeves are key, comprises six pieces featuring her familiar masculine look softened with flashes of colour and see through fabrics. Pink mesh sleeves, for example, add flourish to a straight cut white poplin shirt. Black mesh lifts a boyish Crombie, while contrast cable-knit sleeves change the look of a double-breasted donkey coat. The collection is not on sale in Dublin. Prices start at £107 for the shirt, £137 for a white shirt dress, £229 and £305 for the jackets and £610 for the long black coat. The collection can be found in the Oxford Circus and Brompton Road branches, and in Selfridges, and online at topshop.com.

One to get talons into

Harold Koda’s forthcoming 100 Shoes, chosen from the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, with an introduction by Sarah Jessica Parker, is one of the most authoritative and beautiful books on shoes I’ve ever read. Did you know, for instance, that the French word for heel is talon? It contains a breathtaking selection of shoes, from those worn by fashionable Venetians to rich Americans. It displays the artistry of great shoemakers from Ferragamo, Roger Vivier and Manolo Blahnik, to unsung footwear heroes such as Steven Arpad, who worked for Balenciaga, and the inventive Italian Alberto Dal Co, a favourite of Audrey Hepburn. Close-ups show the beauty and detail of many inspiring, bold, whimsical and flamboyant designs. Get your talons into it, shoe lovers. It is published by Yale University Press (£16.99).

Dalvey bespoke shirts

A new bespoke shirt service for men is being introduced by Dalvey, the Scottish menswear and accessories company that opened its first flagship store in Grafton Street with little fanfare last year. Dalvey is a family owned concern based in Inverness in the highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1897 to make bagpipes and was taken over by a deerstalker turned lawyer called Sir Patrick Grant. Current in-store offerings include shirts from €66-€81 with a multi-buy option of three for €120, silk ties (€55) and knitwear along with well crafted cufflinks (€60-€100) and belts (€76-€95). Duncan Grant, son of the owner and one of the three directors of the company, paid a visit to 23 Grafton Street last week to highlight the made-to-measure shirt service, which starts this month with prices from €110 a shirt or five for €395. See dalvey.com. The purple wool scarf in the photograph is €65.