Top gear for men:Topman is to open a shop at 41 Grafton Street on April 19th, (replacing the existing Miss Selfridge store).
It will be one of three dedicated stand alone Topman shops, the others being in London and Manchester. The outlet in the Jervis Centre in Dublin 1 will be retained, but the new shop, with a 1950s style interior spread over two floors, will showcase the complete Topman collection with many items by talented young designers such as Peter Jensen. There's to be an official launch in May to celebrate the opening and there are rumours that their exclusive Topman designer range, which is sold in limited outlets that include Selfridges in London, Opening Ceremony in New York and La Foret in Tokyo, may well be stocked here later in the year.
Beautiful sole:The beautiful ballet flats made by French Sole are soon to make their way to Dublin, where they will be found in Helen McAlinden's lovely shop, No 6, in Castle Market, Dublin 2.
With names such as "Sloop", "Hip Hop", "Parfait" and "Pearl", these ballerinas, famous for their quality and variety, come in soft Italian calfskin, Spanish kid or hand-beaded, in lots of tempting colours that look great with everything from ballgowns to jeans.