Clotheslines

Ahead of the field:An Irish hairdresser, Amanda Whittome from the Hugh Campbell Hair Group in Limerick, has won first prize in the recent World Hairdressing Competition in Frankfurt.

The event run by OMC (Organisation Mondiale de la Coiffure) is the biggest in the world of hairdressing and involved 29 nations from across Europe, North America and Asia. It has been held every two years since 1946, and this is the first time that an Irish representative has won the coveted European Tournament Trophy. Amanda Whittome will now be competing on the Irish team for the 2008 World Hairdressing Championships in Chicago next March under manager Maeve O'Healy Harte. Founded in 1979, the Hugh Campbell group has five salons, including Melo Yelo, where Amanda Whittome is based.

Dress like a goddess

One of the most beautiful dresses I've seen this season is this one by Alberta Ferretti in Havana in Donnybrook. I watched a woman transformed into a goddess trying it on the other day in the shop; not surprisingly she walked out with it. Not all of Ferretti's dresses are Ireland-friendly, their slouchy femininity better suited to hot climates, but Nikki Creedon knows what her market wants. The shop currently has stunning leather jackets by Rick Owens along with vintage chain mail bags and jewellery by Sam Ubhi from London.

Soul shoes

Terra Plana is the name of an eco-friendly shoe range that is forward-looking and fun to wear. Founded by a Dutch shoe maker in London in 1989, it opened its first store in New York three years ago. The brand specialises in using chrome-free and vegetable-tanned leathers and recycled materials such as quilts and coffee bags in its Worn Again range. Their lightweight Vivo Barefoot shoe with its thin puncture resistant sole is said to strengthen the foot muscles and be the ultimate "barefoot" experience. To coincide with the 15th anniversary of The Big Issue, Terra Plana created Bigger Show, made from an amalgamation of recycled firemen's trousers, leather car seat scraps, recycled rubber soles, men's shirts and denim. Some Terra Plana styles can be found in Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin 1, otherwise check out website: www.terraplana.com.