CLOTHES LINES:Okinara is the name of a boutique in Moycullen in Co Galway with its own individual spirit, presided over by owner Yvonne Byrne, a woman with very clear and definite ideas about what she sells. "Anything in Galway I don't stock," she says, "because I want to offer something different to the ladies of Galway and I prefer a one-to-one approach." She buys labels "with an edge that will last for a couple of seasons particularly in this climate". She also buys "timeless pieces" from France and Italy aimed at age groups from the 20s and 30s to the 40s and 60s. "I only buy one in each size or only in two sizes and I insist on a 50-mile radius ." She is the exclusive stockist in Ireland, for example, of the French brand Cop-Copine, which is slightly offbeat but wearable and affordable. For further information, contact 091-555755.
Calatrava's curves go gold:
Another Irish craftsman making his way in London is Dubliner David McCaul, who has just opened a shop in Exmouth Market with his brother Barry. They sell bold, avant-garde fine jewellery. After a degree in NCAD, David went on to study fine jewellery in Germany, the US and London while his brother Barry, armed with an IT degree from DCU, headed to Antwerp to train as a stone setter.
The pair now combine their technological, business and aesthetic skills in their new enterprise. “A lot of my style was geometric,” says David, “and a bit cold and not very wearable.” His sweeping new shapes, however, are softer and inspired by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The brothers’ new space, which they describe as “not too posh and over the top” is designed to be both a workshop and retail area, and already their earrings, sweeping curves in tapered forged gold, are proving hot buys. Prices range from about €450 for a pair of plain gold earrings up to €5,000 for a purple amethyst and diamond ring. See www.mc-caul.com for details.
Ear for an ear
These lovely earrings are the work of London-based Irish designer Merle O’Grady, who studied fashion at LSAD and did an internship with UK designer Tracey Boyd, and from there went to Cordwainers College for a year of further study.
“I was always interested in accessories and I like the stand-alone aspect of bags and jewellery,” she says. A stint with Pauric Sweeney also helped her gain experience in bespoke leather work. Last year she launched her own label using her signature “punched” geometric laser-cut perspex shapes, ideal for earrings.
The idea for the current collection came after she started making jewellery from the remnants of 19th-century crystal chandeliers from a neighbouring architectural salvage shop. “I decided to make my own pieces with tiny holes from perspex and I like the juxtaposition between man-made and machine-cut materials with visibly hand-crafted assembly,” she says.
The lace patterns and tribal motifs are connected with crystal-tipped wire to form a decorative web effect, “a bit like a spirograph”, she thinks. The collection can be found in Dublin in Rebecca Davis’s shop in the Westbury Centre where a recent visitor, Beyoncé, became O’Grady’s latest fan. Elsewhere it can be found in Kalu in Naas and on www.boutique.com with prices from about €60 up to €250. She will be showing at London Fashion Week in September.