Dance on the street

CLOTHES LINES:Repetto was once associated only with dance shoes but this French company now sends out collections for the street as well as the stage, keeping its designs close to the fundamental idea of flexible footwear.

Repetto can be found in Smock in South William Street, Dublin 2, along with shoes by Dries Van Noten (arriving in July) and other accessories that catch the eye of owners Karen Crawford and Susan O’Connell. Their latest find is David Szeto, a Paris-based Canadian designer known by fashion followers for his flattering shapes and patterns. The dress pictured left (€485) is by Cathy Pill, another avant garde Belgian whose offbeat designs sit easily alongside Smock’s mix of APC, Veronique Branquinho, Tsumori Chisato and other international designers.

Wooden you

Clump, clump, clump. Can you bear the sound of a clog? The ring of old Holland, the vogue of the 1970s? Chanel put wooden shoes back on the fashion radar last season, and those currently to be found in the window of Inreda, a smart interiors boutique on Dublin’s Camden Street, are a far cry from the flooded fields or factory floors with which they have been traditionally associated. Designed by Anna Nordin, a Swedish fashion designer, they come with straps and rubber soles in red or brown patent or black suede at €95, but only in sizes 38, 39 and 40. Inreda, 71 Lr Camden Street, Dublin, tel: 01-4760362.

Ethical fashion fixes

Katharine Hamnett returns to Dublin on May 24th for Fashion Evolution, Rosie O’Reilly’s ethical fashion week that sees a string of events taking place in the Sugar Club and elsewhere. One of the more interesting will be a mentoring session for fashion fans where speakers will include award-winning fashion designer Eilis Boyle, photographer Andreas Pettersson and Prof Angela Woods, head of design at NCAD. On this subject, a new and exciting luxury eco label that came to our attention recently is Imitation and Disguise by Jean Philippe Gawronski, who worked with Martin Grant and Alber Elbaz at Lanvin in Paris before setting up on his own. His stunning collection, made with ecologically certified fabrics such as vegetable-dyed leather, linen, cotton and cotton jersey, is made in Brazil by ArteSol, a non-profit organisation dedicated to maintaining and sustaining local handcrafts.