My style

FASHION: VIRGINIA TEEHAN Director of cultural projects and humanities research at University College, Cork

DESCRIBE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING:I bought the black Zapa dress in Murphy's boutique in Kilkenny about eight or nine years ago. The green crushed silk jacket is from Irish Handcrafts in Limerick. When you are tall, like I am, you have to wear clothes in proportion to your size and height. I am 5ft 9ins so unsculpted clothes suit my large frame. I'd never wear flowery prints or frills. The purple suede boots are from Luca in Cork.

AND ACCESSORIES?The neckpiece by Rudolf Hetzel was from his collection at the Hunt Museum called The Devil in the Detail, which comprised 20 newly-created pendants. The ring in silver and diamond cut rock crystal, also by Hetzel, was given to me by the board and staff of the Hunt Museum when I was leaving. The silver cuff is by Kevin O'Dwyer.

YOU OBVIOUSLY LIKE JEWELLERY. I collect jewellery and have good pieces by Irish-based designers. I have four pieces by Rudolf Hetzel, some by Kevin O'Dwyer, Marika O'Sullivan in silver and enamel, and Seamus Gill. My favourite is a Hetzel ring in silver and smoked quartz, made about 1970, which was my mother's.

DID SHE INFLUENCE YOUR STYLE?My mother, Maura, was a very fine draughtsman and dressmaker and used to make a lot of my clothes. She could draw patterns and when I was young I used to help her. I still have beautiful clothes that she made, but all her patterns were destroyed by mistake. I really think we should have a national institute of design, a repository of stitchcraft and drawings by designers such as Louise Kennedy, Peter O'Brien, John Rocha, both historical and contemporary – regrettably many drawings and maquettes are homeless.

WHAT SORT OF CLOTHES DO YOU BUY?I don't buy a lot, but I am very impulsive and if I see something that suits me I will buy it and keep it for a long time. I have clothes which my grandmother wore and I still wear – and she's been dead more than 35 years. I tend to look for design, cut, quality of fabric and finish and in general end up buying the same sort of clothes.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNERS?For workwear I tend to buy Quin & Donnelly every year, and suits with dresses or trousers and maybe a cocktail dress as well. I think that one or two pieces of good jewellery can change the look of work clothes.

WHAT IS THE MOST YOU'VE EVER SPENT?It was on a vintage evening dress with hand beading by Jenny Packham and I would be embarrassed to say what it cost. It was an extraordinary amount of money, but I hope it will go down the generations.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ITEM?What I treasure most in the world is an l8th-century hand- embroidered Chinese tea jacket in red, gold and navy, given to me by a friend who is a textile historian, when my twins were born in 2001. I wear it because she gave it to me on condition that I wear it.