ARTHUR DUFF, designer co-owner of Duff Tisdall architectural and interior design company talks to DEIRDRE McQUILLAN
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING:The shirt was made in India from old Irish linen, the tie was a gift from my mother, and the bundi or collarless waistcoat was also made in India, where I lived for many years. The trousers were made by a tailor called Judy in Shenzen, China, where I travel for work, and the silver cufflinks were made by Emma Stuart-Liberty, incorporating the DT logo.
YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE SHOES?They were a gift from Zurich. I was sent one in a box by way of inviting me to be a godfather, so I had to go there to get the other one! The child is now 15 and I'm still wearing them. I tend to hang on to shoes.
DO YOU MIX OLD AND NEW?What that reflects is an eclectic involvement with beautiful materials. When you live with something, whether it's a piece of furniture or a garment, it grows with you and you make it your own.
DESCRIBE YOUR STYLEIt's a kind of non-style. Even though I am involved in selling things, I am not a great shopper. I'm too big for most people's clothes. Everything has to be easy and has to fit. Comfort and being at ease is a priority, so that you are ready for the world.
DO YOU HAVE FAVOURITE SHOPS?It's where somebody is connected with what they sell – it could be a market where people are passionate about what they do. I was taken with the Paul Smith shop in London and spent more money because of the way I was looked after. I drifted in and ended up with a full rigout, and everything arrived in a box because things had to be altered. I still have the suit five or six years later.
WERE YOU ALWAYS INTERESTED IN DESIGN?I grew up with good design and a great level of interest in it, through my parents, and an uncle who was an architect, and constant exposure to the new and the old.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ITEM?It has to be this Irish Cottage Industries scarf from Cleo which I inherited from my cousin Audrey, who was a very stylish woman in an utterly simple way. I can't let it go.
WHAT ABOUT COLOUR?Colour is the essence of life and reflects energy. I encourage people to move away from taupe and magnolia and move into life and live with it. I wear a lot of colour and there is always colour in some form or other like in a scarf, waistcoat or pullover. Colour is a kind of focus. And always ties.
YOU LOVE TIES?I hoover up ties from everybody – I even have my dad's ties. I don't buy ties, I inherit them. My mother always brings me back ties from her travels. I don't see a tie as a constriction, but as a distillation and a point of reference, a little celebration in an otherwise dull outfit.
DO YOU HAVE A TAILOR?Mr Darcy in Capel Street is still sitting on his bench and has made waistcoats for me. I discovered him when I did costumes for Opera Theatre Ireland.
ANYTHING YOU WOULDN'T WEAR?I can't understand this obsession with jeans – I have no interest in them at all. I am not so keen on leather either. There's quite a vogue for leather jackets that don't fit and perch on people's shoulders.
YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY FABRICS – HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?Context is everything and pattern books are dangerous because they are without context. The great challenge is to produce balance in the context of a room or what you're wearing. Design decisions are about that balance, that calm.
A series of lectures, Thinking Inside Out, on home and interiors will be given by Selma Harrington on May 16th and 30th at Duff Tisdall, Goatstown, Dublin 14. For further information, see duff-tisdall.ie