DEIRDRE MCQUILLANtalks to Anne Melinn, joint course leader in the fashion department at Limerick School of Art & Design.
Describe what you're wearing.The shawl-collared coat is by Siobhán OCallaghan, a former student now working in London. I'm wearing it over a black, tiered chiffon skirt from Whistles and John Rocha shoes. The crystal earrings are Joanne Hynes, another former student.
Do you always wear your students' clothes?I always buy a piece from a graduate every year.
And the other jewellery?I go to France every year and pick up jewellery in the great street markets in Marciac for €10! The DG watch is from New York and the diamond ring from Hugh Statham, a wonderful jeweller in Naas. The diamond band is a combination of my late mother's engagement ring and my own. The solitaire was a gift from my husband.
How do you describe your style?It's an eclectic mix. I am not a fad buyer – I don't believe in that. I dress according to my mood, and students always know what's ahead for them in the day. I wouldn't wear tracksuits to save my life.
And black?I wear a lot of black as a base and my jewellery dictates the colours, so the brighter it is, the more chilled I am. In a bad mood, the jewellery would be more subdued and the clothes less adventurous.
Was fashion always a passion?I was brought up by a French order of nuns, La Sainte Union in Athlone, who encouraged my art – they were big on theatre and drama and drawing, and the headmistress was an artist. My mother made all my clothes and from an early age I would have been very stubborn about what I wanted to wear.
Your favourite items?The most expensive and most favourite item is a Stephen Sprouse coat I bought when I lived in New York in the 1980s. I went to Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and lived there for 10 years. I also treasure a pair of Chanel earrings that Jarlath Mellett (design director of Theory) got for me in Hong Kong.
Favourite shops?I love Kalu in Naas and TK Maxx in Limerick. I love Eilis Boyle's clothes and own most of her pieces. I think the Dover Street Market in London is a great concept and that markets are the way fashion is going, with fewer overheads and repeats. In New York, I'm a fan of the Prada store and in Paris, the Gaultier shop.
Grooming? Ihave my hair cut by Niall Colgan in Limerick and coloured by Marbles Hair Salon in Limerick. I have a manicure every two weeks – I got hooked in New York.
What do you do with your old clothes?My sister Colette, who is a wardrobe mistress (for EastEnders and more recently Opera Ireland), gets a lot of my clothes and as I am a big believer in recycling, I also give a lot to charity shops.
Whose dress style do you admire?I would say Daphne Guinness and the actor Tilda Swinton, because she is so androgynous and yet so feminine at the same time.
What do you draw from your students and vice versa?They give me as much as I give them. I love my job. I live my hobby. I am working with hugely creative people and the first thing I say to them is, know your customer.