THE SOCIAL NETWORK:There were no gimmicks or special effects during Peter O'Brien's fashion show on Tuesday evening at Arnotts; although one did come afterwards.
The show – rather like O’Brien’s designs – was graceful and elegant, with models sashaying down a black carpet.
Pride of place in the front row was given to the fashion designer’s mother, Muriel, who said her son used to make clothes for her before she had a stroke.
“It’s very easy to style a fashion show with PO’B: no make-up, no jewellery, no accessories and flat shoes,” O’Brien said after the show.
The Carolan String Quartet played instrumentals, including Elbow’s Beautiful Day; Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling and Depeche Mode’s Just Can’t Get Enough.
Xposé’s Glenda Gilson appeared to have had enough and left just before the fashion show began.
O’Brien requested that 17-year-old Eve Connolly was chosen alongside more experienced models. Connolly, who has been modelling for just over a year, told me she has just gone into sixth year at St Wolstan’s Community School in Celbridge.
Sonya Lennon was joined by her twins, Evie and Finn, who didn’t care for the clothes but certainly enjoyed Clodagh McKenna’s brownies.
The actor and author Claudia Carroll thought the show was overwhelming; “Everything that went past me was like a work of art,” she said, breathlessly. She had just heard earlier on Tuesday evening that her latest book, A Very Accidental Love Story, was number 11 in the UK book charts. She was delighted and said: “It’s hard to get past Fifty Shades of Grey.”
Carroll has her next book completed and was hoping to finish editing it on Wednesday. “It’s about a girl who goes missing, and her best friend tries to track her down.”
The beauty therapist Anne Boylan had just come from the launch of Celebrating What Truly Matters: Powers Irish Whiskey Short Story Collection volume two, in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation, at Finnegans on Sorrento Road, Dalkey. There, Boylan had caught up with Gordon Snell, who had attended to lend his support for the launch of the anthology, which includes a foreword by his late wife, Maeve Binchy.
Who we spottedNorma Smurfit; artist Eithne Healy; broadcasters Lorraine Keane and Pamela Flood; make-up artist Ken Boylan; chef Clodagh McKenna; Arnotts chief executive Nigel Blow; and singer Maria Tecce.
An independent book
Dr Kevin Rafter asked Eamon Dunphy to launch Independent Newspapers – A History at the Royal Irish Academy on Monday evening.
“I note the muted applause from the many veterans of Irish journalism here tonight, many of them distinguished journalists from the Independent Group,” Dunphy said. He said he had entered Independent House, in 1983, “as a former footballer in the second division and a journeyman. I was far from made welcome by the people at Independent Newspapers.”
He recounted tales from the book. It was said that the one-time owner of the newspaper William Martin Murphy had a copy of the Companies Act in one hand and The Imitation of Christ in the other.
“It’s a very, very serious moment for Irish journalists. The resources aren’t there, there are other means of getting the news . . . and that is very, very troubling.”
In order to understand what is best about newspapers, Dunphy said, he’d like to “refer everybody to the phone-hacking story in Britain and the state of the industry in Britain”. The Guardian and the Observer “allowed Nick Davies nine years to work on the phone-hacking story. At the end he was vindicated but, most importantly, British democracy, you could argue, was saved from terrible consequences.”
Rafter thanked the Political Studies Association of Ireland for giving a grant, “which is contributing partially to some of the wine you’re drinking”. He said Dublin City University gave “a little bit of money”, which contributed to the cost of the index.
Independent News and Media has no involvement in the book. However, Rafter thanked Gavin O’Reilly, who gave “full access to whatever photographs we wanted”.
Who we spottedDr Mark O'Brien, the co-editor of the book; Stephen Rae, the editor of the Irish Independent; TV3's Ursula Halligan; Gerard Lyne, former Keeper of Manuscripts at the National Library of Ireland; Martin Fanning, senior editor with Four Courts Press, who is a nephew of the former Sunday Independent editor, the late Aengus Fanning.
Sparkling evening
Liam McGrattan, who has been living in the Shelbourne Hotel for the past 18 months, went to Brown Thomas on Wednesday evening for the launch of the Waterford Wedgwood Boutique. McGrattan is a director of the private international investment company Wilhan Limited.
The businessman, who keeps a low profile, had a “few” Waterford Crystal chandeliers put aside in Brown Thomas, which he hopes to collect after Christmas. The shop is looking after them for him until his house in Clontarf is ready to move into after renovations.
One of Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton’s designers, Jo Sampson, was there to showcase her London Collection for the company.
Sampson is creative director of the commercial interior design firm Blacksheep, and she has worked on numerous international projects including the retail spaces for the fashion house Hermès and Jamie Oliver’s restaurants. She was staying at the Westbury Hotel for a few days.
Who we spottedInterior designer Sinead Considine, who is also a contestant on MasterChef Ireland; lighting designer for Waterford Crystal, Billy Canning; BT managing director Stephen Sealy; chef Peaches Kemp, who was serving canapés; Ciara McKenna and Kim Knowles of jewellery company Coldlilies.
Galaxy of stars
Former Miss Ireland Holly Carpenter dropped into the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphone at City Hall on Tuesday, the date of her 21st birthday.
The hall was transformed into a white-themed galaxy for the evening, with a rotating floor and real-life “moving” Grecian statues. RTÉ presenter Daithí Ó Sé chatted to Martin McHugh, who was on the 1992 Donegal All-Ireland winning team. McHugh’s son, Mark, was on this year’s winning Donegal team.
The chef Andrew Rudd was looking forward to opening Kelly Hood’s exhibition at Balla Bán Art Gallery at the Westbury Mall on Thursday. Guests enjoyed cocktails while listening to the tunes of Krystle’s resident DJ, Arveene.
Who we spottedLeinster rugby players Mike Ross and Isaac Boss; Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model contestants Lisa Madden and Hannah Devane.
‘Sex and the City’ meets ‘Glenroe’
Broadcaster Claire Byrne took time out of a busy week to attend the autumn/winter 2012 showcase of Hunter boots at Fitzpatricks on Grafton Street on Wednesday evening.
“Richard Crowley is off, so I was doing Prime Time this week. I’m a jack of all trades.”
She’s on air today at 1pm for Saturday with Claire Byrne and will then travel to Laois for “a big family celebration as it’s my sister Eileen’s 30th birthday”. Byrne’s boyfriend, Gerry Scollan, had a bad dose of “man flu”, so she bought him a pair of shoes to cheer him up. Very Sex and the City.
The Irish international and Leinster rugby player Fergus McFadden dropped in. He’s looking forward to today’s match against Exeter Chiefs at the RDS. “It’s the first pool game in the Heineken, and Exeter are sixth in the table at the moment and we’re obviously wary of them coming over here, although we have them at home.”
In last week’s game against Munster, McFadden played in Gordon D’Arcy’s position. “Darce has hurt his ribs and I played number 12 last week. I’m not sure what [Joe Schmidt] is going to do with the team this week. It was a good win over Munster last week so I just hope to be playing again, whether it’s in the centre or on the wing.” McFadden, from the Curragh in Kildare, told me he doesn’t have many pairs of wellies “but after looking at [the Hunters] . . . they’re pretty stylish and cool. I’m after trying a pair on. The next time I’m down in the National Stud – I tend to go out walking with the parents, checking out horses – I can throw them on.” Sex and the City meets Glenroe.
