"She was a genius with cloth, colour, design and style and had a great eye for a woman's shape."
So said President Mary McAleese yesterday at a special commemorative event for the fashion designer Miriam Mone who died last year of cancer at the age of 42.
Speaking at a private ceremony with family members of Ms Mone prior to a fundraising event in the State Apartments of Dublin Castle, Mrs McAleese recalled how the late designer - who was responsible for her inauguration outfits and many uniforms for Áras an Uachtaráin staff - excelled in the colours red and black, the county Down colours.
"She was from Armagh and I was Down and there was nobody more proud of that Armagh woman than I. She had amazing grace and creativity and we became great friends. I loved her work and the values and principles she brought to it," said the President, who met members of the designer's family, including her husband Willy Healy and daughters Katerina (4) and Alana (2). Margaret Mone, mother of the late designer, recalled how her daughter made her first dress at the age of five.
The fashion show featured glamorous day and evening clothes from the Design Centre's spring/summer 2008 collections, including heavily beaded black trapeze dresses from John Rocha, slim-fitted silks from John McCormack, flower prints from Kenzo and slinky maxi dresses from Jasmine de Milo, Ben de Lisi and Synan O Mahony. Mone's little daughters wore fairytale dresses in fabrics belonging to their late mother.