A glance through the much-discussed list of stylish women in this month's Image magazine shows that while a couple of those chosen may originally have come from the west, none is now resident in Galway city or Connemara.
It might be argued that as Ireland's capital of the woolly jumper, Galway has traditionally taken little interest in fashion. Certainly, the number of shops selling sweaters in the city seems proportionately higher than most other places around the country, but recent retail developments now allow Galwegians other sartorial opportunities than an all-embracing knit.
Like other Irish urban centres, Galway has experienced something of a shopping boom in recent years. Figures for last year indicated that the city, with a population of approximately 60,000, now had sufficient retail facilities for almost six times that figure. Trade in Galway increased by 9.6 per cent in 1995 and 15.4 per cent in 1996, double the national average.
Projections for further growth in this area suggest an additional 9 per cent annually for the next three years, although early data for 1998 suggest this target has already been surpassed.
As a centre of tourism for the west much of Galway's retail expansion is obviously due to visitors rather than locals. Expenditure in the city last year by non-Galwegians on shopping, including souvenirs, reached some £30 million, and it is expected that the total this year will be higher still.
"There has been a massive investment in the city over the past eight to 10 years," said Mr Michael Heneghan, newly-appointed co-ordinator for the Heart of Galway Association. His job is to manage and promote the city's retail sector and he points to the opening of the Eyre Square Centre in 1991 as marking a turning point in Galway's fortunes.
Another shopping complex is now being built on a site adjoining the centre, adding to the number of outlets available to shoppers in Galway. The city has now become so buoyant that multinational chains are also taking an interest. The chemist chain Boots is due to open a branch shortly on a site on Shop Street and Marks & Spencer has expressed an interest in opening a Galway store, although no suitable site has been found yet.
Mr Heneghan believes the pedestrianisation of certain key streets last March was a crucial element in attracting more shoppers into Galway, and hence more money. Trade has risen by between 15 and 18 per cent in pedestrianised areas, he said.
He anticipates still further growth next year when Galway Corporation initiates a programme to improve the appearance of the pedestrianised district from William Street to Quay Street with new granite and limestone paving and plenty of seating and other street furniture.
"The whole purpose of this work is to make Galway city centre one of the most attractive in Europe for the millennium," he said.
Galway's retail reputation should be enhanced this autumn when the city features as a destination on Cilla Black's Blind Date programme. Earlier in the year a couple were filmed visiting local shops and choosing Claddagh rings.
Mr Heneghan says there is a long list of other television programmes similarly focusing on the retail side of Galway. That the city centre owes much of its prosperity to visitors is indisputable but wise retailers know not to place too much reliance on tourism.
Getting the balance right appears to have worked for potter and shop-owner Judy Greene, incoming president of Galway Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the large shop bearing her name on Upper Cross Street, she also runs Design Concourse on the adjacent Kirwan's Lane. The latter's first floor of 800 square feet is dedicated to Irish clothing for men and women with familiar names such as Magee, Edel MacBride and Pat McCarthy taking up most space.
Ms Greene slid into fashion retailing by chance rather than design. Having used the Kirwan's Lane premises as an exhibition space, she allowed a number of clothing manufacturers to show their lines and, when customers showed sufficient interest, decided to add further labels. This is only her third season to stock a full range of clothing and there are plans to overhaul the whole floor next year.
While large, loose sweaters initially sold best, she and her buyer, Ms Pascaline Devine, have found coats and suits are doing better as more local people get to know Design Concourse as a clothes shop. "We see it moving more into Ramsay of Dublin, with more suits and more structured-looking pieces," she said.
She says Irish consumers seem to prefer tailored styles and shy away from anything which looks too ethnic, such as Aran knitwear. Ms Devine concurs: "People are saturated with buying sweaters, even in Galway. I'd say every woman must have about five of them and no one wants another one."
There are exceptions, of course, such as the clientele of Les Jumelles on Market Street which stocks Lainey Keogh's exceptional knitwear. Owned by Bandon-born sisters Ms Mary McSweeney and Ms Margaret McNamara, the shop celebrated its first birthday last month with a charity fashion show in the Ardilaun House Hotel.
"We knew there were a lot of people going to Dublin to shop so we picked out the labels we loved ourselves like Sara Sturgeon and Betty Jackson and then added to them," Ms McSweeney said.
Now Les Jumelles even has customers in Dublin, although the majority of its clientele is based along the western seaboard, running from Sligo to Limerick. The shop stocks a wide range of overseas and Irish labels.
The latter include not just Lainey Keogh but also Louise Kennedy, Mary Gregory, Deirdre Fitzgerald, John Rocha, Mary Grant, Roisin Gartland and jeweller Vivien Walsh. "It took a while to build up our customer base because there are a lot of casual dressers in Galway," Ms McSweeney said. "Prices here are higher than they would have been before but that's absolutely not a problem. When we started, Louise Kennedy would have been one of our most expensive labels - a suit from her this season sells for around £600 - but certain customers are happy to spend that and more. Galway is definitely a thriving city."
This opinion is shared by Breda Francis, general manager of Galway's principal department store, Moons. Over the past two months the shop has undergone some expansion, taking over the first floor of A.Wear next door to increase the women's fashion floor by 3,000 square feet.
Add a number of labels not previously stocked such as Episode, Marella, Watercolours and French Connection, and the result has been a 50 per cent increase in sales this season. "We're a lot busier and business is very good," Ms Francis said. "There's definitely money in Galway."
There are also more opportunities than ever before to find fashionable labels in the city so presumably if Image's editorial team were ever tempted to run another feature on style, Galwegians might be included.