The printed linens featured scenes of people playing tennis in the garden and he built up that theme with fabulous V-neck knits.
Paul Costelloe Living Studio navy striped linen dress, €70, available from May 20 at Dunnes Stores
Backstage, I asked Paul if he would consider doing some of those glorious stripes and nostalgic ‘Lady’ prints for his Studio Living range for Dunnes Stores. I’m so pleased that he has done just that.
Some pieces have arrived into store, with more coming on May 20, so make a note in your diary because they are really gorgeous and very well-priced. There is a navy striped dress (€70, right), a double-breasted white linen blazer (€100), and there will also be an iconic white and navy striped blazer, which would look fab with the white embroidered linen skirt (€60) that is currently in store.
Paul Costelloe embroidered linen skirt, €60, and double-breasted blazer, €100, coming on May 20
I always like to see collections where you build up different mix-and-match looks over the weeks.
While in London recently, I went to see Paul at his studio and met his artist son, William, who is responsible for the gorgeous exclusive prints on Paul’s silk kaftans. They cost €120 each and come in a striking turquoise print with black and white border and a floral one in shades of coral and terracotta. dunnesstores.com
V-neck dresses
Pale blue dress, €59.99, and mustard dress, €49.99, New Look, Jervis Shopping Centre. Photo: Leon Farrell
I love the styling skills of Zeda the Architect, who recently prompted me go take a look at the dresses in the New Look store in the Jervis Shopping Centre after seeing her shoot. I thought the flattering V-neck styles would suit those on the communion circle this month. They were very well-priced, along with the Stradivarius and Bershka shoes, Parfois bags and earrings from Dansran.
Trouser suits
“The weather might be bad, but your wardrobe never will be, whatever the season.” That’s the promise of fashion designer and interiors queen Catriona Hanly, who has made quite a name for herself in the last two years for her statement trouser suits.
I first spotted her tweed and velvet designs at Ashling Kilduff’s ‘Curated’ store in Kildare Village. On a recent call there, I spied the pieces from Catriona’s new All Seasons collection, so named because it was designed with year-round use in mind.
Catriona Hanly suit. Photo: Marc O’Sullivan
This Italian-inspired collection includes the ‘Dolce Vita’ silk suits, which can be paired with matching pencil trousers or flared bottoms.
The yellow satin suit I saw had a jacket priced at €295, while the matching tapered trousers are €275 and the flared style are €295.
Catriona is also doing a ‘Grazia’ tweed collection and, for special occasions, has evening dresses. You can see the full collection on her website. catrionahanly.com
Summer buys
It’s been a busy start to the month for the Stable of Ireland girls, Sonia Reynolds and Francie Duff, who have just launched their new Irish linen pieces in their store in Dublin’s Westbury Mall.
Avid travellers the pair of them, they have been putting their new designs through their paces and are thrilled with how they performed.
Linens from the new Stable of Ireland SS24 collection
The thermostatic attributes of linen allow the fabric to cool the skin when it is warm and retain warmth when it is cold “so the antimicrobial features of linen also means that linen smells fresh all the time”.
Their new SS24 range is built around three key linen garments — a skirt (€325), top (€275) and a kaftan (€395). All of the shapes are designed to be worn loose. The colour palette includes a coral red, yellow, navy and white, and all the pieces are finished off with the brand’s signature orange stitching. They have also done the top in a red check and a blue stripe.
Patirick Scott silk kaftan dress, €1,200, from Stable of Ireland
A lovely addition this season is the Patrick Scott silk kaftan dress, which costs €1,200. There are only 10 of these limited-edition silk dresses, which were made with what was left of the original printed clothes from the Art Series 3 project they did in 2018 with Eric Pearce.
The girls explained how this was a very special project they were so honoured to do, working with Patrick’s original design for a scarf that he made in 1968. Stable printed the scarf exactly half a century on from when it was originally designed by Patrick for the Kilkenny Design Workshops in Kilkenny city back in the 1960s.
The kaftan dress is a tunic style and comes in one size only due to the nature of the print. stableofireland.com
