The Wexford native studied interiors in Canada before launching her fashion brand at the start of the pandemic. This season, you can really appreciate her expert eye for print and colour in her pretty ‘Siren Song’ print.
There’s huge attention to detail and she really went the extra mile and showcased it beautifully with pleasing print placement on both the midi dress (€460) and the playful mini dress (€430).
‘Siren Song’ midi dress, €460, cobblerslane.com
Printed in France, the ‘Siren Song’ print is made with a soothing cotton which I had the pleasure to see first-hand when I visited Monica’s studio in Belfast. It was New Year’s Eve and I couldn’t pass through town without visiting Monica and take up a long-standing invitation from last August when I met the designer at the RDS.
Monica’s second original print this season is called ‘Golden Hour’. A peachy floral, it is printed on a recycled polyester, and she has done a midi-length dress (€425) with billowing sleeves and flattering empire line. The print works brilliantly on a blouse (€210) with stand-up collar, while the skirt (€230) has a border-print hemline and the two look pretty ideal for relaxed but dressy summer days out.
‘Golden Hour’ midi dress, €425, cobblerslane.com. Photo: Milana Ziedelyte
Cobbler’s Lane is stocked at Curated by Design Centre in Kildare Village and Lady Lorna Designer Emporium in Kilkenny and you can pre-order online. cobblerslane.com
Style pair do it again
Is it only 18 months since John Redmond and his wife, Karen Higgins, launched their Ecru Studios? It seems much longer because the creative pair with an absolutely incredible eye for detail have invaded so many of our wardrobes and homes with a compelling mix of clothing, accessories and homewares.
This weekend, you can catch them at their new pop-up, which opened in Dublin’s Westbury Mall on Thursday and will remain open until after Easter.
Silk shirt, €450, wide cropped pants, €270, ribbon weave chain bag, €350, Ecru Studios. Photo: Dylan Madden
Their curated buy this season includes a very elegant scarlet pleated asymmetric shirt in 100pc silk. Made in Turkey, the shirt is one of the standout pieces in a thoroughly international collection.
There are lots of versatile pieces, like a sleeved kimono-style draped jacket (€160) in a vibrant old gold. Made in a viscose blend with a satin finish, it layers up nicely with matching separates, such as a shell top (€85), drawstring pants (€165) or a kaftan dress (€175), building an ideal capsule for wearing now and on holidays.
Silk bias cut maxi dress in a firey orange, €325, worn with drape jacket, €235, ecrustudios.com
A luxe embroidered Italian coat (€1,225) is one of the most expensive pieces in their SS24 buy. They also bought the kaftan dress and the jacket in a striking shade of royal blue, and fans of the colour orange will love the 100pc silk satin maxi kaftan and ribbon weave bags.
Knitwear is a very strong category in the store, with some Italian gems including a cotton-mix boat-neck crochet patch sweater (€325) and a unisex stripe knit top with alternative colour combinations front and back in cotton and linen (€200). ecrustudios.com
Patchwork sweater, €325, satin curve pants, €320, and ribbon weave chain bag, €350, ecrustudios.com
Hidden touches at DWTS
The style values have been strong on this year’s season of RTÉ’s Dancing with the stars which wraps tomorrow night.
Stylists Clémentine MacNeice and Louise Lawlor have done such a good job dressing co-presenters Jennifer Zamparelli and Doireann Garrihy in a clever mix of designer, high-street and rental pieces.
Arthur Gournounlian wearing a made-to-measure Louis Copeland red celt jacket. Photo: Daragh O’Neill.
Irene O’Brien styled the three judges over the 11 weeks, and I have to especially name-check Arthur Gourounlian, who stepped out in some made-to-measure suits, working on them with David O’Connor, general manager of Louis Copeland.
And what you won’t have seen on the telly is the personal touches. There was a double-breasted brown velvet suit and a Ferrari-red velvet jacket, and Arthur’s signature catch phrases ‘J’dore’ and ‘Let’s do this’ were embroidered under the collar.
It’s a nice opportunity to personalise a special suit or tuxedo. louiscopeland.com
Rita Ora’s five-piece suit
I got a huge amount of wear from my Primark X Rita Ora black satin blouson zipped jacket last season so I was keen to get the lowdown on the brand’s third collection with the singer/style queen, which launches in stores next Tuesday.
The collection continues to be closely co-designed by Primark and Rita and styled by Rita’s stylist, Pippa Atkinson.
The most expensive item is a distressed biker jacket for €40 and least expensive is the chunky hoop earrings at €4.50.
There’s a five-piece pink suit with an oversized blazer (€36), trousers (€20), bralette top (€16), and when the temperatures climb, swap in Bermuda shorts and buckle short skirt, both €18.
The collection includes a chic cream pinstripe blazer (€34) and matching trousers (€20) and frayed denim pieces include maxi skirt (€24), bandeau (€18) and skort (€18). For information and images, go to primark.com.
