It's January and it's sales time. Six people with a keen eye for a bargain buy talk to Deirdre McQuillan.
UNA FINN Vintage clothing enthusiast
"I got this black dress by Dolce & Gabbana in the Brown Thomas sale last year - it was €1,000 and I got it for €250. The black beaded beret cost €30 and came from House of Fraser during the summer. The John Rocha faux fur wrap was a gift I've had for a while. My shoes are by Christian Louboutin and were originally €500; I got them for €125, also in BTs last year. The green lizard-skin bag I found in a stall in the south of France for €50 and the pearls I got in Clignancourt market in Paris for €200.
"I always go to the sales on the first day, because I usually know what I want and the size before I go. But if there is something I really want, I will wait for it to come down by 75 per cent.
"I also love vintage, and the vintage shops in Dublin are great. I shop in Harlequin and Jenny Vander and the best bargain I ever got was an astrakhan coat from Harlequin. I also go to A Store is Born on Saturdays, and recently bought a beautiful Victorian lace scarf there for a friend for €75.
"I love the whole look of the 1950s and I buy a lot of hats and gloves. I love the way women wore hats and gloves with an outfit then - it was a very well-groomed period and I try to achieve that in my own way."
Red "Otto" stool by Artek with chrome legs (also in black or white) €139 from Nordic Living, 57 Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin. www.nordicliving.ie
CLAUDIA MALDONADO DAVY Buyer for Havana fashion boutique
"Although my parents are Bolivian, I was born in Sweden and lived there for years, so when I go back there now I look for Swedish designers whose clothes I like. I go to sales not looking for something special, but just to browse, because I love shopping and it is important to see what is out there. In Sweden I buy jeans for myself and some great things for my husband, Paul. I got this top by Anne Demeulemeester in the Havana sale – it was reduced from €650 to €50. It is very narrow and therefore quite difficult for many people to wear.
Akne is a great Swedish design label that I like. I tend to get more bargains in Sweden and when I go abroad, because I find that things are more expensive in Ireland. Generally, I look out more for accessories in sales, such as shoes. I have made mistakes; I remember buying a pair of black suede Alessandro Dell’Aqua shoes – they were bought in a rush and they were too high and too small and I never wore them again."
Robin Day 675 chair from Habitat, Dame Street, Dublin 2, €250
SUSAN REDMOND Buyer, National Gallery of Ireland shop
"I like sales, but don’t care for the bedlam of the January sales. I would buy a lot of my clothes in occasional sales during the year, and I look out for them. I look for quality at reasonable prices and I don’t like spending a fortune on something that I might not be able to wear in following seasons. Generally, I go for classics in the sales.
"My best buy was a coat in a second-hand shop in Australia – it was a brown suede belted coat with a fox-fur collar and it cost the equivalent of €45.
"I got this black lace and pink silk dress, which was originally more than €220, for €50 from Oasis, from their vintage collection. The pearls were €12 from a/wear.
"I buy jewellery in markets, as well as other bits and bobs such as this mock-croc bag which I picked up in Blackrock market recently for €10. My worst sale buy was a pink velvet skirt with layers of lace, which I picked up for half price, €50 or €60 in a small boutique. It did have a couple of admirers, but it is not something I would ever wear again. I have gone off that really lacey look now. It might look good on Sophie Dahl, but not on me."
The "Wiggle" chair by Frank Gehry, €1,325 from Haus, Crow Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
RACHEL SLATTERY Model and food hall manager of Fallon & Byrne in Exchequer Street, Dublin, due to open in the spring
"I bought this coat from the Boden catalogue – it is a three-quarter-length wool coat with a flower pattern that was originally £150; I got it for £39. I don’t buy necessarily because something is in fashion at the time. I have been living in Lagos in Portugal and most of the shops are Spanish high-street outlets such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, and I just don’t like high-street shops. I used to buy from the APC catalogue and then my sister in west Cork told me about Boden. I love mail order – it’s like getting a present.
"Coats are really the best buy in the sales. I have an old fur coat that was given to me years ago that I love wearing, and in Tokyo 12 years ago I bought a Yohji Yamamoto black coat which is still amazing. It cost about £1,000 at the time, but if you divide it by 12, it has more than paid for itself, and people still remark on it every time I wear it.
"I know what suits me, and I like to be comfortable as I walk a lot, so I have a lot of boots. I am nearly 1.82m (6ft) tall, so I can’t wear anything too high. My favourite place is Smock in Temple Bar, because they buy really well and I can always pick up something beautiful there. I will also call in on Costume and Brown Thomas. I love shopping in Paris because there are so many individual little shops. I like one-off things, individual clothes rather than clothes made for the mass market. I also like colour and interesting patterns and print."
Brown leather chair, €99 from Dunnes Home, South Great George’s
Street, Dublin 2
SIMON O’DRISCOLL Bespoke and contract furniture designer
"I got this grey wool coat by Comme des Garçons in Colette in Paris in January about six or seven years ago when the shop had just opened. I liked the structure and unusual detailing inside and out, and I got it for half price, about €300. I wore it non-stop when I first got it – it is a lovely coat and as a furniture designer I found the use of stitching interesting, because of making covers for sofas. It is not typical of men’s coats and is a little more quirky than a long coat.
"If I’ve seen something that I like, but consider to be overpriced, I would be conscious of a sale down the line and would go back for it. I think both furniture and fashion often tend to be overpriced. Fashion has become more disposable – I like things that will last and will have this coat for a long time to come.
"Quality is important, and if the design doesn’t date and the fabric doesn’t deteriorate, then it will last. The same principles apply to furniture. You don’t gain much from buying cheap – whether it’s fashion or furniture, it’s about enduring quality. I like Comme des Garçons, and also APC, which is all about simplicity and use of long-lasting materials. I go to sales to buy shoes because I get through footwear very quickly. Again, I look for good quality."
The "Zoom" chair made from bent tubular steel and upholstered in a wide range of colours, with matching stools, (approximately ¤450) from O’Driscoll Furniture Designers, 26-28 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2
HELEN CODY Designer, currently working on an installation-based art show in Dublin, opening in April
"I buy antique things from markets, such as Victorian lace and tulle; things that are falling apart that nobody usually wants, and then I reconstruct them into more structured items that work for the modern woman. This is a double-breasted black military jacket bound in satin with satin buttons and piping, which I found in Zara in Paris for €130 last September. It is made of stretch wool, the sort of fabric that if used in a coat would usually cost at least €900. It was reduced from €180. I just wonder how they do it. I make clothing for a living and when you know what it takes to put something together like this, I am just amazed at how they can do it for the price. Chloe had a similar coat for around €1,200. "I moved the buttons around to make it more fitted – I rarely leave things alone. I always think that an item would be much nicer if I did something to it. I am obsessed with antiques and old things and I also spend a ridiculous amount of money on shoes. But I just love this jacket."
Victorian "Ghost" chair by Philippe Starck, €176 from Urban Outfitters, Cecilia Street,Temple Bar, Dublin 2