Deirdre McQillan's style file... from Rome
STEPS OF THE POPES One fascinating aspect of Roman clothing is the whole business of ecclesiastical attire, and there are quite a few shops near the Pantheon, such as De Ritis and Gammarelli, selling everything from bishop's croziers and mitres to cardinal's hats and even cufflinks. Some of the fabrics in Ghezzi, for example, are sold by the metre for vestments and are incredibly beautiful. You can also find among the statues, ciboria and other church decorations, beautiful socks in ultra-fine cotton in papal purple and cardinal red, for around €8 a pair. And they don't bat an eyelid if you ask for them, either.
SAVE OUR SHOPS In Rome, landmark shops are protected from the predatory claws of multi-national brands by an alliance called the Association of Rome's Historic Shops (www.negozistorici.it), which makes shopping in the city such a treat. Would that Dublin could follow suit and protect our dwindling specialists. One of Rome's landmarks, for example, is the Farmacia Reale, which dates back to 1687, making it a few years younger than the late lamented Reads of Parliament Street.
DESIGNER DUO A delightful Roman shop is De Clercq & De Clercq on the Via dei Prefetti. It is run by two very artistic and stylish sisters, both clothes designers, one working with knits, the other with fabric. The clothes are refined and elegant, but with quirky touches, such as a navy cashmere sweater with a striped neckline and a red buttonhole in the shape of a tiny red hand. There are jackets, all sorts of tweed skirts, and in a city in which nearly every second shop seems to stock men's ties, it has some of the most beautiful knitted and woven ones I have ever seen. The only drawback is that it is quite expensive: €350 for the sweaters. www.declercqdeclercq.com
BEST FOOT FORWARD Among the many wonderful shoe shops in Rome, one stands out as being particularly special - Fausto Santini in the Via Frattina. The shoes have very distinctive shapes that rely on superb leather and curvy cutting rather than embellishment, the emphasis being on form rather than decoration. There's a certain organic look to the styles, particularly in the emphasis on more rounded toes. Even the runners look incredibly elegant. The collection also includes handbags, including one called Eccelesia whose clean lines are simple and stunning. At around €400, that's half the price of international global brands. View the shoes on the website www.faustosantini.com There are two other branches, one in Paris, on the Rue du Cherche-Midi, and the other on the Königsallee in Dusseldorf.
WHEN IN ROME . . . The woman who invented palazzo pants for women in the 1960s is currently being celebrated in a major exhibition in Rome. Fashion designer Irene Galitzine is 90 this year, and in her heyday she dressed the rich and famous including Jackie Kennedy, Diana Ross, Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. She was one of the key figures in putting Italy and its alta moda on the map for stylish Americans, as an alternative to Paris.
Her silk palazzos, "glamour at night, with a certain ease" as the then-editor of American Vogue described them, became her trademark. The show in the Via della Conciliazone, just down from St Peter's, has many examples, from the simple to the lavishly decorated, most worn with tunics. It is also, in effect, a history of fashion from the 1950s to the 1980s, and many of the coats from the mid-1960s seem surprisingly modern today.
Other items on show include her wedding dress in cream chiffon, from 1949; some incredible shoes - one pair with upturned toes in gold leather with diamante heels; and a stunning black cape positioned at the exit. Entry is free, and the exhibition runs until February 28th.