Go gorey:A colleague who complains about how difficult it is to find great clothes for larger sizes has been raving about the merits of Curvy Chic, a boutique in Gorey run by Martina Monaghan, who has more than 20 years' experience in the business in both the US and Ireland.
The boutique specialises in sizes 16-30 and has more than 23 European labels displayed over two floors. Curvy Chic is at McDermott Street, Gorey, Co Wexford. www.curvy-chic.com, 053-9484900.
Brogue bags
The winner of the second Chesneau bag design competition, open to third-year fashion and textile students at the National College of Art & Design, is 21-year-old Dubliner Niamh Langton (above, with Edmond Chesneau), whose designs are based on the idea of the recurring punched and broguing motifs on classic children's and men's shoes. She received a prize of €1,000 and so impressed Edmond Chesneau that he intends to work with her on putting some of these ideas into production. There were also impressive submissions from Gerard Handcox, Aoife Gallagher, Suzanne Acton and Faye Rochford. The next competition will involve metalwork students, who will be bringing their ideas about designing handbag hardware to the project.
See red
The former Ave Maria shop on Clarendon Street, Dublin 2, now called Rouge, has just been reopened by owner Maria Fusco. It stocks a red-hot selection of clothes, accessories, furniture and art, and there are plans to include a wine bar. "It was all done on a whim," she says. The shop is a personal selection of very sexy dresses, little clutches, jewellery, mirrors, leopard-print chairs, and shoes displayed like sculpture. "I wanted the shop to have a luxurious look, but not be expensive. I think people want fashion that is affordable." Fusco launched her own collection, under her own name, at a charity ball in the Four Seasons hotel in Dublin recently. She describes it as being "from cocktail to couture", and the 25-piece collection will be mostly dresses, in leather, silk and lace. Inquiries to 01-6334712.
