Sister act:I met Maree and Carolanne Gorman when the sisters were busy buying their first season's collections from Yasmin Velloza and unable to resist many of her sexy creations.
The pair have quit their jobs to open Makaba in the Whitewater Centre in Newbridge, and if their enthusiasm for their new venture is anything to go by, it will certainly pass on to their customers. Everything has been individually chosen (and tried on!) and includes the Pinko label (pictured), 7 Jeans for All Mankind (the sole stockist in Kildare of this best-selling brand), and Day Birger & Mikkelson, along with bold jewellery from Mawi. The shop introduced the Victoria Beckham dress from Bernshaw with its capped sleeves. Everything hangs from heavy leather straps suspended from the chandeliered ceiling - an apt touch in an equestrian county. Click on www.makaba.ie or visit 53 The Avenue, Whitewater Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare. These girls do nothing by half.
Paris gems:For second-hand bargain hunters in Paris, Les Ginettes, situated in a lovely 17th-century building on the rue du Sabots in the 7th arrondisement, is a great place to find clothes, cosmetics, jewellery and interiors pieces at hard to beat prices. Many items come from French fashion journalists, and from shops in the area such as Celine, Barbara Bui, Furla and Ralph Lauren. I spotted a Marc Jacobs belt for €45 and an expensive Lancôme face cream for half price. Most of the boots were around €100 and there's a whole rail of winter coats, again at a fraction of their original price. Another new shop on the rue des Saints-Pères, called Iro, attracts the city's savvy dressers for its edgy line-up of knitwear and dresses by up-and-coming designer Laurent Arik Bitton, with jewellery by Elaine Stone. It's the place to find jeans from €100-€300 and oversized leather bags for €460, along with sharp-eyed and trendy Parisiennes selecting their clothes for work and play.
Free spirit:It's not hard to understand why Nathalie Garçon goes down well in the west of Ireland. It's a Provence-based brand with a certain bohemian flamboyance that suits the Galway spirit with its mix of gypsy dresses, taut tailoring and sharp new takes on current trends. This winter, for example, there are wide-leg trousers worn with striped shirts and waistcoats, flared skirts teamed with striped cardigans and pleated tweed suits, made even sassier when worn with, say, purple suede high boots. Part of the Garella group that also includes Blue Blanc Rouge and Indies, the company turned over €46 million last year, so they get things right. In Galway, find Nathalie Garcon in Stephanie Lynch, 4/5 High Street.
