Freestyle:Full marks to Julie Christie, the 66-year old actress nominated for an Oscar in tomorrow's ceremony for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's sufferer in Away from Her.
Christie insists on wearing her own clothes for awards ceremonies, rather than engaging stylists, and has so far refused to accept free, red-carpet designer dresses. "I don't buy into the walking advertisement thing. It's about creating your own look rather than product placement," she told reporters. How many contemporary stars have such courage and independence?
Hands off!
Amy Hamilton of Onboard, the surf, snow and sail shop in Dublin's Grafton Arcade, is no slouch when it comes to identifying new trends in adventure sports. She is also very adventurous in the way she dresses and is known for her fast-changing hairstyles. At a recent trade show in Munich, she met a surf shop owner sporting feathers in his hair and was so taken with the idea that she bought herself a bag of blue and yellow ones. Back in Dublin she had the 10 quills glued into her hair by Cowboys & Angels in South William Street, where they are more used to dealing with hair extensions, but used the same method to fix the feathers into her hair. The effect is striking. "They should last for three months and people seem to like them," she says. "The only drawback is that everybody feels they have to touch them."
Chelsea girls
With horticultural prints being all the rage this season - blame it on Balenciaga which even featured a swirly floral carpet as a catwalk - LK Bennett has issued a colourful new spring shoe collection, and has created a shoe specially to celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show in May. It's called the Chelsea shoe (€249) and is a limited edition, in rose-printed linen. The company has also taken the pioneering step of participating in London's most celebrated horticultural event, with a garden entry designed by presenter Rachel de Thame inspired by LK Bennett's collection of painterly floral prints. It features pinks, pomegranate and cherry tones, with irises, aquilegia and grasses filling the beds. A single forest pansy tree and a steel sculpture will add height and structure, just like a well-made stiletto. The shoes are on sale in Brown Thomas, Dublin.
Showstopper
The Grafton Academy celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion it will stage two fashion shows in the Riding School in Collins Barracks on Saturday, April 5th. The shows will celebrate the memory of Pauline Clotworthy, founder of the Academy, the first institution of its kind in Ireland for training fashion designers. Grafton Academy opened in 1938 and it was to be nearly 40 years before the National College of Art & Design offered a diploma, and later a degree course in the subject. It is expected that the event will bring together well-known graduates such as Neilí Mulcahy, whose exhibition is currently running at Collins Barracks, Paul Costelloe, Ib Jorgensen and Richard Lewis, along with other distinguished alumni. The shows will present collections from recent graduates, along with the designs of current students. Grafton Academy, 6 Herbert Place, Dublin 2, 01-6763653.