A new range of lingerie due to make its Irish debut in Brown Thomas next month is a response to the “body positivity” movement which is about the brain not the body, according to Noelle Wolf, founder of the brand that carries her name.
A philanthropist and ex-fashion PR based in Santa Barbara, Wolf set up the range with Ris Fatah (ex Coco de Mer) to “equip women with something that makes them feel good and that fits beautifully the minute they get dressed in the morning. It’s about feeling sensual not sexual,” she says. You get some idea of the styles which are split into four groups called Soul, Bond, Mist and Bold from the photos and the design details that merge luxury fabrics with innovative design. French silks, Austrian stretch lace and Swiss embroideries are combined with clean architectural silhouettes using advanced bonding and moulding techniques. Wolf claims she is rewriting the rules of lingerie in the wake of the #MeToo movement. We’ll wait and see.
SHOW JUMPERS
Ros Duke continues to wow with her cashmere skills. Her new collection includes a sleeveless turtle neck jumper, a really good shape for winter layered over a shirt or another sweater – not many knitters include sleeveless items in their collections. New this season too is an ultra light cashmere long-sleeve sweater ideal under the turtleneck and colours are fresh – pearl, bone, jade, coral and indigo – inspired by textiles and jewellery collected on her travels through India and Nepal. Her most recent fan is Isetan in Tokyo, the famous Japanese department store which has ordered a collection of garments and accessories. Find out more about what's she made for autumn-winter at rosduke.com
SHEEPISH BIRTHDAY
Talented and successful knitwear duo Brenda Aherne and Helen Delaney celebrate their 21st birthday in business having started out with the idea of merging digital print with knit and purl for their graphic knits. Well known for their triangular neck pieces first introduced in 2003, they keep winning awards for their collaborations, notably with Bobby Abley, the National Maternity Hospital and, most recently, with Jenny Huston’s Edge Only pendant marking their anniversary.
The latest collection, called the 21, revisits some of their pieces like the Pink Noir from 2012, Typhoon Puppets from 2013 and the Poconos scarf from 2014. Childhood friends now internationally renowned designers have made their mark with their typographic jacquards based on narrative storylines drawn from their personal lives and professional practices. Find them online at electronicsheep.com and in Scout, Atrium and Rio Brasil in Dublin with a growing presence also in art gallery outlets including the National Gallery of Ireland.
RARE GEMS
Mayo-based Nigel O'Reilly keeps winning accolades for his extraordinary craftsmanship and jewellery skills, particularly rings with one-of-a-kind stones, some of which he inherited from master goldsmith Erwin Springbaum who sourced stones for Elizabeth Taylor among others. O'Reilly is steadily gaining a reputation for outstanding and unusual engagement rings as well as special collectors' pieces and has set up a new site – nor-design.ie – where his engagement and wedding rings can be viewed. Sothebys in New York has viewed his high-end work and wants his full collection in New York later in the year. This particular ring here is called the Polaris, a 3.06 carat radiant cut diamond with 90 white diamonds set in 18 carat rose gold, which gives some idea of his particular style. POA.
