Dublin's new handbag shop boasts the finest of details, writes Deirdre McQuillan.
Edmund Chesneau's chic new handbag shop, which has just opened oDublin's Wicklow Street, has given a fresh new look to a prime corner-site location and added a pedigree Irish touch to the area. With its glass and marble frontage and cool, spacious interior, the new shop houses his handbag classics, as well as a colourful new collection in a range of luxury leathers.
Well-known for the bucket, shoulder bags and half-moon shapes in the handsome Norwegian stable-hide which has become a Chesneau signature, the new bags are more structured, inside and out, and if some come in familiar shapes, the details are new. Old Portuguese saddles, for example, inspired the geometric quilting and ribbed stitching. The new curved silver buckles were developed in association with a metal worker in Kilkenny, who makes prototypes for jewellery. "Quality", insists Chesneau, "is the addition of small details."
It's a big step for a small quality Irish leather company based in Kilkenny, but having his own space in the capital's city centre gives him the chance to spread his wings in terms of design. After 30 years in the business, "I can do what I want now instead of having to design with retailers in mind. This is my showcase," he says.
The new collection introduces more colour - bags come in red, white, mint green, blue and a particularly lovely buttery yellow, alongside the classic black and chestnut shades. The day the shop opened, the first to sell was a white "Cuba" bag with silver fittings. The new leathers consist of a croc-effect pattern, a soft buck, and a smooth matt hide which was originally developed in Norway for ski boots.
As someone permanently attached to a Leatherman multi-purpose tool, Chesneau is always trying to "improve" his bags and loves fiddling around with fixtures and fastenings, refashioning the hardware. One bag in the collection has space for a laptop, mobile, keys and pens, for example. Another, "Berry", has zipped sides which give more space; others include smart ladylike numbers in keeping with current fashion trends and stylish overnight totes and shoppers. Some sit primly in the crook of the arm, others are for slinging over the shoulder. Most bags are divided inside, and have zipped inner pockets for mobile phones, pens, credit cards and keys, the practical accoutrements of contemporary everyday life.
Later in the year, Chesneau plans to present some limited-edition bags made from ostrich or ray skin, special haute couture showpieces with solid silver fittings. In the meantime, the shop also has inexpensive small leather goods such as wallets (also in bright colours) and photo albums. What caught my eye were the tiny leather zipped boxes like miniature hat boxes, perfect for stowing away little bits of jewellery or other precious items. A brilliant little buy for €30.