Shelly Corkery, preparing for the Brown Thomas Fashion Show
As Helena Christensen and her fellow models sashay down the catwalk at Brown Thomas's spring-summer 2007 fashion show, at City Hall in Cork on Thursday, Shelly Corkery will be watching from the audience, possibly with a glass of Champagne in her hand. "I will probably need it by then," she says, laughing.
The event, which Brown Thomas hopes will raise more than €150,000 for Chernobyl Children's Project International, will feature pieces by Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Roberto Cavalli.
As the department store's head of fashion direction, Corkery decides which clothes to feature. She describes her job as to "basically go out and get the best fashion there is - the best labels, the coolest, the newest, the most up to date - and to make sure we have it for our stores before anyone else".
The night will be the culmination of many weeks of preparation. "We have been working on this event since early December. This week involves finalising the selection, getting the pieces in and seeing them on the models for the first time. We have to ensure the whole thing is styled to a certain level. Once we conceive how the show will look, we hand over to the stylist. The last day comes down to hair stylists and make-up artists, and then it's over to the models.
"It is a really exciting season - very feminine, very glamorous - and the pieces we have chosen reflect that. We have some fabulous ball gowns and print dresses. The finale on the evening is by Chanel, and having them involved is really very exciting for us."
The connection with the Chernobyl charity has given Corkery and her colleagues a special incentive. "We are honoured to be associated with it. Everyone involved works particularly hard when such a great charity is benefiting. We are huge supporters of Adi Roche and Ali Hewson; they do incredible work." Michael Kelly
The Brown Thomas Fashion Show is at City Hall, Cork, on Thursday at 7.30pm.