Hang up those smocks:This week Awear launched its spring collection in Dublin at CHQ, with a sell-out fashion show event called Style Addict.
The event will move to Cork in April and then on to Galway in May, and all ticket proceeds go to the Irish Cancer Society. A waiting list of more than 200 people has already opened for the Cork show. The collection is inspired by vibrant destinations like Tokyo & LA, but also hones in on the softer romantic nature of the season with pretty floral prints, soft fluid fabrics and romantic styling.
Awear has teamed up with brands such as Jacobs Creek, Brown Sugar hair & beauty, Evian, Irish Tatler & TV3's Xposé for the shows. Lorraine Keane, who will MC all the shows, says, "After guests watch the fashion show, they can then visit the Style Addict Boutique Area, learning how to create fab hair and make-up looks - think 'Clothes Show Live' in a more boutique setting."
According to Annmarie Flood, CEO of Awear, "the dress trend continues but it's time to hang up your smock and define your feminine silhouette. Star prints are big and are used impactfully on a dress and playfully hinted at on camis and scarves. Great cut is always important. Note the sharp shoulders, fitted waistcoats and wide-leg trousers. The jacket is no longer just for the workplace; update your weekend wardrobe with a pinstripe jacket over jeans. The high waist is seen across skirts, shorts, trousers and of course jeans."
All Style Addict guests get a take-home goodie bag worth €40. Tickets for Style Addict Cork go on sale next Thursday in Awear Patrick Street, Mahon Point and Wilton Shopping Centre. The show is April 3rd in City Hall. Galway's show is May 20th at The Radisson, after which the event returns to Dublin (August 28th) at CHQ in aid of Action Breast Cancer. Deirdre McQuillan
Teatime in Leitrim
Leitrim Design House plays host to Afternoon Tea, an exhibition of the work of 25 artists, working to a common theme - the art of tea-making - until April 10th. Adam Frew, artist-in-residence at the Flowerfield Arts Centre in Co Antrim, exhibits his functional ceramic teapots, while Leitrim designers Peter Fulop, Brigitta Varidi, Erika Marks, Angela Hope, Suzanne Woods, Jelena Fischer, Ann-Marie Gearty and Jonathan Ball have created unusual pots, which range from functional to amusing. Emer O'Sullivan will show a collection of prints based on kitchen utensils. Ruth La Gear brings photography and animation to the exhibition, and Jenny McKenna uses a method of wrapping and coiling to create her submission. National schools in the county have been invited to design an imaginative teapot, and there will be a exhibition of the children's work at the venue for the duration of the exhibition. Leitrim Design House, The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, www.intoleitrim.com
Irish American Project
The Irish American Project is a new website set up to record long-lost individual and family stories, and they are looking for contributions.
Check out www.Irishamerican storyproject.com for a diverse selection of emigrants' tales and insights into the history and evolution of Irish American culture
Top table Marbella
There is scarcely a seat left on planes bound for the Costa del Sol over Easter, so if you're joining the exodus, and want to experience some of Marbella's best cooking, book a table at Skina, the restaurant Spanish newspaper El País described as "the smallest creative cuisine kitchen in Europe". Just 18 customers can be seated in the diningroom, although the throng usually spills out onto the cobbled street the restaurant is located on. With some highly sophisticated cooking coming from the minuscule kitchen, and charming Marcos Granada in front of house, there's rarely an empty seat, so book early. On a recent visit, highlights of the tasting menu were the foie gras with hazelnuts, cocoa and herbs; Ronda black pudding ravioli with melon and wild leaves; turbot with red beets and lemon; and shoulder of lamb with black olives and sweet onion. And the bill . . . €48.50 per person for seven perfectly judged (and paced) courses, with a chilled glass of Cava as an aperitif. Skina, Calle Aduar 12, Marbella, 00-34-952-765277, www.restauranteskina.com. Marie-Claire Digby
Limited edition, maximum impact
The Irish Hospice Foundation has come up with a creative fund-raiser that's one of those happy, win-win situations. The Art for Hospice exhibition features limited-edition prints by some of our most well-known, collectible artists including Liam Belton, Barrie Cooke (Striper, pictured above), Felim Egan, Richard Gorman, Anne Madden, Patrick Scott and Charles Tyrrell. Prices range from €500-€2,000, with 40 per cent going to the charity. At Lemonstreet Gallery, City Quay, Dublin until March 27th. Bernice Harrison
Pass the parcel
When Rosemary Lafferty's daughter received 23 presents on her fifth birthday, Rosemary decided to take action and contacted Oxfam Ireland with a plan. And so the "Pass the Present" scheme was born. Here's how it works. When a child is having a party, guests are invited to donate to Oxfam Ireland instead of buying a present. The charity provides donation forms and freepost envelopes to the givers, and sends the birthday child a puzzle-pack to acknowledge that he or she has shared with children who are less well-off. Details on the scheme are available online at www.oxfamireland.org/passthepresent or from Oxfam shops. Alison Healy
Amnesty
Last week, we ran a story about US peace activist Rachel Corrie; tonight Amnesty International presents a reading of the award-winning play based on her life, and part-written by Alan Rickman, at 8pm at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Down in the woods today
Is your living room lacking a little silver birch? Could your bedroom benefit from a dash of copper beech? If you've been longing to add some arboretum-style magic to your abode, the spring collections from Prestigious Textiles might be what you're looking for. Branching Out is a collection of designs evoking "sun-dappled forests, skeletal trees, scattered leaves and crisp country walks", all of which sounds so redolent of the great outdoors you might never have to leave your deliciously decorated house again. The collections are available nationwide through 400 stockists. Call 01-4568280 or see www.prestigious.ie for details. Davin O'Dwyer
Get on down
What happens when musical legends Donal Dineen, David Kitt, Billy Scurry and Anya Stafford get together? Serious dancin' is what. With the basement of Hogan's on George's Street, Dublin 2 reopening as a dance venue called Under The Stairs, this one-off DJ bonanza will be kicking off from 7pm on St Patrick's Day for some Bank Holiday basement beats. Those who've high-tailed it out of town for the long weekend need not panic, however, as Kitt and Stafford will be returning every Sunday from 8pm with assorted guests to bring their foot stompin' music to the masses. Fiona McCann
Watch the pennies
For more than five years, the PriceWatch column in this newspaper has been guiding readers through the pitfalls of shopping, as well as seeking out the best in value and quality for consumers. Now that its editor, Conor Pope, has distilled his wisdom in book form, there's really no excuse for not making some changes to your finances that can result in serious money savings.
Stop Wasting Your Money promises to cut your bills by anywhere between €1,000 and €3,000 in a year, simply by following Conor's month-by-month advice. It's a mixture of the so-obvious-we-don't-do it, such as shaving hundreds of euro off your insurance or health bills by one phone call, to the oh-really!-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-before?
In the latter vein, I didn't know you could access freeview TV satellite stations including all the BBCs and ITVs for the price of a €100 dish and a bit of wiring. Or that chicken pieces with the skin on are half the price of skinless pieces. Ok, maybe I did know the last one but just don't want to get my hands dirty.
Written with a light touch, Stop... isn't hectoring or judgmental (as Conor writes, "that's what Eddie Hobbs is for"). At the end of your year's belt-tightening, he reckons you deserve to blow the savings on a nice holiday. That we like. A snip at €9.99. Paul Cullen
See also "Welcome back to Brokesville" by Eoin Butler in today's Magazinefeatures