Women! At last a category for which there should be no problems finding fashionable Christmas presents. Well actually, things are not quite so simple. One of the main difficulties here - aside from making sure you buy the right size - is discovering something both distinctive and affordable. After all, provided sufficient funds are available, an impact can always be achieved by a full-length sable coat or an entire wardrobe from Gucci. Somehow, though, this is unlikely to be the most common option when shopping over the next couple of weeks. Much more probably, like most other present-hunters you will be going to the same handful of shops and learning that the choice is really not that wide. In particular, almost everywhere is offering exactly the same styles because fashion in 1998 has tended not to be deeply adventurous. Bias-cut slips abound, for example, and they all look very much the same.
Accessories are therefore a wiser choice and not just because size errors are less likely to arise. During the 1990s, many designers have cleverly decided to specialise not in mainstream clothing but in those little extras which more and more differentiate one woman's personal style from another. Some of the best have Irish connections, such as Galway-born milliner Philip Treacy who in the past year has branched out from hats into a full range of accessories such as bags and scarves. This range is now being stocked by Louise Kennedy in her new premises on Merrion Square, and she also carries wonderful handbags by Lulu Guinness. Guinness's signature bags are designed to emulate little pots of flowers such as the collection of silk velvet violets shown here; they make enchanting presents and are absolutely certain to meet with approval from any recipient.
Just as likely to be greeted with delight is one of Belgian designer Dries Van Noten's all-enveloping wraps. Van Noten has been to the forefront of the interest in oriental decoration and his embroidered and beaded lengths of fabric look wonderful both when worn or thrown over a piece of furniture at home. They are of better quality than many others on the market and will become heirlooms rather like 19th century cashmere shawls. Beading and embroidery have been ubiquitous in 1998, turning up on everything from cardigans to trousers, as well as dresses and trouser suits. The shirt shown here is one of the finest - and cheapest - on offer right now. Because of its elaborate surface detail, it should be worn with either a very simple black dress or else a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
The plain backdrop of a simple coat is best too for the fake fur collars and stoles widely stocked this winter. The example we photographed comes with a matching hat to increase dramatic potential; since neither is especially expensive, the pair would make a good present. So too would be the necklace from Rose & Crown in the revamped Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. Just one of a wide selection on offer, it is sufficiently effective to stand on its own; any other piece of jewellery would be in competition. For a final idea this Christmas, what about a pair of kitten heel mules, the most fashionable style in footwear this year? The terribly pretty pair we photographed will guarantee the woman wearing them lots of admiring glances at every party over the coming weeks.