`OOOOH, I haven't been near a Clarkes shoe since I was nine," was the cry that went up at the shoe company's party in the new Haus shop in Dublin's Temple Bar on Tuesday. The organisers had tempted us there with an invitation to be a "party smartie", and every one agreed that it was definitely a smart alternative to the inauguration do in the Mansion House.
Sonia Reynolds had styled the event, laying down layers of bubble wrap and crisp autumn leaves on the floor and offering mini portions of fish and chips wrapped in brown paper. Collecting the tons of leaves earlier in the day almost ended in disaster, as Sonia and her team were nearly locked in the Phoenix Park during the Presidential kerfuffle.
Her partner, Barry Lyons, came along to the party and proudly pointed out their dog Fonzie, who featured in the giant photographs by Perry Ogden on the wall. Perry was asked by Clarkes's marketing manager, Rosemary Carr, to do its promotional shots for autumn/winter and the company was so impressed it has asked him to do next season's collection, too.
Another party smartie was Dervla Kirwan, who has just returned from shooting a Channel 4 drama about the Neil Hamilton/Martin Bell story. She's currently working on Meteor, and is delighted to be working with co-star Brenda Fricker again - the pair first worked together on Casu- alty, all those years ago. She was admiring the shoes but confided that she was more of a handbag junkie: "I suppose it's because I live out of a bag at the moment."
After the last Sea Breeze cocktail had been consumed, most of the guests headed in two directions. A big crew were going off to the M People concert, including Dervla; PR woman Sonia Thornton; top hair stylist James Mooney; David Murray, the new manager of Fitzer's in Dawson Street, and solicitor Colin Daly. Meanwhile the Clarkes people, who included Killiney man John Keery who worked with the company in Britain for more than 21 years and was delighted to be back for a short visit, went next door for a meal in Dish.