With finger permanently on the pulse, fashion giant Topman know what’s hot and what’s not and with the new southside store Dublin guys now have a style mecca to rival the girls. Skinny jeans and distressed t-shirts never looked so good.
To celebrate the opening of No.41 Grafton Street, Topman hosted a music bash at the cavernous CHQ last week which attracted a hip crowd of trendsetters. Looking like they just stepped off the set of the latest Hot Chip video, the guests enjoyed an aural extravaganza from bands such as the 1990s, Good Shoes and The Holloways. Irish band Fight Like Apes won a slot at the gig too.
Among the fashionistas there on the night were Alex Fitzgerald, Niall O’Farrell (jetting off to Monaco for the GP the next day), Bairbre Power (just back from Madrid where she was recording a feature for the Afternoon Show) and Eoin Higgins (who is leaving The Dubliner for pastures new very soon).
Also there were Tania Adams of Topman, Brendan Rodgers, and Siobhan O’Dowd of Pod concerts. She’s busy organising the upcoming Garden Party music festival in Ballinlough Castle, home of the Nugent family. The 1-day, intimate event takes place on Saturday June 9th and with acts like the aforementioned Hot Chip, Pet Shop Boys, Carl Cox and the Bodytonic crew, it’s one gig not to be missed. Think of it as Electric Picnic’s little brother.
The Boylesports Guineas Festival at the Curragh last weekend was a huge success, wind and rain regardless. The ladies stepped up to the plate in the fashion stakes with competition rife for the Best Dressed title. The lucky winner, Nicola Clancy, bagged a cool Mitsubishi car for the year among other prizes, after the judges decided she was the most stylish on the day.
Fashion Ambassador Kathryn Thomas (elegant in a black and white crazy striped dress) and her fellow judges Alan Hughes, Triona McCarthy, Gillian Quinn and Jacinta O’Brien, had a tough deliberation, such was the level of style. Other winners on the day included Finsceal Beo, who won the feature race of the day – the Boylesports Irish 1000 Guineas.
Other racegoers on the day included snooker players Ken Doherty and John Higgins, rugby star Ronan O’Gara, Sir Anthony O’Reilly and Lady O’Reilly, Ray O’Brien, songwriter and producer Karl Broderick and business tycoon John Magnier.
Despite the pouring rain of Wednesday evening the style brigade turned out in their droves to attend a chic cocktail party at the Trinity Capital Hotel for the launch of Idôl, the new premium vodka from France. Famed for fine wines, France is now home to the first vodka in the world produced from grapes – the vodka for wine lovers! Despite the inclement weather, or perhaps because of it, talk on the evening was of upcoming holidays and summer plans.
PR guru Sinead Ryan and her beau Malachy Geelan were just back from a long sojourn in Nerja, Norman Pratt was shopping in Milan, while food connoisseur Andrew Rudd had been filming for TV3 in Madrid.
Popular party girl Avila Lipsett proved that she’s more than a pretty face as she entertained the crowd with her DJ skills. An essential element to a good party, she’s being booked for all the big bashes this season and is busy planning her forthcoming trip to Marbella. Astrid Brennan is jetting off to LA and Vegas soon, while Triona McCarthy will be hitting the social scene in Monaco. Gavin Kilduff is also off to Marbella as is popular novelist Marisa Mackle, who will be putting the finishing touches to her next book.
A surprise guest on the evening was Jean-Claude Boisset, president of Boisset France, the makers of Idôl Vodka. He also happens to be the third largest wine producer in France, so he knows his Pinor Noir and Chardonnay grapes. He thought the Dublin launch was one of the best he’s been to of all the Idôl events worldwide.
Among the other guests enjoying the specially commissioned cocktails from Gareth Lambe of Venu Brasserie were Halina Ashdown – Shiels, Dr. Marco Lombardi, deputy head of the Italian Embassy, TV presenter Taragh Loughrey – Grant, Katie Jane Goldin and Sandra Byrne.
