WAIST HIGH Watch how you spell "Stoned and Waisted"; it's not the title of a new anti-drug campaign, but a range of cool new belts now stocked in Brown Thomas.
The strap and buckle are sold separately, so you can choose whatever combination you want. Straps come in chocolate, black or tan leather and retail at €5, with a more expensive crystal number at €170, while buckles range from €140-200 in turquoise and coral shades. (Above)
FAMILY BUSINESS British retail and high street chains may be dominating Dublin and other Irish city centres, but there are notable Irish success stories, too, around the country. One low-key company with a wide penetration of the Irish market is Carraig Donn, a family business based in Westport, Co Mayo, run by brothers Pat and Vincent Hughes. Both retailers and manufacturers, they have 17 stores throughout Ireland specialising in knitwear, clothing, gift and homewares. Plans are under way for two more to open in Cork and Ennis next year. This black and white houndstooth jacket (above) is from the current season's offerings and costs €115, though the feathered headpiece is hardly the most appropriate accessory for winter winds! For your nearest outlet contact 098-50305 or www.carraig.donn.com
A CUT ABOVE A limited-edition promotional T-shirt made by Ali Malek for Ballygowan is all set to become a collector's item as his new collection is launched in February. The new range of luxe streetwear is embellished with sequins, stylised graphics and punchy slogans such as Pseuds Courgettes, Auber Genius, Street tycoon and Camel Flage. Many of the elaborately decorated T-shirts, tops and sweatshirt hoodies have been cut on the flat to create an interesting 3D effect, and many that look deceptively simple are actually very difficult to realise. The collection so far has been well received in France and Japan, and Malek intends to present each item in a stylish, printed box.
ON A PLATE A fun gift for a fashionista with a shoe fetish is a set of fashion plates; four real salad plates, each one illustrated with a different sexy shoe and contained in a circular hinged box. They're by an American ceramicist based in Seattle called Rosanna, and they cost €49.95 in the Avoca shops in Dublin and Bray, and at Indigo in Howth. There are also coffee sets, cereal plates and a "tea for two" set with teacups and side plates decorated with similar witty, light-hearted drawings and presented in a gift drum for the same price.
