Glossip: See All The Guests At THE GLOSS Shaping The Future Event At The Merrion

Hats off to EY and THE GLOSS! On a balmy evening at The Merrion, business ideas and fashion inspiration set the agenda for a fabulous occasion with a VIP guest …

Every business event is an opportunity to visit new ideas, points and cultures. For the guests at THE GLOSS Magazine’s Shaping the Future Dinner in association with EY, the highlights were an insightful panel discussion with three women Anne O’Leary, Head of META Ireland and IBEC President; Eimear Lambe, Olympic Medallist and Senior Business Consultant, EY; and Dr Maeve Houlihan, Director of the Lochlann Quinn School of Business at UCD, and a wonderfully inspiring conversation with Stephen Jones, milliner extraordinaire and Creative Director of Hats at Dior.

Megan Conway, Partner, EY; Dr Maeve Houlihan, Director of the Lochlann Quinn School of Business at UCD; Anne O’Leary, Head of META Ireland and IBEC President; Eimear Lambe, Olympic Medallist and Senior Business Consultant, EY; and Carol Murphy, Consulting Partner and Head of Markets, EY.

On behalf of Jane and Sarah McDonnell, founders of THE GLOSS Magazine and Carol Murphy, Consulting Partner and Head of Markets, EY, MC Ciara Doherty welcomed guests to this very special champagne reception and dinner, held in The Garden Room at The Merrion on Wednesday September 18.

So, why Shaping the Future, as a theme?

As EY’s Carol Murphy explained, the nature of work is changing as technology enables new forms of automation and communication across many industries. Demographic shifts and new technologies are changing how, why and where people work … and the requirements and expectations of the workforce.

Along with these changes come questions, which were addressed by the panel. Anne O’Leary, head of META Ireland and recently appointed Presient of IBEC, described how, as AI continues to evolve and influence, we can use it to benefit our work, our organisations and our communities. Olympic bronze medallist Eimear Lambe drew parallels between being an elite athlete and her role on the Business Transformation team at EY, explaining how technology can be used to drive high performance. Dr Maeve Houlihan of the Lochlann Quinn School of Business at UCD, an educator and academic, described the desire for a sense of belonging among the younger generation. In her work as a lecturer, she observes that for graduates at the start of their careers being able to engage with the mentors and superiors in person in the workplace is a vital part of that sense of connectedness.

Many senior business leaders and clients of EY took time out of their busy diaries to attend the event, acknowledging, as Carol Murphy said: “The pace of change that we are all experiencing and influencing today has never been greater. We are seeing the impact of AI accelerating the evolution of industries, markets and lives … at breathtaking speed.”

Stephen Jones, Creative Director of Hats, Dior.

In a delightful departure from the business discussions, guests were treated to an exclusive appearance by hat designer and creator Stephen Jones, Creative Director of Hats at the house of Dior since 1996. Since his career took off in the 1980s, the legendary Jones has created hats for everyone from rockstars to royalty (including, as he told Eimear Lambe, Lady Gaga’s hat for the performance at the Paris Olympics). Forty years later his era-defining edge continues to attract a celebrity clientele including Rihanna, Mick Jagger, the Royals, and his hats are displayed in The Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

For this visit to Dublin exclusively for THE GLOSS, Stephen Jones’ ongoing collaboration with Dior was top of the style agenda. As well as providing a fascinating account of his career in the glamorous and global world of fashion, and introducing some of his archive creations (charming the guests by placing a wonderful Dior hat on top of MC Ciara Doherty’s blonde head), he alluded to the Shaping the Future theme by showing a selection of hats to accompany eight looks from the AW24 collection by Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Churri. Jones himself, impeccably dressed in a navy belted Dior suit, complete with cashmere beret declared the beret the “T-shirt of hats”.

Among the glorious Dior looks, available at Brown Thomas, were a black leather Taurillon jacket with Miss Dior graffiti motif, a black wool and silk shantung dress and a black virgin wool and cotton bouclé flared dress, accessorised with shoes by Dior, and hats by Stephen Jones for Dior.

Guests departed with a special gift to mark the occasion – a copy of Dior Hats: From Christian Dior to Stephen Jones, with some even lining up to have their copy signed by the milliner. Palais Galliera in Paris will spotlight Stephen’s extraordinary journey with a major hat exhibition next month. The exhibition, called “Stephen Jones at the Palais Galliera” will open on October 19 and run until March 2025. Highlighting the designer’s relationship with the City of Light and his collaborations over 40 years with the most legendary names in fashion, most notably Dior, this exhibition is a must-visit for fashion fans and those who appreciate extraordinary craftsmanship and creative vision.

As proceedings drew to a close, and Stephen Jones was spotted heading to an eerily quiet Merrion Square (the Dáil re-opening necessitated traffic restrictions) to look at the Georgian architecture, it felt like a little piece of Paris had bestowed its magic on the city.

Click into the gallery to see the guests who attended.