“We may never find ourselves on the red carpet … but by schooling ourselves in fashion history, trends, terms and techniques, we can make better choices when we trawl online or skim the racks at TK Maxx,” says Susan Zelouf …
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Virtual shopping for an upcoming Sunday afternoon wedding, I’m on the hunt for a tea dress. Virtual because, sleepless in Stoneybatter or distracted in Donegal, it’s possible to browse at 3am, with the added benefit of browsing with a bestie in another time zone, in my case a choreographer living 6,750 kilometres away in Little Havana, Miami’s vibrant Cuban heart. Brigid points out when shortlisted, secondhand designer resale finds (pre-owned, pre-loved or pristine with tags) threaten to outshine the bride, eg an Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2009 asymmetrical bias-cut red velvet gown with fringed shawl sleeve: “Exquisite! Rare! Collectible! Timeless! Sexy! Stylish! Own a piece of history!”, gushes the seller, but my friend deems it inappropriate for a wedding guest. She does, however, gush over McQueen’s tailoring legacy. Schooled in traditional tailoring techniques and pattern cutting, “Lee” learned his craft as an apprentice on Mayfair’s Savile Row, becoming a proficient tailor skilled in cut, proportion and silhouette. Later, studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins, McQueen immersed himself in London’s museums, inspiring him to play with context as well as cut, to subvert tradition and reinvent history, provoking his own deeply personal, resonant collections: “You’ve got to know the rules to break them.”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Ghandi
Something we’ve noticed among a cohort of younger practitioners, designers, artists and artisans across the spectrum of creative vocations: a shift away from learning the rules, straight to the breaking of them. The Old Masters felt obliged to become fluent in the language of their métier, to master their craft. Know-how means knowing how to do something. Being a practitioner requires, well, practice; it’s right there, embedded in the word itself. When did we collectively dismiss becoming good at a thing, trading mastery for likes? We live in an era in which distraction has become a surrogate life, connected to everything, coalescing nothing. Seduced by an online retailer’s slick Instagram reels, I chance ordering a pretty (massproduced) tea dress. Unboxing it via Zoom, Brigid on the line, I nearly spill my tea at the length of it; the puddle of polyester could’ve handily mopped the floor. “In what world does a tea dress fall anywhere but below the knee and above the ankle, preferably at the swell of the calf?,” fumes my fashion-intelligent friend. “And, despite the length, the manufacturer skimped on the fullness of the skirt, misfiring the pleats, so the proportions are wrong.” She cites Dior’s 1947 New Look, his post-war response to the scarcity of fabric and other wartime severities: rounded shoulders, a wasp waist and very full skirt creating a Corolle, a curvaceous figure 8 silhouette. By her mother Kate’s side and sewing machine, Brigid absorbed a glossary of tailoring terms, which she puts to good use making costumes for her dancers: A-line, armscye, bias-cut, crossgrain, draping, décolletage, foundation garment, frogging, inseam, interfacing, notions, pleat, rise, vent. Done venting, I box up the dress and begin the return.
A digital subscription to Vogue may not make us fashion designers, but scrolling through the collections of legendary houses can sharpen the eye. We may never find ourselves on the red carpet, almost famous, poured into impeccably cut couture frocks (preferably vintage, lending patina to newly minted celebs), but by schooling ourselves in fashion history, trends, terms and techniques, we can make better choices when we trawl online or skim the racks at TK Maxx. Better yet, buy less, buy bespoke. @susanzelouf
1. I’M HUNTING for a Brown Fox houndstooth Donegal Irish-designed tweed suit. Suits me! www.bansheeofsavilerow.com.
2. I’M JONESING for a Monies gemstone leather bracelet, artefactual and one-of-a-kind. www.santafedrygoods.com.
3. I’M DRAFTING a screed for my Möbius, a wearable bronze talisman with a narrative that unfurls in a never-ending loop. www.basedupon.store.
4. I’M LOOKING forward to cold weather in a bespoke cashmere Disc coat and bag. @helencodydublin.
5. I’M ADMIRING the artisanal savoirfaire of couture atelier www.paloma-paris.com.
6. I’M EXPERIMENTING with Dior’s new New Look scent, a 2024 take on the 1947 classic. At Brown Thomas.
7. I’M DABBING pulse points with Guerlain Cuir Béluga Eau de Parfum. Visit Arnotts and sample a spritz.
8. I’M CHANEL-ING Tilda Swinton at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Almadovar’s The Room Next Door.
9. I’M BROW-SING beauty bars for Victoria Beckham’s brow hero FeatherFix. www.brownthomas.com.
10. I’M PINNING my hopes and dreams on my next fitting. Commission Irish couture with global reach. www.irishfashiondesigners.com.
11. I’M PAINT-SEWING, inky fingerprints a testament to human labour inherent in every garment. Live performances and shop at www.humantouchclothing.com
12. I’M TAILORING in savage style, a nod to McQueen’s roots in bespoke British menswear. Shop sewing essentials at the V&A. www.vam.co.uk.
13. I’M WALKING a mile in made-tomeasure footwear. Book an appointment with www.tuttys.ie.
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