Cork-based influencer Helen Murphy discusses her favourite pieces, and shares her go-to boutiques and vintage stores …
Tales From My Wardrobe, a style series that explores the wardrobes of THE GLOSS community, is a love letter to the pieces we reach for again and again; the hard-earned investment purchases that bring joy and the items that supercede mere ‘clothing’ to carry memories and foster emotional connection.
My best bargain was a gold sequinned tulle Stella Nova dress I bought two years ago in a sale at Bluefig Boutique, Cork (@bluefig_boutique). I’ve worn it incessantly as a dress and a skirt, formally and informally. Even my teenagers gave it the thumbs up when I wore it to the Taylor Swift concert this summer.
My most recent purchase is a pair of Marc Cain Sports trousers from a beautiful little shop called Mad For Style in Kinsale. It’s a family-owned business and it’s such a positive experience as the team of Sylvia, Caroline, Ria and Geraldine are so welcoming. Even if you don’t buy anything, you’ll come away with a grin on your face. That’s one of the things I love most about smaller independent boutiques and shops, they really know and cater for their customers, so they buy with them in mind. Sylvia knows me well and knew I’d my eye on this particular pair of trousers, so she messaged me when they went on sale. That’s service!
Asking what my favourite piece in my wardrobe is akin to asking me who’s my favourite child. It depends on the day! One of my favourite pieces is this orange Lennon Courtney coat – such a timeless, classic cut.
Up there on my favourites list is this wide-legged suit from Haitan Italian designer Stella Jean which I bought from Gallery 9 in Naas in 2021. It’s a big, loud vibrant print suit which definitely isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it sang to me. I had recently been through the wringer with a nasty bout of DRESS Syndrome (a reaction to the vaccine). I was a shadow of my former self and this suit became my power purchase. It still buoys and lifts me up to this day.
For a black tie event, I bought a Rosebud dress from Irish designer Don O’Neill back in 2015 in the sale at Catherine McCormack’s boutique in Adare. I was actually in the car halfway back to Cork when my sister-in-law told me in no uncertain terms to go back and get it! It’s a classic and so much fun to wear. It was a hugely successful piece for Don when he was creative director at THEIA; the 3D embroidered fabric came from Gratacos in Spain. He baptised it recently and it will be forever known as “The Helen Gown”.
Recently, I was invited to collaborate with Choice Boutique to create this suit. It’s quite a sentimental piece as it’s the first time I ever had creative input into design. It was a huge learning curve for me in terms of timelines, costs and the struggle to create something that I’d wear, which would appeal to a wider audience too. I adore this suit and hope that in time one of my three girls will reach for it too.
My dream fashion piece would be Halle Berry’s Sheer Elie Saab dress from the 2002 Oscars. More realistically, I’ve a milestone birthday on the horizon and I’d like to mark it with a Colin Burke ‘Cass’ hoodie. It’s a hand-knit Aran cable hoodie with a hand crocheted puff sleeve detail. His pieces have been on the wishlist for a while now. They are handmade in Donegal and are incredibly beautiful.
I’m a bit of a hoarder. I’ve kept first date dresses that wouldn’t fit over my knee now and shoes that’d probably give me altitude sickness. Still, I hope I’ll see them on my three girls in years to come. There are two sentimental pieces that stand out: one is my wedding dress. We got married in 2007 and when I went shopping for THE dress, I think I panicked a bit and ended up deciding on a really nice strapless fit and flare. I told the owner I’d be back in a week or two with my deposit as we were going on a work trip to Barcelona. While there, I was strolling down a side street one evening when I fell in love with a Pronovias dress in a bridal boutique window. The shop was closed, so I ran back the following morning, tried it on and the deal was done. I still love it to this day; a crochet and Spanish lace overlay dress called Enebro from the Pronovias 2006 collection.
The other most sentimental ensemble is probably the outfit I wore to the Galway Races in 2014, which I had previously debuted at a friend’s wedding. The outfit was from Coast and I accessorised it with a vintage 1950s clutch from Dirty Fabulous in Monaghan, a collar from Aisling Maher and a hat I decorated myself. I broke up an old necklace and sewed it on to a sinamay base. I ended up winning ‘The Best Dressed’ competition and to this day it was one of the most surreal days ever. It led to a lot of opportunities for me and I’ll always remember it fondly.
My most recent purchase is a pair of Maureen Lynch‘s Horizon earrings. Maureen makes everything by hand in her Dun Laoghaire studio and this particular collection was inspired by the setting sun beyond the Forty Foot. I also wear her Circle of Dreams hoops, which always make me feel fabulous. My sister Anne gave me a large pair two years ago and I loved them so much I bought a smaller pair too. They’re the perfect accessory.
The piece with a story to it is this ring. I love jewellery with meaning and this was made by Tuula Harrington in Designworks in Cork. It’s made up of my great grand aunt’s wedding band (one my mum passed onto me when I was 21). I added some diamonds I won as part of my Galway Races prize, and some pieces I’d been gifted and loved. Tuula took them all and came up with this design, keeping the wedding band intact on the inside band. That in turn is engraved with the names Ellen (my great grand aunt), Vinnie (my mum) and my name; plus there’s space for one of my daughter’s names too. It’s a very special piece to me and I’m rarely without it.
The best investment purchase has to be my Malone Souliers leopard and champagne heels. They work with and elevate everything, as far as I’m concerned. Happily, they are so well crafted that they are incredibly comfortable too. Cost per wear, they owe me nothing. At the other end of the shoe-robe are my Birkenstock Arizonas – probably the most useful and comfortable item in my wardrobe.
My favourite place to find hidden gems is without doubt Miss Daisy Blue in Cork (@missdaisyblue); a small but mighty vintage shop with the fabulous Breeda at its helm. Here you’ll find vintage wedding dresses, 1940s silk dressing robes, opera coats, rich velvets and the best of ’80s chintz. It’s an absolute treasure trove. In this picture, the coat is a 1950s piece I wear with high street pieces (an M&S skirt as a dress here) or with jeans, a T-shirt and trainers. It always looks so chic.
My least fashionable look is my dog walking “outfit” which consists of baggy trakkies complete with fleece, hoody and trainers. I accessorise with dog treats and poo bags! I can’t leave home without my By Reidin pink metallic leather bag which holds my lippy, diary, phone, wallet and anything else I might need. It’s a statement and I adore it. Also, more mundane, my reading glasses – I have at least three pairs. Ageing is a gift, but my worsening eyesight is a pain in the proverbial …
Follow Helen on Instagram @daily_divadiary.
