Saoirse Ronan at Louis Vuitton, Ruth Negga at Loewe, Nicola Coughlan at Dior, Gucci and Valentino: Irish actors are blazing a fashion trail …
The emergence of Irish actors into the international high fashion spotlight is thrilling – it’s an honour awarded only to the very few and only those who have a real affinity for the clothes they wear: Ronan brings an ice-blonde hauteur to Vuitton’s spare elegance, Negga’s cool edginess is the perfect match for Loewe’s geometry, while Coughlan, with her doll-like face and petite fuller figure, wears clothes with confidence and joy, animating them with her personality.
Four-times Oscar nominated actress Saoirse Ronan made her red carpet comeback in a Grecian-style high-waisted, draped skirt and sculptural cropped top designed by Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière.
“Behind her talent lies such a charming and bright person,” said Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière of actress SAOIRSE RONAN, recently named House Ambassador for the famed French fashion house. Louis Vuitton has been cultivating links with four-times Oscar-nominated Ronan for a couple of years – there was a hint of a more permanent association when she appeared in the front row (alongside fellow Irish actress Kerry Condon, who starred in Banshees of Inisherin) at Vuitton’s SS24 show.
Ruth Negga attends Loewe’s SS24 show as part of Paris Fashion Week wearing a black draped knit suit with burgundy Squeeze bag and oat milk Toy over-the knee leather boots.
Northern Irish actress RUTH NEGGA appeared in last year’s Loewe Prefall collection campaign, shot by Juergen Teller, holding the Font tote, framed by a Teller photo of a giant owl. (Loewe’s Creative Director Jonathan Anderson, one of the most eminent designers of his generation, was also born in Northern Ireland.)
Nicola Coughlan, known for her epic red carpet looks, wears a lime green opera coat with matching column skirt paired with a pale pink satin top; all by Erdem.
NICOLA COUGHLAN, meanwhile, of Derry Girls and Bridgerton fame, and a firm fixture on the pages of British Vogue, has been associated with a number of venerable houses, including Valentino, Gucci and Dior.
Made from swathes of dark red tulle, Lisa Dwan’s gown has a gathered bodice and a dramatic, voluminous skirt, at H&M. The whimsical red bow ribbon earrings, €349, are by her favourite designer Simone Rocha. Hair by Christian Shannon; make-up by John Bowes; both at Brown Sugar, South William Street, Dublin 2. Photographed by Veronika Fasutmann at Museum of Literature Ireland, 86 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.
LISA DWAN, an actress strongly identified with Samuel Beckett and currently starring in RTÉ’s Blackshore as tough detective Fia Lacey, literally dances (she is also a trained ballet dancer) her way through our shoot, equally at ease in a H&M chiffon dress, a wild Richard Quinn mini dress with feathers, and a black Simone Rocha dress (her own). “I think Simone Rocha is in a league of her own. I love her humour, her detail, her elegance, her imagination.” While Dwan confidently inhabits each of the pieces, she explains how connected she becomes to specific clothes and how she even managed to have her own Rick Owens leather jacket adopted by the wardrobe department as the signature look of her character in Blackshore. “I wanted her to be as like me as possible. That leather jacket is like a second skin to me; I feel it’s a protective jacket that Fia would have clung to.”
“My sister always laughs that I’m always dressing like the character I’m playing at the time. For a long time I kind of looked like one of my Beckett characters – a lot of vintage lace dresses and things like that – and while I was filming Top Boy I found myself walking around in edgier heels than I would normally wear. So yes, I tend to use clothes as a vehicle to transport myself.”
“When I wear something different, I become the person who wears that kind of thing – so it’s stretching me, that concept of myself.” Aisling O’Sullivan
The sharp tailoring of Aisling O’Sullivan’s Sportmax suit commands attention. The padded jacket shoulders are balanced by the nipped-in waist; both at Khan Boutique, 15 Rock Hill, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Make-up by Prada, at Brown Thomas. Photographed by Veronika Fasutmann at Kerlin Gallery, Anne’s Lane, Dublin 2.
Kerry-born actor AISLING O’SULLIVAN is playing in Audrey or Sorrow, by Marina Carr, a Landmark Productions and Abbey Theatre co-production, which runs until March 30. “It’s a wild, universal story, about a family and secrets, and what secrets can do, even secrets you keep from yourself. It’s hilarious, dark, dangerous. The thing about Marina is that she makes people laugh while examining the darker things, too.” O’Sullivan has starred in highly acclaimed theatre shows, movies (including Neil Jordan’s The Butcher Boy) and long-running television shows such as The Clinic. Last year, she was in Hangmen at the Gaiety: “It was brilliant to be back working with Martin McDonagh after a long time; he’s a very sexy writer and his plays have got it all going on – intelligence and fun and wit.”
On the shoot, O’Sullivan rises to the occasion, pulling on the structured jacket and exclaiming: “It’s like armour!” It inspires her to adopt powerful stances: “You can get trapped in your own taste sometimes – this is what I wear, this is who I am – and having to wear something completely different can reveal a bit more about yourself.”
“Fashion wasn’t important to me when I was younger, but it’s become something really joyful for me now. What I love now, at this age, is discovering that when I wear something different, I become the person who wears that kind of thing – so it’s stretching me, that concept of myself.” She likens it to choosing a script: “Sometimes you have to challenge yourself – this doesn’t feel comfortable, or safe, but let’s do it. Getting older, I feel very comfortable in my own skin now in a way I never have before and excited about being a woman in the arts, and the characters I can portray. Things are getting really interesting.”
Valene Kane wears a Simone Rocha twill and taffeta jacket as a dress with black embellished over-the-knee socks that are both rebellious and romantic at the same. Styled by Corina Gaffey. Make-up by Christine Lucignano. Hair by Joe Hayes. Photographed by Naomi Gaffey.
“When I played Lady Macbeth, in Macbeth at the RSC,” says Northern Irish actress VALENE KANE, “we wanted her to be sensual and earthy. I had three amazing gowns designed by Georgia McGuinness which made me feel feminine and feline. Day to day, I live in relaxed basics, so dressing like that takes you to a different place. I put on the clothes in my dressing room, and by the time I had walked to the main stage at the RSC, I was Lady Macbeth.”
“For the TV production The Winter King (which brings the Arthurian legend to life on ITVX), we had an amazing costume designer, Sarah Arthur. I didn’t know much about this period but she allowed me to have a lot of input throughout the ten episodes, which is not always a given. The evolution of my character Morgan was reflected in her clothes.
“Off stage, I wear cashmere jumpers, white T-shirts and black tracksuit pants or jeans, my Ode coat by The Landskein. I have been trying to buy less but better quality. I love pieces by The Row and Khaite; even though they’re crazy prices.
“I used to want to project a certain image through my clothes. Now I am much more interested in people seeing the authentic me. A clean, open face and a presentness, rather than focusing on an image.”
Maria Austin wears Y/Project’s SS24 black tulle blazer dress, and silver sculptural rhinestone earrings by Saad Collection. Styled by Ruta Jane. Hair and make-up by Lauren Phelan. Photographed by Saskia Lawson.
“When I get a costume, it adds hugely to how I feel about a character,” says Northern Irish actress MARIA AUSTIN. “Shoes and underwear are particularly informative, especially when the film is a period or historic piece: both can affect the pace at which a character is able to move or how they hold themselves.” This year Austin stars in the feature film Tell That To The Winter Sea as well as the theatre production of Agathe, based on the true story of Agathe Uwilingiyimana who became president of Rwanda for 14 hours at the start of the genocide. In Apple TV film Mercy, about a factory farmed pig and those she meets on her way from farm to slaughterhouse, Austin plays the titular role. “Even though she is not human, I wanted to approach Mercy with the same respect I would any other character, developing her voice and physicality. The costume was a white, flowy, dirty top, bare feet, shorts and no sleeves. We were shooting in barns and on concrete which was physically tough and my knees looked like a small boy’s, but that was helpful in feeling Mercy’s longing for connection and warmth.”
Austin describes herself as “a magpie. Anything shiny grabs my attention. I’m either in black or wearing fun shapes and bold colours. A favourite piece is a Vivienne Westwood black asymmetric trench coat I inherited from my mum.”
