The Gloss February 2016

PASSIONATE MOODS / PARIS IN SPRING / SHELLFISH ACTIONS / WINE WORTH STAYING IN FOR / SHEER LUXURIES

MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2016

IS with THE IR

H TIMES

DRESS REHEARSAL

BEST DRESSED WEDDING WARDROBE

THE MODERN MRS

THE GLOSSY GUIDE TO GETTING MARRIED

PLUS! JULIANNE MOORE'S NEW YORK APARTMENT LUCINDA CREIGHTON'S PARTY PLANS DANIELLE ROMERIL'S GLOSSY WEEKEND

FEBRUARY 2016 NEXT ISSUE

SATURDAY MARCH 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

42 LET’S DO LUNCH

6 THE LOWDOWN

Anne Harris talks party plans with Lucinda Creighton

Your glossy guide to what’s

43 WINE

trending in February

8 HUNTING & GATHERING

PUB L ISHE R

Mary Dowey’s wines worth staying in for

A little sheerness is the key

44 FOOD

to spring dressing

Trish Deseine is serving oysters – hot!

12 MOODBOARD Susan Zelouf is feeling decidedly

46 TRAVEL

passionate this month

For Tim Magee, there’s still nowhere quite like Paris in the spring

16 THE MODERN MRS

48 THIS GLOSSY LIFE

glossy wedding of your dreams

Inside actress Julianne Moore’s cool Manhattan loft, home to her enviable furniture collection

The story of how an unviable pregnancy changed one woman’s life

30 BEAUTY New trends, beauty launches and three fragrances to make you swoon

32 FASHION Clothes to wear on a date, or to a wedding

40 MY GLOSSY WEEKEND Irish designer Danielle Romeril on her pre-London Fashion Week weekend

E DITOR

SA RA H M C DO NNEL L ST Y L E E DITOR

A ISL INN CO FFEY B E AUT Y E DITOR

SA RA H H A L L IWEL L A R T E DITOR

L AURA K ENNY ASSISTA N T E DITOR – F E AT UR E S

SA RA H BREEN ASSISTA N T E DITOR

H A NNA H P O P H A M

Everything you need to plan the

28 INTOLERABLE CRUELTY

JA NE M C DO NNEL L

ON THE COVER: Ivory cotton lace dress, MARC CAIN. Amber sunglasses, CUTLER & GROSS. Cocktail ring, KENNETH JAY LANE at LOULERIE. LOGAN WEARS: Blue polo shirt; suede jacket; both ZARA. TOP LEFT: Red and blue top; matching pleated skirt; both CHANEL. Striped jacket, PRADA. Silver peeptoe boots, CHANEL. LOGAN WEARS: Blue jacket; matching trousers; striped shirt; all TOMMY HILFIGER. Superstar sneakers, ADIDAS. TOP RIGHT: Black guipure lace and crêpe de chine top, SELF PORTRAIT. Ivory maxi skirt, LOUIS VUITTON. Tan Canyon sandals, STELLA MC CARTNEY. Ring, KENNETH JAY LANE.

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2 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

A DV E R T ISIN G SA L E S DIR E C TOR

T RACY O RM ISTO N CON T R IB UT IN G E DITOR S

Polly Devlin, Antonia Hart, Catherine Heaney, Penny McCormick, Katy McGuinness, Aoife O’Brien, Peter O’Brien, Therese Quinn, Luis Rodriguez, Natasha Sherling CON T R IB UT IN G PHOTOGR A PHE R S

Michael Dwornik, Neil Gavin, Renato Ghiazza, Olivia Graham, Neil Hurley, Lisa Loftus, Barry McCall, Joanne Murphy, Liam Murphy, Amelia Stein, Suki Stuart THE GLOSS welcomes letters from readers, emailed to letters@ thegloss.ie. THE GLOSS is published by Gloss Publications Ltd, The Courtyard, 40 Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 01 275 5130. Subscriptions Hotline: 01 275 5130. 12 issues delivered directly to your address: Ireland: t49.50. UK and EU: t80. Rest of world: t115. Printed by Boylan Print. Colour origination by Typeform.

Copyright 2015 Gloss Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. This magazine can be recycled either in your Green Bin kerbside collection or at a local recycling point.

~ GLOSS IP

Y R A U R FEB

Jerry Hall’s unexpected BEAUTY SECRET ... Suiting up for THE OSCARS ...

Kate Moss pivots into INTERIORS and gardens go high tech at RHS CHELSEA ...

C

ongratulations

are due to 59, recently engaged to media mogul RUPERT MURDOCH, 84.

Notorious for her bons mots, Jerry has previously said; “I prefer older men. I look better next to them.” We can’t argue with that theory and it’s good to see Hall walking the talk. Of course 84 is the new 54, which makes 74 the new 34. That’s the age of GRACE CODDINGTON, creative director of US Vogue, who recently stepped down from her role. She’s not retiring, though, she’s going to be creative director at large, launch a fragrance, and who knows what else. “I’m not running away from Vogue, because it has opened so many doors.

But it will be nice to collaborate, and nice to go out, give talks to people. It’s just another approach. I’m certainly not going into retirement. I don’t want to sit around.”

Coddington, who began her 25-year career with Vogue as a model, will be represented by Great Bowery, a superagency founded by MATTHEW MONEYPENNY. “We look forward to working with one of the most original, iconic and deeply creative figures in the fashion world,” said Moneypenny. “I’m sure it comes as no surprise that we are already receiving very significant and interesting inquiries which we look forward to exploring.” Isn’t it so heartening that, in the youth-obsessed world of fashion, this clever 74-year-old trumps everyone?

JERRY

HALL,

   Wardour Castle in Wiltshire was the venue for JASPER CONRAN’s hush-hush wedding to Irish contemporary artist OISIN BYRNE in December. We hear the couple, who met at a wedding and later collaborated on Conran’s next collection, has settled into married life nicely. Byrne, who works in multiple mediums, is currently preparing for his first solo show at Cecilia Brunson Projects in Bermondsey in April. No word yet as to whether a collaboration with The Conran Shop might be in the pipeline ...

PHOTOGRAPH BY GETTY IMAGES

   In case anyone is stuck for a Valentine’s Day gift, consider this. When CECELIA AHERN’s husband, David, proposed, he gave her a polished bronze sculpture by ORLA DE BRÍ called Without Words. Perhaps he is searching for something in marble to celebrate this February 14, and her latest work, The Marble Collector.    Possibly the world’s hottest Kerryman at the moment is Oscar hopeful, actor MICHAEL FASSBENDER. He has a tendency to play eccentric, psychotic characters such as Macbeth and STEVE JOBS and lives in East London

his single status. His ideal woman? KEIRA KNIGHTLEY after whom he has named his border terrier ... One ardent female admirer debated breaking her pooch’s leg just for the opportunity to meet him … We’ll send him a Valentine instead.

ACTING UP: Oscar nominees Brie Larson (Room) and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn).

   KATE MOSS has officially set up business as an interior

designer and her new company Kate Moss Interiors Ltd was formally recorded at Companies House in January.

We’ve already had a preview of her project called The Barnhouse in the Cotswolds with YOO. What can we expect, apart from retro rock ‘n’ roll glamour? We’ll hazard a guess at House of Hackney wallpaper and fabrics, Diptyque candles, a statement rug from The Rug Company, a four-poster bed, some Testino photos and a home that prioritises socialising. Kate Moss at Home lines will follow in Topshop no doubt … In the meantime, we can’t wait to see her cameo in Absolutely Fabulous, the movie, out July 1.    where he is known as “the Hackney Unicorn”. What will he wear to the Academy Awards on February 28? In one red carpet report from 2014 he scored brownie points for, “Not only incorporating a wide and classic shawl collar tuxedo but also making use of a suave bow tie, shirt studs, pocket square and silk cuffs on the jacket. No man accessorised better than Fassbender.” He’s obviously on form – at the recent Golden Globes, he worked a Tom Ford tuxedo made of a fabric called Oeko-Tex that has a low environmental impact, while he also wore an eco-friendly wool Giorgio Armani suit to the 2012 Baftas. We endorse his all-round green credentials and are ever so slightly jealous of his girlfriend ALICIA VIKANDER’s style too.    Not to be outdone, SAOIRSE RONAN’s red carpet form is impressive. Her white Slimane gown for Saint Laurent was age appropriate at the Golden Globes and also a nod to ANDRÉ COURRÈGES, who died last month. Best known for his modernist designs favouring squares, trapezoids and triangles and creating his Space Age collection in 1964, he is known for his little white dress and a trouser suit. Very prescient for this season …    Talking

of

crushes.

Google

“supervet”

NOEL

FITZPATRICK and you’ll find the most searched question

is not on his pioneering neuro-orthopaedic surgeries, but rather “is he married?”. The vet who hails from Laois has openly acknowledged that lengthy working hours and prioritising animals over humans has led to

Meanwhile DIARMUID GAVIN’s Eccentric British Garden for Harrod’s is already in the works for RHS Chelsea 2016.

Known as the DAMIEN HIRST of garden design, Gavin’s plans for the space are inspired by cartoonist HEATH ROBINSON and apparently onlookers can expect a show every 15 minutes, as in “Box balls set amid the floral drifts bob up and down… Conical bay trees begin to twirl … small troughs rise from the ground by means of scissor lifts to dress the first floor windows.” More than a touch of Harry Potter. And we thought raising a few tulips was impressive.    Mourners at LORD ERNE’s funeral recently in Co Fermanagh heard words from SEAMUS HEANEY with a Lough Erne perspective. Lord Erne adored the area, the location for his family’s ancestral home, Crom Castle, for more than 400 years. “Summer or winter, calm or storm, fair weather or frosty weather, the islands lodge in the lap of the lough. The child crosses water to be baptised, the bride in her wedding dress sails out to her wedding, the corpse crosses water to be buried ...

Here you have a flirtation between light and shadow, between land and sky, between earth and heaven.”

Haunting words – Lord Erne was taken to his final resting place by boat. Meanwhile, a new portrait of Heaney has been unveiled by his widow MARIE HEANEY in the Great Hall of the Parliament Buildings, Stormont. Below the portrait, by local artist ROSS WILSON, is a quote from the Nobel Laureate, “Believe that a further shore is reachable from here.” Said Mrs Heaney of the painting, “Seamus was a very benign person and this portrait shows that benign side to him and I am very glad of that”. 

T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 3

HERMÈS BY NATURE

THE LOWDOWN GIVE ME FIVE Stay streets ahead of the fash pack with these Fashion Week style essentials

CHIC SNAPS Just a week before the madness of London Fashion Week begins, VOGUE 100: A CENTURY OF STYLE, a new exhibition of 280 photographs from the magazine, opens at The National Portrait Gallery. Think wonderful images of Claudia Schiffer on the back of a motorbike and our very own Anne Gunning in Jaipur (below).

From February 11 - May 22.

1

PICK YOUR FLICKS Director John Carney will open the AUDI DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL with his nostalgic musical depiction of 1980s Dublin, Sing Street. “The film loosely charts my own experiences as a skinny kid in a pretty rough and tumble school,” he says. Other glossy selections? Cinematic heavyweight Mark O’Halloran’s Viva and Rebecca Miller’s Maggie’s Plan, which stars the inimitable Julianne Moore. (See Moore’s NYC home on page 48.)

Socks with heels are a must, with grey being the colour du jour, as spotted on Mira Duma and her flawless posse.

2

Do as the models do and book a motorbike taxi to the centre ville, the transport of choice in Paris ... and now in London.

WH AT ’S T RENDIN G IN

FEBRUARY TEMPERLEY LONDON

EMILIA WICKSTEAD

COMPILED BY HANNAH POPHAM

THE GOLDEN TICKET Want to attend the Emilia Wickstead, Mary Katrantzou, Temperley London and Holly Fulton shows? This year, tickets are available to the public for as little as £20, from www. londonfashionweek.co.uk/tickets. Snap them up now or forever suffer from FASHION FOMO.

THE NEW STYLE SPACES Unexpected fashion show venues promise to be a talking point this season. New York Fashion Week was forced to leave the Lincoln Centre and find cool new spaces including SKYLIGHT AT MOYNIHAN STATION, a former post office. Oscar de la Renta will show in the restored neo-Classical PRINCE GEORGE BALLROOM, while Tory Burch will be at the DAVID H KOCH THEATER. Closer to home, London Fashion Week this year takes place in BREWER STREET CAR PARK, Soho.

6 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

FASTEST FINGER FIRST Forget trying to nab a frow seat, for the best access, open your apps.

JW Anderson streamed his AW/16 menswear show on Grindr, while Brown Thomas took to Periscope with their latest lingerie collection. Burberry previewed SS16 on Snapchat before their show and Misha Nonoo ditched the catwalk altogether in favour of an ‘Instashow’.

3

Capture your street style snaps with the crystal clear lens of an iPhone 6S, the must-have techcessory.

4

5

Amble easily between shows in a pair of statement kicks. We love these leather, nubuck and piqué sneakers by Tod’s, (0310; www.net-aporter.com).

Tick two major trend boxes this season by layering your tight-fitting leather jacket underneath a smart trench or a luxurious fur coat.

HUNTING

end s p o tt i n g a t r

SPR ING FOR M S

SHEER INSANITY After such a long and chilly spell, the thought of wearing something sheer makes us shiver as though the pilot light had gone out. Even though the nightie-as-daywear trend is starting to take hold – desist, gentle reader, if born after 2000 – this season’s separate trend for sheer fabrics has nothing to do with looking boudoir-bound and everything to do with looking fully dressed, fresh and softly pulled together. At Nina Ricci, blouses are blush and, well, blousy, and in Simone Rocha’s SS16 collection, inspired, it is said, by the wardrobe of elegant alpha female Constance Markeviecz, almost everything, apart from the military-style tunics and dresses (perfectly poised for a year of Rising fervour) is sheer. Don’t fall foul of the trend and risk someone saying “I can see right through you”. Stay sheer but stay safe.

Nearly Nude is another country.

For inspiration, see page 10.

8 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

PHOTOGRA PH BY JASON L LOY D- EVA N S

GATHERING channel the t

2

re n d

3

1

NINA RICCI

11

4

5

10

JASON LLOYD-EVANS

6

9

SEE -THROUGH DRESSING

8

A LITTLE WELL - PLACED TRANSPARENCY 1. Candy Hero Dot wool cushion, HAY, d82; www.amara.com.

2. Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue, ATELIER COLOGNE, d120, at Brown Thomas. 3. Pink pleated ruffle blouse, SEE BY CHLOÉ, d250; www.shopbop.com. 4. Goa pendant light, d160, at MARKS & SPENCER. 5. Blush satin wide-leg trousers, d58; WWW.ASOS.COM. 6. Silver ring with pink opal, d49, at PANDORA, 35 Grafton Street, Dublin 2.

7. Floral-print glass hurricane vase, d35, at MARKS & SPENCER. 8. Rosaviola candle, DIPTYQUE, d30, at Brown Thomas. 9. Pink splitsole canvas ballet shoes, PORSELLI, d50; www.luisaviaroma.com.

10. Vintage 40W bulb, BLOOMINGVILLE, d52; www.amara.com.

11. Patent Finish Lip Colour in Red Corset, TOM FORD, d48, at Brown Thomas, from March. For stockists, www.thegloss.ie

10 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

7

MOODBOARD “THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT DAYS OF YOUR LIFE ARE THE DAY YOU ARE BORN AND THE DAY YOU FIND OUT WHY.”

4

“I WOULD RATHER DIE OF PASSION THAN OF BOREDOM.” VINCENT VAN GOGH

3

“CHASE DOWN YOUR PASSION LIKE IT’S THE LAST BUS OF THE NIGHT.”

MARK TWAIN

1

TERRI GUILLEMETS I’m legging it in Cavallini optical pattern tights.

Browse Tights Dept, Royal Hibernian Way, Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

2

5

I’m eating with my eyes at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud.

The First Thirty Years is a visual feast documenting Ireland’s only twostarred Michelin eatery. 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.

T H IS M ONT H T H E MO O D I S :

PASSIONATE 6

SUSAN ZELOUF gets all steamed up In Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion by Gregg Levoy, Levoy likens responding to a calling to riding an elephant bareback: the elephant couldn’t care less, just as our souls are unconcerned at the price we pay to live passionately. “My security, my popularity, my vanity, even my happiness don’t seem to matter to my soul. It’s not interested in whether I live a comfortable life. It’s not interested in making me rich or famous. It’s not interested in whether people even like me or not. What does seem to matter to it, though, is staying up on the elephant and being willing to go for the Ride – the one that ensures that someday, if my life flashes in front of my eyes, it will at least hold my interest.”

Blaise Pascal wrote “The heart has its reasons, which reason knows nothing of.” What is passion if not an unreasonable desire, the stirring of a deep and abiding curiosity, a response to a calling so compelling as to propel us beyond logic and sense? The object of passion may be another, a creative pursuit, a cause, a vocation; as comedian Jerry Seinfeld noted, “You can be passionate about anything.” During a spell of redecoration, sourcing the right wallpaper not only kept me awake nights, trawling virtual swatch libraries and other people’s Pinterest boards for inspiration, but developed into a visual passion, awakening an intense interest in how to see, exercising my looking muscles, prompting a visit to artist Bernadette Kiely’s studio and an unlikely discussion about the overlap of painting and wall coverings! Even wallpaper has the potential to elicit passion.

As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so passion is subjective, not intended to withstand the scrutiny of others. Art addict Peggy Guggenheim devoted her life to collecting contemporary art, while Irish aesthete Robert O’Byrne visits stately piles, documenting ruins as they disappear before

12 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

our eyes. Keni Valenti’s crammed rails of vintage couture languished in a Manhattan warehouse until he realised his dream of establishing a fashion museum in Miami. The mantra at the heart of 1989 film Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come,” is also present at the birth of every grand or seemingly insignificant passion. Perhaps there is a thin line between passion and dilettantism, but resist the urge to judge your passions.

Instead, count yourself lucky if you’ve fixed your heart on something, and cultivate it; passions, like gardens, flourish with nourishment.

If depression is endemic in our modern world, then self medication through alcohol, drugs, antidepressants, food, shopping, gambling, sex or any other substance or activity purporting to fill the black hole is epidemic. It took 20 years of juggling so-called cures (many of which I’d nicknamed “the help that is not help”) to arrive at the conclusion that what I’d hungered for was a mental/emotional/physical/spiritual union, a connection to my own flame, an engagement with the world, to life itself.

In other words, what I’d been missing was passion.

So, how do we cultivate passion, and keep it alive in the face of the impossible demands of the quotidian? Gregg Levoy reminds us that the wondrous is embedded in the ordinary. To live in an everyday world that inspires rather than deflates us, Levoy posits, we must fall back in love with it, to mark it as we’d pore over the face of a beloved, enthralled, as if seeing it for the first time, which requires a beginner’s mind. The discipline is in the practice of active curiosity; not knowing fills the day with possibilities. Ignorance is bliss.

To make a fire requires fuel and oxygen. Passion exacts commitment and risk. Make February your leap year; demand great things of yourself.

Fall truly, madly, deeply in love with the world again. ^ @SusanZelouf

THIS MONTH’S MOODBOARD I’M PAPERING my walls with artist Arthur Slenk’s Remixed, each design cut and pasted from century-old amateur orchestra sheet music. (1) www.nlxl.com I’M RELIVING Ireland’s decorative art history through Robert O’Byrne’s blog www. theirishaesthete.com (2) I’M LISTENING to Jobim’s Waters of March 1974 duet with Elis Regina, a lyrical collage celebrating “the promise of life” on YouTube. (3) I’M TAKING a page out of Gregg Levoy’s book on living passionately. www. gregglevoy.com (4) I’M COLLECTING vicariously through heiress Peggy Guggenheim’s astute eyes. (5) The documentary Art Addict is available on iTunes from February 14.

I’M READING Magnificent Obsession by hosiery genius Emilio Cavallini, (6) a wearable art book. www.skira.net.

peugeot.ie

PEUGEOT 308 FOCUSED ON YOUR SENSATIONS FROM €230 PER MONTH*

2.9% APR*

PEUGEOT I-COCKPIT

I

€3,500 SCRAPPAGE

(3)

PURETECH PETROL ENGINES

Combined consumption (l/100 km): from 3.6 to 5.1. CO2 emissions (g/km): from 95 to 114.

YEARS EXTENDED

WARRANTY

I

€750 CUSTOMER REWARD(3)

R E V E R S E PA R K I N G C A M E R A (1)

#AffordableQuality

Standard from Active model. (2) 5 years warranty is made up of 3 year manufacturer’s warranty and 2 year extended manufacturer’s warranty.

On registrations up to 29th February 2016. Peugeot 308 range RRSP from €19,365 plus delivery.

Finance Example: Peugeot 308 1.6 BlueHDi 100bhp Allure. Retail Price† €25,718.40. Customer Deposit / Trade In €9,001. Finance Amount €16,717.40.

36 monthly payments of €230. Total Cost of Credit €1,159.09 which includes a documentation fee of €63.49. GMFV†† (Optional Final Payment) €9,533.

APR 2.9% as at 01 January 2016. Min deposit 10%. † Includes delivery & related charges. Model is shown for illustrative purposes only. ††Guaranteed Minimum Future Value (GMFV) is payable if you renew or retain the vehicle at the end of the agreement. Further charges may be applied by your Peugeot Dealer subject to kilometre limits / condition of the vehicle. *Lending criteria and conditions apply. Offer available on all new Peugeot 308 Allure models registered up to 29th February 2016 at participating dealers.

APR 2.9% which is inclusive of a documentation fee of €63.49. This is a Hire Purchase agreement provided by Bank of Ireland t/a Bank of Ireland Finance.

(1)

(2)

OR

(3)

PEUGEOT 308

WEDDINGS

The Modern Mrs T White silk-crêpe mini dress, CARVEN. Melon Pigalle Follies patent leather shoes, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN.

Bride, bridesmaid, guest? Here’s a guide to getting dressed ... he Modern Mrs, whether bright young thing or the more mature bride, traditionalist or rule-breaker, is making her wedding attire her own, with a nod to those trends from this season which will endure and not leave her cringing at her wedding photos in the future. So what’s in? Volume: From classic ballgown skirts to tiered and overskirt-style, pump up the volume.

Detail: 3D floral embellishment and feathers; deep or keyhole necklines. Chic Casual: Short and sweet modern shifts (this picture) and pretty jumpsuits.

Red Carpet Dressing: Take your cue from last month’s Golden Globe red carpet frocks for your own moment in the spotlight. Just add the veil of your choice.

WEDDING SALON MARCH 5 AT THE MERRION HOTEL THE GLOSS Magazine’s Wedding Salon at The Merrion is a must for brides who want their wedding to be simply sophisticated and memorable. Event planner Tara Fay will host a day of bridal dressing with Louise Kennedy, hair by Brown Sugar and make-up by Brown Thomas, table design, menus, flowers by Appassionata, gifts, photography, budgeting and planning. Tickets are 075 and include coffee, luncheon and a gift bag as well as a Wedding Salon folder of useful information and contacts. Come on your own, with your mum, sister or friend – it’s also a lovely gift for someone you know who has just got engaged.

TO BOOK, CALL 01 275 5130

PHOTOGRAPHED BY OLIVIA GRAHAM. STYLED BY LUIS RODRIGUEZ

THE BRIDESMAIDS The trend for bridesmaids selecting their own dresses within a specific colour palette continues but every woman in a wedding party should be able to find her own figure-flattering silhouette.

Bridesmaids, even if they wear different dresses, can wear the same shoes (similar style shoes with different heel height are something that sets Jimmy Choo apart), similar accessories and even a uniform length. Inventive bridesmaids will always shop off the peg dresses. Last season, designers Viktor & Rolf and Temperley made bridal jumpsuits in silks and laces popular. This year, the silhouette has made its way down the aisle to the bridesmaids.

Wide-leg renditions are über-glamorous.

THE GUESTS It’s a balance between looking chic, but not boring, dressed up but not over the top. Be different. If most women will be wearing a LFD (little floral dress), fascinator or up-do, why not try a pair of dressy, silk wide-leg trousers or culottes with a pretty top? Wear a longer length dress or skirt to a summer wedding.

A blazer or jacket is pretty much a necessity when it comes to Irish weddings, cardigans look frumpy.

Don’t overdo hair and make-up: it looks uncool. See www.thegloss.ie for inspiration.

16 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

Photo Michel Gibert. Photograph used for representational purposes only. Special thanks: Camille Stoos / TASCHEN

l’art de vivre by roche bobois

European manufacture

Astrea modular corner sofa, designed by Studio Roche Bobois.

Voiles cocktail table, designed by Maurice Barilone.

OO suspension light, designed by Julien Groboz.

UNIT D1 Beacon South Quarter, Dublin 18.

Tel: 01-653-1650 dublin@rochebobois.ie

OPENING HOURS: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm, Monday – Saturday 12.00 am – 6.00 pm, Sunday & Bank Holidays

Complementary 3D Interior Design Service

www.roche-bobois.com

WEDDINGS

Backstage at Stockholm Fashion Week SS16.

MRS & MRS This year the focus will undoubtedly be on same-sex weddings. Hurrah! But what do the brides wear? Look to style queens Michelle Harper and Jenny Shimizu and German designer Helen Bender’s website (www.helen-bender.de) for real-life inspiration.

FOR T H E B RID E WH O IS

OLD -SCHOOL WITH A MODERN TWIST

Jenny Shimizu and Michelle Harper

Nicky Hilton wore Valentino on her wedding day.

Traditional and impeccably styled, the classic bride chooses timeless style over trends. Her dress, flowers, photography, even her menu, will feel just as current in ten years as they do today.

WHAT’S IN A VEIL? The birdcage has had its day. This is the year for a lace appliqué shoulder- or cathedral-length veil.

THE INVITE Make your invitation more memorable, less sober. Colourful hand-painted and illustrated invitations are luxe, elegant and surprisingly classic.

Cream of the crop? Try www.riflepaperco.com: www.jollyedition.com; www.stationerybakery.com; www.meagantidwell.com; www.katcatmur.com.

Left to right: Voile Court lace-appliquéd tulle veil, ¤250; Baum embroidered silk-tulle veil, ¤700; both Rime Arodaky at www.net-a-porter.com.

TH E CR OW N Add the finishing touch with a well-chosen headpiece THE DRESS THE FLOWERS Plants, foliage and moss are new for 2016.

Also, look at potted trees, succulents, ferns and lavender; they’re no longer reserved for just anchoring arrangements.

GUESTS WHO IMPRESS Wondering what to wear?

See www.thegloss.ie for inspiration

18 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

From left to right: Cream guipure lace dress, Elie Saab, ¤6,200; www.net-a-porter.com. Ivory Poppy fine lace gown, ¤5,995, at Louise Kennedy, 56 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.

Call 01 662 0065 for an appointment. Laura Bailey wearing an Emilia Wickstead gown. At Wickstead’s atelier, dresses can be ordered in set sizes in individual colours and fabric or, avail of her made-to-measure service where the dress is fitted and ordered to your specific measurements.

THE FASHIONABLE CALLIGRAPHER Make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s; modernday scribe and illustrator Paul Antonio writes with a quill and is on every fashion insider’s speed dial. www. paulantonioscribe.com

Clockwise from above: Gold Leaf Eos comb, Jennifer Behr, ¤349; www.jcrew.com. Gold Leaf slides, Dolce & Gabbana,, ¤145 each; crystalembellished headband, Miu Miu, ¤390; all www.mytheresa.com.

Garbo Swarovski crystal headpiece, ¤290; www.emily-jean.com.

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WEDDINGS THE LOOK

FO R THE B RID E WH O IS

Many modern brides are now turning to the internet in an effort to source something different. Savannah Miller has joined forces with online bridal specialist Stone Fox Bride (www. stonefoxbride.com) to create an effortlessly elegant range of gowns. Just bear in mind, you may need to alter yours to ensure a perfect fit. It’s important to employ someone experienced and reputable to take on the task: try Stitch In Time, Unit 1 Hardy’s Lane, Dun Laoghaire. Co Dublin, 085 142 7782.

COOL � CONNECTED Life is hectic enough without the added stress of planning a wedding. Enter: the internet, the connected bride’s secret weapon. From your iPad or at your desk, you can use clever apps and time-saving websites to find everything you could possibly need to create an elegant and memorable day.

THE LITTLE EXTRAS For tableware with a difference, check out Caterhire’s vintage section at www.caterhire. com, as well as www.vintagechinahire.ie and www.prettyplates.ie. Opt for a mix of long tables surrounded by smaller square and round tables for a more intimate vibe.

3 O F TH E B E ST WITH THIS RING ...

If you plan to buy a wedding band or engagement ring online, these specialists will deliver to your front door, or desk. There’s no excuse!

DIGITAL INVITATIONS Electronic invitations have become socially acceptable.

Relatively cheap and surprisingly elegant, best in class are those from www.paperlesspost.com (see Vera Wang’s collection, left) and www.greenvelope.com. Think about ordering a traditional batch too, for elderly relatives and that Luddite cousin who refuses to get broadband. Design your own on www.minted.com.

Clockwise from top: Geodesic dome 18-carat gold and platinum diamond ring, David Webb, ¤39,169; www.net-a-porter. com. Cushion-cut milky quartz ring, Thomas Sabo,¤895; www.thomassabo. com. Blossom Triple rose gold and diamond ring, ¤2,535, at www.boodles.com

CLICK CHIC

Giant three-foot balloons (with tassel tails), from ¤35 each; www.notonthe highstreet.com.

Stamped metal table numbers, $8 each; www. bhldn.com.

A one-stop-shop for all things wedding (gowns, veils, bridesmaid and flowergirl dresses, lingerie, vow journals, and pretty paper bunting), www.bhldn.com is brought to us by Anthropologie. Offering one-on-one styling services online and by phone, this site is for the bride looking for the unusual, while www.net-a-porter.com’s bridal section ticks all the boxes for the fashionable bride. On a budget? Asos.com is launching an affordable bridal collection in March, comprising 18 pieces – dresses, separates and jumpsuits. From ¤100.

THE EXTRAS What not to do? Design your wedding reception to look like a seven-yearold’s birthday party. Both www.notonthehighstreet. com and www.bhldn.com offer affordable options for quirky but smart décor and favours, as does Irish site www.hippenings.com.

GUESTS WHO IMPRESS Wondering what to wear?

See www.thegloss.ie for inspiration

TO #HASHTAG OR NOT? Designating a #hashtag makes it easy to scan photos your guests upload to social media in real time. Eschew surnames and make it representative of the day, like DJ Nialler9 and food writer Aoife McElwain who chose #LoveJam.

20 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

Sequined high-neck top, d111; ivory maxi skirt with puddle train, d126; both Asos Bridal at www.asos.com.

From left to right: Ivory Prosper silk-cotton gown, Delphine Manivet, $2,900; www.bhldn.com. Ivory devoré-satin top and matching skirt, Preen, d2,086; white Arizona crêpe maxi skirt and matching top, Rime Arodaky, d2,290; both at www.net-a-porter.com.

www.newbridgesilverware.com/guinness

The GUINNESS™ word and HARP device are trademarks and are used under license. Please remember to drink GUINNESS™ responsibly. © Guinness & Co. 2015

Forget salmon or beef; it’s all about creating a feast that people will remember.

WEDDINGS

WAYS TO SHINE

FOR THE B RID E WH O IS

Pearl and diamond earrings, Tiffany & Co, ¤7,950, at Brown Thomas.

If you’ve chosen the perfect dress, it’s important to accessorise with jewellery that flatters its neckline; the devil is in the details, especially when it comes to wedding photography.

Auctions houses are great places to find vintage gems at reasonable prices. For hair accessories, try Knightsbridge in the Powerscourt Centre, Dublin 2 and Rhinestones, 18 Andrew Street, Dublin 2.

OLDER � BOLDER

THE DINNER Guéridon service (where food is cooked, finished and presented at the table) is back – Luna on Drury Street, Dublin 2, is flying the retro flag with its quaint-but-cool dessert trollies. Plate sharing or anything you can eat with your fingers adds to a relaxed atmosphere. Look for a venue that allows leisurely, unpretentious partying, where guests can let their hair down.

H E R E CO M E S TH E G R O O M

Age may be just a number, but a more mature bride (especially if it’s not her first time at the rodeo) will feel more confident in eschewing tradition and suiting herself while saying “I do”.

It’s all about the dinner party approach ...

A smart suit, preferably bespoke, maketh the man

THE ARTSY INVITE

Break away from tradition in print or soft pastels (note former Gucci creative director Frida Giannini’s pink lace Valentino gown, left).

Or wear that red carpet showstopper you’ve always wanted. For the most reluctant brides, Covet’s newly opened bridal suite (above) offers a well-curated collection of chic options to borrow, from ¤175 for three days.

The Powerscourt Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2.

The look of your invitations prescribes the style of your wedding, clueing guests in as to what to expect – and what to wear. If it’s just not you, reject cookie-cutter traditional cards and consider doing something that reflects you as a couple.

The right illustrator can add a personalised touch that will make them memorable.

GUESTS WHO IMPRESS Wondering what to wear?

See www.thegloss.ie for inspiration

22 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

What should he wear? Take inspiration from Ireland’s best dressed men. Good fit is paramount in a suit and will hide a multitude of sins. If you are a traditionalist, a classic morning suit or tuxedo will work. Black is always a safe choice but midnight blue is more on-trend – try Hackett’s suiting department (Anne Street South, Dublin 2). Do you want to go bespoke or off-the-rack? Consider Louis Copeland’s made-to-measure service: it: is something every man should experience at least once. Louis Copeland, 18-19 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2.

THE FLOWERS Ditch the bouquet and carry a clutch. For tables, forget traditional hydrangeas and peonies and opt for a bunch of splendid, inseason blooms. Keep it restaurant style and don’t go over the top: small vases with a few carefully selected stems can be far more convivial for crosstable conversations.

VALENTINO

Portrait personalised stationery, to order, www. riflepaperco. com. Gesso 1 in navy blue (paper edition) $2.65 each; www.paper less post.com.

SAY YES TO THE (NON WHITE) DRESS

Choose a venue where guests can let their hair down.

Nude Charlie satin clutch, Wilbur & Gussie, ¤235, at Harvey Nichols.

THE PERFECT PAIR Not too long ago, white thick-heeled satin pumps were the only wedding shoes displayed in the windows of Irish boutiques — but these days, thank goodness, any shoe goes. Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin now stock specific bridal collections. White is a huge shoe trend for SS16 so they won’t be hard to find, even on the high street. We say, pick a pair you love, that you will wear again – in any colour.

Jamie Dornan sports a summeryblue made to measure suit.

Pierce Brosnan always looks the part in a navy wool suit. Think tone on tone when it comes to the tie. Ditch the try-hard sunglasses.

Michael Fassbender wearing a slim-cut black tuxedo with satin lapels.

OCEAN WITH NAOMI CAMPBELL FOR NEWBRIDGE SILVERWARE

W W W. N E W B R I D G E S I LV E R W A R E . C O M #NSBLUEBOX

WITH NAOMI CAMPBELL

W W W. N E W B R I D G E S I LV E R W A R E . C O M #NSBLUEBOX

W W W. N E W B R I D G E S I LV E R W A R E . C O M #NSBLUEBOX

BUSINESS WISDOM all worked hard, learning to make decisions, take responsibility and work as part of a team.

My mother taught me a lot. She was the first female bus conductor in the UK. She has tremendous leadership skills and wisdom that I still aspire to.

AN ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF? My family. I am blessed with two fantastic children who keep me grounded, and a very supportive husband.

HOW YOU APPROACH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS? Face on – problems will not go away until you understand what it is you are dealing with and present a solution. Also, consult with your colleagues and team, who can often provide the insights and support required to achieve successful conclusions to difficult issues.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT? Now that the children are a little older, I am actually quite a good sleeper when, after all the jobs are done, I eventually get to bed.

WHAT IS ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE A BUSINESS LEADER SHOULD POSSESS? The ability to listen and learn. I learn something new every day.

WHICH IS THE MOST USEFUL WAY TO ENGAGE CLIENTS OR SUPPLIERS? I value face to face contact when one can convey and express feelings and opinions much more effectively. If that is not possible, then at least a telephone conversation.

PHOTOGRAPH BY AL HIGGINS

FROM THE DESK OF ...

THE CV A business graduate of UCD, Galway native Dolores Geaney began her career in finance at a bank where she was an internal auditor.

She moved into compliance when increased regulatory requirements and expectations made it a discipline in its own right, first as a Senior Compliance Manager at a large stockbroking firm.

Following a number of moves, she is currently Head of Compliance at Investec, a leading specialist bank and wealth and investment management firm, where she has been for ten years.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE: I have a wide variety of responsibilities and, as part of the Executive Management Team in Ireland, have a regulatory, governance and strategic role.

YOUR COMPANY’S BUSINESS PRIORITIES FOR 2016?

To do the very best we can for our clients. We believe in offering a quality service and a long term relationship.

What is good for our client is good for us.

HIGHLIGHTS AND CHALLENGES DURING YOUR TENURE? The sea change in regulation and the complexity of that regulation, particularly over the last number of years, is challenging. Understanding and managing the regulatory requirements and maintaining excellent standards in compliance keeps you constantly reevaluating. Having an excellent team is essential.

DID ANYTHING IN YOUR EARLY LIFE EXPERIENCE INFLUENCE YOUR JOURNEY TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE? Yes. One of six children, I grew up on a farm, but my parents bought a hotel when I was eight years old. We

26 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

Dolores Geaney HEAD OF COMPLIANCE, INVESTEC HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GET READY IN THE MORNING? About 20 minutes. But this excludes the children’s breakfast, lunch boxes and the usual last-minute tasks involved in getting out the door.

DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE FOR WORK: I love clothes that look good but are comfortable to wear so quality fabrics that are easy to move in and don’t crease are key. I like designers like Paul Smith, Pinko and Max Mara and always shop in Ireland in boutiques such as Khan in Blackrock, and at Brown Thomas.

ADVICE YOU MIGHT GIVE TO WOMEN WHO ASPIRE TO BE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES? It does actually take hard work, it doesn’t happen overnight. Be open to learning from those you admire and who are better than you. Decide on what success looks like for you, it is different for everyone. 

MY WORKING LIFE:

THE WAY I DO BUSINESS 1. STRONG POINTS I have a very strong work ethic and I value my team immensely. 2. WEAKNESSES Buying shoes, clothes and handbags. I have no desire to overcome this weakness. 3. WORK/LIFE BALANCE Decide on your priorities and be happy with them. 4. LOOKING THE BUSINESS I love quality fabrics and tailored dresses, trousers, shirts and jackets. 5. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE It is a widely known fact that women are the last to consider their own pensions. The Investec Wealth and Investment team have helped me understand what I need for my retirement and what I need to do to get there.

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FIRST PERSON

N

ew Year’s Eve 2002.

I’m sipping my sparkling water, a flutter of excitement rippling through me. It’s been a good year. Work has taken off, project managing the restoration of historic buildings, not to mention being a full-time mum to two lively boys aged ten and twelve. And what a year it is going to be. By the summer I will have twins. Tomorrow we will tell the boys, and then our parents. I couldn’t wait to share our joy. And, as expected, they were over the moon. Secretly we all started thinking of names.

I was booked in for a routine amniocentesis test which could not be done before 14 weeks.

In the evenings I was tired but not overly so, mentally preparing for the new arrivals. I even bought a queen-size bed with drawers, imagining I would be living in it for a while and would keep them close all day. Otherwise, it was work as usual, managing a building site, writing conservation reports, collecting the boys from school, dinner, overseeing homework, school lunches made, then bed.

On the day of the test we made our way to the hospital. Before I went into the cubicle, the obstetrician said, “If we discover a problem with one of the twins, we can’t tell you which one. Are you okay with that?” To be honest, the thought hadn’t crossed our minds but we took a few minutes to discuss it and decided to go ahead.

I lay on the bed as the gel was applied and we watched the doctor’s face expectantly.

“Oh,” she said, “that one stopped at eight weeks, so that makes it much easier.” I watched her mouth move but could barely take in what she was saying. Did she just tell us that one of the twins had died? Yes. And that finding out if the other one had a problem would be much easier? Yes. We were stunned into silence. I felt the blood drain from my face. I was going to be sick.

And that was that. As if detecting my sorrow, the doctor quickly added, “but the other one is kicking like a horse”.

I couldn’t find the words to even ask what happens to the dead twin. Then the large needle was inserted into my womb. We were told the results would be back in three weeks.

On the way home we were both wondering if we had heard her correctly. Did the doctor realise that telling us one of our twins was dead was not good news? When I collected the boys from school, they couldn’t contain their excitement. “Did you find out? Could they tell? Do you know? Boys or girls?” I knew they secretly wanted a sister.

When we got home, I explained that one of the twins had died, that its little heart had stopped beating. However hard it was for me to take in, it seemed perplexing for them. They were gutted.

Over the next few weeks, my belly grew steadily and I felt more tired. I tried to slow down, but working for myself, I had to keep up. I cuddled the boys closer at night, trying to focus on the joy that the other twin would bring. I thought the date of the amniocentesis results would never come – it was written large in my diary. I just wanted to get on with our lives and plan for the new

organs, bone and brain abnormalities, breathing and feeding problems. My heart broke. Such pain and suffering for such a tiny soul. It was unbearable to contemplate. I thought of my two sons – more bad news for them.

“What do we do now?” I asked. In my innocence I imagined that once a woman is told her pregnancy is unviable, that she would not continue the remaining four and a half months – 140 days and nights. I assumed they would lead me to a special room in the hospital and take care of me, take care of my dying baby. I looked at her hopefully as I clenched my partner’s hand. I asked when I could be treated, what should I do now? Thinking of the dead twin and the unviable twin inside me, and my two sons still in primary school, I knew immediately who needed me the most. I knew it would take all my strength and health to look after my boys that year.

The doctor took a moment, drew a breath and informed us that no intervention was allowed in this jurisdiction. She was sorry but she was not in a position to give us any advice, any help, any care, any support. Nothing. I was convinced there was a mistake, a mix-up of files or tests. I asked if the sample could have come from the dead twin. The doctor assured me they had sent it to a Scottish hospital for confirmation and the results would be back next day. It was a small comfort. I tried to read my file upside down.

“What is it?” I asked. She pointed to a box where XY was written. A boy. She handed me the file and we left – alone to carry the burden.

The second test confirmed the results. Our little boy would suffer horrific disabilities and pain, if he survived at all. How could I be asked to carry to full term in the knowledge that he would die almost immediately? How could I face all the “How far are you gone?” and “When are you due? questions.”

Hands on my bump, the knowing smiles. Irish people have a field day when it comes to expectant mothers.

The reality of my family life was one that revolved around me, being capable, healthy and active. I needed my full strength for my living sons. I had to get up every morning, make their breakfast, drive them to school, work all day, be there for them when they came home, relating their victories, their disappointments, their daily challenges. How could I be expected to do all that, becoming more tired and saddened each day, carrying a baby I knew was going to suffer and die?

The night of the second result which confirmed the condition, we had dinner with friends. They were sympathetic but incredulous. Nobody knew what to say. Nobody realised this could happen in Ireland. The men were particularly horrified. For them, it was inconceivable that they would watch their partner going through such a devastating tragedy. Someone said that terminating a pregnancy leads to 13 years in prison. The dark hand in the constitution was introduced.

The next morning I lay in bed, my large bump unconsciously taunting me.

Deirdre Conroy

INTOLERABLE

CRUELTY

After losing one twin in utero, and discovering the other was unviable, Deirdre Conroy was forced to confront the flaws in the Irish constitution. Thirteen years later, and haunted by the experience, she is still fighting to repeal the eighth amendment

28 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

arrival. The day finally arrived; the phone rang in the afternoon. It was a secretary. I held my breath. She said the doctor wanted to see me. She didn’t say exactly why but I instinctively knew something was wrong. I phoned my partner, crying. At the hospital, we were directed up a dark staircase, each step felt like a heavy weight. I didn’t have the scope to imagine what the news might be. At worst I expected that corrective surgery might be needed.

We took our seats in front of the desk, on top of which lay my open file. My heart was thumping so loudly that I could hardly hear the consultant speak. Then I heard the words “copies … cells … chromosomes”. She went on to give us a quick genetics lesson, explaining about Down’s Syndrome. “But in this case, it is a third copy of chromosome 18.” I assumed that was minor, of course, eternal optimist that I am. “So it will be okay?” I managed to whisper. She shook her head. “It’s called Edwards’ Syndrome, otherwise known as Trisomy 18. Ninety five per cent of Trisomy babies die in the womb.

Those who do not, rarely survive more than a few hours.” She explained that a Trisomy baby was like a car without an engine, gearbox or wheels – in other words, just a shell. Time seemed to stretch and slow down.

She outlined the severe disabilities my child would suffer: incomplete

at King’s Inns.

FIRST PERSON I had researched Edwards’ Syndrome and found Thousands attended the no consolation. Apparently, the mother often “March for Choice” in presented much larger due to excess fluid. My Dublin last September. partner brought me breakfast and the newspaper.

A big headline jumped out at me – “Tánaiste announces date for Abortion Referendum”.

For the first time in my life the thorny, divisive issue affected me. For the first time I understood the hypocrisy of political positioning on the subject.

Parties would hurl abuse at each other over this, as they always did, not realising the impact on women and family life. My family, my doctors, my friends understood the barbarity of my position, but the politicians would not.

I needed to write down everything I felt in that moment. As I read the article, I decided my notes would form a letter to those involved – a plea for humanity. Why send me away to another country when it only meant having a funeral in February instead of June? The words came out thick and fast and soon I had written an open letter to the Attorney General, Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Archbishop, outlining my request to be treated humanely and allowed to seek help, support, counselling and medical treatment in my own country.

I felt I needed to protect our privacy, so I posted the letter anonymously to The Irish Times and made an appointment to be induced in a Belfast hospital. Arriving there the following name in Irish, Deirdre de Barra, and it was published week, I was met by a nurse trained to look after two weeks before the abortion referendum. I didn’t align women in these devastating circumstances. I wondered myself to any party, to any side of the debate, just pointed why there was not the same sympathy a few miles across out how meaningless the wording of the referendum the border. If only I could be treated like a human being was. My primary concern was for women, like me, in my own town, where friends could visit, where I would carrying a baby with a fatal foetal abnormality, vulnerable not have to conceal what I had done. The doctor in Belfast women, who were being forced out of the country for informed us that the baby would probably miscarry in medical care. The response was huge. It was reported a few weeks and, if not induced, it could be hazardous in European newspapers, Australia and America. Here to my health. He assured me that this was the best and in Ireland, the sympathy was incredible. Just like me, safest scenario. In a few days it would all be over and we could start to rebuild our lives. The recovery could begin.

At midnight I was brought to a special delivery ward, distant from the live birth wards. I soon delivered a tiny lifeless being. I got to stroke him, memorise him, recognise that this was not happy, not sad, not right.

Then they took him away. They brought me his footprints on a little card. And asked if I would like a photograph, I always wish I had said yes. But he is indelibly etched in my mind. ordinary men and women had no idea that there was not We drove back to Dublin with the tiny white coffin a separate intervention for fatal foetal abnormality. When on the back seat. I could not put it in the boot. Only the Masters of the three maternity hospitals in Dublin afterwards could I tell my little boys that we had lost the were confronted at a press conference about my letter, second baby too. More devastation. When we found the each one said I should have been treated in Dublin, that perfect cemetery we planned his funeral and brought fatal foetal abnormality should be a matter for the doctor him to his final resting place. I wrapped the coffin in the and the best interest of the patient. After all, the choice is powder blue baby blanket given by the Belfast hospital there for women who wish to continue their pregnancy. and lowered it into the grave, in a green field beside As a result of the letter, various organisations wanted to a wooden church, lambs bleating in the distance and lobby on my behalf. I received messages through friends, birdsong on the wind. I wanted that for him. The priest as nobody had my details, except the newspaper. I was included the other twin in the little sermon. Years later, invited on to radio, The Late Late Show, the BBC wanted I found the typed script that she had handed out, neatly to come and interview me. The newspaper agreed that folded in my youngest boy’s drawer. It read, “Suffer Little they would all be kept away. It was a difficult decision.

Children who come unto me”.

I felt compelled to help other women, but I needed to In mid-February, I heard that the newspaper was keen recover and live privately. to publish my open letter but couldn’t because I had not When I was guaranteed anonymity by an English given my name and address. So I offered my married barrister who wanted to take a breach of human rights

“Why send me AWAY to another country when it only meant having a FUNERAL in February instead of June?”

case to the European Court, I agreed. Ultimately, I decided it would give meaning to baby Tom’s short appearance in the world. D v Ireland commenced in 2002 and it took four years to reach its outcome.

For those four long years, I had to relive the details of my case over and over. I had gone back to college in 2003 to immerse myself in something different.

I was still busy with work, the boys were moving on to secondary school through those years. But it was “D” and Deirdre De Barra who were out on the frontline.

In June 2006 I was on holiday with some girlfriends in France when I got a call from the barrister. She explained that the case had been deemed inadmissible based on the State’s argument that I had not gone to court when I was given the bad news in the hospital. Basically, I should have known that I could challenge the constitutional ban (the eighth amendment) and seek a Supreme Court hearing, await a decision, all while still pregnant. Another kick in the teeth.

In 2012, I saw the headlines “Woman dies after being denied abortion” about Savita Halappanavar. I was in Malta, ironically, the only other European country that does not allow intervention for fatal foetal abnormality. I felt physically ill when I realised that it had happened in Ireland.

And even more sad as it dawned on me that her death was due to the eighth amendment, the same law that dictated my outcome. The dangers of delaying intervention are serious and can even be, as in Savita’s case, fatal.

In 2013, listening to the outcome of Savita’s inquest, I could bear it no longer. I felt guilty that I had not done enough. After talking to my sons, who by then were in their twenties, I decided to go public. They were fully supportive. Eleven years after writing my letter, I put my true name to my testimony. I was unprepared for the relief it would bring. I recognised that my grieving was ongoing, because I had never received public consolation. No longer did I have to hide behind a different name, a persona that took the condolence away. Braver women than I have held their heads above the parapet and I admired them for it. Perhaps I could not face being a campaigner alone: as with many such tragedies, it drives a wedge in a relationship and ours did not last the ordeal. I will be haunted by my experience until the law is changed, because I have not been able to improve conditions for other women. The memory of my experience is not one I want to hold on to.

In the intervening years I diverted my attention. After all, I still had two beautiful sons to raise, to provide “normality”’ and holidays and fun times. I am currently training to be a barrister and hope to be called next year.

I may get a chance to take that High Court case yet, this time wearing a wig and a gown. In September 2015, I was invited to address the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. I was nervous for months beforehand – I had never done this sort of thing before. When I finished, I was overwhelmed to see everyone in the room stand and applaud. And if this helps just one other woman, I will be happy to go on until we repeal the eighth. ^ In conversation with Justine Carbery. Names have been changed. Doctors or hospitals are not identifiable.

T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 29

BEAUTY

BY SARAH HALLIWELL

T H E B EAUT Y

EDIT GILES

FEBRUARY’S HIGHLIGHTS THREE TRENDS

CHANEL

1. PERFECT SKIN

BEYOND LIPSTICK

We’ve tried out new CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation at length, and find it brilliant. If you like Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation you’ll love this too: it has an uncanny ability to warm up skin without a hint of orange, while simultaneously banishing every ropey bit. It has replaced every other tinted tube on my shelf as it restores life and lustre to winter-worn skin. a45.

Primers, buffers and balms

S

pring always brings fresh new lip colours, but this season sees the arrival of the glossiest, most glamorous lip concoctions we can remember. Lipsticks are looking longer and elegant – just look at this new CHANEL Rouge Coco Stylo lipstick (above), arriving in the spring, as used at the Métiers d’Art Show “Paris in Rome”; and TOM FORD’s click-and-go Patent Finish lip colours, in impossibly shiny shades of cherry, violet and scarlet, arriving in March – dab on for a gorgeous colour stain, or keep clicking for layers of the richest lacquer. And underthe-radar Dutch brand ELLIS FAAS (at SpaceNK) has long perfected the allure of the longer lip bullet.

Bolstering the impossible glamour of these luxe launches are more practical taskmasters: exfoliators, scrubs, buffers, boosters and primers all designed for lips. If you exfoliate lips first, then use a primer, you get the purest colour and best results from your lipstick. It will last longer and feather less. Our favourites so far this season include CLINIQUE’s very cute new Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub Lip Balm duo ( a17), and CLARINS creamy Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector a18.50), which tastes distractingly delicious – think vanilla and caramel – and need nothing else added. Others worth trying are ESTÉE LAUDER’s doubleended New Dimension Lip Treatment a44), and SKINCEUTICALS AOX Lip Complex (a40). Those transfixed by the plump lips of Instagram should absolutely try these instead of starting down the rocky, risky road of injectables, while more mature lipstick lovers who see their lips getting thinner and more lined will feel less self-conscious about wearing brighter shades.

30 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

3. LASHES 2. THE RED LIP The red lip is big for spring – the beauty looks at Giles (above) and Zac Posen make us want to wear nothing else. We may not be tempted to try the “Lilt” eyeshadow look (ie bright green and yellow), but gleaming skin and a red lip is the beauty world’s denim – always good news. Best is SISLEY Lip Twist in Poppy (a34) – easy, fun and balmy. The key is letting your skin really show, to look “healthy, shiny, real”, as MAC’s Director of Artistry Terry Barber tells us: “It’s a reaction to the generic beauty we’re seeing on Instagram, anti-contouring and back to reality – to real, great skin and a gorgeous shine.” Stock up on Strobe Cream, and delight in your freckles.

It always seems like overstatement to say big lashes are a trend – few of us are ever parted from our mascara. But when the rest of your make-up is pared back, it’s easy to look washed-out unless lashes are given a serious boost.

ELIZABETH ARDEN Grand Entrance Mascara has come up with a threestep application to get the most out of your lashes, with an ingenious triangular brush that can push up, lengthen and layer in one. a26.

JUST LANDED ...

THIS MONTH we’re wearing ...

NAILS AU NATUREL: Fresh rose shades are a breath of fresh air after the darks of winter. “A good nude is always super-chic,” says expert Marian Newman. TRY YSL Love Pink (a24), and GIVENCHY’s limitededition Le Vernis Rose Divin (a23), at Debenhams.

“Being expressive with nails in spring can just mean a dark colour,” says Newman. “Go dark on fingers and pale on toes, or vice versa.”

TAKE 3: A FINE ROMANCE Scents to make you swoon 1. JO MALONE LONDON Orris & Sandalwood Cologne Intense.

The master perfumer who worked on this with Jo Malone London is Pierre Negrin, who has created niche perfumes for innovative labels like Amouage and By Kilian, as well as mass-market hits like David Beckham Homme. For this one, he’s focused on precious orris (the root of the iris plant), which he describes as “woody and powdery, floral and deep”, to suggest

I’ve had a soft spot for CALVIN KLEIN’s CKOne since it launched in 1994. One of the first unisex fragrances, its fresh hit of citrus, bright green tea and cedar seemed incredibly cool when we were all drowning in a sea of Cacharel, Gucci Rush and Gaultier Classique. It came with a screw cap but also a spray attachment, and you could never put on too much of it. Here’s a look at the new CK2, the most interesting Klein scent since, with cool wasabi, warm woods and a lingering finish of jasmine. Eau de toilette from a38, at Arnotts.

fragrant Tuscan hills bathed in sunshine. It combines cool iris with the warmth of sandalwood in an intoxicating way. ¤130.

2. CHLOE Love Story eau de toilette grabs attention with its padlock-shaped bottle, and keeps hold of it with pretty soft floral notes of nasturtium and orange blossom.

From ¤53.30.

3. LIZ EARLE Botanical Essence No 20 Eau de Parfum is an

elegant blend of bergamot, Turkish rose absolute, mandarin, rose water and vanilla. Imagine walking through Turkish rose fields at the height of summer. ¤65.50, at Arnotts and selected Boots.

Modern a nd H and Painte d Be sp o k e K i t ch e n s

D e s ig ns I ns p ir e d B y Yo u County Wicklow +353( 0) 404 6 4548 www.noeldempsey.com

ANASTASIJA WEARS: White long-sleeved dress, EMILIA WICKSTEAD. Beige Follie Draperia patent leather and chiffon shoes, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN. Tan striped Frame leather bag, PRADA. Dark brown acetate-frame round sunglasses, CUTLER & GROSS LOGAN WEARS: Blue gingham shirt; khaki cotton jacket; dark blue denim jeans; all J CREW. White leather sneakers, ADIDAS.

FASHION NOTE: The stripe theme was present throughout Miuccia Prada’s entire SS16 collection. This tan, black and white striped Frame bag is 02,800.

NE W ROM A NTICS

From pretty day dresses to elegant lace slips for after dark, fashion has fallen for romance. Wear on a date, or to a wedding ...

Photographed by OLIVIA GRAHAM / Styled by LUIS RODRIGUEZ

ANASTASIJA WEARS: Red pleated organza dress, BOSS HUGO BOSS. Charcoal grey oversized wool coat, THE ROW. Brown belt, H&M. Beige linen espadrillestyle shoes with black ribbon ankle ties, ALTUZARRA LOGAN WEARS: Charcoal grey wool jacket; matching trousers; black zipped wool sweater; blue striped cotton shirt; all PRADA. White Superstar leather sneakers, ADIDAS.

FASHION NOTE: Whether it's with a ladylike dress, leather accessories or vertiginous heels, work a bold, feminine look with bright brick red. BOSS HUGO BOSS is at 67-68 Grafton Street, Dublin 2.

Multi-coloured striped Georgette Leanne pleated cotton crĂŞpe dress, STELLA MC CARTNEY.

FASHION NOTE: Whether you are looking for a day or dinner option, freshen up your wardrobe with a pleated dress.

Mint green lace dress, ROCHAS. Khaki trench coat, MARKS & SPENCER. Tan leather shoes with ankle straps, CHRISTIAN DIOR.

FASHION NOTE: This classic, lightweight khaki trench, part of the Autograph collection, is 0140 at MARKS & SPENCER.

ANASTASIJA WEARS: Multi-coloured lace long-sleeved dress, ERDEM. Tan Davy peep-toe suede and leather boots, JIMMY CHOO. LOGAN WEARS: Chalk two-button linen suit; ivory cotton shirt; blue Fleurs Sauvages silk tie; dark brown leather shoes; all HERMÈS.

FASHION NOTE: These bohemianinspired JIMMY CHOO peep-toe knee high boots are ¤1,375, to order at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum, Dublin 16.

Silver Crinkle cotton and silk dress, COS. Sheer silkorganza dress (worn over Crinkle dress) with glass and crystal embellishments, PRADA. Black Bubble quilted coat, CAROLYN DONNELLY: THE EDIT for Dunnes Stores.

Black and white patent leather peep-toe sandals with triple ankle straps, SUBHEAD HERE PRADA. Black and violet Swarovski and lucite Fashion credits goring, ERICKSON BEAMON. in here. Fashion credits go in here.

FASHION NOTE: DESIGNER/BRAND For spring coats, look at NAME. Fashion credits CAROLYN DONNELLY: go in here. Fashion THE EDIT collection at credits go in here.

Dunnes Stores. This black DESIGNER/BRAND Bubble coat is 0189.

NAME. Fashion credits go in here. Fashion Photographed

by Olivia creditsStyled go in here.

Graham.

by Luis DESIGNER/BRAND Rodriguez.

Make-up by NAME. Fashion credits Robin Schoen at www. go in here. Fashion robinschoenmakeup. credits in here. com usinggo MAC. Hair

by DESIGNER/BRAND Louis Angelo at Ray NAME. Fashion credits Brown using Kérastase. go in here. Fashion Photographed at Viceroy, credits go in here.

Central Park, New York; www.

DESIGNER/BRAND viceroyhotelsandresorts.com.

BOOKS BEDSIDE TABLE

What is HOLLIE MC NISH reading?

FAMILY MATTERS

The discovery of a family secret inspired SARAH DUGUID’s debut novel, the story of a young woman who is confronted with a sister she never knew she had

I

was tearing down the motorway towards Portsmouth, late for a birthday dinner, when my sister phoned me: “There’s a family secret,” she said. “Everybody knows about it except you and I.” For the rest of the evening, we texted each other with speculations: Bankruptcy?

Terminal Illness? Crime? My sister put each suspicion to our mother: No, no one’s been arrested, no one’s dying, no bankruptcy. It wasn’t until my sister asked if there was a child we didn’t know about, that my mum became strangely silent. “That’s not for me to say,” she replied. I was still on my main course when the call came through: we had a secret half-sibling, my sister was certain of it.

A few months after the discovery of our half-sister, I was talking to a woman of around my parents’ age who rattled off a list of five of her friends who gave up children for adoption in the 1960s. “It was very common,” she said.

It immediately struck me that it might be a good place to start a novel. What if the secret child turned up at the family home?

What might she want from them? What might she do to them? What might they do to her? But back then, that was all I had: a place to start and many questions.

For seven years, I slogged out this story, a sparely told tale of the abandoned daughter Eunice arriving into the Knight family, wanting to find her place in the world, while all the time gradually exposing her birth family’s terrible fragility. Readers have told me that Eunice filled them with rage – and she was meant to. She’s tactless and insensitive, unable to see that it’s not just her who’s been damaged by her parents’ experiment with free love.

I made the Knights a pair of former hippies because I wanted to use the novel to explore idealism. For research, I sought out a few men who’d lived in communes in the 1960s. They talked of wild adventures: road trips, psychedelic drugs, wonderfully liberated group sex. They told me how dull my generation was, “squares” with our mortgages and careers, our sushi habits and gym

memberships. They described their lives as a romantic search for a better way of being, a yearning for a kind of prelapsarian bodily innocence – everyone naked and just loving one another – yet they left in their wake a trail of abandoned women and children. “Well I just moved on.

Her and the baby were all right, there were other people around,” one guy said. Another one told me: “Half the time, no one knew who the father was anyway.”

I became curious in the role of women in all of this and the idea of performance. I was interested in the way women stage their own versions of femininity: muse, earth mother, sexual enchanter. At the time, I was also meeting up with the writer Michèle Roberts for her to read drafts of my novel. We discussed the idea of the "hippy goddess", an appealing fantasy for some women back then. These conversations became the basis for the character Margaret Knight, who went along with her husband’s longing for a truer, freer way of being. Through her eagerness to please, Margaret performed a role that not only proved devastating to her, but ultimately also devastating to her other daughter, Elizabeth, who was left behind trying to figure out what a woman ought to be – a question that most generations of women seem to grapple with.

There is an assumption that most first novels are autobiographical and of course, Look At Me is based on something that happened to me. But, unlike Eunice, my own half-sister didn’t move in with us; she wasn’t conceived while my parents were married to one another; she didn’t push us all to the edge of sanity. Quite the contrary, we met up a few times for lunch, then carried on our separate ways. When I see physical copies of the book that took me so long to write, it’s my sister I should be most grateful to. It was she who noticed the conversations behind closed doors, and who orchestrated the clever detective work that lead me to the story that took a hold and didn’t let go. And why, as we thought at the time, should everyone know a secret that we didn’t? ^ Look At Me (Tinder Press, ¤17.99) is out February 25.

“My SISTER asked if there was a CHILD we didn't know about and my MUM became silent.”

38 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

Hollie McNish is an award-winning British poet and recording artist. Her third book, Nobody Told Me, is a collection of poems and stories from her diaries which explore the theme of modern parenting, from feeding to gender and commercialism.

Blackfriars, S20.99.

THE LONG GAZE BACK Edited by Sinéad Gleeson I was given this book as a gift from the organisers of Lingo, Dublin’s brilliant spoken word poetry festival, and I have been delving in whenever the mood takes me. I love the ability short story writers have to pull you into an entirely other life in the space of a small handful of pages. The one I’m currently on – A Fuss by Bernie McGill – is a beautiful focus on grief, relationships between strangers and the way that emotions can take on a life of their own. I especially love the way she describes sudden and uncontrollable sobbing in this story. New Island, S19.99 PORNO

by Irvine Welsh I absolutely love the way Irvine Welsh writes. I’ve just read Glue, which is now firmly positioned beside A Christmas Carol and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as one of my top stories of all time.

As soon as I finished I had a horde of people almost holding me ransom until I promised to read Porno.

But I haven’t quite got there yet. I just need to be totally ready for it before I open Irvine Welsh up again, because once I dive into his storytelling I’m absorbed for a good while. Cape, S13.50

THE POLITICS OF BREASTFEEDING

by Gabrielle Palmer.

Before becoming a poet I studied economics and I find it fascinating how much parenting is so influenced by economics and politics – everything from work to childcare, to stress levels, to toys and, of course, the feeding choices and dilemmas we have as mothers in particular. I found breastfeeding quite a difficult thing to do – but psychologically more than physically. For me, this book shines a light on why I was feeling so low so often, so pressured to stop or find fault, and what interest business had in me feeling that way. I cried by the fourth page, was raging by the tenth! I’m halfway through now.

Pinter & Martin, S14.99

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SOCIAL LIFE Clockwise from left: Fresh food at Broadway Market. Succulents at Columbia Flower Market. The Spurstowe Arms, Hackney.

WEEKEND

In the first of a new series, London-based Irish fashion designer DANIELLE ROMERIL bikes between her favourite Hackney spots as she prepares for London Fashion Week

I

’m kind of lucky, kind of cursed that the building I work in closes at 7pm on a Friday.

That’s when my weekend officially starts.

I like to go out for a drink with my friend Sam, who I did my masters with at the Royal College of Art. She creates really beautiful kilts, all handmade in Scotland, under her label Samantha McCoach. Sam is also preparing for a presentation at London Fashion Week so we’ll have plenty to talk about. We’ll go to the CAT & MUTTON (www.catandmutton.com) which has beautiful ornate woodwork on the ceiling.

SATURDAY The weekend means thinking time – the ultimate luxury. On Saturday morning, my boyfriend Simon makes this amazing dish with eggs, tomatoes and avocado on homemade sourdough bread.

If I’m really lucky, he’ll have gone to E5 BAKEHOUSE (www.e5bakehouse. com) and bought me a Chelsea bun too. I’ll eat in my pyjamas and read the paper, while listening to one of Simon’s radio documentaries or music by Sufjan Stevens or Bon Iver.

On a regular Saturday, I’ll pop into the studio for a few hours when it’s nice and

quiet, to think about ideas for the new collection. With Fashion Week just around the corner, I’ll work with my pattern-cutters and a machinist to get everything finished before my presentation. We just launched our e-store, at www.damielleromeril.com, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on that too.

In the afternoon I’ll meet Simon and we’ll cycle down to STEPNEY CITY FARM (www.stepneycityfarm.com) and buy some game. We’ll then go to BROADWAY MARKET to pick up a tasty lunch from one of the many food vendors before continuing on to WHITE CUBE in Bermondsey, one of my favourite galleries. There’s always something really interesting on there.

I like to go out on Saturday nights. If we’re keeping it local, we’ll cycle to THE PALM TREE in Victoria Park where they play jazz and old-timers will get up and sing.

If we feel like dancing, we’ll go to VOGUE FABRICS (www.vfdalston.com), which is a fun place, if you can find it. The clientele is a mix of students and creatives and it’s quite gay – lots of designers. I’ve even bumped into Erdem there.

40 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

SUNDAY First thing on Sunday morning, I’ll go for a swim in the LONDON FIELDS LIDO (a 50m heated outdoor swimming

“The weekend means thinking TIME – that’s the ultimate LUXURY.” pool in Hackney) to blow off the cobwebs, then I’ll saunter down to COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKET. I buy big cheese plants or succulents for my studio – I think it’s nice to have something living where you work. Then I’ll meet my friend Jenny for brunch at BISTROTHEQUE (www.bistrotheque.com) where I’ll order the pancakes with poached rhubarb, apple caramel, smoked almonds and cream. I’m a believer in brunch cocktails so I’ll sip an Aperol Spritz while listening to the live pianist.

I’ll head back to help Simon cook the roast. We like to entertain often but we don’t stress too much about it. If I’m lucky, my London granny will come over. She’s the lovely lady who married my granddad after my granny died. She comes to my presentations during Fashion Week wearing huge heels and full make-up. We’ll invite Michael and Faustine who run Faustine Steinmetz, another fashion label.

One of my responsibilities is to make a good playlist to set the mood. Our dining table is a vintage piece – wooden, really rustic and large. We’ll start with a venison ragout and do something like guinea fowl for main. Dessert is always from Waitrose, probably Italian, as Simon is half-Italian.

If we don’t want the party to go on too late, at about seven o’clock we’ll suggest moving to the pub. My favourite spot on a Sunday is THE SPURSTOWE ARMS (www.thespurstowearms.com) which has a beautiful interior, nice paintings and a cool U-shaped bar. We don’t own a television but we have a projector so later we’ll put on a movie and pretend Monday is just not happening.  In conversation with Sarah Breen. Danielle Romeril is exclusively at Samui, 17 Drawbridge Street, Cork.

DANIELLE ROMERIL SS16

My GLOSSY

PHOTOGRAPH BY PHILIP WHITE

Blue Classic Sport bicycle from a selection at www. tokyobike.com.

INTERVIEW

Let’s Do LUNCH

by Anne Harris

A

ll politics is drama. So why was I surprised that my lunch with Lucinda Creighton immediately offered what might have been an intriguing opening to a political television drama. The only person we encountered on the walk from the main hall to the Dáil Restaurant was Leo Varadkar. Lucinda and Leo, precocious political twins, sharing the same political dream from student days, find themselves on polar opposite paths. His success is a reminder of all she forfeited when conscience cost her a Cabinet portfolio, its perks and pensions. And her struggle is a reminder of what he gained and how there was one law for men who challenged the leadership and another law for a woman. The old friends greeted each other warmly.

The Dáil Restaurant offered more polarities. On one side of the bright and largely empty room sat Mairia Cahill, who pinned rape on Sinn Féin and on the other, Gerry Adams surrounded by large men. There is no phony

42 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN O’NEILL

Over an omelette in the Dáil Restaurant, Lucinda Creighton bares her political conscience

entente. I wonder how their digestions handle it. Perhaps the food, good, honest fare, helps. I am having cod with a Parmesan crust – as nice as I have ever tasted. Creighton has an omelette with ham. She’s weight watching: “I put on seven pounds over Christmas,” she says. Seven pounds over two weeks strikes me as not bad – I could do it in two days. “So could I, but it’s pretty much paleo for me for now,” she says. In a nation of dieters, it’s one way of having your finger on the pulse.

The encounter with Varadkar prompts me to mention a myth beloved of the press corps: that Lucinda and Leo were once an item. Not as ludicrous as it sounds: when Leo came out on Miriam Meets exactly a year ago, he referred to the women he had dated. She looks astounded. “We were pals,” she says. “We hardly meet these days. Running the Health Service and running a new party are time consuming.” She laughs and I am reminded that her laugh, raucous and throaty, is a rarity these days. Given her tough stances these past two and a half years, it would be easy to think she is all character and no personality. But it is the

balance of both which creates the charisma to lead a party.

Creighton turned 36 last week. I tell her my theory that 36 is a dangerous age for a woman. That moment beyond the apex of the thirties is when women face their biology or simply become clear-eyed about the choices they are making. Unsatisfactory marriages are abandoned, careers suspended to have a baby, rebellions are myriad. “Is there something I should warn Paul about?” She laughs.

Her husband Senator Paul Bradford, Renua candidate for Cork East, can rest easy. “To be a woman in politics is difficult, but it’s still doable. We are a good team.

Paul doesn’t complain. I’m in charge when he’s in Cork, canvassing three or four days a week. I collect Gwendolyn from the crèche and give her dinner every day. And when he’s back, he’s in charge.”

Her commitment to her personal life is palpable. And unequivocal. “I love my job and I love my daughter. But there’s a huge egocentricity around politics and politicians, I look at certain politicians and they have abandoned their personal lives, sacrificed their families.” But could this same commitment be the reason for what some see as the squandering of a great moment in Irish politics?

That moment came in the autumn of 2013, as a group of like-minded people, having worked together to defeat the abolition of the Senate, looked to her to start a new party.

Renua was not formed until January 2015, by which time much of that momentum was gone. Could impending motherhood have been a factor? “No. I made it clear I was going to start a new party. I spent a lot of time hanging around waiting for people to approach me. And they didn’t.”

One thing the hiatus demonstrated is that people regarded her as the only natural leader and waited for her to act. That and her unseasonal conservatism cause one to forget how young she is. She acknowledges a mentor in former PD leader Mary Harney. “Women politicians can be nasty and competitive,” she says, a harsh judgement which, typically, didn’t blind her to the need for gender quotas. “Mary Harney is the opposite – encouraging, kind, generous. I rate her very highly.” Both women defined themselves by implacable opposition to their party leaders; Harney to Haughey, Creighton to Kenny. They are women who don’t forget or forgive. Along with a coterie of other Dáil women, Creighton keeps a tight focus on another man – media mogul Denis O’Brien – regardless of the cost in coverage.

Despite the disastrous history of “watchdog” parties, including the PDs, in Government, that is precisely where she has positioned Renua for this election. There is method in it. Election 2016 is a numbers game: election demographers say the Coalition will be about six seats short. But will she get six? Is there room for another centre right party? The PDs were of their time; Ireland was State-trammelled in many spheres. “The PDs revolutionised personal taxes in Ireland. But they sold their soul when they took their eye off fiscal prudence and got into benchmarking.” Would Renua be different?

“I know how parties sleepwalk into Government, having been a minister. The watchdog fails when it abdicates responsibility.”

The political soul of a country is its health service and she is cogent on the need for a revolution in Primary Care and Hospital Groups. But if the reforming zeal of Mary Harney failed to redeem it, what hope a small party?

She has her red line issues but Renua’s unique selling point is Creighton’s conscience. If, as predicted, this election ends in coalition chaos it might prove pivotal. We could do worse than a woman with a conscience. ^

FASHION TRAVEL

WINES WORTH STAYING IN FOR Eschew dining out this Valentine’s Day and set the mood at home with a bottle instead, writes MARY DOWEY

W

hen Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday or Saturday, the reflex is to book a restaurant table for two – sharing your romance with a jammed roomful of other diners and drooping red roses. But on a Sunday it seems more tempting to arrange a cosy evening by the fire. Why not organise some simple but ritzy food and a sumptuous bottle or two?

If you and your beloved have favourite wines, then you won’t need me to tell you what to buy. But if you’re uncertain or in the mood for adventure (not a bad thing in any lovers’ scenario), then read on and maybe something here will take your fancy.

First think about champagne – a special treat and an instant mood-enhancer. Should it be pink? Ah, why not! Rosé champagne is extra-special because relatively little is produced. It looks ravishing in the glass and, being built around Pinot Noir, has enough depth of flavour to be remarkably food-friendly. Salmon, prawns, tuna, cold meats, light Thai dishes, red berry desserts, dark chocolate … all will taste terrific with the very best pink fizz.

The best because, on this night of all nights, you’ll want wines with a sensual texture. Whereas fine fizz is soft as cashmere on the tongue, inferior sparklers have coarser bubbles which can feel sandpaper-rough. Apart from brilliant Billecart-Salmon (see recommendations), other champagne houses recognised for exceptional rosés include Bollinger, Laurent-Perrier and Taittinger.

Their blushing beauties are pricy, usually costing well over c60. But how far would that get you even in a middling restaurant?

Champagne lovers may decide to drink nothing else.

Otherwise, if you opt for a white wine, choose something smooth and moreish, unoaked or very lightly oaked.

As often happens for important occasions, white Burgundy throws up plenty of possibilities ranging in style from crisp Chablis to rounder, fruitier Saint-Véran or Mâcon-Villages.

But a northern Rhône white might be even more alluring. Maybe a lemon and honey-edged CrozesHermitage or a peach-scented Condrieu? Both combine opulent fruit with a firm, dry finish, making them perfect partners for food. For a less extravagant alternative, hunt out a white made from the same grapes: Marsanne and Roussanne are the white Crozes stars while Condrieu weaves it sybaritic magic with Viognier.

As for red, Pinot Noir is supposed to be the sexiest of styles. If you hit lucky either with Burgundy or a well-practised Pinot country like New Zealand, you’ll be rewarded with a heady perfume, a silky texture and a strong desire to finish the bottle. But many Italian reds are also irresistibly seductive – suave and polished with a little kick of tannin in the tail to prevent them from becoming boring. The anti-tedium factor is as important in a wine as in a love affair. Well, almost. ^ @MaryDowey

CENTRAL PERKS The location for this month’s fashion shoot is already a NYC classic

1.

3.

2.

BILLECART-SALMON BRUT ROSÉ NV From a small champagne house with a lofty reputation comes one of the most exquisite pink champagnes of the lot.

From Corkscrew, Dublin 2; Baggot Street Wines and Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4; 64 Wine, Glasthule; Power & Smullen, Lucan; about d80.

BLANC D’OGIER, IGP COLLINES RHODANIENNES, DOMAINE M&S OGIER 2013 This blend of Marsanne and Roussanne with a lick of Viognier is delicious as an apéritif; magical with scallops.

From Drink Store, Dublin 7; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; One Pery Square, Limerick; about d22.75

CASTELLO DI VERDUNA BARBERA D’ALBA 2013 Oozing enticing red fruit aromas and smooth, lingering elegance, this is one of the most hedonistic Barberas I’ve come across in ages.

It goes beautifully with red meats or robust vegetable dishes.

From Mitchell & Son, IFSC, Glasthule, Co Dublin Avoca; Rua Deli, Castlebar, Co Mayo; about d22.

S

taying within a stone’s throw of Central Park makes any New York trip as romantic as a movie. Although it’s only open a couple of years, the VICEROY CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK, in its plum location just steps from the green heart of the city, has already acquired the status of a NYC institution. The designers, Roman and Williams, are known for attentiongrabbing statements including The Standard (famously a backdrop in Michael Fassbender movie Shame) and the Ace Hotel’s lobby. With a timeless 1940s vibe that’s super-comfortable yet effortless, the Viceroy is rich in laidback charm – think old New York with all modern comforts.

Entering your suite feels like moving in to your coolest friend’s apartment. Many rooms have views of the park, so you can look out over the trees as you lie in bed: sit up on a barstool in the mini kitchen, which comes complete with ice bucket and cocktail shaker and an Illy coffee machine, or lounge on velvet armchairs – it’s all very Dorothy Parker. The marble bathrooms are old-school elegant with solid brass taps. And the hotel’s killer trump card is its rooftop bar, The Roof is The where cocktails are Viceroy’s hip shaken up against a rooftop lounge. backdrop of glittering skyscrapers and a velvet sky as the lights fade across Central Park. There are few finer spots to sip a Manhattan, and if you can bag a ringside seat for surreptitious starspotting you’ll never want to leave; George and Amal Clooney celebrated their first anniversary here. The hotel has an accessible, non-snooty vibe, as do all Viceroy hotels (could Irish CEO Bill Walsh have something to do with this?).

Post cocktails, have a laidback dinner in the diner-style restaurant. Big-pocketed

romantic types can really up the ante for Valentine’s Day with the hotel’s Paint The Sky Red package. This is serious Pretty Woman territory, including two nights for two in Suite 57, with its luxurious oversized bathtub that overlooks Central Park, a private candlelit dinner accompanied by a string quartet, a helicopter ride over the city and champagne breakfast for two (about ¤10,600). More accessible rates start at around ¤327, including tax. Days are easily filled without even leaving the block: rent a bike and cycle round Central Park and book lunch on the sunny terrace of the legendary TAVERN ON THE GREEN. Also within walking distance is the ROCKEFELLER CENTRE and STUDIO 54, home to the Roundabout Theatre Company that attracts stars like Keira Knightley and Alan Cumming. Endless glamour.  Viceroy Central Park, New York, 120 W 57th Street, New York, 001 855 647 1619; www. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com.

A bathroom with a view.

T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 43

FOOD THREE SAUCES FOR OYSTERS AND CLAMS If you are less of a purist than the French about the wine, perhaps pairing your plate of clams and oysters with beer or cocktails instead, here are a few fancy little sauces to jazz up proceedings even further.

CHILLI, CORIANDER, RICE VINEGAR FOR 6/8 (5 minutes preparation; 30 minutes resting)

Whether served fresh from the sea or bubbling hot, oysters are a rare and seductive treat, writes TRISH DESEINE

H

e was a bold man who first ate an oyster,” Jonathan Swift famously wrote and for many people today there’s still a “go on, I dare you” factor around eating those briny mouthfuls.

It’s the initially viscous texture and the fact they are still alive (or should be) as you tip them through your lips towards the bite of death (swallowing them whole is such a waste) which seem to put most people off. But I feel a bit sad that anyone should go through life without enjoying the nutty creaminess of a rock oyster, or a slightly saltier, meaty pleine-mer.

Like so many of my formative food experiences, my first oyster was a French one, part of a festive plateau de fruits de mer in Vendée in my late teens. Thankfully, my parents had encouraged curiosity about food and I could not refuse to dig in joyfully with everyone else, picking clams, prawns, whelks, winkles and oysters from their icy beds, perched high in the middle of the table. Lemon halves, mayonnaise, little round slices of dense, tart, rye bread (the nearest thing to Veda I’ve seen in France), robustly salted butter and a ramekin dish of shallots in red wine vinegar

HOT OYSTERS IN CREAM AND WINE In my nervy, performance cooking days, this was always a great favourite. But even the more masochistic me did not attempt it when there were more than six at the table, as it does require quite a bit of finicky presentation and precious space in the fridge. Serve them with the wine (or champagne) you have used for the gratin.

FOR 4 (20 minutes preparation; 15 minutes cooking) • A dozen large oysters, opened, shucked, with their brine drained and reserved.

are always served with a seafood platter in France. I learned to squeeze merely a drop of lemon juice into my oysters and never, ever to touch the shallots and vinegar as they would ruin the accompanying wine, as vital to the experience as it is with cheese.

If the mix was oysters, whelks and clams we would usually pair it with a simple Sancerre, an Entre Deux Mers or an unfashionable Muscadet.

If there was a crab to be excavated I liked a Chablis or even a chilled Bourgeuil or Brouilly alongside. When langoustines or lobster were included – on more special occasions at home – a rich Condrieu or Lirac would sometimes be opened, with the added advantage that both worked if foie gras was to follow. And of course, for a celebration, champagne was always perfect with everything.

My first plate of Irish oysters with a pint of Guinness, soda bread and butter was only a couple of years ago, in Nancy’s Bar, Ardara, and it was as marvellous as I had imagined it would be. But when you are not handy with an oyster knife yourself, it is not so easy to bring that simple combo home to be served to guests. I guess there is not enough demand yet for fishmongers to offer the shucking, arranging, packaging (and decorating!) service I have taken for granted in France for so long.

As we become more and more confident and adventurous with our food, especially when part of ancient culture and tradition, I would love to see our fantastic seafood more appreciated and accessible in Ireland and end up more often on our own tables, not just in restaurants. Perhaps all it takes is a little cajoling of our local fishmonger to get handy with his oyster shucker? ^ @TrishDeseine

(Keep the shells!) • 3 medium shallots, diced very finely • A knob of butter • 300ml white wine or champagne • Salt and pepper • 3 or 4 tbsp full fat crème fraiche • 6 tbsp fine breadcrumbs (optional) • 2 or 3 kg coarse sea salt to set the shells into and hold them in place on the plate.

1. Prepare mounds of salt on each of the serving plates.

2. Pre heat the oven to 220°c or the grill to high.

3. Put the shucked, drained oysters into their shells and arrange them snugly in a roasting tin, ready to have the gratin cream spooned onto them.

44 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

4. Melt the butter in a pan and add the shallots. Sweat them until they are very soft, taking care not to colour them.

5. Pour in the oyster water and white wine.

Simmer gently until the mixture is well reduced (to about half the initial volume) and syrupy. Add the crème fraiche and let the sauce simmer and thicken a little more.

6. Season very lightly with salt and pepper and spoon the mixture onto the oysters.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs if you are using them and pop into the oven or under the grill for 2 or 3 minutes, until the gratin is bubbling and golden.

7. Serve immediately with fluffy white bread for efficient mopping.

Mix all the ingredients together and leave the flavours to mingle and develop for 30 minutes or so before serving.

THAI(ISH) STYLE FOR 6/8 (10 minutes preparation; 30 minutes resting) 30g palm sugar, grated (or dark brown sugar) • 50g cucumber, peeled, finely diced • 1 tsp scallions, finely chopped • 1 tsp coriander, finely chopped • 1 tsp pickled ginger, finely chopped • 1/2 tsp fresh or preserved chopped chilli • Grated zest and juice of a lime (you need about 1 tbsp) • 1 tsp fish sauce Mix all the ingredients together and leave the flavours to mingle and develop for 30 minutes or so before serving.

HOT HORSERADISH, CREAM, LEMON Since I got myself hooked on The English Provender Company’s grated hot horseradish, this is my go-to for spiced beef, smoked fish and ham. It keeps for a few days in the fridge.

FOR 6/8 1 tbsp preserved grated hot horseradish • 3 tbsp fresh cream (single or whipping) • Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon • Pinch of salt Whisk all the ingredients together lightly and serve well chilled.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DEIRDRE ROONEY

ALL SHUCK UP

1/4 red pepper, finely diced • 1/2 small red chilli, finely diced or a scant tsp of preserved chopped chilli • 250ml rice wine vinegar • About a tbsp of fresh coriander, finely chopped

THIS WONDERFUL LITTLE PLACE ... I SLE OF I SLAY, I NNER HEBRI DES

Drinks writer Dave Broom, originally from Glasgow, has lived on the south coast of England for over 25 years. His latest book is Gin: the Manual

I

think of the Isle of Islay as a very happy place – there are around 3,000 people living there, and then there are eight distilleries making fine smoky whisky. It’s revered by whisky-lovers, a place of pilgrimage, and when I go to Islay you will often find me in the village of Port Charlotte, in the Lochindaal Hotel.

Owned by the same family for over a hundred years, Iain MacLellan is the latest generation of the MacLellan clan to run the Lochindaal, and a few years ago he decided to up the game with the food. They always did the usual kind of pub food – toasties, pies – but now you can ring Iain up the day before and let him know that you’d like to eat at his fine establishment, and when you rock up the next day you’ll be presented with his haul from the local fishing boats. Oysters, juicy squat lobster, crab, langoustines, tons of hand-dived scallops – basically anything fresh and good that has been landed, along with vast quantities of homemade chips.

The Lochindaal is not really a destination restaurant.

It is the very best kind of drinking den – the kind where you go in one day and come out two days later – that just happens to do these absolutely fantastic seafood platters. They have a decent beer selection, and a small selection of wines – I had a nice Muscadet the last time I was in – but from their excellent collection of whisky, a cheeky wee peaty and smoky dram like an Ardbeg Ten, made on the island, seems to me to be the match made in heaven for all that sweet local seafood.

There are cosy peat fires in the winter, there’s music all year round, you get sucked into a parallel universe where surreal and friendly chats happen, and you feel like if you stand long enough at the bar the whole world will eventually come and stand next to you.

So that’s where you’ll find me, sitting in a corner of this simple, white-painted boozer in Islay – which feels like the centre of the world – with the Lochindaal at its heart. ^ ÓRLA DUKES @OrlaDukes 11 Main Street, Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay, Scotland; www.lochindaalhotel.co.uk

The Lochindaal Hotel

Above: Fresh seafood at The Lochindaal Hotel.

This picture: Port Charlotte.

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T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 45

TRAVEL

T

The luxe Salon Chinois at Les Bains was restored and decorated

by Tristan Auer. Left: The Eiffel Tower. Right: The bar at Les Bains.

is France’s most important restaurant.

L’Arpège might be French for “So you think you know something about food?” as Alain Passard is as much a futurist as a chef. A relaxed Jedi chef, his edible lesson on vegetables, flavour and laid-back but extraordinary service is as good as anywhere on this planet.

If you don’t have the funds or the hours for L’Arpege (or just couldn’t be bothered with getting into a taxi) then walk around the corner from Les Bains to the darling Poulette. POULETTE is one room with a zinc bar, a tiled and tiny Belle Époque belle that is as cheap as chips, has the sweetest staff and is always rammed. Try to nab one of the tiny window seats to watch the street drama. The last time I was there one side of me was wall-to-wall Parisians all eating the same perfect steak frites while through the window was a gorgeous rainy, blurry street scene.

After a coffee only breakfast and morning mooching in the MUSÉE D’ORSAY, checking that all is present and correct with one of the greatest art collections in the world, check out and head with your bags to Antoine Westermann’s temple of chicken, LE COQ RICO. This spot couldn’t be in a better place for an overnighter to Paris, waiting patiently at the top of Rue Lepic on one of Montmartre’s steep hills to break the journey on the way back to the airport. It’s the most romantic and delicious departure lounge anywhere. A modern-looking bistro with the oldest of restaurant ideas, perfect roast chicken, in the city that invented the notion of a restaurant.

This column has covered the French capital a few times, forever smitten with its Marian blue and Farrow and Ball grey skies and its cartoon rooftops, always admiring the foresight of the man who designed its centre and the resilience of those who live in it. It’s been gut wrenching to watch the last year. Even though it all took place over a couple of days, Paris hasn’t endured anything as fearful since Hitler took the city, but that didn’t change its way of life and neither will this.

Savouring the last of the Le Coq Rico’s masterclass I’d have all of the same thoughts as my first time in Paris 25 years ago – mostly how do they make chicken taste this good? – I’ll head to the airport to leave Paris for the last time. That’s the premise for today but something I cannot imagine ever happening. ^ @manandasuitcase

MAN in A SUITCASE

his day last year I was truffling around the steaming street stalls in a snowy Tokyo. This day next week me and my tummy are bound for the sunny dining one-upmanship of Sydney and Melbourne.

Twelve months of alternating circuits of Ireland with overseas all-hauls has meant New York for each season, lots of London, tackling various capitals both European and elsewhere. I’ve grazed and lazed in the small corners and big beaches of Spain and Portugal. And what I have learned? To get over myself and stop moaning about travel for a start. Unpacking three times a week might feel like too much but what if it all ended? And if it was about to end, what would be my very last trip?

Would it be hitting replay on something from last year?

Choosing one of the wedding cake tiers of Prague, Vienna or Budapest. Eating my way around Istanbul or Bologna.

A long haul to the toasty awning of Palm Springs’ winter sky. A last swim in the half moon bay nestling between the Pitons in St Lucia, or one last blast of South Beach’s candy striped neon? Would I wonder why I didn’t spend more time in Beirut or Mexico and head back there? Probably not. In reality, it would take me all of 30 seconds to decide.

Because my bucket list would be a list of one. It was my first ever grown-up overseas trip, and it would be my last.

It would be Paris all day long.

The most feminine of cities, Paris is not really maternal but one big bossy bird that is spectacularly beautiful, and knows it. So sexy too – to me even the Eiffel Tower looks like a bodiced national monument to Agent Provocateur.

The city of light’s lighthouse is practically the only pointy edge among Haussmann’s soft timeless greys and black curves.

I wouldn’t have to go for long. An overnight will do.

This isn’t a list of must-dos because Paris has too many of those, just a taster. And a taster is all you ever need of Paris – enough to remind you how good it is, and just enough to leave you hungry for more.

Paris rules my heart but my belly rules that, so arrive around midday, in time for lunch. And arrive hungry, really hungry. My first stop straight off the plane – bags and all

For TIM MAGEE, there is no place quite like Paris in the spring. And 24 hours is all you need to whet your appetite for more – is to BRASSERIE LIPP, an institution as touristy as it is local. Yes, it boasts an older all-male cast but the devil is in the detail in this town and these silver servers are the least aloof in the city. They actually smile and engage while covering nearly every inch of your pristine bijou linen-topped table with oysters, Crémant, garlicky snails, and the crowning but affordable glory and comfort of choucroute garnie, God’s own bacon and cabbage. Passing through Brasserie Lipp in Saint-Germain-des-Prés is like passing through a carwash and arriving out the far side feeling like you’ve been in-country for a week. Sated, and Parisian again, jump one of the taxis outside the door to the Marais, and Les Bains.

LES BAINS has some work to do with its service – the hotel is still taking some of its hospitality nods from nightclubs like the one it used to be in a former life, when it was seminal, star-pulling Les Bains Douches, the Paris equivalent of Studio 54. But the quiet internal rooms are beautifully finished, and some of the peaceful little oases have tiny private courtyards and balconies, like gold hens’ teeth in the Mara.

After check-in, wander to PLACE DES VOSGES where on the corner of the square is MA BOURGOGNE. Ma’s best kitchen days may be behind her; though the saucisson Le Coq Rico chaud du Beaujolais is still good, but this remains a front row seat to one of the city’s most sacred hides. Then return to base for a power nap.

If you have the time and money go to L’ARPÈGE for dinner. It

46 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

ADVERTORIAL E SKI T A R B E L CE WITH SEASON This picture: The Jane; Right: Hotel Julien.

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As always, I check in using CityJet’s stress-free service (with a smooth stop-off in London City and less than two and a half hours flying time). With CityJet’s generous baggage allowance, I know there will be space for some cool labels. Antwerp is, after all, home to Dries Van Noten and upcoming designers like Minju Kim, Niels Peeraer and Andrea Cammarosano.

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Peter Paul Rubens. RUBENSHUIS, his former home and studio built in 1610, is magnificent and well worth a visit for its contents and the carefully reconstructed garden. After a stroll through Antwerp’s sculpture park, MIDDELHEIMMUSEUM, I’ll finish my art tour by seeking out nine outdoor murals around the city, painted by its celebrated comic artists including

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T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 47

WEST SIDE STORY

SLEEP MODE: The peaceful master suite features Danish light fittings and photography

by David Armstrong.

The bedlinen is by Frette.

Julianne Moore engaged her architect brother-in-law to remodel her airy Manhattan loft.

But the design-savvy actress has a great eye for interiors ...

A

s the doyenne of independent film, Julianne Moore has never been afraid to take risks. In her latest movie, the beautifullycrafted Rebecca Miller-directed Maggie’s Plan, which will preview later this month at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival, she plays an eccentric Danish professor with an accent so exaggerated it just shouldn’t work. But it does, because everything Moore does she does with charming aplomb.

New York’s West Village is the location for Moore’s light-filled, three-bedroom loft, which overlooks the Hudson River, and perfectly reflects her own cool, paredback aesthetic. Designed by her brother-in-law, architect Oliver Freundlich, the space is stylish but practical in its use of furniture and custom-made dividers to designate separate areas, but still maintains an overall feeling of

48 | February 2016 | T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E

light and openness. “My family life is incredibly important to me,” she says. “I want to be with them as much as I can.

I try to work in New York, or in the summertime, when my family can come with me.”

Although she typically leaves the cooking to her husband, film producer and director Bart Freundlich, Moore retained creative control over the design of the restaurant-style kitchen, which is finished in stainless steel, complete with a bar for casual dining (takeout from nearby Pastis is a family favourite). To make the room more intimate, the ceiling was lowered, a common device when converting an industrial space.

The west-facing living area is furnished with vintage chocolate brown modular sofas by Vladamir Kagan, a rug by Odegard and a mini chaise longue, a gift from Ellen Barkin. With its wide bank of windows, it’s bathed in sunlight for much of the afternoon. Moore’s growing collection of European and American 20th-century

This Glossy Life SITTING PRETTY: Moore found these reproduction Prouvé bar stools at an antiques store in the Hamptons.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A Saarinen table and vintage RobsjohnGibbings bookcase are focal points in Moore’s home office.

furniture, including pieces by Ray and Charles Eames, George Nelson and Jean-Michel Frank sit perfectly in the neutral brown and cream colour palette. “If I had to choose between clothes and furniture, I’d choose furniture,” she says.

On the walls are bookcases, heaving with the Oscar winner’s favourite design tomes, and photographs

by Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Thomas Struth, Nan Goldin and Gregory Crewdson, as well as some snaps by her 18-year-old son Caleb, which introduce unexpected pops of colour. “I was a kid who read a lot, who was academic, and who was more of an indoor person than an outdoor person,” she says.

“Oliver and I have a similar aesthetic, I trust him implicitly,” Moore stated after the renovation was complete. And Freundlich was able to use his own firsthand experience in repurposing the space. “I shared a room with my brother growing up, so I knew what the problems were,” he said. “A big part of the design was figuring out how to hide Bart’s stuff.”

In her bright and sunny home office, Moore’s vintage furniture takes again takes centre stage. Her bedroom, with its quirky Scandinavian light fixtures

and crisp, cotton bed linen, is a peaceful haven in one of Manhattan’s most bustling neighbourhoods. “My mother always said a house is never finished,” she says. “That’s what makes it interesting.”

This isn’t the first refurbishment project self-professed design addict Moore has overseen – her three-bedroom Montauk beach house, lovingly restored over several years, is currently on the market for $3.5 million. So well known is her love of architecture and interiors, in fact, that she was a consultant on the design of the backstage green room at last year’s Academy Awards, helping to establish the overall feel of the space as well as choosing the furniture. She also had a hand in decorating her stylist Leslie Fremar’s TriBeCa loft. “I’m always fascinated by the urge to decorate,” she says.

“It doesn’t seem to be a necessity and yet we’ve done it for centuries.”

And she’s not done yet. When asked recently for the number one item on her wishlist, Moore deadpanned: “a really old loft”. We can only assume she has great things planned.  Maggie’s Plan previews at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival on February 19. For details, see www.diff.ie.

T H E G L O S S M A G A Z I N E | February 2016 | 49

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