- NEWS
Appeal for public help in double murder probeA double murder investigation involving more than 50 gardaí got under way in Killorglin, Co Kerry, after autopsies confirmed a Lithuanian woman and her young daughter had died violently.
US research links autism to pollution levels Pregnant women who were exposed to high levels of air pollution were twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in low pollution areas, a US study shows.
- WORLD
Whitey Bulger shot Boston bar owner, says convicted murderer Accused Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger and one of his associates shot dead a bar owner in a phone booth for bragging about helping the "Winter Hill Gang" with another killing, an ex-convict and confessed murderer has testified.
Brand divorced me by text, says Perry Pop star Katy Perry has revealed that Russell Brand told her he was divorcing her in a text message.
- BUSINESS
Aircraft leasing firm buys 10 Boeing jetsShannon-based aircraft leasing firm GE Capital Aviation Services have bought 10 new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners for an estimated $3bn (€2.24bn) at list price.
20% of rich see value of assets halved Nearly 20% of Ireland's wealthy people have seen the value of their assets halved as a result of their over-reliance on property.
- SPORT
GPA may get involved over Friday night championship dictatThe GPA could yet act on the behalf of the Carlow and Laois football panels as they have confirmed neither they nor the players were consulted about Friday week's All-Ireland round one qualifier.
Kearney keeps eyes on main prize Rob Kearney might not have felt like putting his best foot forward today as the Lions continued to prepare for Saturday's all-important first Test against Australia but he is experienced enough to know that after this midweek defeat by the Brumbies, it is essential for the main mission of the tour.
- LIFESTYLE
Bradley bares his soul Soul singer Charles Bradley found fame late in life, but is haunted by his past, writes Ed Power
Body of evidence: do we fear nudity or nakedness?Do it together and it's harmless, do it alone and it's criminal, says Suzanne Harrington
18-21C
Live Blogs
- We have no upcoming events at the moment. Please check 'Recent Events' tab for past events
Latest ShowBiz
In wonderland
ALICE Halliday hadn’t even graduated from college when Florence Welch’s stylist came calling.
By Rachel Marie Walsh
The singer went on to wear the student’s design on stage in Australia — and she got a mention in Vogue. Then Halliday was named Cork Designer of the Year. Her new spring/summer collection has, unsurprisingly, been highly anticipated. Halliday has a gift for making old clothes look better than new. Her latest collection includes some new fabrics but she says recycled materials are her mainstay. “I think it is important to reuse what I can as there’s so much waste in the clothing and textile industry.”
Growing up in Bluid, near Skibbereen, Halliday developed a love and respect for nature. Her mother Claire, an artist who taught her to sew, and father Tom, a political cartoonist, taught her to appreciate art at an early age.
Halliday returned home from London soon after completing a BA in Fashion Design from UCA Epsom in 2010. The day before she left, she received a sample request from Florence Welch’s stylist. “Ten friends helped me bead a cape for my graduate collection and they kept saying how great it would look on Florence. I contacted her stylist after my graduate show and sent her photos but I know she gets sent so many things. I was thrilled to hear that Florence liked it.”
Halliday named her spring collection “Tea with Tamara” for Tamara Karsavina, a Russian Imperial Ballet dancer. Halliday became fascinated by Tamara’s costumes after viewing Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes at London’s Victoria and& Albert Museum in 2010. “I sketched some of her costumes for research. The images were sepia and the clothes looked almost tea-stained, so I played about with tea-staining fabrics. I then envisioned an old-fashioned tea-room with chandeliers and rich, inter-war interiors. The collection developed from there.” Halliday is a practiced vintage shopper with a great eye for pieces she can deconstruct for multi-purpose use. She broke down an old chandelier to create a headpiece. Wasting nothing, she used the leftover crystals as embellishments for her dresses. She advises crafty consumers to look beyond the women’s section in charity shops as men’s clothing and household accessories can be equally useful.
Halliday’s designs incorporate items like lace doilies and curtains, handmade at her kitchen table in Castletownshend. Her waist sashes are former curtain ties. The beading is picked from old costume jewellery. A gilded cup and saucer hat and matching necklace give the collection a surreal, Oppenheim-like quality. Though her models are styled like Twenties flappers in the images shown, there are plenty of pieces that are right on-trend. The gold and pastel colour palette, lamé, lace and midriff cut-outs are very 2012.
With her first baby due this month, Halliday has a small but major project on the way. “I am really looking forward to being a mother and fashion will have to take a back seat for a little while. But I won’t loose touch with my creative side and, after the first few months, I will continue my fashion career, while carefully juggling it with motherhood.”
Alice Halliday clothing and accessories are available at Turquoise Flamingo (4 Washington Street, Cork) West Cork Crafts (61 Townsend Street, Skibbereen) and John Smith’s bookshop, UCC.