From race days to weddings, most of us will have at least one reason to dress up this summer, and the definition of 'occasionwear' has never been more varied!

We had a bad shower on Saturday. It started at about half past two in the afternoon, and didn’t finish until Monday at 7pm.

Plans to convert a former hotel in Cork city centre into an upmarket retail store have been put on hold following objections from a number of local businesses and An Taisce.

Esther N McCarthy’s selection includes glam aprons, egg chairs and a square clock.

A former Cork city-centre hotel, with a 207-year pedigree on St Patrick’s St, is to be partly demolished and redeveloped for high-end shops use, possibly with an appeal to the likes of Zara.

Esther N McCarthy clocks some interesting ablutionary additions and arty accessories

Rose Martin looks at what’s trending in the home, inside and out, this week

The Irish arm of women’s clothing retailer Monsoon-Accessorize returned to profit last year, newly-filed accounts show.

Herald Halloween with Gothic glamour, says Annemarie O'Connor.

Carolyn Moore says online shoppers save even more by changing currency, and tries it out on a must-have bomber jacket

Fairly-traded clothing can be a bit muesli, but Paula Burns finds some great sustainable threads that abide by the fundamentals of fashion — beautiful things you’ll want to wear

The historic Victoria Hotel on Cork city’s St Patrick’s Street has been sold, 18 month after it went to market for sale by tender.

Age: 32

Ukraine has been in the news recently because of political strife, but this week we can see a different side to the country — its artistry and cultural heritage, embodied in the Ukrainian National Opera of Kharkiv, which is performing a stunning production of La Bohème at Cork Opera House on Friday, March 28.

One of Cork city’s oldest hotels, the Victoria Hotel on St Patrick Street, is for sale by tender in April.

Esther N McCarthy follows the herd to find animal motifs, chair affairs, terrific textiles and a decluttering dynamic duo.

There’s a new flow at Newbridge’s Whitewater Shopping Centre; with five new lettings, it is now the fullest since opened by Mountbrook in 2006.

This week we meet Laura Kinsella and Judith Graepel.

Examinerships have saved nearly 200 jobs in the first three months of the year, according to a review of the sector which examined the outcome of the process.

Irish business groups have today welcomed the High Court's decision in today's case relating to upward-only rents.

Women’s clothing and accessories chain, Monsoon Accessorize, needs to close at least 10 of its 18 stores if it is to have a reasonable prospect of survival, the High Court has been told.

Accessorize stores in Ireland are to apply for examinership.

Irish people are paying up to a third more for clothes than their British counterparts.

Former Dixons boss John Browett is making a retail comeback as the chief executive of Monsoon Accessorize, four months after his shock exit from Apple.

Don’t fancy a veil?

Dionne Bromfield will perform at the Look fashion show during London Fashion Week, where Sarah Harding will make her catwalk debut.

THE owner of discount fashion chain Penneys has reported sluggish sales in Britain although consumer demand is holding elsewhere in Europe, including Ireland.

A NORTHERN Ireland property firm has purchased a shopping centre in Britain for £116m (€146m).

Fashion retailer Monsoon today backed a move by its founder to take the troubled business back into private ownership.

Securing Liz Hurley as the face of Monsoon has failed to help the fashion retailer stage a turnaround in fortunes, after full-year figures today revealed a second year of falling profits.

Fashion chain Monsoon warned today it remained in the grips of a sales slump.

Liz Hurley will celebrate her marriage today in the lavish surroundings of a castle in England.

Retailer Monsoon today reported a fall in sales and profits after it struggled to attract shoppers amid increased competition during the first six months of the financial year.

Bowen Group project manager Michael Trench, recently won a silver medal as joint category winner in the over €50 million category at the Construction Manager of the Year awards.

The political row over Labour Party loans hit the stock market today after one of the businessmen involved quit as the boss of Capita.

Clothing retailer Monsoon today delivered a double blow to its investors when it warned on profits and said its chairman was no longer interested in a takeover.

Clothing retailer Monsoon today said tough trading conditions had left it with a glut of stock at the start of its winter sale.

Weaker retail stocks and a slide for oil company BP prevented the FTSE 100 Index from rounding off a strong week in positive territory today.

Brewing giant SABMiller was the toast of the London market today as the FTSE 100 Index chased a positive end to the trading week.

Clothing retailer Monsoon today said it was no longer resilient to the retail slowdown as it revealed a slowdown in sales over summer.

Shares in Laura Ashley hit their highest level in nearly a year today amid speculation that the home furnishings retailer could be taken private.

Positive updates from a clutch of blue-chip firms helped the London market make a good start to the week today.