Oprah picks Irish design for key cover
Don O’Neill, the Kerryman behind New York label Theia, is “thrilled” that the media powerhouse chose a sequined gold number from his latest collection.
“To dress Oprah is a big deal, to be on the cover of her magazine is a huge, huge deal, but to be on the September issue is beyond!” says the designer.
September is fashion’s busiest time and its magazines resemble phonebooks.
The Theia “crunchy sequin dress” Oprah wears is shown off in the full-length cover shot. The gown is made of a flattering stretch fabric and more than a million sequins. The sequins are a selection of five sizes and six colours that combine to create a “glittering gold” effect. The dress was made for the media mogul, often called the most powerful woman in the US.
O’Neill says Oprah’s accessibility makes her the perfect fashion icon.
“I think when women buy Vogue and see some size 0 model on the cover they think ‘That’s just not real for me’,” he said. “Oprah is a real woman they can identify with and looks great in the dress. That’s very important as a lot of women feel left out, like fashion is not for them. She has a curvy shape and she’s real for them. In that sense, she’s a true fashion icon.”
O’Neill’s first muse was his mother, Mim, a former Manhattan nanny who now runs O’Neill’s B&B in Ballyheigue, Co Kerry. After studying at Barbara Burke’s College of Fashion in Dublin, he trained in London and Paris and worked for Badgeley Mischka in New York. He started Theia two years ago and specialises in evening and wedding gowns. Nicole Kidman and Amanda Seyfried have worn his designs but Oprah is his most famous fan to date.
He dreams of dressing Oprah’s friend Michelle Obama next.
“She’s another real woman and a great role model. Every designer dreams of dressing movie stars but at the moment Obama so powerful, especially in fashion terms.”
O’Neill advises any aspiring fashion designers that, while education is a great start and his stood to him, they need to seize the initiative whenever possible.
“Once you’ve made the choice to do fashion, you need to be brave and ask for work-experience. The hardest thing is getting your foot in the door so you need to put yourself out there. You have nothing to lose, you just have to ask. That’s how my story began.”
* Theia is available from Costume, 10 Castle Market, Dublin 2, or www.theiacouture.com
