Fashion: Unstoppable X Machine

The designs of Roscommon native Caoimhe MacNeice may look simple, but her striking tailored pieces are actually complex in construction and intriguingly conceptual. Indeed, MacNeice likes to challenge herself through her work.
Speaking of her graduate collection Warp, the NCAD alum says that, “I limited myself to using a basic shape – squares and rectangles – that I had to construct the clothes from, to see what different silhouettes could be created in that way.”
  The result was a stunning minimalist look, with her white fabric panels moulded into shape by the body wearing them.
“Shape and construction are always the most important things for me,” enthuses MacNeice, “and are usually a starting point when designing. I love the process of actually making the clothes too. From drafting the shape using pattern cutting and draping, to sewing the final piece together, I make all the garments myself.”
MacNeice’s origami-evoking collection was rightly lauded, receiving a ton of exposure in fashion and art magazines. “It was chosen to be displayed in the International Fashion Showcase during London Fashion Week,” reveals the designer, “and I was invited to show my last collection as part of On|Off Presents during London Fashion Week the following year.”
Her latest collection, Scully, again sees MacNeice explore the boundaries of simplicity, as she says she loves experimenting with silhouettes and how they’re formed. “I used just one silhouette,” she explains, “a really basic dress shape, and tried to play around with what could be done within that.”
Scully features a series of pastel shift dresses with a sleek, clean silhouette, but they draw attention to the shape of the wearer’s body with strategically placed oversized buttons that follow the curves of the body. They can also be unfastened to reveal it, lending these seemingly modest dresses a sensual air. The inspiration behind this collection came from an unexpected source.
“Scully was inspired by a Netflix binge of The X-Files!” says MacNeice. “For anyone who’s never seen the show before, it revolves around the sexual tension between the two main characters, Scully and Mulder. Scully was always buttoned up in these amazing power suits, and the collection was a sort of daydream as to what would happen if Scully let Mulder loosen up her buttons.”
This collection too received international acclaim on the fashion scene, being featured in magazines like Vogue UK, but for MacNeice, one of the highlights of 2016 was having a screen icon wear one of her Scully dresses.
“Juliette Lewis wore a piece for a shoot in Schon! magazine this year which was really exciting!”

Caoimhe MacNeice is currently working on her new collection, and making pieces to order. All enquiries can be sent to [email protected]