The Chic of Some People

“I love this black dress. The brand is Acne, which is a bit of a strange name! But I love their stuff. This is a black ribbon detail dress. I love designers like Christopher Kane and Diana Orving, because their work is so original. They match my style: I like it to be quite toned down. They are very forward-thinking designers. I love to go into shops and look at their stuff and see how it’s made.”

So says Eva Maguire, jewellery designer and assistant to Dublin designer Helen Cody. Eva's love of designers seems like it could be an expensive habit. So just how much does she spend on clothes?
“Well, Acne is quite an expensive label but I wouldn’t spend that kind of money all the time," she says. "I would normally just buy some key pieces and then try to save some money by going to vintage shops and flea markets. I buy my own fabric and customise things. So it’s easier for me to buy something cheap and dress it up myself.”
DIY fashion is certainly a trend that has become more popular in the past few years. “I love the quirky look when people have their own style," says Eva. "Take Amy Winehouse. I wouldn’t go out and dress like her, but I went to a fancy dress recently and my friend dressed up as her. I thought that was cool. I admire people who have their own style.”
Living in an image-conscious world is difficult enough. I can’t imagine what it would be like to work in the middle of it. Says Maguire: “Being involved in the fashion industry makes you very conscious of your image. You have to look after your own image and take pride in your appearance. I wouldn’t spend hours preparing myself before I go out but if I am meeting clients I want to look well because it’s my job to inspire them and to help them out with their clothes.”
Does she look back on her fashion mistakes and cringe? “I have made lots of fashion mistakes," she says. "I have really bad eyesight and when I was younger I used to hate wearing my glasses. I remember going to my first disco and I wouldn’t wear them, you know, because I was trying to impress the boys. But it didn’t really work – I ended up not seeing this little fence and tripping over it. Things like that are so embarrassing when you’re younger. I actually love my glasses now; I have loads of different frames and wear them quite a bit.”
So what's next in the world of Eva Maguire? “Well I have my jewellery designs stocked in a few shops in Dublin, so I am busy with that and with my work for Helen Cody. There is lots going on in the fashion industry here in Ireland so you don’t have to go away anymore to succeed. Which is nice!”