Grafton Street’s a wonderland
there’s magic in the air… and there’s even more if you turn the corner for a
saunter down Wicklow Street.
Have you
ever taken your eyes away from the shop windows of Wicklow Street long enough
and really looked up as you walked down the street as it curves its way up
to George’s Street?
Well I often #lookup and wonder who and what may
have been working away in those handsome Victorian buildings, with their pretty
bay windows, over the centuries. And having researched The Lost Fashion History
of Dublin Tours (along with doing a Masters thesis on the topic of the history
of fashion in Dublin), I have found out some intriguing style stories about the
street which I am sharing with you and my lovely pals here at Dirty Fabulous.
(Thanks for having me
as a Guest Blogger girls).
Wicklow Street in the 1980's
Fabulous fashion businesses
Wicklow Street has always benefitted from its close proximity
to Grafton Street. Being a tributary of Ireland’s premier shopping street has
meant that over the centuries the ground floor and upper floor businesses have
been home to prestigious dressmakers, milliners, tailors, furriers and
designers. But it has particularly been the place for millinery and dressmaking
over the decades.
Grafton Street
From
the 1890s onwards there have been fashion businesses sewing, cutting, making
and designing beautiful fashion for the elite (and not so elite) of Dublin in
the many rooms and floors of the red
brick buildings.
From
the early twentieth century the street had an array of fashion businesses, which
tell us about the period of history. As we know before 1916, Dublin was still
part of the British Empire and because of this Dublin Castle was the centre of
power.
One of the most notable fashion businesses of the early twenthieth
century at that time were the Court Dressmakers; Madame Doyle who resided in Number 18 and would
have created court dresses for debutantes
and presentations at Dublin Castle as well as wedding trousseau for Dublin's
finest.
Fashion Historian Elaine Hewitt of NCAD has written an interesting thesis on
the subject of the wonderfully named Madame Doyle here
By the
1930's the street became a millinery hub with clusters of milliners (mainly
women) trading on the street.
I love the names of these businesses as they feel
very of the age (and a little bit Agatha Christie to boot).
There was Miss Maude Millinery at Number 12, Miss Brady Bird Milliner, Costumier
and Furrier at Number 19 and
the milliners Tanner, Shire
and Byrne at Number 11.
Grafton Street
From the 1930's-1960's
As
the twenthieth century rolled on other fashion residents emerged from the
street, most notably was Mai Geldof Dressmaking, sometimes known
as Fifi, who was the daughter of Zenon Geldof (a Belgian immigrant from Ypres) and the Aunt of Bob Geldof who was a flamboyant socialite
and couturier in 1920s Dublin. With
her elder sister Cléo they took Dublin by storm, working in the family’s
Patisserie Belge on Leinster Street and selling Sweepstake Tickets to fund
their wild road trips across Europe. They quickly became the notable trend-setters
of the time. She set up a dressmaking salon in Number 11 Wicklow Street from
the 1920s/1930s and attracted admired customers from Maud Gonne to Constance Markievicz. A truly remarkable woman and one of Dublin’s oldest
residents Mai only died last year in 2015 at the age of 106! Her nephew Bob
Geldof was quoted at the time as saying how girls would often come up to him
around Dublin and say his Aunt had made their Mother’s wedding dresses! He also
mentioned how Mai had helped him as a child and that he often visited her shop
on Wicklow Street, “I would
mooch around and wander into her shop and she would make me Bovril and take me
on dates to the cinema.”
Maude Gonne
Constance Markievicz
Number 21 & Dirty
Fabulous
So
it is no surprise that Number 21 right in the heart of Wicklow
Street also has also had a fashionable past. From the 1880's is was Beatty & Hughes manufacturing (quite possibly fashion related). From 1905-1940's onwards
it was an exclusive hair salon Austin Kane Hairdressing who also had a business
on Sackville (O’Connell Street). And
from the 1950's the building became home to a textile agent William B. O’Rourke
Agents & Distributors.
The building continues
its stylish incarnation today with the unbelievably beautiful Dirty Fabulous,
home to premier vintage from all the decades aforementioned. It is lovely to
see when you look upwards now a fabulous bay window lit up with the prettiest
of frocks and exquisite gowns still being altered and enhanced for Dublin’s
great and good today by the twenty first century’s stylish residents – Caroline
and Kathy.
Ruth
Griffin is a Fashion Historian and Blogger who gives tours of Dublin’s stylish
past, The Lost Fashion History of Dublin Tours. The 2016 programme is ready to
book now and Dirty Fabulous Vintage will be featured on The Lost Fashion
History of Grafton Street Tour on Saturday, 9th July.
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