Latest news with #HelenCody
Irish Independent
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
My money: ‘I felt very poor when working as a stylist in Dublin in the 1980s and living over a joke shop in town'
Helen Cody, fashion designer, whose creations grace red carpets at the Oscars and at Cannes Today at 21:30 Helen Cody is one of Ireland's foremost fashion designers. After studying fashion and textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, she went to work for French Vogue in Paris, where she styled supermodels such as Naomi Campbell. Cody's work also took her to New York and London, and she became a leading stylist for fashion magazines, celebrities and music videos, styling The Corrs and The Cranberries. Her designs have graced red carpets at the Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival. The Dubliner re-established her eponymous fashion label in Dublin in 2013. She will be one of the designers speaking at the 'Fashion Conversations with Coffee' event, at Anantara The Marker hotel on the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, Friday at 11am. The event is part of the first-ever Design Week Dublin, which runs from tomorrow until next Sunday. How did your upbringing shape your relationship with money? Growing up in Dublin – I was the youngest of four – we weren't poor. I'd say we were pretty average. But early on, my mum instilled in all of us the idea that waste was very wrong. Even a roast chicken was turned into stock and soup to get the best value out of it. She made clothes for my sisters and I, knitting jumpers and smocking our dresses by hand. I would use the scraps of fabric to make my dolls' clothes. So we all developed an eye for great design early on. My father, on the other hand, travelled a lot with the United Nations to far-flung places. When opening his suitcases on his return, they would be full of treasures to spoil us. He loved the finer things in life. Have you ever felt broke? The poorest I ever felt was when I was living over the joke shop on South King Street in Dublin city centre. It was the late Eighties and I was trying to make a career out of being a stylist – but we didn't have a phone in our flat. I would make calls in the morning from the public phone box in The Gaiety next door. I'd raid everyone's coat pockets to get enough change to call Anne Harris, my editor at the Sunday Indo, to see what she had in store for me that week. What's the most expensive place you've ever been to? I think anywhere can feel really expensive – it just depends on your financial situation at the time. I tend not to travel unless I can easily afford it. What was your best-ever investment? Apart from my beloved dogs, it has to be my house. I love it and we've been through a lot there. I feel really sorry for anyone trying to buy a home now in Ireland – I don't know how first-time buyers do it. Do you still carry cash? I will always have some cash to tip waiters as I always want them to receive the money directly. What was your worst-ever job? The worst job I ever had was a long time ago, thankfully. I'd returned from Paris and got a job on Head to Toe, the RTÉ fashion programme. It was a very far cry from the glamour of Vogue and I didn't stay long. What's your biggest financial regret? Every painting I couldn't buy. Are you a spender or a saver? I'm a pretty cautious person. I stopped using credit cards years ago. If I don't have it, I won't spend it. Being self-employed, I've learned to have enough in the bank to cover the tough times. What three things would you not be able to do without if you had to tighten your belt? The three things I couldn't live without thankfully haven't much to do with money. My family, my little dog Joe, and fresh homemade food – that's what matters most.
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
The Weekend Hitlist: What we want to see, do and buy
Wear it Award-winning designer Helen Cody has recently announced the launch of HC Denim, a new sub-brand that translates her decades of couture expertise into a collection of hand-crafted, made-to-measure denim pieces. Like everything Cody does, sustainability is at the core of her mission, with luxury deadstock denim sourced from Dior and LVMH ateliers. The pieces are hand-crafted in her Dublin studio by an all-women team, with the initial capsule collection including eight items that are available for preorder. Each piece is tailored to the body that will wear it, meaning you can count on the perfect fit. We love the modern silhouette of this denim jacket (price on application). The team over at Rotten Magazine have recently launched Fantasy Ireland, a photography book that brings you on a comprehensive exploration of the last 50 years of Irish photography. Curated and designed by a generation born after the Good Friday Agreement, Fantasy Island (€50) moves beyond the Troubles to explore Ireland's cultural and social landscape. The book features over 150 images by 70 Irish artists, who paint a poignant picture of life in Ireland from the last half century. It provides a visually spectacular alternative history of Ireland, with events we know but fresh angles we do not. A perfect coffee table book if we ever saw one. Brídín Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh stars in the one-woman show Dathanna Geala Amháin (Bright Colours Only), which was performed in Irish for the first time in An Taibhdhearc, Galway, last week and continues on an Irish tour until May 24. The play invites us to experience someone else's moments of loss and grief, giving the audience cause to reflect on their own experiences of loss and our wider attitudes towards death. From the mind of Belfast writer and actor Pauline Goldsmith, Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh brings the show home to Irish audiences. And for those of us not quite as advanced in our bilingualism, English subtitles will be provided. The terrace at The Shelbourne has reopened for the summer since the beginning of this month, once again making for the perfect urban hideaway for those hot summer days — long may they last. The team have set the scene with an opulent green and pink flower installation that provides the perfect backdrop for a crisp glass of bubbles or one of their expertly crafted cocktails to help relax after a day of enjoying the city centre at its best. The hotel has partnered with WineLab to offer wine on tap — a sustainable serving method that guarantees freshness, reduces waste, and significantly lowers the venue's carbon footprint. They also have a full menu, including oysters, caviar and delicious seafood, meat and cheese platters. Festival it Cavan Arts Festival returns to the county for its eighth iteration this month, running from May 15-18, presenting locals and visitors alike with a jam-packed programme of events, including The Blindboy Podcast Live, multi-instrumentalist indie sensations Soft Launch, comedian Alison Spittle, Patrick McCabe's Radio Butty, Belgian hilarity merchants Okidok, and electronica/acrobatics crossover Imeall/Llaeml. Pedal Parade, a fun event for children, will also return, followed by a cycle show for all the family. Gift it The Crate, which was founded by Claire Ryan and Steph Hutch, has always prided itself on being a premier flower delivery service without compromising on elegant and Instagram-worthy design. It has just launched a new bouquet, The Market Bunch, which is intended to celebrate the seasonal stems on offer. At €25, it's on the more affordable side, so makes the perfect gift for yourself and will spruce up any room. You can expect variations of peonies and parrot tulips, so are a cut above supermarket flowers.
