Irene Gilbert (fashion designer)

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This article is about the Irish fashion designer. For the German-American actress, see Irene Gilbert. For the British swimmer, see Irene Gilbert (swimmer).

Ireland's first couturier

Irene Gilbert (c. 1910[1] – 7 August 1985[2])[3] (pronounced "Irini").[4] Gilbert was born in Thurles, County Tipperary. She was an Irish fashion designer based in Dublin.[5][6][7][8][9] Ireland's first couturier, she was a member of the "Big Three" Irish fashion designers, along with Sybil Connolly and /.[10][11] Designing for royalty and high society,[4] she was famous for her work and friendship with Grace Kelly.[3][7] She was the first woman to run a successful fashion business in Ireland, operating out of a shop on St Stephen's Green on the southside of the city.[7]

Early life[]

Gilbert was born in Thurles, County Tipperary in 1908.[10][3][12]

Gilbert attended Alexandra College, after which she spent a short amount of time at a Belgian finishing school.[1]

Work[]

Gilbert's career in the fashion industry began when she ran a dress shop on Wicklow Street in Dublin.[3] She then went to London to train under a court dressmaker, before returning to open a hat shop on Dublin's North Frederick Street in the late 1940s.[3]

Having moved to St Stephen's Green, Gilbert opened a shop there in 1947.[12][13][7] She began selling clothes under her own label from 1950, since her first show took place in Restaurant Jammet.[7] She was known for her work with silk, tweed,[14] linen and Carrickmacross lace.[15][16][4][13][12] Future celebrated designer, Pat Crowley, worked for Gilbert for seven years from 1960, as a designer as well as a sales and marketing specialist.[17][18][19] The quality of the work contributed to Dublin's reputation as a "must stop-over" for the international fashion media.[20]

She designed one of the ten variations of the Aer Lingus uniform.[21]

Gilbert closed the business in 1969 and emigrated to Malta.[13][7] She later moved to Cheltenham in England where she died in 1985.[3]

Legacy[]

Gilbert's creations were prized by Anne, Countess of Rosse whose collection of Gilberts are now curated at Birr Castle.[7] The National Museum of Ireland holds some of her letters and drawings, as well as some of her clothes.[1] In January 2018, Gilbert's life and work was part of an exhibition at the Little Museum of Dublin.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Gilbert, Irene | Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. ^ The Irish Times, 7 Aug 1985: 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "How a young woman from Thurles became Ireland's first 'fashion radical'". thejournal.ie. 27 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "St. Patrick's Beauties". The Bridgeport Post. Bridgeport, Connecticut. 11 March 1962. p. 29. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  5. ^ Vanderbilt, Amy (20 April 1969). "Wonders of the Old World Children". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 133. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  6. ^ Cavanagh, Dale (15 March 1969). "You're sew right - Straightening Fabrics". Ottawa Journal. Ottawa. p. 19. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  7. ^ a b c d e f g O'Byrne, Robert (1 April 2000). "Out of style, out of mind". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Afternoon Ensemble". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. 4 February 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  9. ^ "Irene Gilbert Coat Dress Has Soft Bodice Lines". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 13 November 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  10. ^ a b "Regard Dublin Stylists As Distinctly Different". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. Associated Press. 21 April 1963. p. 15. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  11. ^ O Sullivan, Kathleen (16 November 2016). "'Fashion With An Irish Brogue': The Life And Legacy Of Sybil Connolly". headstuff.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  12. ^ a b c "Irish Designers Are Looking at US Women". The Baytown Sun. Baytown, Texas. 6 May 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  13. ^ a b c Adburgham, Alison (11 March 1969). "More method, less romance in Dublin". The Guardian. London. p. 7. Retrieved 31 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  14. ^ "A Designing Pair". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. 7 August 1955. p. 89. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  15. ^ "FASHION STORY by Spodeo: Dublin Has Dandy Duds". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. 14 March 1960. p. 9. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  16. ^ Spadea, Jean (26 August 1956). "The Irish Collections: Golden Genius on the Emerald Isle". The Star Press. Muncie, Indiana. p. 12. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  17. ^ "Pat Crowley: A Tribute". IMAGE.ie. 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  18. ^ Hourican, Emily (23 December 2013). "Always a cut above the rest". Independent.ie. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Fashion designer and astute businesswoman". The Irish Times. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Dublin Fashions Irene Gilbert Combines Design, Timeless Styling". The Akron Beacon-Journal. Akron, Ohio. 16 August 1959. p. 82. Retrieved 30 January 2018 – via Newspapers.com.icon of an open green padlock
  21. ^ "Aer Lingus crew to get sartorial upgrade". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 June 2018.

Further reading[]

  • O'Byrne, Robert (2000). After a Fashion: A History of the Irish Fashion Industry. Dublin: Town House and Country House. ISBN 1860591159.
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