AUTHOR: ARTSYCHOWROAMER

Touring Ireland

A LITTLE SHOPPING IN ADARE

On a recent day trip to Adare, Ireland, while staying in nearby Ballingarry, I happened into the millinery shop owned by Aisling Maher. Pretty from the outside and full of hidden treasures on the inside. Take a read to find out just what a wonderful architect of a hat maker this talented young woman is.

Adare is a busy, tidy little town with a lot of interesting shops, pubs, restaurants and a fine art gallery named Draiocht that I have blogged about previously. It is also designated as a world heritage town by the government and is considered to be one of the prettiest towns in Ireland.

There are charming thatched roof cottages and a lovely city park for walks and sitting on benches to enjoy the day and tourist watching. The day I visited there was a wedding going on in the chapel across from the park and a beautiful Bentley was waiting for the couple to come out.

Tourists were making their way from store to store and the little boutique was very busy with customers coming and going. Some were just browsing but some were actively engaging Aisling to help them find just the right accessory for the dress they were describing to her.

Many were looking for weddings; others for parties and another just wanted a special souvenir to take back home. Aisling was patiently guiding each customer through the choices and giving excellent fashion advice for the latest colors and trends; she herself was in a brilliant yellow dress that set off her dark hair. There were so many choices with such clever detailing!

WEARABLE ART AS FASHION

Aisling noticed I was taking notes and pictures as I walked around. I introduced myself and told her that I wrote about art, food and travel. She looked puzzled and I said I considered what she did to be very artistic especially since her designs were one of a kind.

We talked about her background, having studied architecture for six years, and then using that experience with a stint at the London College of Fashion, to begin designing her own line of fascinators and fashion accessories.

I did see the architecture in the way she layered and “built” her pieces with great attention to detail. They were embellished using fresh water pearls, crystals, feathers and veiling leading to a classic collection with elegance and style.

Each handcrafted piece is a work of love and caring where she caters to her clients individual personality so they love the design as well as the designer.

FASCINATORS OR HEADPIECES?

I spied a beautiful peachy pink little number with bright details in teal; typical of her work. This was the one I thought needed to be photographed so you could see how fabulous this designers work is.

Of course I asked the price and at 250 euros was considered to be a good price! I asked on average how many fascinators a lady in Ireland or England might own and she said countless. She herself owns as many as a hundred!

The collections are available around the world from London to Paris to Beverly Hills, across Europe and Ireland to individuals and boutiques. Each collection is different from one to the next so anyone can find something special that will reveal their own individual style and personality.

CONCLUSION

Aisling Maher is a lovely girl, a fantastic designer and has an real eye for color, detail and beauty. She designs for the individual and I highly suggest you check her shop out when visiting but you can also see her work on her website.

Happy fashion days ahead for you if you do! You might also enjoy some other blogs under Artful Ideal and hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me know what you think and what you would like to read here. Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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TO MY READERS: This post was updated with additional info, pics and video on 5/12/2020. Aisling has added fashion and jewelry items to her collections now as well-check out her lovely dresses and trendy tops!