Americas first top models

The legacy of the Irish in the USA is usually more associated with politics and policing than fashion. Berna Cox talks to Linda Scott about early Irish settlers strutting their stuff stateside.
WHEN you think about the Great Irish Famine of the mid-19th century, the images are bleak. Hundreds of thousands of sad, gaunt figures tearfully leaving their native land, knowing they would never return and that their survival depended on crossing the Atlantic. The mass emigration marks one of the loneliest times in our history and the Famine was probably the biggest catastrophic event that led to the Irish settling in the USA. What we think about less often, perhaps, is the impact these people had on the new society when they got there. In her recent book, Fresh Lipstick: Redressing It was common for these immigrant women to set up dressmaking businesses and millinery houses, some of which became quite chic and successful. But they did not really make their mark in the world of fashion design as such what made them remarkable was their popularising of fashion for the masses. They became inadvertent models for the less well-off and sent out the message that you might not have money but you could still have style. The streets of American cities became their informal catwalks where they strutted their stuff and became the fashionistas of the under classes. The different look of the Irish also drew attention and eventually changed attitudes. Prior to the arrival of these Celtic immigrants, red hair was very much disliked and associated with the lower classes, says Scott. By the turn of the century, however,

Fashion and Feminism, author and academic Linda Scott maintains that Irish
immigrants to the USA influenced society there in the most unexpected of ways. The image of shawl-wearing waifs boarding the famine ships epitomises hardship and is entirely unglamorous, yet these women, according to Scott, played no small part in influencing the fashion trends in their new world. The female immigrants of the mid- to late-19th century were, she says, considered stylish because, in spite of their very limited means, they created clothing for themselves that was in the latest style. It was the incongruity as much as anything, Scott says. At that time, only the very wealthy followed fashion that closely. So, to have young women who were barely emerging from starvations doorstep rivalling the finest aristocrats in their dress called attention to their appearance, giving them this trend-setter reputation.

Linda Scott
Texan-born academic Linda Scott recently joined the faculty at the Sad Business School at the University of Oxford, where she teaches marketing, having previously taught at the University of Illinois. She holds several degrees in English, history, mass communications and an MBA. Her book Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism has been praised for arguing that feminism need not be frumpy. The motivation for the book, she says, was borne out of an unhappy visit to a consciousnessraising feminist group meeting in 1970, where she was cruelly ridiculed for wearing make-up and fixing my hair!

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red hair was becoming fashionable and began to appear in advertisements depicting the latest trends. In the early 20th century too, Irish actresses were making their mark on stage and screen and endorsed this turnaround of the Celtic look. Irish exiles were also influential in the spread of cosmetics and toiletries as well as the practices associated with them, through the treatment houses that began in the early 20th century, according to Scott. One of the earliest treatment houses was started by an Irish woman named Mrs Adair, who trained Elizabeth Arden. Fashion media too had an Irish influence Carmel Snow, whose family emigrated to the USA in the late 19th century and whose mother was a successful dressmaker, became editor of Harpers

powerful position, says Scott, it could be said that an Irish immigrant probably had as much or more influence over fashion than anyone else in American history. As the ships pulled out with their human cargo in Black 47, who would have thought that these lonely exiles and their progeny would help to change the face of fashion in the new world. Crossing the Atlantic certainly didnt cramp their style. Berna Cox is a DCU graduate and freelance journalist.

Bazaar in 1934, a hugely influential role she held for 24 years. In that

Bucks Fizz wedding

As a novice wandering into the maze of wedding planning, DCU graduate Sarah Traynor resorted to some creative thinking. The result a terrific wedding and a bestseller!
WEDDINGS have become a multimillion euro industry and the wedding business in Ireland is no exception. What we now refer to as the traditional Irish wedding bears little resemblance to what earlier generations did for their day. Today many Irish couples average 1824 months of preparation for the day, engaging the services of upwards of 20 companies, spending an average of 2530,000 in the process. In the year before my wedding, I was finishing a night course in journalism. I was obsessed with planning the perfect day. My initial shock on discovering the cost of holding the event was closely followed by the fear that I simply did not have the budget to pull it off. The pressure was on. To secure the expensive but highly professional and beautiful venue of our choice, I knew I needed to make some very clever spending decisions. This included sourcing my dress online (at a saving of over dresses (saving 1,000), purchasing once-worn designer bridesmaid 700), finding my cake and accessories in Marks & book about getting married! But then it hit me that there was no book, specific to Irish customers, on how to get married within budget. So over the next few months I pulled together 40 pages of research and a sample chapter, I picked the title How to Have a Champagne Wedding on a Bucks Fizz Budget and approached a publisher, who luckily saw the bones of a good book. In 2006, I signed the contract with the publishers during the first year of my masters in DCU; at the same time I was pregnant and working full time, so I knew I had a challenge ahead! Fortunately, after a lot of work and some sleepless nights (I cant blame the baby for every one), the book hit the shelves in May 2007 and my thesis hit the library in June. The market is definitely there, as it sold over 2,000 copies in its first six months. The best advice in the book is probably stating the obvious, but it does need reinforcing: curb the emotion when your wallet is in your hand this industry thrives on turning fear into profit make time for research and gather recommendations before making a single decision or a booking. The book helps this decision-making process by breaking the day down into digestible chunks, offering tips and advice on each, with interviews from subject experts dotted throughout, including Eddie Hobbs on financing the day, Paolo Tullio on choosing wine and Georgina Campbell of Georgina Campbell's Ireland: The Guide on finding the perfect venue.

Spencer and cutting back on unnecessary but expensive frills. These choices sliced a reasonable chunk off the bill without affecting the day in any way; the money was redirected towards a venue serving good food and wine for my guests and sourcing some great entertainment for the party. When a friend suggested there could be a book in all my ramblings, I thought the last thing the shops needed was another

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