Irene Gilbert (fashion designer)

Irene Gilbert (c. 1910[1] – 7 August 1985[2])[3] (pronounced "Irini")[4] 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 Raymond Kenna/Kay Peterson.[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]

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

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] In 1962, Gilbert co-founded the Irish Haute Couture Group with Ib Jorgensen and Nelli Mulcahy.[21]

She designed one of the ten variations of the Aer Lingus uniform.[22]

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. "Gilbert, Irene | Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. The Irish Times, 7 Aug 1985: 1.
  3. "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. "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. 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. "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. "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. 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. "Neilli Mulcahy". independent. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  22. "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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