Number 21, Wicklow Street
The Lost Fashion History of Wicklow Street
The famous song a Dublin Saunter has a line that says Grafton Street’s a wonderland there’s magic in the air… but what it doesn’t say is that there’s even more fashion history magic if you turn the corner for a saunter down Wicklow Street. Have you ever taken your eyes away from the street level shop windows of Wicklow Street to look up as you as walked the street? Well I think you must always #lookup wherever you are because that’s where the treasures of many cities lie. I have often walked down Wicklow Street and wondered who may have been working away over the centuries in those handsome Victorian buildings, with their pretty bay windows. Having spent almost a decade researching The Lost Fashion History of Dublin Tours (along with doing a Masters thesis on the topic), I have found out some intriguing style stories about the street which I am sharing with you here and over on the Dirty Fabulous blog as their guest blogger today.
Fabulous fashion businesses
Wicklow Street has always benefited from its close proximity to Grafton Street. Being a tributary of Ireland’s premier shopping street has meant that over the centuries the ground floor and upper floor businesses have been home to prestigious dressmakers, milliners, tailors, furriers and designers. It has particularly been the place for millinery and dressmaking. From the 1890s onwards there have been fashion businesses sewing, cutting, making and designing beautiful fashion for the elite (and not so elite) of Dublin in the many rooms and floors of the red brick buildings. As the twentieth century progressed the street had an array of fashion businesses, which tell us about that particular period of history. As we know before 1916 Dublin was still part of the British Empire and because of this Dublin Castle was the centre of power. One of the most notable fashion businesses of the early twentieth century at that time were the Court Dressmakers Madame Doyle who were in Number 18 and would have created court dresses for debutantes and presentations at Dublin Castle as well as wedding trousseaux for Dublin’s finest. Fashion Historian Elaine Hewitt of NCAD has written an interesting thesis on the subject of the wonderfully named Madame Doyle which you can find out more about here.
By the 1930s the street became a true millinery hub with clusters of milliners (mainly women) trading on the street. I love the names of these businesses from this time as they feel very of the age too (and a little bit Agatha Christie to boot). There was Miss Maude Millinery at Number 12, Miss Brady Bird Milliner, Costumier and Furrier at Number 19 and the milliners Tanner, Shire and Byrne at Number 11.
From the 1930s- 1960s+
As the twenthieth century rolled on more interesting fashion residents emerged from the street, most notably was Mai Geldof Dressmaking, sometimes known as Fifi, who was the daughter of Zenon Geldof (a Belgian immigrant from Ypres) and the Aunt of Bob Geldof. She was a truly flamboyant character who was a socialite and couturier in 1920s Dublin. Along with her elder sister Cléo they took the city by storm, working in the family’s Patisserie Belge on Leinster Street and selling Sweepstake Tickets to fund their wild road trips across Europe. They quickly became the notable trend-setters of the time. After a time she set up a dressmaking salon in Number 11 Wicklow Street and attracted admired customers from Maud Gonne (pictured below) to Constance Markievicz. A truly remarkable woman she became one of Dublin’s oldest residents and only passed away last year in 2015 at the age of 106! Her nephew Bob Geldof was quoted at the time as saying how girls would often come up to him around Dublin and tell him how his Aunt had made their Mother’s wedding dresses! He also mentioned how Mai had helped him as a child and that he often visited her shop on Wicklow Street, “I would mooch around and wander into her shop and she would make me Bovril and take me on dates to the cinema.”
Number 21 & Dirty Fabulous Vintage
So, it is no surprise that Number 21 right in the heart of Wicklow Street has had such an interesting fashion past. The fashion businesses have ranged from Beatty & Hughes manufacturing in the 1880s and from 1905- 1940s onwards it was an exclusive hair salon called Austin Kane Hairdressing who also had a business on Sackville (O’Connell Street). From the 1950s Number 21 became home to a textile agent William B. O’Rourke Agents & Distributors. And the building continues its stylish incarnation today with the unbelievably beautiful vintage emporium that is Dirty Fabulous Vintage, home to premier vintage from 1920s onwards. It is lovely to see when you look upwards to their fabulous frock-filled bay window and know that the fashion tradition continues with vintage being altered and enhanced for Dublin’s great and good today by the twenty first century’s most stylish Wicklow Street residents – Caroline and Kathy.
The Lost Fashion History of Grafton Street Tour will take place this Saturday, 9th July and will finish in the beautiful Dirty Fabulous Vintage. A great opportunity to take a browse through those prettily arranged rails. There are a couple of spots left on this tour so snap them before they go. You can book here.
All images taken by Rua Ruth on Canon EOS 600D. The above items are available to buy in Dirty Fabulous now.