The wait is over. Baz Luhrmann’s lavish, outrageous adaptation of The Great Gatsby hits screens this month, bringing with it a new fabulous trend to invigorate your spring wardrobe. In a stylish stroke of genius, Luhrmann and his Oscar-winning production designer wife Catherine Martin approached fashion darling Miuccia Prada to collaborate on over 40 designs for the film’s lavish party scenes. Raiding the Prada and Miu Miu archives, they set about reworking a selection of classic outfits to fit the Roaring Twenties brief. The result is a fashion fairytale come to life. Luckily, for those with a more limited budget than the glittering people in Gatsby’s social circle, the shops are teeming with all things twenties.
If you want to channel the fabulous flapper style of carefree, romantic heroine Daisy Buchanan, aim for high-wattage glam with shimmering cocktail dresses and elegant evening gowns worthy of a real ‘20s diva. Sequins, beading and fringing amp up the razzle-dazzle factor and will make your ensemble worthy of one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous soirées, while drop-waist dresses are the must-wear silhouette. When those luxurious outdoor lunches segue into elegant evenings, cover up with a stunning shrug.
If you want to go for a more casual skew on the trend, team a formal top with beaded or fringe detail with skinny jeans and glitzy shoes. And speaking of your footwear, it’s time to welcome back the adorable t-bar stilettos.
The marabou feather was also king in this era. No black-tie look was complete without it, whether it came in fabulous feathered headpieces, as trimming on incredible evening dresses or as exquisite accessories. Keep your feathers on the right side of the 21st century by teaming an LBD feather number with clean, simple make-up, a tousled low-slung pony and a neutral pair of ankle boots. Or if you want to bring just a touch of twenties to your ensemble, grab a feathered clutch.
As ever with this delectable decade, art deco is an important visual reference. Luckily there are loads of gorgeous but reasonable pieces out there. So you can embrace the gilded look without the guilt. Work its architectural charm into your everyday outfit with jewellery and clutch bags in strong, sharp shapes. While black and jewel tones can make for very dramatic ensembles, we’re embracing a softer palette this spring. Pastel colours and light metallic hues will bring feminine charm to the bold, structured pieces. Of course, your jewellery doesn’t have to be deco: long pearl strands and layered pearl bracelets were an absolute must for fashion-loving flappers. Get out those gemstones!

After several years working throughout Europe, Irish designer Sinéad Doyle returned home to launch her eponymous luxury daywear label in 2009.

Dublin-based Doyle studied at Limerick School of Art and Design, graduating in 2004. During her time there, she won many awards including the national RTÉ/ Taispeantas prize for ‘Creative Design with Commercial Potential’ at the Young Designer of the Year awards 2003, and the Graduate Collection Shannon Development bursary for further study in 2004. These well-deserved accolades were merely the start of a career filled with prizes and industry achievements.
Following graduation, Sinéad went to Britain and undertook an MA in Fashion Design and Technology (Menswear) at London College of Fashion, graduating January 2006. She used this time to further her knowledge in specialist areas such as digital print, tailoring and creative pattern cutting. The final collection featured on BBC1 and was later exhibited in Urbis Gallery Manchester where Sinéad was selected as one of the top fashion designers under 25 in the UK by Noisefestival. Before graduating, Sinéad worked with several well known London designers. These experiences led to Sinéad’s specialisation in menswear and an enduring interest in tailoring, finish and detail.
In 2007, Sinéad travelled to Italy where she spent several months working in a Venetian couture house. Here she learned couture finishing, historical bodice making and corsetry techniques.
At her studio in Dublin, Sinéad combines her knowledge of tailoring, corsetry and cutting to create contemporary structured womenswear pieces. Most recently she won the ‘Irish Newcomer of the Year 2011’ award at Kerry Fashion Week.
Her latest collection is a blend of monochrome palettes and gorgeous fabrics. Her stiff-collar shirts and tweed tops have an almost Edwardian androgyny while her silk dresses are pure femme fatale. With patent leather highlights, her classic shapes have an irresistibly modern edge, evoking the eroticism of Helmut Newton’s fashion photography.
For more information, see sineaddoyle.ie