Irish fashion designer whose linen dresses were a staple of Princess Diana’s wardrobe
Paul Costelloe had a very Irish career. He learned and practised fashion internationally as a migrant in Paris, Milan and New York, and designed for such British institutions as Diana, Princess of Wales, and British Airways at its 1990s zenith.
But he was rooted in the island of Ireland’s terroir, appreciating its fibres, wool and, especially, linen, by fingertip feel as much as eye. Fashion only rediscovered linen after synthetics lost appeal with the oil price shock of the mid 70s. For Ireland, and Costelloe, linen was always an essential resource.
Costelloe, who has died aged 80, sustained his label profitably for 47 years, designing for it to the end: his 2025 collection closed the inaugural Irish fashion week in Dublin in October. Over that period of time, Ireland went from relative national poverty and isolation to a prosperous European country; in 1998, Costelloe, with habitual sass, described Irish women as “ambitious mutton who wouldn’t know style if it tottered up to them on 10-inch heels”.
Within a decade he recanted the bitchery as women smartened up, though they still prioritised realistic daywear, as did Costelloe. He could also bring off surprisingly grand evening clothes, but his instinct was for tailoring – hence commissions for uniforms, including the 2004 Irish Olympic team and Aer Lingus – and intelligent day dresses or casually formal suits, in linen.
