PILE IT ON - A chic carpet is as essential as the latest bag

If there’s one piece of advice fashion has bestowed upon us in the last while – in addition to ‘your earrings cannot be long enough, your vinyl pants cannot be shiny enough and your choice of sleeve should always be fluted’ – it’s that nothing says status like a carpet with your name on it. Too lavish? Not where Balenciaga is concerned. The brand’s autumn winter 17 show, staged in Paris in March, put the best foot forward with a grey, Balenciaga-branded carpet. A surprisingly sleek move for a show that made a case for modern marshmallow-puff couture. We’re no stranger to a designer’s dalliance with pile of late.

Balenciaga AW 17 - branded runway carpet;

When Gucci makes a case for kitsch you’re guaranteed it will be anything but corporate – and we’re not talking clothes. For spring 16, models stomped atop an ornate snake-print carpet; for spring 17, a saccharine-pink disco dream was the woven of choice. Indeed it was a true embodiment of the collection: as plush as the Renaissance Venice gowns that glided down it, with a hint of seventies nightclub – how we love a good Alessandro Michele mash-up. Fancy something a little more fun? Let Miu Miu be your reference point. For autumn winter 17, the fashion was retro and the fanfare on high. Showcasing a Muppet-like blanket of lavender (faux) fur stretched over seats, invitations and even swept up an Art Deco staircase. It was perhaps the most extravagant – and sensational moment – of the season. And it was perfect.

Miu Miu Runway AW 17, Photo Credit: FASHIONISTAS.COM.GR;

Closer to home, the Instagram account @LondonRomeKillybegs is an ode to Donegal Carpets and the 120 year tradition of handknotted carpets. Highlighted by Irish Design 2015, a podcast of the same name interviews the original makers of such esteemed carpets that were the last word in artistry, gracing the halls of Áras an Uachtaráin to Buckingham Palace.Those searching for something a little less extravagant can indulge any fashionable urges with Irish designer Helen Cody’s collaboration with Ceadogán rugmakers, which is fresh from a win of Silver at the London Design Awards, gaining attention for its quirky design prowess. Whoever said frivolity is exclusive to fashion was clearly mistaken.

London, Rome, Killybegs, @londonromekillybegs;

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