A news journalist offers views on dressing for work and creating her own sense of style.

Irish Press news journalist Louise Creagh takes us through her wardrobe to see some of the bargains she has found

Someone with a brilliant ability to pick up the bargains I always seem to miss.

Louise Creagh does not consider herself a safe dresser but wears what she likes. She does not dress up for the office, but in a practical manner to suit her hectic schedule. Leggings are her go-to for work.

She recalls that her first fashion conscious outfit at the age of about 14, was a pair of tight navy bellbottoms worn with a baby pink t-shirt. Many of the clothes she has acquired over the years are still in her wardrobe. She still has the cheesecloth top and Levi jeans which she has had since the age of 16 and was wearing when she met her husband. Many of the items in her wardrobe are designer but she did not pay designer prices. They were often picked up while on sale or are secondhand. One such item is a cashmere coat, reduced from £190 to £60.

Apart from her wedding dress, one of her favourite items is a pair of suede Gaucho trousers. They were originally priced at around £600 and there was no way Louise was going to pay that. She watched them for about a year until they were finally reduced to £90.

There was almost a fight between another customer and myself for these.

Louise Creagh advises shoppers to check out secondhand outlets for bargains and designer gear for a fraction of what you would pay in other shops.

I don't believe you have to pay a lot of money to dress well.

She also believes that women should not be dictated to by the fashion industry saying,

I don't want to look like a million other women on the street.

This episode of 'Head To Toe' was broadcast on 28 October 1988. The presenter is Frances Duff.

'Head to Toe' was a weekly lifestyle programme which focused on clothes and fashion. 'Head to Toe' ran for 10 series between 1988 and 1997. The first show was aired on 21 October 1988 and was presented by Frances Duff, Mary O'Sullivan and Marty Whelan. Mary O'Sullivan described the show as,

A magazine mix of everything to do with clothes, people, the rag trade in general, personalities, swap shops, the nostalgia scene, people's private collections, country shopping and dressing and budgets and even problems.

(RTÉ Guide, 14 October 1988, p.6)