The look of the Irish Part 4 – Fashion, Irish style

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Damo & Ivor’s brand new television show, JOE takes a look at some unique fashion favourites! We’re a long way from the catwalks of Milan and Paris, but there are some clothing choices you'll only see in Ireland.

GAA Short Shorts

Some people may think that GAA short shorts are (almost literally) a load of old boll*x, but the truth of the matter is that we want them, we need them. They’re an Irish institution, as Irish as President Michael D. Higgins downing a pint of Guinness whilst wearing a Leprechaun outfit... only not quite as impressive as that (unfortunately imaginary) scenario. We’ve worn them in the dead of winter, under the floodlights, in the lashing rain, covered in mud, freezing our balls legs off, but it’s all worth it when that one attractive local girl from town turns up to see you falling about the place in a pair of O’Neills short shorts. Any shorter and you'd be done for indecent exposure. Plus if they’re good enough for The Simpsons and Family Guy then they’re good enough for us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mRqBnwDaA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9u4AKU_GFs

Flares

JOE recently built up enough courage to venture out on our annual shopping excursion, all in order to purchase a new pair of jeans – bell-bottomed flares obviously. However, when we kindly asked the shop assistant lady, “where is the shop’s flared jeans section?” she simply responded, “1988,” as she tried to control her fit of laughter right in front of our face. Not cool shop assistant lady, not cool. Irish men – proudly keeping flares in fashion for the rest of time.

Mankini

Although most people think that it was Kazakhstan’s favourite son Borat who started the craze of the wonderfully horrific mankini, JOE has uncovered evidence (looked on Google) that it was actually an Irishman. So that’s why they’re always green.

In fact, it was none other than Castleknock’s very own Colin Farrell. Astonishing and disturbing in equal measure:

For more insights into Irish style, sort of, check out the new series of Damo and Ivor, which is on each Monday at 10.00pm on RTÉ Two.