Throughout its history, the eminent Grafton Street retail establishment, Brown Thomas, has served as a sought-after destination for illustrious personalities. Earlier, it catered to high-profile individuals from the realm of Hollywood during the mid-1900s, while today, modern-day famous figures gracing the store are found inaugurating their own lines of products.
The store also had the honour of receiving esteemed visitors from royal circles. In 1961, during a state visit to Ireland, Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco stopped over at Brown Thomas to admire a photographic exhibit. For this special visit, the store was adorned in Monaco’s official colours, red and white, and was temporarily shut down for other patrons. Despite her iconic status, reports depict Princess Grace as exceptionally graceful and affable to everyone present.
Princess Grace indeed was a unique persona, enjoying both Hollywood fame and royal status. Still, many more distinguished stars of the silver screen flocked to Brown Thomas, including the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Rita Hayworth, and Irish cinema icon, Maureen O’Hara.
Orla Walsh, an Irish artist with a personal connection to the store as her father-in-law, Liam Walsh, was its managing director during the 60s and 70s, frequently shares fond narratives of the establishment’s grandeur. She recalls an exciting incident when the staff summoned Liam to attend to a surprise visitor: John Wayne, one of Hollywood’s legends. Described as remarkably courteous and tender despite his towering presence, Wayne was visiting to purchase some Waterford Crystal and a pair of gloves.
In more recent years, 2015 witnessed English actor Richard E Grant, an Oscar nominee, launch his gender-neutral fragrance, Jack Perfume. In 2006, Pamela Anderson, the star of Baywatch, while launching her makeup line with brand Mac at Brown Thomas, caused a sensation with hundreds of fans lining up on Grafton Street to catch a glimpse of her.
Brown Thomas, renown for boasting an extensive selection of luxury brands, has frequently welcomed some of the greatest fashion designers in history. In fact, the store was once adorned with a perfect replica of the Dior Salon from Paris, opened in 1950 by Christian Dior himself. Over the years, distinguished designers such as Jonathan Anderson, Richard Quinn, Stella McCartney and Roland Mouret have chosen to unveil their collections at Brown Thomas.
In 2012, the store was thrilled to house Victoria Beckham’s fashion line, and again in 2017 when she launched her make-up range with Esteé Lauder. These events created considerable excitement, with Victoria charming all she encountered.
Famous musicians have also paid visits. Canadian singer, Michael Bublé, enchanted fans when he revealed the store’s iconic Christmas showcase in 2011. Similarly, Robbie Williams stopped by in 2012 to launch his men’s clothing brand, Farrell. Remarkably, in 2009 rock legend Ronnie Wood brought Grafton Street to a halt when he performed in the BT2 window with his son’s band, Black Swan.
The store has also played host to numerous top models including Helen Christianesen, Yasmin Le Bon, Georgia May Jagger, Erin O’Connor, Linda Evangelista and Elle Macpherson. Kate Moss, a prominent fashion icon and original supermodel, graced the premises last year to launch her wellness and beauty brand, Cosmoss. During the event, she personally spoke with many of the invitees while lightly spraying them with her wellness fragrance.
Further enhancing the store’s reputation, actress and television host Cat Deeley unveiled her gender-neutral fragrance oil, Elleven, at the store last year.
Notably, in 2013 the Irish television star Laura Whitmore chose her homeland store to reveal the Brown Thomas autumn-winter collections. Meanwhile, Charlotte Tilbury made a special appearance in 2016 to promote her self-named brand which is now one of Brown Thomas’s most frequented make-up counters.
Trinny Woodall, a fashion expert who transitioned into being a makeup entrepreneur, recently won a coup by having her brand, Trinny London, featured at a dedicated counter in the Beauty Hall. Her squad of makeup artists, donning shimmering silver capes, were unmissable.
Brown Thomas has seen illustrious sports personalities grace their establishment too. The renowned footballer Pelé made his presence known in 2003. The eager fans descended; however, an unfortunate recent fracture to his right wrist hindered him from autographing the plethora of soccer memorabilia that supporters brought along. His solution was to joyfully pose for countless pictures with his enthusiastic followers. English football stars Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne have also visited – and hopefully, they managed to give fans their much-desired autographs.
Away from such official engagements, Brown Thomas has had numerous celebrity sightings as they stealthily peruse and acquire items from the store. Hollywood celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Megan Fox, and Amber Heard have slipped in for some shopping while touring the capital. Even former US President Bill Clinton indulged in a bit of retail therapy at Brown Thomas during a state visit in 2000.