As one of Ireland’s most famous fashion stylists, one might think Lisa Fitzpatrick worries about being 44 in an industry so obsessed with youth. But the hotelier has never been more content in her own skin.
As she flicks her hair out of her face, you can make out very faint traces of lines — signs of living that she wears as a badge of honour. Botox, she says, is not for her.
‘People say never say never, and that is their choice,’ she says. ‘But I will never in my life jab a needle in my face, no way. I would be too scared. Now whoever chooses to do it, I have no problem with that. If they want to get Botox or their lips done or do whatever they want with their bum and boobs, more power to them.
‘Personally I don’t have good boobs but I absolutely know how to make them look big and fabulous without help from a doctor — I get away with murder with my five padded bras. I look after my skin and drink a lot of water, I don’t smoke and I stay out of the sun. I definitely drink too much alcohol but, apart from that, I really mind myself.
‘I know I will end up with good skin if I mind it and I will use what I have without any help from the doctor.
‘When I’m older I will dress for my age rather than trying to look ten years younger. Look at Celia Holman Lee. She is one of the most beautiful and natural women I have ever met in my life and she looks elegant and beautiful, and dresses appropriately.
Mary Kennedy is another — that is the road I would like to take.’ Ageing gracefully is much more than just managing your beauty routine. As good as Lisa is at decluttering her wardrobe, she has become even more skilled at decluttering her life, casting aside negative people like they are out-of-style trousers.
‘I meditate every day for ten to 20 minutes,’ she says. ‘I have a very positive outlook on life. I don’t do gossip or negativity. I don’t want to hear about something awful or tragic that has befallen someone I don’t know.
‘I don’t fill my brain with nonsense and I don’t surround myself with time wasters. I surround myself with positive energy people. If my phone rings and a name comes up that I don’t want to answer then I cut them out.
‘You lose people as you get older and wiser and I have just turned 44 and feel that the people in my life are my true friends. I have matured a lot in recent years and now I believe that if you have nothing good to say, then don’t say it at all. I really believe that positivity improves your life.
‘I don’t like people who have nothing good to say about people so I just cut them off. Because we all work hard to give our children a better life, life is busy and I am selfish with my time.
‘I also don’t care what anybody else thinks of me. It’s a wonderful place to get to. This happened to me maybe when I turned 40. Because I realised I am a really good mother. I have gorgeous kids who are really polite and well-mannered. I am a good wife to my wonderful husband and we are together 18 years now.
I know I am a good person and it feels good to know you are a good person who only wants to help people. I don’t care if two people out of ten like me, because I like me.’ The lobby of The Beacon Hotel is a hive of activity even though it’s just after 10am. Lisa is responsible for the day-to-day running of The Beacon, The Morgan and The Spencer hotels in Dublin. In her spare time, she runs Lisa’s Fashion Fix, a lifestyle workshop roadshow.
‘Fashion Fix started last year and we had five events around the country. The idea was a girls’ day out really and it’s designed to cater for as many women as possible.
‘When they arrive they get tea and coffee and then I do an hour-long talk on fashion and style. Then we have [hair and make-up specialists] Brown Sugar, who take members of the audience and do on-the-spot hair and make-up demonstrations. We have a big stage with big screens so everyone has a view.
A photo posted by Lisa Fitzpatrick (@lisafitzpatrick) on
Jul 4, 2015 at 6:18am PDT
‘Then Marissa Carter [founder of Cocoa Brown] comes along and talks about tan and does a demonstration and [model] Rosanna Davison or [nutritional therapist] Elsa Jones talks about nutrition. Then there is a gorgeous meal for lunch, with a glass of prosecco or a bellini, and then we have a fashion show.’
Lisa admits she was nervous when she first put the tickets up for sale. But she was so overwhelmed by the response that she’s decided to take her show on the road again — starting on September 19 at The Spencer Hotel in Dublin.
‘Everyone who comes leaves with a goodie bag worth €50 and, after the show, we announce the celebrity guest who does a brief interview and then mingles with the public,’ she says. ‘We have had Kathryn Thomas in Cork, Alan Hughes in Galway, Baz Ashmawy in Kilkenny, Derek Mooney in Limerick and Louis Walsh for Dublin. It’s always a surprise and, for the people on the day, it’s a real treat. ‘The audience then get to interview the celebrities and that is a real laugh because they are always so inappropriate — questions I could never ask — so I think it’s worth it.
A photo posted by Lisa Fitzpatrick (@lisafitzpatrick) on
Jul 16, 2015 at 5:45am PDT
‘For me, I just hope that everyone picks up two or three things, whether it’s updating their wardrobe or what foundation to wear.’ Lisa is a devoted fashionista but it doesn’t always have to be highend. In between questions, she can’t wait to tell me about a pair of ‘incredible’ earrings she just picked up in Penneys. ‘Of course I shop there,’ she says defiantly. ‘It’s full of great bargains.’ While she clearly loves shopping, she’s also quick to insist that it’s important to shop smartly and not to blow budgets chasing trends.
‘Clothes shopping can be a burden on your pocket but people can be really silly when they shop.
‘I have stood on shop floors for years looking in disbelief at how some people waste money. I recycle my wardrobe every single year.
‘If you buy a good coat or good shoes you will make them work for you. Women get so hungry for new items when it isn’t about that. You can change your hair and make-up and wear different accessories. Most people get stuck on a look — if you look back through your photo album for the last ten years you will see that you might have dressed the same. People get stuck in a rut.
‘The most important thing I would say to someone trying to change that is to avoid trends. They come and go but style lasts for ever and it’s about finding your individual style.
Get your hair and make-up done and feel better rather than buying clothes you don’t need.’ It is clear that, despite being a busy mum to Sophie, 12, and 10-year-old Dalton, Lisa is as passionate about her work as she is about her family. And if it’s true that behind every good man is a good woman, the reverse is also the case for Lisa and her husband Paul, who is the managing director of the hotels.
‘People say working at it is the secret to a happy marriage but I don’t agree. I wouldn’t like to have to work at it. For us, the secret is respect. Listening to one another and giving space when it’s needed.
‘I also think what has really kept us together is the way we raise our kids. There is no good cop or bad cop. We are not their best friends, we are their parents. We are there to guide them and raise them and be there for them through anything. Hopefully, in time, we will get to a stage where they have grown up and we are friends.
‘Paul sticks to whatever I decide and vice versa, we never play each other. Mum and Dad always agree and Paul is really respectful of the work I put in at home with the children and never undermines me.’ If Lisa is careful about what she eats and drinks to keep looking and feeling good, she applies the same logic to her children’s diets.
She is fully aware of the current rise in child obesity but she believes that, in her case, sensible parenting is the obvious panacea.
‘The kids eat the same as us — they eat healthy in our home. Of course there are days when we go to a fast food restaurant or they go to a party. We try not to be unbelievably strict. It’s important for them to have a treat day, like every Friday they can have something naughty.
A photo posted by Lisa Fitzpatrick (@lisafitzpatrick) on
Jun 24, 2015 at 2:01am PDT
‘Schools don’t have junk food [available to buy] any more so it’s always health food going to school. Where my kids go to school, all the kids seem to go to the newsagent to get their weekly treat every Friday so that encourages them to stick to the healthy option throughout the rest of the week.
‘But that’s just my experience and I wouldn’t dream of telling other parents what to do because it’s difficult out there and some people don’t have conditions to do that.
‘Some children have conditions that cause them to put on weight and not lose it. Every case is different.’ Having said all that, Lisa is not immune to a bit of vegging herself and — like her decision to age honestly — she’s utterly happy with that. ‘There are times when Paul has had a bad day and he doesn’t want to talk and we just head straight to the couch and watch a box set of House Of Cards or whatever. That’s why we are happy together and why, after 18 years we are so much in love.
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