Philly McMahon for his wedding has defended his decision not to wear socks for the big day.
of the Dublin history making footballers for the recent All-Star awards.
Paul Mannion, Con O’Callaghan, Jack McCaffrey, Brian Howard, Brian Fenton and Michael Darragh MacAuley all sought out his expertise for the glamourous evening.
But he was also the man who dressed Philly McMahon for his wedding to Sarah Lacey.
He backed Philly’s decision to show off his bare ankles at the Saints Mary and Laurence Church in Crookstown, Athy in County Kildare.
Declan said: “Philly is quite directional in what he wears and has a good fashion sense in my opinion.
“When we were putting together his wedding suit, he wanted to have his own spin on it.
“When you are wearing a tuxedo, it is very hard to do that because it is such a classic look.
“His jacket was a grey velvet jacket which we had custom made for him and he wanted the ankles out.”
Declan joked that he dressed the seven time All Ireland winner from the ankles up.
He added: “He wanted to show off another side to his personality which his family and friends would be aware of but maybe not the general public.
“They both looked delighted in their photographs.
“I sent him a text on the morning of the wedding wishing him well.”
Philly and Sarah met at DCU where they both went to university.
Declan has many marquee names in the GAA from all over the country calling into him regularly for suits and tuxedos.
The 36-year-old runs Collar and Cuff in Drumcondra and admits the final whistle of the All-Ireland final replay was a surreal moment.
He spoke about the impact that achieving the five-in-a-row had on the players.
“They were all on top of the world.
"You could tell it was really special, they were in a little bubble.
“The other four were important but this was history making, greatness and had never been done before.”
Declan said that towering midfielder Brian Fenton required a lot of alterations to his suit due to his unique physique.
“He is very tall, has a small waist, big legs, big broad shoulders and a narrow torso.”
“It is a tailor’s nightmare but we got there in the end.”
He is used to dealing with surprises and Michael Darragh MacAuley arrived into the shop on the day of the awards looking for a suit at around 12pm on the day of the All-Stars.
“He’s a massive man.We can get a suit ready in a couple of hours.
“You have to be able to react quickly in sport and life.”
Declan also dressed Dublin star Dean Rock and his dad Barney for their recent appearance on the Late Late Show.
Declan grew up in the same area as recently retired ace attacker Bernard Brogan who was a regular in the store. He praised him for having the "ultimate professional attitude as a teen and in his early 20s".
“When I was younger, his brother Alan was a superstar.“It took Bernard longer to the top but due to pure hard work, he achieved so much.
Declan says the kick for six titles in a row wasn’t mentioned by Dublin footballers during their visits to his shop but he believes they will push hard for another medal next year.
“They’ll reset the clock and go again.”
Declan will be very busy at the start of 2020 with the young generation and said: “Communion season kicks off in January and we’ll be flat out with that.”
Declan is married to Meath native Áine Mahon and has two young daughters. He said that his wife was 'huge help' and he said all his work was for his family.
“I’m constantly thinking about how I can do better. The harder I work, the more I can provide for them."
