Wear it out: Mastering the ‘bottom of the bag’ look

Theatre producer Matt Smyth talks about his love of black and Ray-Bans that never come off


The week, we meet Matt Smyth, a theatre producer based in Dublin. Unwilling to admit that he has a personal style, we had a chat about wearing all black and picking up different accessories in the most unlikely places, from Inis Turk to New York.

Tell us about the outfit your wearing today?

Jacket (€80): Regardless of the weather Ill try and wear black in the hope someone will mistake me for someone cool so the jacket, like most things I own, is from Cos.

Trousers (€60): River island and therefore forgiving with seasonal weight fluctuations.

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Shoes(Aldo, €50): I'll wear these shoes as much of the year as possible to try and convince myself it still summer – literally fighting against the dying of the light.

Watch (Museum Of Modern Art in New York, $90): I never wore a watch until I saw this and liked it. I have no idea how to read the time off it though so still use my phone.

Bag (€60): It was a gift from a friend who hated my old satchel/bindle – I'll hazard a guess it was got at the adidas shop if that's a thing?

Ray-Bans (€0): Found these cheap Ray-Ban knock offs behind a pub couch on Inis Turk. Faulty and broken but they get the job done.

How would you describe your personal style?

“Style” is strong/debatable. I travel a lot with work so “at the bottom of a bag” is possibly the best way to describe it. I asked my flatmate this question and they said “tragic” or “an aran Don Johnson from Miami Vice”. I’ve had to Google how to spell the word “aran” and who Don Johnson was. Whoever he was, he sure as hell didn’t have any sweet ray-bans thats for sure.

What upcoming event are you most looking forward to?

I'm producing Collapsing Horse's The Aeneid as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe this year in Smock Alley. It'll be funny, thrilling and joyous in equal bursts. It'll possibly be the only event I take the Ray-Bans off for this year.

Photographs: Katie McLaughlin Robinson