Boutique pair as mad as hatters
They spend their time dressing people for weddings, but Nessa Cronin and Dino Vidan took their time saying ‘I do’, writes Andrea Smith
‘Nessa is very calm whereas I am more like dynamite’
NESSA Cronin and Dino Vidan couldn’t exactly be accused of rushing into marriage, as they tied the knot in December 2015, 20 years to the day after they first met. “We were both very sure we didn’t want a traditional Irish wedding,” says Nessa (43). “It’s impossible to have a small wedding without insulting people, so we only told our two best friends, Shane and Colette, and brought them with us.”
Given that she and Dino (52) own Vanity Fair boutique in Newbridge, Nessa wore a navy dress made for her by a Croatian label they stock called Xenia. “I get the irony that we make our living out of other people’s weddings but didn’t have a traditional one ourselves,” she says
After lunch at Fire restaurant, they went to Cafe en Seine, which is where they met one evening in 1995. Nessa was 20 and it was her first night out on the town after the demise of her five-year relationship. She had high hopes for “taking Dublin by storm”, but when she and Dino locked eyes, she realised it was game over. “I knew instantly that it was going to go somewhere and my plan of having a wild few years was gone,” she laughs.
Dino was on a night off as head doorman at Lillie’s Bordello and Nessa had been hoping to go there, so he phoned to make sure she gained admission. He agreed to meet her and Colette at the end of the night as he had plans elsewhere.
When he arrived at 2.45am, he was disappointed to see Nessa kissing another guy but then she appeared beside him and took his hand. “I thought she was beautiful and full of fire,” he says. “My kind of girl. I had met plenty of beautiful girls through work, but I instinctively felt that she was the one for me. As I got to know her, I found that she was a kind, decent person who was very down to earth and modest.”
Dino, who is from Split, Croatia, came to Ireland in 1991. He had been working in tourism but the industry had taken a hit as the Croatian War of Independence was beginning. He moved to Dublin and managed to get the job at Lillie’s, and spent 12 years as head doorman when Valerie Roe was at the helm, spending the last 18 months as assistant manager.
Nessa found Dino very funny and was attracted to his strong physique, and as he was a little older at 29, she was impressed when he invited her out for dinner. They “killed each other hundreds of times”, but got on great and the relationship continued to flourish.
When they met, the Glasnevin girl was studying English and French followed by a master’s in international marketing, and she held down a part-time job in a hat shop. She had originally planned to become a teacher — her mum Maeve was principal of Our Lady of Victories National School on Ballymun Road and her dad, the late Con, was a Garda superintendent. This plan was derailed when she fell in love with the hat industry, which led to her opening The Mad Hatter on Lower Stephen’s Street in 2001.
Youngest-of-four Nessa says she’s an unconventional person who only plays by the rules if they suit her, and she fought against getting married for years. ”I liked the idea that we were both choosing to be together although we weren’t married,” she says. She and Dino live very busy, fulfilling lives and having a family wasn’t part of their plan. Work has been a common bond, as while Nessa started off retailing and wholesaling hats to 65 stores, she also went on courses and began making hats herself.
Dino left Lillie’s and began working with her as her business was expanding, and took over the financial side of the millinery enterprise. When the hat business waned during the recession, it was a difficult time all around as Nessa’s dad died unexpectedly and she developed Bell’s palsy.
They had discussed it but the opportunity to buy the 5,000sqft Vanity Fair boutique arose in 2010, while only-child Dino was in Croatia visiting his parents, Gorana and the late Rikardo. “I’m scared to go away because every time I come back, we either own something new or Nessa has renovated the house,” Dino jokes.
Vanity Fair was one of their former customers and they kept on its staff, and while it has been a struggle at times as retail is difficult for most small traders, the pair have developed it into a hugely popular destination boutique. While the store is renowned for the fabulous mother-of-the bride/wedding guest/ Communion mammy/races offerings, Nessa and Dino have a great eye and also stock a fantastic and extensive range of smart-casual clothes for women from size 8 to 28.
Dino looks after things like the paperwork, maintenance and behind-the-scenes work and they buy the stock together. Nessa is very much the face of the business, and she’s a very warm, inclusive and engaging personality. Part of the shop’s growing appeal is that she’s very active and dynamic on Instagram, modelling the clothes herself and getting others in to model them, and showing how items can be worn to suit different-shaped bodies.
“Nessa is very calm whereas I am more like dynamite,” says Dino.
“She makes me crack up because she does mad things every day and doesn’t even realise that she’s funny.”
Vanity Fair, Unit 3 Courtyard Shopping Centre, Main Street, Newbridge, Kildare. Tel: 045 431905. www.vanityfair.ie