For Caroline Langley, the last year has been all about new beginnings. Because not only has she returned to her mother’s home place in Belcarra, Co Mayo – a world away from her childhood in Japan – she has also swapped her barrister’s wig and gown to launch her own range of Communion dresses, Tiara Cara, opening her shop in Castlebar this month.

Speaking with Irish Country Living, Caroline explains how her mother, Mary Kenny, left Ireland for England in the 1940s after winning a nursing scholarship, and got a job with the RAF on the flying ambulances. This took her to Singapore, where she met Caroline’s father, Peter Langley, who was a pilot.

While the family lived throughout Asia, Caroline’s formative years were spent in Japan, which she firmly believes influences her designs today, having learned intricate needlework from the family’s housekeeper as a child.

Pure aesthetic

“So I grew up with this very pure aesthetic,” she says, explaining how she would spend every Saturday with her head buried in costume books in the air base library.

“I would just lose myself for hours looking at all those lovely fabrics and fashions.”

Despite her love of design, however, Caroline went on to study as a barrister in London, specialising in international family law in a successful career that took her to Hong Kong for 10 years and the States for 12. “But that took its toll,” says Caroline, “it’s devastating work, and there are no winners.”

So after 26 years and with her own children raised, Caroline decided it was time to put down roots of her own, returning to her mother’s home place in Co Mayo.

Coming home

“I always knew I would come home and, like many people of my generation, had been coming home every year since I was a baby anyway. It was kind of a no-brainer,” she says, “so I did make a leap of faith and I moved back here a year and a half ago.”

Caroline’s original plan was to keep working as a barrister, flying abroad to wherever her cases would come before the courts. However, the slower pace of life in Mayo seemed to suit her, so last year, she made a major decision.

“It was a very specific moment at the end of April last year and I just though: ‘You know what? I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to do it anymore. I’ve done my bit, I’ve made my contribution to society and I don’t want to do this for another 20 years.’”

Back then, Caroline did not have any idea of her next career move, but the spark for Tiara Cara was lit when she came across dresses and costumes she had made for her own children while sorting through a container of her possessions that had been shipped to Mayo.

“I had collected fabrics over the years and I just started playing around with them,” she says, explaining how these prototypes went on to form the basis of her first “Tiara Cara” Communion collection of 19 dresses.

While Caroline designs every dress and made the initial samples, she has since assembled a team of local seamstresses to work with her, with an approximate turnaround of six weeks from the initial appointment and order to delivery.

Featuring luxury fabrics and fine detailing, yet with comfort to the fore and designed to a size chart based on local children, the dresses might be on the higher end of the scale compared to high-street alternatives, averaging about €325, but Caroline believes each gown has heirloom appeal.

Family and tradition

“It’s a timeless piece and I think for me it should involve a feeling of family and tradition,” she says.

“My one rule in terms of all the designs and all the dresses is it’s not going in the shop or it’s not going to be sold unless it’s something that I would put on my daughter – and that’s very important to me.”

Caroline also carries a range of Communion accessories, such as tiaras, bags and jewellery, and has also introduced a few key pieces for boys.

Having launched Tiara Cara with a local fashion show in autumn, she opened her shop in Castlebar at the start of February, with final orders for this season available until 3 March. People can also buy online and, as she develops the brand, she also intends to branch into wholesale business.

While challenging, she has found the experiencing of starting Tiara Cara “invigorating”.“It’s a hard thing to do, but it’s totally possible,” she says of her “second career”.

“It’s just so nice to be doing something where people walk in and they have a smile on their face and they’re like: ‘Oh my goodness, these designs are fabulous,’” she continues.

“It’s a positive experience and I’m just so grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to do this.”

Tiara Cara, 29 ½ Linenhall Lane, Castlebar. Appointments recommended. For further information, visit www.tiaracara.ie or follow on Facebook.