A shoe-in

Serious sneaker fans are well aware of the treasure trove that is Office Shoes in Dublin (branches in Liffey Valley, Grafton Street, Henry Street and Dundrum Town Centre). Latest arrivals are re-releases from the Puma Clyde range . . . old skool designs from 1973 that come in various bright colour combinations, made from suede. What makes this release collectible is the addition of a city name, stitched on to represent different cities where key launches occurred in 2005. Priced 90, we especially like the red/green/black ones.

Aga saga

As part of 'The Delia Collection' . . . there are already compendiums focusing on Chicken, Pork, Vegetarian cookery, Chocolate and more . . . now comes 'Baking', a book featuring 50 of Delia Smith's classic, winning recipes, covering everything from the humble flapjack to fancy teacakes and designer muffins. Each recipe comes with the usual failsafe tips to as good as guarantee a successful result. It's a seriously mouth-watering read.

The clapper and the sickle

Get set to chin-stroke as the Irish Film Institute introduces a Russian cinema season to its programme. Running through October until 15 November, the series covers the key Russian movies and directors, dating back as far as 1926 and running up to the present day. It's an opportunity to see movie offerings your local Xtra-Vision simply can't conjure up.

Objet d'Osh

Got the Antiques Roadshow bug? Or better yet, got something at home you'd like to get valued 'for insurance purposes'? Well, get thee and thy precious treasures to the Sotheby's Dublin offices at 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 for totally free, no-strings advice on what the dusty heirlooms might be worth. Different experts will be on hand over various dates to give accurate, insightful advice on items thus: 5 October for sporting guns; 10 October for silver; 13 and 14 October for Irish and British paintings (1500-1850); 3 and 4 November for Old Masters; and 8 to 11 November for Irish and British Paintings (1850 to present day). Obviously, the option to sell through the fine auctioneers might always be on the cards. . . For more information or appointments, call 01 671 1431

2 Many Tunes

If the embers of Electric Picnic still glow in your heart, and you were one of the thousands who packed the tent for Soulwax/2ManyDJs on the Sunday night, the good news is that the maverick Belgian musicians are back. They will perform tracks from their just-released 'Nite Versions' album as SoulWax before morphing into the 2ManyDJs mix-meisters . . . if you like your Undertones with a beat, or to hear Kylie blend into Lou Reid, these are your boys. Playing in Spirit on Sunday, 9 October. Get down to Middle Abbey Street and take the next day off work. Cutting edge has never been so accessible.

Sister act

Deirdre O'Kane's new show, which revolves around her life as a new mother with celebrity 'friends' (Gwyneth, Madonna et al) is set to be a stormer. Playing in Vicar Street, Dublin on 7 and 8 October, O'Kane is a reluctant star of stand-up comedy, and we're delighted she hasn't followed through with her threats of early retirement.

Her glass-shatteringly familiar voice reaches the parts others just can't tickle. And that's without any toe-curling audience victimisation.

Tickets from Ticketmaster and usual outlets.

Precious things

Those with a PhD in retail therapy might already be aware of AWear's rather nifty new label Precious, a line that offers cutting-edge creations at high street prices.

Slightly more edgy than general stock, Precious is stocked in small quantities to reward the fashion savvy for their nous. We especially like their take on this season's English Eccentric look which is currently in 11 key AWear stores nationwide.

Feisty!

If ever a girl needed a weapon in her beauty arsenal, this must be one of the key players. A slab of six cute lip glosses . . . ranging from bright red to glittery opal . . . that is covered by a changeable card.

That means, when space is tight in the handbag/jeans pockets, just insert your own credit or banklink card and you're ready to roll. Also saves fishing around for either gloss or plastic as the night draws on. 'Feisty Kitten' by Urban Decay is priced at just 7 from Roches Stores.

The perfect gift for a sociallymobile young lady.

Melanie Morris hotshots@tribune. ie