The most breathtaking of these beauties: a gown made of chocolate crocodile skin, cut into little squares and then individually sewn onto a nude body stocking.
The lace was a combination of hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace, and the appliques were sewn by hand using a traditional Irish method called Carrickmacross.
So the removal of the opening word in the short cotton label sewn to the chest of the defence minister's camouflage fatigues might be a very costly cut indeed.