Arnotts Spring/Summer fashion: smart daywear with a feminine twist

The china blue and white floral print dress by Ghost with blue accessories that opened Arnotts Spring/Summer womenswear collections on Thursday morning set the tone of the whole show.

Models rocked up in breezy flower-print dresses of all kinds – maxi, midi, knee length, tiered, ruched, wrapped, checked or polka-dotted from Irish, Italian, UK and Scandi brands at prices from €87 to €310 worn with pretty little cardigans, strappy sandals, tasseled flats and totes. A floral maxi-cut open over jeans was one stylish and easy way of combining such flighty summer dresses with hardcore denim for a woman of any age.

Some 90 outfits hit the catwalk under self-explanatory themes that included Summer Sweetheart, Destination Dressing and Scandi Takeover, but with the exception of the final dozen called Liquid Surface – all light reflecting slippery satin, metallic pleats and spaghetti straps in champagne, pink, navy, red and yellow for evening affairs – the prints penetrated every category.

This big show concentrated on daywear with a feminine twist offering shirt dresses and batwing blouses, tiered and asymmetric skirts, cropped trousers and any number of trenchcoats.

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Practical and dependable, these summer favourites came in camel, black and white and navy check at prices from €179 upwards. Blazers appeared in rainbow colours of pink, blue, gingham, oatmeal and orange rather than the traditional navy (which appeared only once over a navy silk jumpsuit) the better to match the prints which ranged from ditsy pastels to bold African batiks and animal motifs. Broderie anglaise tops and puff sleeved dresses were a nod to current trends, while a dark denim raincoat by Max & Co was a sure winner for Irish climes.

The mood of the show – very few suits and very little black apart from one sharp white cutout shirt by Karl Lagerfeld with black twill trousers by Essentiel Antwerp – was one that might persuade the working woman to move away from a traditional dark workwear uniform into something more colourful and lighthearted for spring and summer.

New additions to the Arnotts repertoire are Storm & Marie, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and Gestuz, all pieces rooted in Scandinavian design.

Styled by Aisling Farinella, accessories were well judged – jewellery, bags, eyewear (the most expensive item in the show were shades from Chanel at €420) and shoes, from metallic silver sandals, kitten heels and combats, to chunky neon trainers and pink stilettoes, displayed the variety of choice available.