Women's ability to confuse was at its most obvious when 22 dress designers, who comprise the Design Centre in Dublin, put on a show of their spring and summer collections in Kilmainham Hospital. Without warning, there was a swish, a sigh, a softness and a gentleness. We were being treated to a rush of pure femininity.
Back stage, models kicked off their black leathers and lace-up boots and slid into slender dresses and tiny glittery slippers. Romantic, that's what it was. A romantic rebirth is taking place - very fey and whimsical. And it has arrived without forewarning.
Colours reflect the mood: pale lilac, soft green, delicate yellow, and washed-out aquamarine, gently jostling for attention among the powerful whites and creams.
Linen and chiffon, often embroidered or hand-painted, and fine gossamer silky knits run throughout the collections, where the body-skimming, unstructured styles mean instant death for the hard-edged designer chic.
Even the stiffer linens are cut softer, though Deborah Veale and David Thomas keep a sharper line in long, jacketed suits. But suits are soft. Not a masculine pinstripe in view.
There is a Japanese influence, especially in Miriam Mone's hand-painted and embroidered chiffons. But there is no escaping the wish to be feminine. Even Louise Kennedy, who always had practical appeal, is hand-painting thistles on mauve and white linens, making suits prettier.
Knitwear has gone the same way. From Lyn Mar with her onebutton cardigans, worn with skirts of semi-transparent silk, and Deirdre Fitzgerald's devore palazzos and skirts, worn with pretty knitted tops, it's a victory for the romantic.
But there are some oddities. Mary Grant has taken the lowly dungaree and redesigned it in silk chiffon which, in white, could be a wedding option. Claire Garvey is indifferent to actual fashion - or that useful thing called wearability. But her clothes are wonderful: pure fantasy.
Using vast amounts of silver tassles and fringing she crowns her little stunners with helmets and hair made from silver threads and inset with mirrors.
But apart from one or two original talents, there is a surprising sameness in Design Centre garments. The direction has been set and they have all gone off in search of the feminine. And if women like the idea there is a lot that appeals. Though there may be some dismay at having to chuck out the boots.