BLACK UMBRELLAS may have been the key accessories at yesterday’s inauguration of Michael D Higgins as President of Ireland, but the new First Lady Sabina Higgins’s choice of a coat and dress in presidential purple from Louise Kennedy was well judged and put Irish fashion in the spotlight.
It also showed how effective the visual power of simple lines and bold colour can be on such formal State occasions. The ensemble was selected by the award-winning costume designer Joan Bergin, who is an expert on televisual appeal and also a long standing friend of Mrs Higgins. The coat in wool and cashmere is from Kennedy’s current collection and the dress in jersey with waterfall detail is from next spring.
Standing beside her husband in the grandeur of the surroundings of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Sabina Higgins looked every bit the First Lady, elegant and sophisticated, her colour choice a perfect foil to her husband’s conventional black suit and tie from Louis Copeland. Her jewellery was discreet and stylish: a simple pearl necklace and a diamond brooch from jeweller John Farrington. Her wardrobe for the inauguration was consistent with her style throughout the election campaign: simple, well-cut, off-the-peg suits in textured fabrics: nothing fussy, reflecting her own straightforward personality.
“For state occasions like this colour can be so effective in a sea of black and grey,” commented Kennedy, who also made Mary Robinson’s inaugural ensemble in purple moiré silk 21 years ago. The two previous presidents, Ms Robinson and Mary McAleese, also stood out in bright colour, both dressed in red and black and looking like imperial guardians as they flanked the incoming president.
Alice Mary, the president’s daughter, chose a demure navy dress from Peter O’Brien’s collection from Arnotts.