Despite the wintry weather, the mood was summery at the Harvey Nichols fashion show held last night in its Dundrum Town Centre boutique.
"People come here for things that are different and interesting, for key pieces from designers like Lanvin or Nina Ricci," store manager Jackie Byrne told The Irish Times.
"Customers tend to be mothers and daughters, and because of the surrounding affluence there is no price resistance," she said.
The event showcased a selection from the spring-summer 06 international collections and opened with the season's key item, the shirtwaister dress, in black cotton from Donna Karan, one of the shop's best selling brands.
It set the tone for various looks in black and white from a classy Armani suit to the effortless elegance of Shirin Guild, whose clothes suit the bigger size.
Print and pattern dominated the dresses, particularly the pretty beaded and buttoned ones from Megan Park and the bold geo-metric kaftans of Matthew Williamson. The most striking and colourful knits were those of John Galliano and Sonia Rykiel, whose red heart-shaped buckle on a black mac echoed in her signature striped cardigans. There was a wide choice of jeans, from D'Squared's dark indigo denims to more elaborate handembroidered and studded affairs.
Versace and Cavali dominated the special occasion wear with plunging necklines and vivid jungle prints, but a slinky Donna Karan dress in red jersey and another in black silk from Lanvin closed the show with a flourish.