MAKING predictions about fashion in this country is a risky business. After all, a year ago who would have guessed that the Brown Thomas Showcase at the Point last February was going to be quite such an extraordinary success; that Mary Gregory would be this summer's most popular designer (at least three women wearing the same blue hand painted shift dress at one wedding); or that Cuan Hanly would appear this autumn, seemingly from nowhere, to become Ireland's favourite name in menswear?
Among the very few certainties for the year ahead are the continued success of Louise Kennedy in the English market with still more important accounts added to her already substantial list, and a very impressive spring/summer for John Rocha - his collection for the next season, shown in London last September, was crammed with seductive, bias cut dresses certain to be best sellers in the months ahead.
Internationally, the major focus early in the new year will be on two British designers, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. The latter has just taken over as head of Dior (his first design fort this house was seen on the Princess of Wales at the New York Costume Institute ball earlier this month).
Galliano had been given the top job at Givenchy a mere 12 months ago, but since he moved to Dior this has now been handed to McQueen, still in his 20s but indisputably the most talented designer of his generation.
The name of Christian Dior will be in the news because 1997 is the 50th anniversary of that house, celebrated with a major retrospective in New York and, more obliquely, through the film Evita - Eva Peron was a major client of Dior. Expect lots of Evita style New Look dresses and chignons to appear in the early part of the year.
The already vulnerable French hegemony in fashion looks like being further undermined in the year ahead as a number of other long established houses threaten to import talent from overseas. Among the names who will become more widely known in 1997 are Narcisso Rodriguez, originally from Cuba (who designed the dress worn by Carolyn Bessette at her wedding last September to John Kennedy Jr and who works for Cerrutti), Ocimar. Versolato from Brazil, English duos Pearce Fionda and Clements Ribeiro, and Dutchman Josephus Melchior Thimister who has revitalised Balenciaga. Many of the old stars - Yves St Laurent, Lagerfeld and Chanel - will continue to dim, becoming increasingly dependent on licensing deals and sales to new markets in the far east.
In this part of the world, brown - already summarised to the point of cliche as the new black - will continue its rise in popularity. Not that black will ever relinquish its position, but shades of chocolate and coffee are strong for spring, along with bold blues and bright, fire engine red. Trouser suits are another of this winter's trends carrying through to next year; their authoritative practicality makes them an irresistible addition to any woman's wardrobe, although not everyone will welcome flared pants (it's only a very little flare, truly).
Alternatively, the combination of tunic top and matching trousers is also going to be widely seen in 1997; the tunic has narrow shoulders and is slit high on the sides, making it a gentler option than the trouser suit. Tunics are part of a wider oriental inspiration led by the Italian house of Prada - its chinoisserie collection for spring/summer will be widely admired and imitated, so get used to the idea of Mao collars.
Despite the emphasis on trousers, dresses will not be overlooked. For 1997, they'll be more clinging and body conscious than of late, often wrap around and heavily trimmed with ruffles. Evening dresses will frequently be one shouldered.
Whackier ideas for the year ahead include jumpsuits and pedal pushers, both much seen in collections but unlikely to gain a huge following. And for fabrics, sheer (meaning see through) is the number one story in 1997. Because so many designers will be producing diaphanous clothes, a new style of underwear could be in heavy demand: instead of tiny knickers, longer, trunk style drawers were seen on models during the collections. After much debate among fashion cognoscenti, the eventual name bestowed on these is tap pants.