Fifteen members of CIFD (Council of Irish Fashion Designers) showed a selection of their autumn/winter collections in the sunny top floor studio of Peter Mark’s headquarters on South William Street yesterday.

The group is composed of six established womenswear designers, four milliners, one accessory designer, one knitter, one wedding dress specialist and two newcomers. A special tribute was paid to Richard Lewis, celebrating half a century in fashion this year.

Flirtatious

Of them all, the milliners know how to turn heads. Martha Lynn’s pompom beanies and flirtatious saucer shapes demonstrated a keen nose for formal and informal headwear. Former architect Aisling Ahern twisted strands of purple and gold for hats that looked like flames of fire, while Mark Burke from Galway, now with a Dublin studio, showed his flair with feathers.

Designers like Heidi Higgins, Niamh O'Neill, Emma Manley and Sophie Rieu presented a mix of day and evening wear, mostly dresses. The contemporary elegance of Niamh O'Neill was notable in a long-skirted navy dress with a silk print bodice and that of Higgins in her figured sheaths and sweetheart necklines.

Rieu’s handsome two-tone tweed coat underscored her use of natural materials – the designer has recently collaborated with Edmund McNulty on a collection of sweaters.

Sole knitter in the group Honor Fitzsimons is developing a name for her chunky cables while Delphine Grandjouan’s satin wedding dresses had a 40s vibe with their fishtail hems and delicate laces.

Leather was used in different ways. Manley’s rosette shapes were stamped on mesh separates and Lisa Ryder’s backpacks, duffels and crossbody featured novel landscape prints.

Rebecca Marsden’s circle skirts in gold leather had a luxury upscale look.