THE DESIGNER rooms in Brown Thomas were candlelit last night, decorated with red hearts and strewn with rose petals, providing the romantic setting for a colourful spring/summer fashion show attended by nearly 200 well-heeled guests.
The love theme not only referred to Valentine’s Day on Sunday, but also to the summer trend for florals and prints, a new femininity expressed in so many different ways by top international brands from Prada and Dolce Gabbana to Stella McCartney, Chloe and young contemporary designers.
Prints were distinctive and imaginative. Dolce Gabbana’s floral dresses were curvy and sexy and Prada’s palm prints on stiff silvery suits shiny and cinematic. Peter Pilotto’s slinky python-printed dresses were a contrast to Stella McCartney’s girlish rose-printed ruffles, but such diverse approaches demonstrated the variety on offer. Skirt lengths were mostly short, harem pants ubiquitous, blush pink the colour of the season and stilettos heavy and high. The bold black and white striped jacket from Givenchy has an international waiting list, according to Shelly Corkery, BT’s head of fashion, while at Hermes the jackets were tennis style, white with navy piping. A worrying trend for Bermuda shorts emerged in a number of collections.
Elsewhere Lanvin, Vionnet, Prada and others showed stellar skills at Grecian-style draping, with an emphasis on back detailing setting soft new silhouettes. Though there were standout red carpet pieces from designers like Jason Wu, Alexander McQueen and Roberto Cavalli and stunning streamlined sheaths from Victoria Beckham, star of the show was Phoebe Philo’s debut collection for Celine. Her spare, classy clothes and restrained colour palette, already being copied by the high street, make this label the one to watch.