THE two former models sit in the front row, watching and assessing. Mmmm, that's nice! Oh, yeah! Oh, no! Oh, isn't that beautiful! Throughout the night they note every detail. They even take notes. They've done this before, walked the cat-walk, worn the clothes and survived the faux fur, spiked heels and slash necks.
Viewing the latest designer collections at Brown Thomas are Cathy Crinigan, a former Miss Ireland and now "full-time mother and lover of fashion", and Mia Murphy, who is also proud to be a fashion aficionado. "I absolutely adore it," she says. Any advice? "Suit yourself," says Mia, "pick a colour for the season and work your wardrobe around that." Cathy nods, noting that everyone at the show is in black or grey.
The night is opened by Michael Nugent, of BMW, which is co-hosting the evening to highlight its own new Lifestyle 2000 range of casual clothing. "One in four of all BMW owners in Ireland is a lady," he tells us (Forget women, he insists - all our readers are ladies). The number of women, sorry, driving BMWs has rised dramatically in the past three years, he says.
So, on with the show! The work of designers such as Lainey Keogh, John Rocha and Dolce & Gabbanna are paraded. Aveen Kehoe, interior designer to the rich and famous, is impressed. She's based outside Dunleer, Co Louth. It's "an Aladdin's cave," she says. "It's wonderful to see contemporary fabrics in both fashion and interiors."
Other fashaholics spotted at the event include Elaine Toolin, Jane Newman and Ursula Keane - with daughter Rachel. Shelly Corkery is there too - from Cork city she started work at Brown Thomas two weeks ago as a buyer and saleswoman.