The After-Six Collection at Kilkenny went for glamour, and the great star of that commodity is Lainey Keogh. But this brilliant knitwear designer was simply the leader of the pack. Others followed, including Ciaran Sweeney, Lyn-Mar and Elaine Curtis. Kilkenny, until recently known as Kilkenny Design Centre, staged its party-wear show in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, and the response was positive. There was a lot of comforting kindly black but a degree of subtlety was seen to creep in, especially by Lainey using meltingly soft yarns in bronze, foxy red, spinach green and silver grey.
Like many of the others, she put slinky tubular dresses under full coats or short jackets, edging them in marabou. It was a cross between Mae West and Ivana Trump, simply dollops of sexy fun.
While there was a scattering of short, shot taffeta "Princess" dresses with matching coats - very useful for a date not requiring too much glamour - the main thrust is for the long and the low cut, with stoles making a comeback. It is all a bit reminiscent of the 1930s: very elegant in the right hands - and on the right figure.
Allicana and Ciaran Sweeney use hand-painted silk velvets for spaghetti-strap dresses, and Allicana has a charming number in antique-looking embroidered chiffon. This label has also launched a fabulous scarf collection.
But the must-have of the season is the satin evening bag or purse by Orla Kiely, and if it must be black, Vivienne Walsh's magical jewellery will go a long way to give it individuality.
Kilkenny, of course, produces its own Art of Dressing collection, using stretch satins and taffetas.
But the overall effect for party dressing is for something incredibly soft to touch, very long and slinky, with some glamour added by way of feathers and jewellery. The social season promises to be fun if Kilkenny is anything to go by.