Sparing the detail and being lavish with fabric made Thomas Wolfangel's autumn collection a great success. The audience in the Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin, was delighted with the new restraint which shows this dress designer can make the clothes that suit his customers. And flatter them.
Fabrics were of the best, ranging from a brief, but pleasant, return to the use of classic speckled tweeds, through sumptuous cashmeres, and marvellous silk brocade.
The collection included big coats, and fringed ponchos, and, whether in tweed, trimmed in velvet, or in plain creamy cashmere they were immensely stylish, worn comfortably over well-cut slim trouser suits or colourful wool dresses: all plain, and precisely fashioned. The classic cream cashmere coat, worn over a black wool crepe dress, showed simplicity is always best.
Because it is his signature, pintucking was used, and worked well on a high-bodiced sludge green coat, and on the jacket of a claret wool suit, giving both a very couture look and a feminine touch.
In fact, his trouser suits are always feminine, with or without pintucking. Cocktail and evening wear is important here. By using rich brocades for neat jackets and putting them with silk, or organza, palazzos and skirts of various lengths, they keep that underplayed look going and, again, this was the best way to go. There were one or two deviants here, however, such as a scarlet, "Spanish" number with short fluted skirt and everywhere else tight.
There is still a place for ball dresses (gowns in Wolfangel speak) but even here there was fun to be had with fringing, always provocative, and huge puffball skirts attached to tiny bodices with giant sleeves. But with black the colour favoured, even here a sense of discretion prevailed.
An overall success, this collection had the audience hurrying off back stage to examine the clothes, and, no doubt, to place orders. Wolfangel makes to measure at 158, Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin.