IN A week when 25 years of British fashion was celebrated in London, Marks & Spencer marked 30 years of trading in Ireland with a fashion show in the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Held in the venerable surroundings of the Baroque chapel, the autumn-winter show also highlighted the first collection from the new head of design in Per Una, Helen Low, who flew in from London for the event.
"Customers wanted to see change and wanted it to be more modern," Ms Low told The Irish Times. "We are still very much about embellishment and decoration, but doing it in a new way and offering a little more body shaping. It's really about refreshing rather than redefining the brand and letting fabric do the talking," she said.
Gone are the asymmetrical hems, unappealing prints and over-decorative effects many might associate with Per Una; in their place some really standout items such as a cutwork dress in black wool on mesh, a bracelet sleeved cardigan jacket in black speckled tweed and a metallic parka that any woman of style would be pleased to wear.
Some items like the matt grey sequinned jacket (on sale in late November) in Per Una’s Speziale range are limited edition pieces of 100-1,000, confined to 10 stores. “Creating newness means that 70 per cent of the shop floor will be changed every month”, she said.
Styled by Catherine Condell from what’s currently in M&S, the show was divided into eight themes. “Body Sculpture”, for example, reflected fashion’s current preoccupation with the 1980s, the stronger shoulderline and more body-conscious silhouette. Leggings, a key accessory for winter, were everywhere in wet-look black or grey button varieties, while “Desk to Dinner” showed how one item could be worn in two different ways. Prices ranged from about €40 for a houndstooth skirt or a snakeskin print tunic, €75 for a black tuxedo jacket to €95 for a limited collection red wool coat.
Many items not shown such as some sleek leather or sequined jackets and velvet coats are due to arrive in November.
