Lavish embroidery and beading key to Louise Kennedy’s new collection

A Japanese woodblock print of cherry blossoms on a card from the Chester Beatty Library shop was the starting point for Louise Kennedy's spring collection, held at her Merrion Square headquarters.

"It has always been one of my favourite images and pink is a great base from which to start with all its hues and tones," the designer said before the show, her entrance hall covered in garlands of cherry blossom and swagged floral arrangements from Adonis florists. Guests at the event included first lady Ms Sabina Higgins, a fan of the designer.

Kennedy’s signature attention to detail and lavish use of embroidery and beading was particularly fresh in this fine collection, which opened with a series of navy and white separates and dresses with pearls scattered on shoulders, hems and necklines and even studded into the models’ chignons.

Notable for its overall craftsmanship, standout items included a navy double georgette dress with a pintucked and pearled bodice and a gown composed of 30-40,000 tiny sequins and crystals. If flyaway silk scarves with abstract equine prints, handprinted in Drogheda by Mel Bradley, cutaway silk tops and jersey culottes suggested lives of languor, it was not surprising, given Kennedy's many well heeled clients at home and abroad.

More obviously geared to spring weddings were the sky blue and creamy coats and lace dresses, some with pale, dense beading and others in bold splash print silks, perfect for summer cocktails. The show, styled by Catherine Condell, closed with a line up of pink embellished dresses and separates, all painstakingly crafted in the most luxurious fabrics, from lustrous tweeds, to wool crepes, silk organzas and double georgette silks.

A wedding dress in French lace and silk was the finale, the headdress a cherry blossom bouquet encased in tulle by Michael Leong. Many items from this collection are now on sale in Merrion Square and Brown Thomas and can be bought online from Kennedy's new website, while some show pieces are specially made to order.