Louise Kennedy’s new season: rich and luxurious

Spectacular floral arrangements, including a proscenium arch made from deep red amaranthus (Love Lies Bleeding), eucalyptus and seasonal berries by Paul Berry of Adonis, greeted guests at Louise Kennedy’s stylish fashion show yesterday at her Merrion Square headquarters in Dublin.

A recent visit by the designer to the private jewellery collections at the Hermitage in St Petersburg was the starting point for a beautiful collection, shot with strong colours including jade, ruby, emerald and amethyst.

Her line-up was, as always rich and luxurious in texture and looks, with lots of cashmere and intricate detail mixing tonal highlights with clean lined and asymmetrical shapes.

Her new tunics in double crepe silk-backed jersey (€695) are a flattering shape for many women, particularly worn with lean trousers or Capri pants (€350).

Apart from some opulent looking black cashmere coats with lavish black Indian beading and tweaked military styles (€1,995), silhouettes were mostly fashionably cocoon (€695), a style regularly sported by the designer herself.

Batwing dresses are trickier to carry off successfully, however, like one in bright orange crepe jersey (€695).

The details, such as tuck fronted coats, dresses in layered silks or black French lace in solid colours including black, were offset by silk printed tops, cashmere scarves and purple devore velvet wraps by Mel Bradley in keeping with the overall architectural theme.

Styled by Catherine Condell, the show's accessories – flat high boots and stilettos from Tom Ford and YSL – included the new Kennedy bags in scarlet and forest green echoing some of the colours (and flower decor) from the collection.

The finale featured a dazzling emerald green Lurex cocoon (over black-lace shorts and top) and a handsome opera coat, wadded and padded for shape and body in black dupion silk with hand embellishment.

Kennedy has recently revamped her London store and is currently sourcing locations for her first flagship in New York.