With 200 invited guests and a classy location in the Jameson Distillery building in Smithfield, Arnotts last night launched a 120-piece catwalk show with 24 models and a champagne reception that reflected major changes sweeping the store in Henry Street, Dublin, this autumn.
Come mid-October, customers will see a radical first floor facelift with edgy new European brands such as Maje from France, S'nob from Denmark and Max & Co from Italy taking centre stage as the restaurant is relocated to give way to greater selling space.
"We are getting rid of the congestion and the density and creating a better flow for the customer," Mhairi Roche, fashion director, told The Irish Times.
"New concessions that are more fitting adjacencies in the eyes of the customer will make the transition more seamless," she added.
A new shoe department opened yesterday featuring footwear from Irish designer Isobel Sarsfield, along with international labels such as Pollini, L'Autre Chose, Miss Sixty and Crocs, while the end of the month sees the opening of a huge new 750sq m Gap store alongside River Island on the lower ground floor.
The show, styled by Paula Hughes, showcased the current vogue for tweed, volume and layering. The "baroque" look, a mixture of silks, velvets and brocades, was best illustrated in a printed frock coat inset with tweed from Custo Barcelona.
A wrap dress in metallic brown tweed from S'nob exemplified both the use of fabric highlights and the popularity of dresses this winter. Tulip shapes unfolded in the new shorter skirts and in coats, particular one in biscuit boucle by Almost Famous.
Maje is an up-and-coming Paris label and its grey jersey dress with satin trim was a real winner, summing up the new spirit of urban dressing in its shape and colour. "If you have a point of difference, price does not matter," Ms Roche said. "Women nowadays are clever about mixing a key piece with affordable items."
Jackets tended to be short and fitted or in the new trapeze shapes, such as one in textured cream wool with big buttons by Max & Co, while jeans with attached striped leg-warmers from Miss Sixty are the kind of funky items students love.