The inhospitable vastness of level three in the Irish Financial Services car-park underwent an extraordinary transformation when the dress designer Marc O'Neill staged a show which attracted about 600 people.
Half the show was taken up by the current collection available in A-Wear, where he is one of two main designers. But the second, and distinctly different, collection was probably the one they came to see.
This sees Marc O'Neill in a more personal mood, less driven by market forces. But he is not an experimental or extravagant designer, treading cautiously, and always championing the simple and the stark.
This second collection, exclusive to Brown Thomas, is mainly for export, and is already stocked in New York's most exclusive store, Barneys. Next week he will take it to London Fashion Week, and is confident it will be taken up by a leading department store.
The interest here is in the tailoring. Using good-quality black, grey, mulberry and stone, neat, calf-length coats are given a touch of luxury with hand embroidery and beading, which also features on black and white speckled tweeds. He likes surface detail, and he also likes layering colours, perhaps a colourful lining to a coat, or a contrasting colour lining on a lace dress. Lace is a great favourite which is sometimes edged in satin, making it quite sexy.
As anticipated, Marc O'Neill's designer collection is subtle, and very easy. While not particularly innovative, it is very contemporary and in its stark and simple way very in tune with the mood of the season. Meanwhile, though Clerys staged its fashion show in the new Fitzwilliam Hotel, in St Stephen's Green, far from O'Connell Street, progress on the store's refurbishment continues. Great but sensitive changes are taking place, with the fashion floor being given special attention.
Here are the very best from Irish manufacturers, great household names like L.B. (formerly Loretta Bloom), Michel Ambers and Libra. Keeping an old tradition going, it is also one of the best places to find a good winter coat.
These are neat and normal clothes that do a great deal for the wearer's image. A grey wool suit with an astrakhan collar, a short, black military style jacket and short skirt, a stone-coloured trouser suit, another in aubergine. Coats, by Feminella, include one in charcoal grey, of long, fitted cut with a black fur collar (£320), and a prim one in dark brown with velvet trimming, and, with fur very much in fashion, it was good to see Michel Ambers going for pale beige with big shawl, fur collar. Also a marvellous fun fur (£119) was a perfect swinging number for over a slim black dress.
The simple black crepe and velvet evening dress is typical of the look for evenings (£110 by Jean Paul), and there are variations on the theme, but a black brocade opera coat, with its fur trimmings (£260), was out on its own: very sumptuous, and in keeping with the way this venerable department is headed.