Glynis Robins's new collection uses soft silk in aquamarine, blue and lavender, writes Deirdre McQuillan
It's 20 years since Glynis Robins started her own label, making the kind of knitwear that never seems to date and suits women of any age. Her richly textured Aran tunics and denim duffels from that time, earthy garments refined and refashioned for urban romantics, remain as fresh and appealing as her current, more delicate knits. I lived in one of her treasured black Arans for years, as did many others.
There's artistry in her blood; both her father and grandfather were gifted at painting and drawing, and her mother made all her clothes when she was a child. Her own children, a jewellery designer and sculptor, have inherited their mother's gifts and homemaking skills. Robins and her partner, Cathy White, have a common passion for domestic design and decoration, and their taste and ability to mix old and new is evident in their Dalkey Design shops in Dalkey, Co Dublin and Roundstone, Co Galway.
What marks Robins out is the huge amount of handwork in everything that carries her name, her sure eye and the intense femininity of her style and approach. Her summer collection is a confident continuation and development of previous ones, and is notable for its neat arrangement of cables, moss, diamonds, chevrons and Old Shale patterns, whether in a shrug, cardigan or camisole. Along with the knitwear are clothes with little details such as tiny frills, in chiffon or linen.
Robins lives by the sea, and her quiet, cool colours are informed by her surroundings - this season features watery shades of cream, aquamarine, blue, pink and lavender. "Gaudy stuff doesn't really work for me," she says. Vintage silk slips have been dyed and hand beaded; skirts are crushed silk. There's a softness to everything. Mixed in with the collection are antique hand-beaded jackets and pieces from selected UK designers that integrate perfectly.
With the current vogue for vintage, these dreamy combinations of silk and chiffon, lace and linen, the stuff grandmothers might have worn, are today's equivalent of period pieces; just add the diamonds, the pearls or a pair of crystal earrings designed by her daughter (Elva Robins), to catch the light.