It was an evening of ball gowns, beaded dresses and denim jeans at the National Gallery of Ireland, for a fashion show to celebrate the Design Centre's first 20 years in business.
Stylish guests included Suzanne Whelan in a cream Paola Frani gown and her mother, Anne Whelan, who wore a floral chiffon N&C Kilkenny dress, and a host of models, actors, artists and designers mingled in the gallery's Baroque Room before moving downstairs for the Alfa Romeo Design Centre Autumn/Winter Fashion show.
Taking their places at the show were the actor Victoria Smurfit, the newly-married star couple Nicky Byrne, of Westlife and Georgina Ahern, the actor Fiona O'Shaughnessy, the writer and rock commentator BP Fallon and the artists Guggi and his wife, Sybille Ungers.
Ashling Kilduff, who has managed the centre since its opening 20 years ago, wore a black John Rocha dress. She felt "very proud" of all the designers who took part in the show. "It's just fantastic to see Irish fashion alive and kicking," she said at the end of the night.
Therese McKeone, a young designer from Castleknock, was voted Young Designer of the Year for her creations, having participated with other fashion graduates in the centre's inaugural competition. Her look, she said was "very Miss Jean Brodie. Uptight, repressed, in a sexy kind of way". Her prize includes a year's commercial space at the design centre. In the main show, 22 leading designers such as Mariad Whisker, Miriam Mone, Helen Cody, Roisin Gartland and Marc O'Neill were represented by models including Yvonne Keating, wife of singer Ronan Keating, Dana's daughter Ruth Scallon, and Rosanna Davidson, daughter of Chris de Burgh.
The look this season, say the experts, is 1940s and 1950s nostalgia and very Audrey Hepburn.