Shirley girls give it a twirl

Clothes designed around the child-like allure of Shirley Temple, featuring ankle socks, ringlets, over-sized collars and lots…

Clothes designed around the child-like allure of Shirley Temple, featuring ankle socks, ringlets, over-sized collars and lots of buttons and bows, did not dissuade or discourage any of the models or clothes-conscious guests at the Yana K Spring/Summer 2007 fashion show.

"Girly" was the word and no one blanched at the idea of wearing hoops, bubble shirts, layers of petticoats, frills and ruffles. These are some of the elements in the new collection from the young LA-based designer, Yana Khromova, who spoke briefly on film to her audience before the show, urging all to have fun.

"You guys enjoy the show," she said, before her haute couture collection went on view in Floridita in Dublin's Irish Life Mall this week.

The haute couture dresses, which range in price from ¤450 to €1,200, send out a strong message that girls still want to have fun.

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"She bases each collection on a movie star," said Kate Scully Owens, who is the sole distributor in Ireland and the UK for the Yana K line. This year's Spring/Summer 2007 collection is designed around the Hollywood child star, Shirley Temple, she explained. "There are lots of frills, oversized collars, petticoats, hoops and lots of layering."

The designer uses "vibrant colours, such as purple and cerise", she said, modelling one of the dresses, named "Since You Went Away". The clothes are in a limited number of outlets around Ireland.

Model Gail Kaneswaran said the clothes "are very individual . . . It's playful, girly, pastel colours. It's girly but still sexy and fun".

Model Pippa O'Connor said, "it's very fresh . . . She's very colourful, so girly with loads of patterns and frills. I love it".

Among those in the audience were Roz Flanagan, from Malahide, and her daughter, Vicky Flanagan, who is a first-year industrial relations student at the National College of Ireland; Michelle Cosgrave, of Ryanair, and her friend, Nicola Claffey from Walkinstown; and Emma Kiernan, Zoe Clarke and Tania Meighan, of Arnotts.