Spring/summer styles on show

ENNIS’S County Boutique held an in-house fashion show recently showcasing its spring/summer 2011 stock. The show was the first of the shop’s celebrations marking 45 years in business.
As well as regulars like Linea Raffaelli, Sonia Pena and Betty Barclay, newer brands highlighted as part of the show were Marc Cain, White Stuff and Sandwich.
“The response was fantastic. We had about 40 people there on the night and the response we had the next day and over the weekend was really good and it was well worth doing. We just thought we should use the shop, which is such a nice venue anyway, for events,” said Gwen Culligan of The County Boutique.
“We promoted the event by texting customers about it in advance. All our customers can be on the database, they just come in and sign up and then we text them when we have news or updates or events. I would say from a business point of view it is really an excellent way of communicating with your customer base. Using modern forms of technology is so important nowadays. It is great for getting your message directly to the people who shop with you,” she continued.
The fashion show was held to launch the spring/summer 2011 lines that are available in the Clare boutique. “We do a lot of wedding outfits, be it for mother of the bride or groom or guests. We are still selling lots of bright colours, even though there is a trend towards neutral colours, like browns, beiges and nudes. There are also a lot of pinks and reds available too. There is still a definite leaning towards long or short dresses and skirts. People are very definite about what they want in this regard. The midi trend you see on the catwalks now can be a difficult one to pull off if you don’t have a very slim waist and to be honest about it, we are all getting bigger. Women in Ireland and across the developed world are bigger now than they used to be,” Gwen outlined.
When it comes to the fabric, it seems those outfits made in materials that offer additional structure and support are the most popular. “The fabric depends on what look people are going for. Taffeta works well for people who want a lovely shape, especially if there is ruching in it. Other people are looking for something more flowing. For mother of the bride or groom by and large, structure looks best and it is very flattering,” she explained.
According to Gwen, a change from traditional Irish weddings in recent years means that more romantic floaty silhouettes have grown in demand.
“We have at a lot of requests from people going to weddings abroad so these women would be going softer, maybe for something like a maxi dress in a jersey fabric,” she concluded.
The fashion show was presented by Tess Purcell, with modelling by the Martina Costello Agency. Details of further events marking the shop’s 45th anniversary will be announced throughout the year.