Vibrant colors are back on the shelf as the spring-summer collection hits the Dublin catwalk

Fashion is always full of contradictions, and the upcoming spring-summer season is anything but ordinary.

The palette of summery black is large for festive clothing and tailoring, but there are also super bright colors in the mix. These range from sparkling citrus and neon tones to classy pinks and extraordinarily pretty floral patterns by Erdem.

Brown Thomas yesterday presented its SS23 international designer collection with a 96-look runway show that underscored a season of contrasts.

The length has gone down so there’s more cover-up, but on the other hand there’s a lot of sheer transparency with exposed skin.

Victoria Beckham opted for sheer silk panels and cut-outs at the necklines, while Thierry Mugler’s legs were sheer and his tailored jacket had virtually no back.

The fashion show at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in Dublin city center opened strong.

There was a muted gold ombre slip dress from Prada, followed by a draped cream and black dress.

There were soft ruffles and crinkled fabrics in sorbet tones by Dries Van Noten, while Emilia Wickstead delivered a statement red rose taffeta faille coat and matching long bodycon dress with a bandeau neckline.

Shelly Corkery, Fashion Buying Director at Brown Thomas, pointed to the new trends that could occupy our wardrobes in the coming months: “It’s a very varied season. Femininity is big, there are slimmer clothes, longer lengths, cutouts, transparency and asymmetrical hems.”

Ms Corkery said we had experienced a period of relaxed, easy dressing, but added: “This season is definitely a return to more sophisticated fashion – elevated pieces for the day.

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“It’s nice to see people coming out of the pandemic and knowing more about what to wear.”

The neo-minimal trend evokes simple tailoring and a soft color palette, while the soft utility trend wraps around the popular wardrobe favorites from the past, namely cargo pants.​

Elements of three key SS23 trends – column dressing, sunsets and Greek goddess draping – were found in one dress: a dramatic caped maxi dress by Alex Perry.

The Australian designer is one of 17 new brands to join BT, alongside The Row, Peter Do, Carolina Herrera and Roland Mouret.

Perry’s coral maxi was worn by Sheila O’Callaghan, who has worked in journalism and publishing around the world for over 25 years and was discovered as a model in Brazil at 49.

Ms O’Callaghan walked the runway in striking style, her straight gray hair tied back over the shoulder of the cape dress, priced at €2,900.

Swapping the keyboard for the catwalk, she said, “I thought before I turn 50 I want to do something new, make a career change.

“I just thought it was time for a new challenge. Modeling came along and I love it.”