First Love
Irish Designer Catriona Hanly | Spring Summer 2016
For Spring Summer 2016, Designer Catriona Hanly lightens the mood and offers a feast for the senses with sugar and spice and all things nice. The collection is romantic and fanciful, playfully quaint, timelessly chic and inclusively ageless, with a whisper of whimsy, a hint of coquetry and an abundance of glamour.
The spring-summer story is inspired by bright and sunny childhood memories, romanticism and a life-long love of Paris and the French Riviera. Luxury undulates at the centre of this collection conveyed by the designer’s trademark eye for fabrics, colour and texture. Catriona is utterly passionate about fabrics and this is a consistent trait across all collections. Colors are reshuffled and remixed with frothy confections of lace and silk whilst Flamenco ruffles, off-the-shoulder details and shocks of red electrify the looks and set the vibe.
Ruffles, pastels, lace, chiffon and sheer details add up to the sort of earnestly pretty looks that are almost seen through a nostalgic lens when summers seemed sunnier; glowing days of pure joy and freedom. Catriona’s polka dot afternoon tea dresses are feminine and beguiling and beg to be worn with buttery soft leather gloves. Maxi lengths unfurl in sweeping flourish of silk and Chantilly lace whilst playsuits are fun and flirty … with an undercurrent of titillation.
Romance radiates through the collection with puffy sleeves, pussy-cat bows, embellishment, layers, feminine iconic lace pieces and off-shoulder silk styles. Even though it is all about the minimalism of modern classics, the story also contains maxi-frill details, over-dimensioned silhouettes and exaggerated retro shapes. Whimsical tiered hemlines add an amorous, mythical affection to the collection whilst delicate French lace is central to the theme.
The colour palette is so fresh and delectable that you want to eat it all up with iced white, sky blue, coral, and pastel shades but also radiates with flashes of red and shocking pink. The collection leaves many opportunities to mix and-match styles with chic cigarette pants, structured tops, playsuits, figure hugging strapless tops, shorts and blouses, dresses for day and evening wear, coats and suit jackets in a range of vibrant colours. Catriona’s trademark Thatcher pussycat bow, collars and cuffs make a welcome return and every look makes a unique style statement.
Catriona Hanly Designs are available at the Design Centre, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre Dublin 2 and online at www.catrionahanly.com.
ENDS
Contact: Helen O Dwyer | PR1 | 086 2332725 | 046 9731622 | helen@pr1.ie
ABOUT CATRIONA HANLY
London based Irish designer Catriona Hanly was born with a flair for design and a passion for fashion. Having studied her craft at Central St Martin’s in London and The Barbara Bourke College of Fashion in Dublin, her fashion collections have made waves both in Ireland, the UK and the US. She dressed Wolfe of Wall Street actress Madison McKinley in LA and her stand- out creative designs also caught the attention of Amanda Byram, Victoria Smurfit and Vogue Williams.
Having established sales of her jewellery line in over 350 boutiques in Ireland, the UK and the US Catriona went on to deliver interiors projects in leading hotels and private residences across the globe all the while gathering ideas and stimulation for fabrics and finish, developing a unique and inimitable style. A fashion collection was the next logical step for this talented designer.
Dublin’s most stylish fashionistas Ash Quinn, Daniella Moyles and Alison Canavan rocked the red carpet at the VIP Style Awards in the most daring, delectable and debonair looks by Catriona Hanly. Her designs also stood out in Cheltenham, Ascott and The Irish Film and Television Awards. Catriona was nominated for Irish Designer of the year 2015, won Jewellery Designer of the Year and has caught the attention of many celebrities in LA, London and Dublin.
