Last night I was invited to the Vodafone DIT Young Designer Show semi-finals, held in Dublin’s “newest oldest theatre”, Smock Alley Theatre in Temple Bar. It promised a lot of fashionable talent, with 22 designers showcasing their creations for a spot in the finals show that takes place on April 14th. You can get tickets for that show here. The theme for this year’s show is “Cultural Fusion – Breaking Boundaries and Tradition”. Heading the judging panel were recognizable Irish fashion gurus Brendan Courtney, Maria Fusco, Bairbra Power, Umit Kutluk, Jules Fallon & Lou Conlon. I wore a two-toned red look with my Kurt Geiger heels, all which will be detailed later in this week’s OTD post.

Set up spectacularly in the impressive Smock Alley Theatre, the semi final red carpet runway featured a creative border of woollen snake-like strings, vintage patterned scarves and silk cloth for that cultural & traditional feel. The atmosphere in the hall was full of excitement, as guests eagerly awaited the show’s start on church benches along the runway. The Vodafone DIT Fashion Show featured designers from different colleges across the country including Dublin’s NCAD, Grafton Academy, Griffith College, Belfast Metropolitan, Galway Technical Institute, GMIT, Limerick School of Art & Design and Mallow College of Design & Tailoring. By great surprise, my own cousin, Alice Langton of NCAD, was a semi finalist and her model was in fact my blogger bestie Mei Ling! What a lovely surprise that was. Another friend, Gabriela Molkova, also modelled one of the looks on the night.

MC Rob Kenny kicked off the 12th annual show promptly at 7.15pm with tunes pumping from the Spin 103.8 DJ booth. The designs included many different styles including contemporary, modern, sportswear, menswear, bridal wear, futuristic and even haute couture. The show ended with all models standing side by side on the runway alternating which side of the audience they faced, which was a great way to allow the guests to really inspect each design. It was a truly impressive show, with plenty of outstanding Irish talent. Of the 22 designers, only 10 went forward through to next month’s finals:

Alice Langton
Emma Gannon
Helen Hayes
Lamis Goumaa
Magdalena Galica
Mollie Sinnott
Nuala McCarthy
Sarah Murphy
Shauna Harrisson
Stephen McLaughlin

Congratulations and good luck in the finals on April 14th, wish I could be there! Thank you very much to the DIT Fashion Show for inviting me, I loved sitting front row and getting up close & personal with the designs during and after the show. The entire event was brilliantly organized & executed and if you’re attending the finals in Vicar Street, I just know you’re in for a big surprise and an even better show! Remember to buy your tickets for the full DIT Fashion Show 2015 here.

My friend, model Mei Ling with my cousin, designer Alice Langton

Nirina xx

Images © Nirina Plunkett