Country Casuals, available on the first floor of Clerys ladies fashion department has undergone a dramatic change from product to brand name, becoming simply CC and revolutionising its collections.

As former design director of Giorgio Armani’s ‘Collezioni’ womenswear label, Joanne Jong has brought glamour and style to every area of the brand. Silhouettes have been updated, texture and embellishment added, thus creating a modern, relevant wardrobe for today’s 24-hour woman.

The collection for Autumn/Winter ’05 reflects the timeless elegance of a well–dressed woman and decorative almost folk like richness of Russian aristocracy.

New prints in pink and blue florals appear, as always; exclusive to CC. Sophistication and a sense of occasion are added with antique florals in plaster pink, pewter and black. Heather tones of tweeds and rich espresso browns mix with icy greys and jewel colours of emeralds and teal, saffron and burnt orange. Black returns as fashion statement but we see hidden surface detail, boucle effects, embellished and gros edged knitwear with jewel buttons, delicate lace and mat lifted with shiny contrasts.

Fabrics and prints appear throughout on chiffon and knits. Rich devore textures and layers are key to updating tailoring and adding glamour. Soft velvet over-jackets mix with tweedy textures to create a luxurious and tactile twist. Knitwear is striped, space dyed and printed, or soft chunky and luxurious appearing in twin sets or stand-alone.

Eveningwear is embellished with velvet, mixtures of metallic lace, beading, and brocades which combined with fuller skirts and smoking trousers bring an edge to occasion dressing.

The new collection is clearly defined with shape and elegance: Skirts are key items this season either floating or lean and pencil thin. Short, modern shapes run through the jacket collection. Jackets are single breasted, some with neru collars, and beautifully tailored, finished with edge binding, sequin or lace details. All compliment the lean trouser shapes, flattering and elongating the body. Elsewhere, trousers are slouchy and wide legged, appearing in herringbone or rich micro designed wools, with the new crop tweed pan showing the new length.

Exciting accessories featuring scarves, beaded shawls, clutch handbags and shoes complete the new collection.