Entries by Annmarie

This is Not Usually How I Dress for the Cork Weather but It Works

The turtleneck was a good call. Standing atop of Shandon Hill on a windy February day warrants layers and, had I thought of it, those nifty heat patches from Dealz. Still and all, it wasn’t raining…yet. As photoshoots go, this was my first for the Irish Examiner on the other side of the camera in Cork. Having recently moved from Dublin, I went from blow-in to blown-out of it as our #BTS shots on Instagram hilariously demonstrate. Never let it be said though that fashion and function can’t peacefully coexist.

My Cork

As a professional blow-in, I’m used to relocating my life. I moved to Galway from the USA as a tween, onwards to Italy after university, landed mid-Celtic Tiger in London and ended up settling in Dublin. New faces and new places don’t phase me but, with age, I found there was one face I wanted to see more of – Cork. After ten years of travelling Leeside for work as a freelance fashion editor and stylist, the city finally made an honest woman out of me. No more one-night stands and mid-week quickies; no more rushed hotel stays or flying visits; this time, I’m in it for the long-haul.

You’ve Been Putting Your Bra on Wrong: Here’s Why.

“Stoop, then scoop!” My sister leaned forward and made digging motions at her bra as if working at some sort of boob gelateria. She seemed keen to impart what appeared to be common knowledge – just not so common with me. “And you wonder why yours are so flat,” she said, raising her scooping hands despairingly in the air. It’s true though. I always did wonder why, with the same bra size, her assets always look perkier than mine. It just never occurred to me that scooping could play a factor.

This is the quickest way to gain local status in Cork

I think I might officially be a local now. Since moving Leeside, I’ve successfully managed to adapt certain proclivities including but not limited to queueing for a KC – in the rain. Any Corkonian worth their salt and vinegar knows that 4:30 bells mark the daily opening of the titular award-winning chipper KC & Sons.

Mad About Cork

It’s not every day you see Karl Marx at the People’s Park – or Rod Stewart on Patrick’s Quay for that matter. As a relatively new Cork implant, I’ve been spotting the likeness of various people of note spray-painted on the city’s electrical boxes. As a street art dilettante, I’ve been posting these colourful curiosities […]

Stripes – A Love Story

There’s something about stripes that herald good times. Linear disposition notwithstanding, their presence on the spring/summer fashion-scape make for an instant mood-lifter, whatever the weather.

These Off-Season Storage Tips Will Make Your Life A Lot Easier

Happy Spring Equinox, folks! With the seasons having officially changed, there’s no better time to create space in one’s closet for that which is lighter and brighter. Although our finicky weather dictates much of what we wear (hello, April, May and June showers!), there’s no pressing reason to keep a Polar Express down-quilted full-length hooded coat to hand. Once the mercury starts to rise, finding a place to store your off-season goodies is that is neither too hot nor too cold, too dusty nor too damp is the perennial question. Shopping channel vacuum pack storage bags may seem like a boon for the space-deprived (or the lazy) but shrink-wrapping your favourite threads come at a hefty price, namely damage. If you plan on maintaining the happiness of your closet year on year, getting familiar with storage etiquette is key. As for entertaining an attic or a basement for storing anything sentimental or expensive is simply asking for it. Here’s why.