The beauty of winter is its unwavering reliability. Each year, fads find their way onto the fashion radar but fall off just as quickly. Not so much when it comes to stalwart prints like the humble check. Whether heritage-inspired houndstooth, rebellious tartan or geometrically-clean box checks, their continued presence is reassuring in on an otherwise […]
There’s something deliciously deviant about stealing time for a swift half on a weekday afternoon. This made my Artful Dodger homage feel all the more appropriate. Granted, sitting outside in a bright rust ensemble doesn’t exactly lend itself to playing truant but it’s worth getting caught rapid. Putting an outfit like this indoors would be like putting Baby in a corner – totally uncool and punishable by the ghost of Johnny Castle. So, what exactly makes this outfit worthy of wardrobe hero status? Easy – corduroy.
If there was ever a good reason to twirl around the streets of Stoneybatter like a whirling dervish, it’s got to be this dress. Kindly gifted to me from the folks at Kahlo & Apfel boutique, this vintage lurex beauty has all the hallmarks of a solid gúna – cap sleeves, empire line silhouette and a killer colourway that makes the florals look more modern than mincing.
Now here’s another floral pattern I can get down with. This kimono jacket is from my pal Joanne Hynes’ most recent Dunnes Stores collection. Victorian gothic roses marching single file in electric yellow and blue across a satin landscape is my cup of semantically irreverent tea. Unabashed yet oh-so- pretty. What’s more, ‘it’s got legs’ as we say in the industry. In other words, there are multiple ways to wear it. I could harp on about how to do day in jeans and a t-shirt but where would the craic be in that? You know I’m a sucker for a polo neck and head-to- toe colour so it only seemed fair that we combine the two for this here look.
I’m not a floral kind of gal unless, of course, it’s winter. Being a hardy perennial more so than a darling bud, I feel aligned to the mercurial temperament of the darker months. That’s why this nocturnal 70s dress gives me all the feels. Purchased from a Canadian frockbroker on Etsy.co.uk, it’s the rare day that I’m not seen wearing it. It goes without saying that I’ve been trying to find new ways to pull the old switcheroo, if only to offset those ‘really, again?’ stares. Fun fact: it was real feel -3 degrees on the day of this shoot which made it the perfect opportunity for…you guessed it…layering! Remember my basic layering 101 in the culottes blog post? Well, consider this the intermediate course where I bend the rules – just a tad.
The older I get, the less choice I require – or want for that matter. Too many options create anxiety and, in turn, weaken my ability to make sound decisions. It also gives me an awful case of brain freeze. Not pretty.
Ah, didums! Who’s a happy camper, then? Granted, that big aul grin has as much to do with finding a stoop on which to deposit my bottom as it does with my outfit choice. Although a much simpler execution of the first culottes look, it still abides by the same rules – simple colour scheme and playful proportions.
It’s a well-known fact that I’m partial to navy. Translate that truism into a pair of trusty trousers and watch me fan girl – hard. Exhibit A: I’ve been wearing these leather culottes for the guts of a year, so much so I’ve left a butt mark. I like to consider this ownership lest anyone get notions about ‘borrowing’ them. Try filling that crater, why don’t you! What can I say? I’m a territorial Taurean.
We all have a relationship with our clothing. Some of us have a sustained bond built over time; others – a carnal rip-em- off-in- the-changing- room style lust; then there are those who practice rigorous ascetic detachment – sartorial celibacy, if you will. Suffice to say, the degree to which we connect with what’s on the outside all boils down to what’s happening on the inside.