Buy, Rent, Re-Wear: Here’s What THE GLOSS Team Wore This Month

Síomha Connolly, Digital Editor

After re-discovering the alarming number of summer dresses I have stored in various places I’m holding firm on not buying new outfits for upcoming occasions over the next couple of months and instead rewearing the pieces I already have. One favourite I recently re-wore to a wedding was this custom cut-out linen dress. I had this dress made last summer for the second day celebrations at my best friend’s wedding in Italy. I found a seller on Etsy who had similar styles and had her tweak the length and shape slightly. After sending over my exact measurements and selecting the fabric and colour, four weeks later my made-to-measure dress landed on my doorstop. The price was not much higher than a standard high street dress – and considerably lower than most designer labels, so it’s a great option for those looking for something unique that you know you’ll wear time and time again. I also love the idea of renting pieces when you do find your wardrobe lacking for certain occasions. I rented a black frilled ASOS Studio mini dress from Happy Days recently that wouldn’t be necessarily my style but it was fun for a one-off wear without the guilt. 

Aislinn Coffey, Style Editor

This month, Sinead Keary’s statement-making Champagne-hued sequin Aisling shirt became mine and it did not disappoint: metallics and sequins are a big trend for SS23. The tulle shirt is embellished with tiny, shimmering sequins and looks great worn with both tailored pants and denim. I paired it with Marco Moreo’s super-high but oh-so comfortable knot-front Clarissa platform sandals in taupe. They are slipper-soft and easy to wear. I found the ivory brass-lined bangles in an Avoca sample sale, and the pearl and rhinestone drop earrings were for my wedding day, I sourced them on www.1stdibs.com. They arrived to my home in a cut box and a lovely note from a seller in Australia! 

Sarah Halliwell, Beauty Editor

I’ve never really got to grips with summer dressing. I admire people who can find the perfect slip dress or floaty floral number, but I never really have. I still revert to Ghost dresses found in designer sales in King’s Cross back in the 1990s – they still wash and wear so well. Otherwise, I tend to stay in my jeans pretty well all year, unless it’s madly hot – current favourites are Frame Le Palazzo, found in the dregs of a sale, the sole pair miraculously in my size. They are very flared and incredibly soft, and I love them (worn with a heel they are rather lengthening). For work events I find that a light jacket helps to pull things together and dress up jeans a bit; I’ve been wearing this Dries van Noten from several years ago; it’s a bit Wimbledon, somehow.

Everyone seems to be wearing neutrals at the moment – at a recent beauty event, everyone seemed to be wearing cream (not a colour you can countenance if you love black coffee or, indeed, have a large, unruly and always wet dog in the house). I’m too messy to wear cream, so summer black it is. The only thing I miss about winter is wearing coats – I love the forgiving, cover-up comfort of a good coat. But I did find a pure wool Saint Laurent Rive Gauche single-breasted pinstripe jacket in a charity shop on a trip to Paris recently for €30; that feeling of scouring newly discovered rails and then spotting something you love is just the best thing, as thrilling as a teenage kiss. As for accessories, I’m unaccountably into baseball caps again (inspired by a Roland Garros one in candy pink); perhaps it’s a subconscious legacy from Succession. And Birkenstocks remain the only shoe possible – I covet the cherry-red ones.

Amy McDonnell, Special Projects Coordinator

This is an outfit I wore to a garden party at my friend’s house. I knew I wanted to wear this floral tulle skirt which I purchased last summer at a charity shop in Dundrum Village (originally from H&M), due to its versatility. You can dress it up or down and for this event I wanted to add a top half that would create a more formal, daytime look. Bring on Zara SS23 and this white cropped poplin shirt. The outfit was light and fun, and the shirt was worth it as a new purchase as it is a great addition to my capsule wardrobe. To complete the look I popped on my Buffalo sandals for some height and yes, socks – it was giving grungy Grandmacore.

Sarah Macken, Contributing Editor

I was whisked away for a night at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival at Lismore Castle and naturally I had a panic about what to wear. After a few try-ons, I decided to re-wear my (non-traditional) wedding dress: a black and red floral print dress by Simone Rocha which I nabbed on The Outnet. I’ve only worn it twice since my actual wedding and it’s amazing how it takes on a new life with each wear, as well as feeling ultra special, and taking me back to my winter wedding. For summertime, I tried to go light and casual with the rest of the look so I paired it with a linen off-white blazer which was a new purchase from Massimo Dutti, one I know I will wear on repeat all season.

Penny McCormick, Deputy Editor

Dressing for work and events at 7.30am can be problematic – and it’s not just because the weather can be so variable – my mood is liable to change too! Often, I don’t have the luxury of changing for evening events, so my WFO (work from the office) uniform has to do double duty. Recently, this has morphed into a smart-ish jacket which can be dialled up with the addition of a scarf, or some earrings, a quick make-up touch-up and spritz of perfume. Though summer black is officially a trend, I am trying to avoid this safety net and add more colour to my wardrobe. This dusty pink jacket was a sales purchase from H&M a few years ago, which I wore with a much-loved scarf by the KDK Sisters to the recent launch of the new rooftop terrace bar at Hyde, Dublin 2.