French author Colette suggested that waiting longer than March 17 to invest in a new spring wardrobe was decidedly unfashionable. However, before heading to department stores and boutiques, perhaps it’s worth shopping your own wardrobe archives first. For SS22, designers from Richard Quinn to Miuccia Prada and Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen all plucked trends from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, updating them with colourful, casual flourishes. Mini skirts, matchy-matchy suiting, cargo pants and grunge biker jackets are all in the mix this season. To make things easy, THE GLOSS style editor Aislinn Coffey has distilled the season into wearable trends on page 24, while you might be inspired to undertake a springclean clothes audit when you see the fabulous walk-in wardrobes on page 60.

We’re looking forward to the Oscars (on March 27), back with a full-scale red carpet gala this year. On a more modest scale closer to home, many businesses are rescheduling Christmas parties, charity lunches and dinners are full steam ahead and restaurants are buzzing. International Women’s Day (March 8) and Mother’s Day (March 27) are both occasions to book one of Ireland’s 18 Michelin-starred restaurants. Newly anointed chefs in this year’s Michelin Guide include Andy McFadden (Glover’s Alley) and Barry Fitzgerald (Bastible) while Mickael Viljanen (Chapter One) got a second star, as did Damien Grey (Liath in Blackrock, Co Dublin).

This month we have an extra day’s holiday over Saint Patrick’s weekend, providing the opportunity for a mini-break: try the midweek “Spring Escape” at Castle Leslie or a “Spring In and Out” overnight stay at Mount Juliet. “The Sea, The Soil, The Self” is the theme of St Patrick’s Festival 2022: a programme of events will include yoga and meditation classes, sound baths and mobile saunas.

Meanwhile award-winning book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by American journalist James Nestor has spent weeks on bestseller lists. Nestor does a deep dive into how humankind has lost the ability to breathe properly. Snoring, sleep apnoea, asthma, diabetes and strokes are linked to breathing dysfunction. His low-tech solution? Tape your mouth closed with myotape plaster!

Paris, not plasters, is on our agenda, where the house of Yves Saint Laurent marks the 60th anniversary of its first show by commandeering six museums, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay and Picasso Museum, to celebrate the designer’s life and work. Deciding what to wear on all these outings will be part of the fun. As fashion historian Sofi Thanhauser relates in her excellent book Worn, A People’s History of Clothing, the story of what we wear is the story of who are are. “Dressing is an individual act, but it is also a deeply social one.” On page 48, she describes how Marie-Antoinette’s choice of clothing helped spark a revolution.

Main featured image: The India coat and Noa trousers, Louise Kennedy SS22; www.louise kennedy.com.