Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care. Or in your pockets, says Susan Zelouf. What a mood.
Main Image; Blumarine Resort 2023
Who remembers the children’s game of hot and cold? It’s a kind of hideand- seek, with the seeker hunting a hidden object while the hider narrates the search, providing temperaturebased cues: the closer the hunter gets, the hotter they are, the further away they venture, the colder they become. As a kid, being tormented by teases of “You’re getting warmer” followed by taunts of “Cold! I see your breath! You’re freezing!” was fun, but dressing for March (“In like a lion, out like a lamb”), especially in Ireland, not so much, requiring a wardrobe strategy vigilant of fluctuating temperatures, particularly for those of us with an eye on integrating a little of what is trending with what we already own.
Scanning the digital pages of Vogue, Glamour and WhoWhatWear for “What is trending in 2023”, I type in “Wheat is trending in 2023” by mistake and end up reading an article in the Irish Farmers Journal about grain – markets continue to fall! 2023 trends appear to be everything everywhere all at once, from punked-up plaids (we miss you already, Dame Viv) and gothic romance (think strict corsetry silhouettes, revamped in knits, leather and lace) to picture-pretty icy pastels (pick up a flowy mint green blouse at Zara) and skin-baring sheers (scary or shoppable?). Layer sheers over lingerie if you can’t take the heat of the stares – boudoir is trending, too. Your feet might welcome back iterations of Mary Janes, with their generous toe boxes, from The Row’s dainty ecru leather ballet flats with elastic straps to Bottega Veneta’s bold-buckled, sky-high praline platforms.
“I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance, were it not for making a living, which is rather a nouciance.” Ogden Nash
If you love a pocket and everything in its place, then consider the return of the cargo pant, not shapeless and low-rise, God forbid, but, according to Refinery29, “translated into tailored silhouettes” with “interesting pocket placements, elevated fabrics like silk and organza, and colors that go beyond khaki and olive”. Pockets are everywhere in 2023, voluminous enough to hold everything we might need in what portends to be an unpredictable year. Just for fun, I asked friends what they might stash in their wide-legged, slouchy cargo trousers; answers included phone, keys, credit card, vape pen, powder foundation compact, breath mints, Granola bar, water bottle, flask, Solpadeine (see hip flask), beef jerky, toothbrush and toothpaste (see beef jerky). A country friend never goes out on walks without a pocketful of kibble and carrots, befriending stray dogs and grazing horses; a city girlfriend rolls up a fresh thong, a condom and travel-sized deodorant. I almost envy her SATC life; my husband is never without a pocketknife, a magnet, tissues and a conker, a few of the reasons I’ve chosen not to carry a thong in mine.
If the “all I need is lipstick and a cash app” micro bag trend is so 2022, coolhunters heralding the return of the supersized handbag imply that if you’re not literally chained to a giant LV monogrammed leather portfolio, then maybe you’re just not visualising your best big life hard enough. Seems like the trick in 2023, whether you choose to pair a white lace tank top with a floor-grazing denim skirt or a slinky glam-utility jumpsuit in cobalt blue or hot pink, channelling Top Gun: Maverick, the vibe is nonchalant. Word up: put your hands in the air, like you just don’t care. Or in your pockets. @susanzelouf
1. I’M GETTING shellacked in Nailberry’s L’Oxygéné breathable nail varnish in Silver Lining. www.nailberry.co.uk.
2. I’M CATCHING up on bedtime reading in the glow of Space Copenhagen’s stone blue Como lamp, portable and rechargeable, designed for Danish brand Andtradition. www.nedgis.com.
3. I’M SLINKING into spring in Blumarine Resort 2023, with pockets full of dreams.
4. I’M EYEING up the first galaxies through the James Webb Space Telescope in Urban Decay’s 24/7 Moondust shadow.
5. I’M RELAXING my curls for louche locks at Bangor-based hairdressers Gorgeous, 113 High Street, Bangor, Co Down. Make an appointment: 048 91 455 569; ask for Darin.
6. I’M COLLECTING storied engraved silver rings for every finger from Irish artist Pierce Healy. @piercehealystudio.
7. I’M MASTERING The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, with BS-free advice from best-selling author Mark Manson. www.kennys.ie.
8. I’M REIMAGINING Mary Janes with help from Bottega Veneta. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy spring!
9. I’M GLAMPING with an Hermès shoulder bag in Havana brown perforated leather. Is it a tent? Is it a sleeping bag? Who cares? It’s Hermès. www.hermes.com.
10. I’M TYING myself in macramé knots in a bodycon crop top paired with bitter chocolate leather trousers from Hermès. Shop a selection at Brown Thomas!
11. I’M CROWNING myself queen of relaxed casual in a lacy gold Freedom ring by Irish jeweller www.ellagreenjewellery.com.
12. I’M CONSIDERING A tango lesson in my sweet silver Lorimer leather Mary Janes by Khaite. Also available in black, white or red patent leather.
