Update your summer wardrobe with these fabulous fresheners that look chic, cool and perfect for now …
IT KNITS
Fashion girls have been snapping up new and vintage trophy cardigans from Gucci, Chanel, Miu Miu. Think of them as summer jackets. Expertly cut and endlessly versatile, these varsity-inspired cardigans at the intersection of sportswear and luxury fashion are wardrobe gamechangers. Check out the ecru cotton cardigan, €330, at www.tommy.com. We love Casablanca’s embroidered aprèssport aesthetic wool/cashmere mix cardigan, €690, at Brown Thomas. In the menswear department at Marks & Spencer, find a green varsity-style cotton-blend cardigan, €50.
BAGGY DENIM
Blue-wash jeans that sit high or low on the waist and fall loosely through the legs are the denims of the summer. Wear yours with a slimmish-fitting top to balance proportions. Have a look at Rae Feather’s baggy chambray cotton jeans, €129; www.raefeather.com. We also love Tomorrow Denim Arizona loose-fit jeans, €289, at Emporium Kalu, Naas, Co Kildare. Fashion girls love Raey’s Drop organic jeans; www.matchesfashion.com. “Frame’s ripped-knee jeans will be our bestseller this summer,” says boutique owner Clodagh Cronin of Samui, 17 Drawbridge Street, Cork. Prefer a high-rise style? Try Salsa’s True wide-legs, from €95 (in waist size up to 40). www.salsajeans.com.
SLATHER ON THE BUTTER
Summer serves up significant amounts of dairy – colours, that is. Go for a full tonal look, intentionally mixing buttermilk, cream and milk-white to achieve a perfectly imperfect mix. If you are starting from scratch, layer up fashion basics: blazers, maxi skirts and jeans, silky sweaters, cotton openwork knits (wear with nude Skims or Sinead Keary’s camis) and cotton day dresses. Cream tones are always worth the investment, they’ll never go out of style – but this season it’s all about the mix.
CLEAN UP YOUR ACT
A crisp white oversized button-down shirt looks right, right now. Avoid expensive dryc-lean only styles – who has the time? We love Zara’s roomy cotton poplin versions, €49.95. Sharon Hoey’s brilliant tip for washing her next-level gorgeous AndTate shirts: machine-wash with Woolite at 30° …
SWEATER VESTS
Whether you like to wear yours solo or layered over a T-shirt or collared shirt, retro sweater vests (plain, open and cable-knit styles) are here for the summer. Button-through relaxed silhouettes are also a thing: think lightweight wicking merino wool and fine ribbed knits – they’re essentially a sleeveless cardigan. Check out Ireland’s Eye Farmleigh knit in chalk white (€139.95; www.irelandseyeknitwear.com); the handknit Aran Crios sleeveless merino sweater by Stable of Ireland (€420; www.stableofireland.com) and the ecru cotton textured knit vest, €39, at Marks & Spencer. Style yours with a midi skirt or tailored trousers. Image; @emilisindlev
SUMMER LEATHER
A slightly oversize leather blazer is a cooler older sister of the biker or motocross jacket style – one of summer’s biggest trends. Massimo Dutti and Marks & Spencer are our first port of call for affordable leather.
BOHO PRINTED SKIRT
Coming soon to French, Spanish and Italian village markets … The boho printed cotton skirt has made a return in midi, maxi and mini lengths. Wear with a white tank and gladiator sandals. Image; White embroidered smocked-waist cotton skirt, €59.95, at Zara.
Raspberry Molly linen jacket, €375, at Magee 1866, 21-26 South Anne Street, Dublin 2.
SUMMER TAILORING
Pastel and ice cream-colour summer-weight tailoring in relaxed shapes can be the basis of your warm-weather wardrobe. Just a few items will tide you over the whole summer if you accessorise well – a linen blazer with a colourful scarf, tailored trousers with a wellworn denim shirt and multiple coloured woven bracelets; or a cotton waistcoat coat over a white tee, worn with pearly shell earrings and white sneakers. Magee 1866’s new raspberry stripe jacket is cut from Irish linen that’s supersoft to handle. The double-breasted silhouette is enhanced by padded shoulders and sharp lapels. Style yours with denims or the matching Tina drawstring pants and leave the jacket buttons undone for a more relaxed feel.
Matching Tina trousers, €129; at Magee 1866, 21-26 South Anne Street, Dublin 2.
SPICE GIRLS
The frontrunner swimwear trend? Spice-coloured swimsuits. Think chilli red, saffron yellow, hot pink and orange. With an emphasis on classic, feminine designs, Boden has become a goto for holiday swimwear: options run the gamut from body-sculpting power mesh and all-over ruching to leg-lengthening, high-cut silhouettes and “Lifter” suits that keep everything in place …
Ikat smocked bandeau swimsuit, €105.
Colourblock gather-cut swimsuit, €90.
Red Arezzo V-neck panel swimsuit, €90.
