A new season of fashion and a new season of me

This has taken ages. A lot longer than I ever thought. I had imagined by the time my son was one I would have a good grip of work again and getting back to my synchronised life. Nope. I was fooled. I saw a great interview with the designer Rebecca Minkoff this week who spoke about how the word balance was made up by an angry person who had no clue. She’s right. Balance is a myth when you become a new parent or actually, when you experience any life event. I built this blog in 2010 and I started publishing posts around the end of that year. It led to a big career change for me, and one which I feel very proud of. But, that career has hit a stalemate and I think it’s ok to call it that. I can just about work part time with my job and raising Arthur. At thirteen months, he’s at an age where everything is a voyage of discovery whether it’s racing small cars down the coffee table or switching on every light in the house. It’s wonderful. But at the epicentre is a new mum who is battling to save her career while enjoying seeing her baby thrive. Despite working in social media, I am triggered by parents showcasing a filtered life of perfection where childcare is plentiful, houses are tidy, outfits are on point and work is a roaring success. I choose not to show that. Because it doesn’t exist. Actually, let me re phrase, it does but they are moments in time, not constants.

But, that said, I have a strong will to take back control (a bit) – I am not afraid of hard work or long hours, I was trained for that in my corporate job where one time I was so tired coming home from a day at the office (at midnight) that I fell asleep on the hall floor in my coat still holding my laptop bag. But these days it’s a different kind of tired, that I think I have learned to manage. And I’ve found little pockets of time to focus on me. Now that me time is not going to the gym, or having facials although I wish it was, it’s spent working or cleaning or sometimes, both concurrently. My job is incredibly important to me, and it’s not something I want to compromise nor should I have to. So, I’m finding small ways to keep up my work, both paid and organic. My blog and my social media are like a CV. And thankfully, since I control both, I can work on them when I can. I will share that I started to write this blog post in July and it’s taken me until now to not only find momentum, but find the right words to express where I am and what I want to do. So let this be a beginning. Or maybe a restart. So let’s get to it. It’s a new season and albeit a great one. It’s time to layer, wear wool, get a decent rain coat, head up to the attic and get down your knee high boots if that is where you keep them from June to September. My autumn wardrobe hibernates comfortably in vacuum pack bag. I take the twice yearly pilgrimage up the Staighre (yes we have them) to the attic and I fire them down onto the hall floor. Then begins a process of rediscovery because my postpartum brain cannot remember what I have . I found a Sportmax khaki jumper which I got in 2021, I love that jumper so that was a delight to find, as well a black polo neck from M&S that was such a great buy under €40 and washes like a dream without shrinking or bobbling! But aside from these timeless bits, what are worthy investment pieces? Now that I got my rant out of the way, let’s talk fashion.

BROWN

Brown was never my first choice of the darker shades, but this season I am convinced it’s worth some attention especially with outerwear. I recently paid a visit to the Jigsaw store in Dublin and found myself taken by a brown wool, single breasted coat.

The fit is great, with a special mention of how well structured the fabric is around the shoulders and collar. I plan on styling this with cream knits and denim for a casual daytime option. But I love the idea of layering over a longer length skirt in satin or with a lace trim and boots for something more dressy. All saints are styling this kind of coat perfectly in their Autumn Winter lookbook. There is also a brown dress to take note of in Primark right now – high neck, long sleeve and midi length is a new form of the LBD.

THE SCARF COAT

A style coined by the Swedish brand, Totême, and with a price tag of over €800, the scarf coat has come back this season as a dominant coat style. It’s chic and warm, and there’s something lovely about a coat with a matching scarf. If you want to try this out, you are spoiled for choice. I invested in the Arket scarf coat in black that is slightly oversize and has a button attaching the scarf at the neckline. It’s wool, and at €199 it’s at the top end of the scale but is wearing well. If you want. try the trend with something under €100, then take a look at H&M and this style for €44.99

BURGUNDY

I think if you are going to burgundy, then you have to commit. I am going to a fancy awards ceremony in a week or so and I have a burgundy suit with a mini skirt and I am going the whole way and doing the tights and shoes too. But that said, it’s a colour I think has some longevity. It works with a host of colours, like neutrals in particular. I’d avoid the obvious pairing with navy, it’s a bit too school uniform. But you could try colour blocking in different hues; this is something I talk about on Ireland AM quite a bit. Stacking your outfit in lighter/darker shades creates some subtle contrast. And that applies to every colour and not just this one. Below are a dreamy pair of shoes from Italian brand Casadei, it’s a must visit for me in Milan (I’ll be there next month). The shoes are heavenly.

For my first post in a long time, I don’t want to bombard you with trend information or shopping links; for now, it’s about focusing on both fashion and myself.

Chat soon

x

Note: The brown coat was gifted to me by the brand.