CHEERS TO ALFRESCO DRESSING
Take your pick from our menu of looks to make a style statement
IS that the sun we see? It doesn’t matter that it’s still chilly — as evidenced by the flurries of snow recently — if there’s a hint of sunny optimism in the air, nothing is going to stop us getting out to enjoy it. However — be warned. There is an art to dressing al fresco in a capricious Irish spring for which there is only one solution: layering. That means starting with a statement on
the outside. Choose a pastel-coloured trench, such as Palones’s cornflower classic (far left), for a stroll and a coffee-to-go. Don a decorative jacket like Maje’s warm cardigan-style tweed number (centre right) for an impromtu picnic and hope the rain stays away.
Or pour yourself into a tailored suit jacket with jaunty puff shoulders, such as Me+Em’s version (far right), for drinks in the garden.
Now you’ve swapped your winter puffer for a chic outer layer, everything beneath can be just as smart, whether that’s a pair of glamorous wide-legged trousers in crisp gingham from Uterque (second from left), or a pretty floaty silk dress from LK Bennett (far right).
Worried it’s still feeling a bit chilly, despite your best efforts? Well, here’s the secret: with these outfits, there is endless room for extra under-layers. Wide-legged trousers? No one will know if you are concealing a pair of silky long-johns.
Delicate dress? Team it with a polo-neck and make a feature of it.
And if you still need that extra layer, just shrug a long Winser London cardigan (second from right) over your shoulders, for a 2021 step up from the good old pashmina. So don’t wait for things to heat up, get out into the rays and get some Vitamin D while you can.