Fashion

25 ways to a stylish summer, with Frida Kahlo, Supermarket Sarah and no-brainer trainers

Look great, feel good, and keep entertained during these long summer days

Deirdre McQuillan's face
Deirdre McQuillan
Sat Jun 9 2018 - 06:00

1. Bound to be another sell-out at London's V&A, an exhibition about artist Frida Kahlo opening June 16th, Making Her Self Up, is a fresh perspective on Kahlo's compelling life story through her most intimate personal objects. iti.ms/2H2saEd

2. Try people watching at Florence's most fashionable spectacle, Pitti Uomo, an international event for menswear and men accessories collections, where extravagant male attendees, "Pitti Peacocks" (so called by David Attenborough), flaunt their most stylish finery.

3. Invest in some sunshine slides for the hair via Kanel Denmark's resplendent collection. iti.ms/2LGNLp4

4. Treat yourself to a suitcase suite from Steamline Luggage – iti.ms/2xssSuW

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5. The multi-faceted Port Eliot midsummer festival in Cornwall will inaugurate the "Fashion Foundation", a home for fashion and art (iti.ms/2LGE61Q) on July 26th-29th.

6. Hattie Stewart's tongue-in-cheek fashion illustrations from the Now Gallery exhibition – iti.ms/2xquipD

7. Think floral when it comes to dresses or bikinis, and both pre and post pool attire is sorted (stories.com/en_eur/index.html and iti.ms/2LHiZwk)

8. Subscribe to a couple of coveted magazines. Cabana's latest issue is a vivid ode to Sicily (can be purchased directly from cabanamagazine.com) and Vestoj's stimulating essays on fashion (from Atrium, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre)

9. Learn life lessons and style from the world's favourite geriatric starlet via Iris Apfel's latest book, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon.

10. Ferns Fans, a novel yet practical addition to your travel accessories for those sweltering days – fernfans.com (Havana is a stockist).

11. Follow the trailblazing Sinéad Burke who balances the roles of activist, sartorialist and academic with staggering poise and aplomb (See TED talk, "Why Design Should Include Everyone"– iti.ms/2H3wjHZ – and BOF (Business of Fashion) cover for The Age of Influence issue.

12. "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" at the Met in New York is a must see to raise the celestial spirits for those heading stateside. Book tickets in advance and get there early and don't miss the tiaras with 20,000 diamonds and the Vatican garments – iti.ms/2LFN7bk

13. Study how to become a nail artist at the Tropical Popical High School, an educational sister project of Dublin's coolest nail bar. iti.ms/2H3wnY7

14. What started as a "passion project" Instagram account by Americans Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler is now one of the funniest and most feared commentary on the fashion industry that takes no hostages when it comes to exposing designers, photographers, stylists who copy others – @diet_prada

15. Inject some Irish designer into summer gear with Om Diva's Atelier 27: Capulet & Montague (@capuletandmontague, Orla Langan (@lady_langan and Kiki Na Art  @kiki_na_art)

16. Statement earrings from Corey Moranis who makes zany Lucite jewellery (iti.ms/2LLlI8a)

17. Joanne Hynes' floral transparent raincoat with matching shopper from Dunnes Stores for those drizzly trips downtown (iti.ms/2H4Dm2S)

18. Watch the series Snáithe and view a groundbreaking new perspective on Irish fashion directed by Ciara NicChormaic (iti.ms/2LIs5Jj)

19. A colourful dress from Helen Steele who fuses art and fashion in her own inimitable way will enliven any summer gathering (iti.ms/2xqzFoN)

20. Discover Uterque and its velvet treasures like this shirt and blouse and jewelled leather loafers uterque.com

21. What's not to love about a floral afternoon tea? Sip in style at the Shelbourne's Lord Mayor Lounge, a streamlined afternoon tea space relaunched in April after a four-month refurbishment – iti.ms/2LGTE5E

22. Lose the run of yourself with these vibrant pink no brainer trainers by Hoka One, an alternative to Balenciaga's "dadcore" SS18 offerings (iti.ms/2H3A5RF)

23. Heard of Supermarket Sarah? She's the woman who pioneered click-to-buy online shopping well before Instagram got under way. She shows how to make artwork out of your loveliest clothes as a decorative alternative to feature walls instead of gathering dust in your wardrobe – supermarketsarah.com

24. Fashion For Good is Amsterdam's colourful, sustainable three-storey space that hosts informative and inspiring –daily screenings revolving around unethical conditions in garment factories, overflowing landfill and designers eager to promote change. fashionforgood.org.

25. Listen to some female fronted podcasts helmed by women who believe in fashion as a tool of empowerment and engagement with social change – MR Podcasts: iti.ms/2LHsb3O; The High Low: iti.ms/2xtPxH8; and Francly: iti.ms/2LKDUPa

Research: Amelia O’Mahony-Brady