Taking solstice: nine ways to wear day dresses on the summer's longest day
It's the longest day of the year on Saturday.
No better time to make the most of the daylight and, while you're at it, your favourite day dress.
You know the one. The go-to gúna that spends more time on your body than on its hanger.
The one with a cost-per-wear ratio so — you owe it money.
Soon the long nights and chilly temperatures will return, and you'll be brainstorming ways to layer a tea dress that don't involve Grey Gardens cosplay.
Embrace the height of summer and while we're here, let's find you a new wardrobe hero.
The message here is one-and-done.
With sunshine at a premium, time is not to be wasted. Add a pair of flat or heeled sandals, sunglasses, and a raffia bag to any of these looks and you're good to go.
Similarly, look to colour and shape to do the heavy lifting. Penneys clearly understood the assignment with puff sleeves and ruffled V-neck maxi dresses in bright green and red.
Whether pointelle or cotton, the result is easy and breezy. Ditto for & Other Stories and COS; their t-shirt and flounced iterations make laid-back look lovely.
Dressed to impress? You will be in Clare O'Connor's silk shift with its painterly print and - wait for it - pockets.
Equally, Sinead Keary's linen mini (a.k.a. The Marykate) wins big with its detachable shoulder bow ties for days of quiet luxury.
As for me? Since visiting RIXO at Kildare Village, I've acquired a life-size crush on their 'Raven' midi dress.
Can I take this into winter? No better time to test my theory.
GET THE LOOK:
100% silk shift dress, Clare O'Connor, €420
1. 100% silk shift dress, Clare O'Connor, €420
'Raven' midi dress, RIXO, €490
2. 'Raven' midi dress, RIXO, €490
M&S Collection polka dot maxi dress, M&S, €115
3. M&S Collection polka dot maxi dress, M&S, €115
Puff sleeve maxi dress, Penneys, €30
4. Puff sleeve maxi dress, Penneys, €30
Cotton midi t-shirt dress, COS, €69
5. Cotton midi t-shirt dress, COS, €69
Flounced mini-dress, & Other Stories, €119.jpg
6. Flounced mini dress, & Other Stories, €119
The Marykate linen detachable bow tie dress, Sinead Keary, €135
7. 'The Marykate' linen detachable bow tie mini dress, Sinead Keary, €135
Ombré 'Alba' midi dress, Never Fully Dressed, €235
8. Ombré 'Alba' midi dress, Never Fully Dressed, €235
Paula Echevarria 'Lola' V-neck maxi dress, Penneys, €28
9. Paula Echevarria 'Lola' V-neck maxi dress, Penneys, €28
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
19 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
B&M is selling out of £5 ceramic water ornament that will attract wildlife & turn your garden into a ‘serene oasis'
A BUDGET-FRIENDLY buy can help to transform your garden this summer. This buy not only elevates your space, it also helps to attract beneficial wildlife. Advertisement 2 Adding a bird bath to your garden can instantly transform it into a 'serene oasis' (stock image) Credit: Getty This affordable item is said to instantly elevate your outdoor area, without breaking the budget. B&M shoppers can pick up You can choose between sage and green, depending on your garden's aesthetic. Bird bath benefits "Transform your garden into a serene oasis and attract nature with this Ceramic Bird Bath," the product description read. Advertisement Read More On Garden Buys Manufactuers pointed out an additional benefit to this garden decor buy. They described it as a "great way to entice beautiful birds to come and take a splash, while elevating your outdoors". This in turn will help to control the amount of insects in your flowerbeds. Bird bath cleaning hack But the main drawback to bird baths is they tend to become a breeding ground for algae. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous However, a quick trick can solve this problem, and you won't even need to lift a finger. The solution My garden was looking so old and the patio was broken - now it's a lush oasis and people can't believe how little I spent According to the experts at "Copper pennies do a pretty good job of keeping algae away from our bird baths," they explained. Advertisement "Copper acts as an algicide, meaning it can help significantly slow down the growth of algae and make the water more inviting for birds." More garden buys And a And another Don't miss out... Visit The Sun's shopping home and garden hub for more news, deals and tips. For more discounts and recommendations from the Sun Shopping team, sign up to our newsletter and join the Plus, a Advertisement Or you can Meanwhile, Another Advertisement 2 The Ceramic Bird Bath is available from B&M for just £5 Credit: BM
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Louise Bruton: Penneys' adaptive lingerie is half the price of Kim Kardashian's Skims. That's a game-changer
My wardrobe malfunctions may not be as dramatic as some onstage performers, but they can still cause a scene. Having a boogie at a gig in Dublin recently, my movements were cut short. The belt of my linen overcoat, which I had tied behind my back, had unravelled and wound around the spokes of my wheelchair, grounding me to a halt. It took two security guards to set me free. Pairing billowing material with a wheelchair is a rookie mistake. Lots of bad things can happen, from getting lassoed like a calf to mucking up the material as it drapes over the tyres. And if it rains there will be soggy arms for days. I wore the coat knowing those risks, but I also wore it because it looked good. When I get dressed, I usually have a particular persona in mind – kooky art teacher at parties, Paul Mescal in GAA shorts on balmy days, B-list pop star for weddings – but the execution won't always complement my wheelchair. No matter what their personal taste or style is, disabled people usually have to pick an outfit based around function and comfort. This was something I found myself thinking about at the launch earlier this month of Penneys ' latest adaptable clothing line. Included in the range are wardrobe staples such as blue denim jeans (€22), a beige trench coat (€35), white shirts (€20), drawstring tracksuit bottoms (€18), pyjama tops and bottoms (€18 each). There are accessible features like snap fastenings on T-shirts and bras, waist loops to pull up trousers, and hidden openings for stoma or catheter lines on shirts – all potentially helpful adjustments for various disabilities. Penneys' adaptive lingerie (€10/€12) is also half the price of Kim Kardashian 's Skims offerings. It will be a game-changer for some. READ MORE And yet, unfortunately for me, I would never choose to wear the range. The conservative styles don't fit in with my somewhat eclectic taste palette, and I don't see how these adaptable features will make it any easier for me to get dressed or to move around compared with what I wear already.I left the launch trying to understand what adaptive fashion really means, generally and personally. The best way I've seen it in action is when brides take their wedding dresses from civil ceremony to unruly dance floor by bustling the excess material of their skirts up and away from stomping feet. Like dancing brides, adaptive clothing should mean changing your clothes based on your surroundings or your needs. A dress in Primark's new adaptive fashion range Disability is a wide-ranging term used to cover thousands of conditions and illnesses, and within those, each person's experience differs wildly. If only a portion of a clothing line is adaptive, it will serve only a small percentage of disabled people. Browsing the hundreds of items on online retailer Zalando 's adaptive edit, personal style has room to thrive for adults and children. Broken down into categories like fit for prostheses, sensory friendly, easy closure, easy to dress and seated style, these are more than just staple items. While Nike and Skechers have clothes that coincidentally have adaptive qualities in this edit, lesser known names like Anna Field, Pier One and Even&Odd have items designed with disabled people in mind and use disabled models to display them. Alas, these clothes don't sing to me either. Primark's adaptive fashion range will be a game-changer for some When many shops in real life still don't have larger changing rooms, it's easy to throw everything into an online basket, but clothes I've bought from other adaptive lines have been unsuccessful. A raincoat in the seated style used so much material that it pooled over my wheels, catching water and mud and all of the things it was meant to resist at an Irish festival during a yellow weather warning. Loops to pull on shoes have pulled all the way off, and snap fasteners on jackets have not stayed fastened. I am still learning what I need from my clothes, but I also want to shop in a sustainable way instead of this trial and error approach. Adjustable sleeves and elasticated or drawstring trousers are essential for me as I'm in the seated position all day, but I also need breathable materials like cotton, linen or wool to protect my skin and to regulate my body heat. A brand that nails those criteria is Yoke, a London-based studio that uses deadstock fabrics to make relaxed clothing out of natural fibres. Their loose fitting gingham trousers with an elasticated waist means I don't get that sharp pinch from zips or buttons. A cut-off zip-sleeve jacket from Primark's adaptive fashion range Closer to home is Miss She's Got Knits by Dubliner Karen Birney who handknits colourful cardigans, jumpers and vests using Merino or alpaca wool in chunky or cutesy stitches. When her cropped Supersoft MSGK vest came online in her summer drop, I clicked 'buy' immediately. With a vest, sleeves getting frayed by my wheels is a non-issue and the cropped fit prevents material from bulking in my lap. But the best thing about this vest is that people always compliment me when I wear it. Primark launched its new adaptive fashion range earlier this month The above pieces are investments, but because I've become better at searching for what I need online, Vinted fills in the gap for affordable preloved clothing. Most weeks my postman brings a bundle of vintage and designer clothes that tend to my needs with no compromise on the environment, my style, or my bank account. Well, maybe some financial compromise. Adaptive clothing shouldn't be niche, but with Penneys on board everyday fashion is becoming more accessible for disabled people. I would argue, however, that if brands really wanted to implement an adaptive approach, then a free alteration service for customers would cater to all bodies and backgrounds while also looking out for the planet. A gal can dream.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
'I can't believe I'm doing this and calling it a job!'
Johannes Radebe has to be one of the happiest people on the planet. And why not? The Strictly Come Dancing star is on tour in hit musical Kinky Boots and he can't wait to return to Dublin. It's quite remarkable to consider where Johannes Radebe came from and went through on his way to his current status as a much-loved pro dancer on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show. As well as becoming a regular on Strictly, he's embarked on tours, and even found time to write a memoir, Jojo: Finally Home. That book is now being turned into a film. It's some story. Born in Zamdela, part of South Africa's Orange Free State, Johannes suffered homophobic bullying as a child, and had to endure race and class prejudice when competing at ballroom dancing. While living in Johannesburg and learning his trade, he spent some time homeless, but eventually became a dance teacher before learning his trade as a dancer on cruise ships. He then became a pro dancer on South Africa's version of Strictly Come Dancing before joining the touring cast of dance show Burn the Floor. In 2018 the BBC brought him to the mothership show, and he's been a Strictly showstopper ever since. He's currently touring in the lead role of Lola in Kinky Boots, the hit musical about a struggling shoe factory owner who meets Lola, a drag queen whose sparkle and unsteady heels might just hold the answer to saving his ailing business. The show plays at Dublin's Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from July 15 for a five-night run. It's a trip he's happy to make as it rekindles many happy memories. Greeting him on Zoom, his upbeat personality seems permanently set at 11. This guy oozes good vibes. John Byrne: So, Johannes, how much are you looking forward to bringing Kinky Boots back to Dublin? Johannes Radede: I've been to Ireland before, with my own tour, it was called Freedom Unleashed, and it happened two years ago. I didn't go back with my last tour because dates didn't work, and I was gutted. Because that's where I closed my show. You guys are a fantastic, fantastic audience. I go to a lot of places. I closed my show there and it was one of the best nights. Me and the entire team can agree with that. I remember I was onstage and everybody was chanting 'Ole, ole, ole, ole' and I felt like I was at a soccer tournament. I felt like a football star. You guys made me feel like that - and I'll never forget it. You're playing Lola in Kinky Boots. It's the kind of upbeat, inspirational role that you were clearly made for. You must have a hoot in those boots! You say the role was designed for me . . . When I first came to this country [the UK], I appeared with the heels on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2019. People said, Oh Johannes, you really need to play the role of Lola. And they hadn't even heard me sing! So, I guess I am everything that Lola represents. She is bold. She is confident. There are things about her that I still have to catch up to, but honestly I am thrilled to be doing it because it has been something I have secretly been wanting to do. But I would never confidently admit it to anybody, to say I would love to play that role because the singing - for me - was an issue. I just didn't want it to be celebrity casting, you know? At some point, honestly, it felt like that when I heard about the opportunity of doing Kinky Boots and auditioning for it. It took me two years to come to the decision to finally audition. I wanted to make sure that I was ready, so I went for singing lessons for two years, I went to acting classes, coaching. And after two years, as I said, I was 'Okay, may I please audition for this role?' And I've been loving it. How is the tour going so far? It's marvellous. Remember: I come to these places for one-nighters. So to be in a town for a whole week, you get to really experience the town itself. So that, for me, has been amazing. But getting back to the show - it's phenomenal. It's been received so well. Kinky Boots has a cult following. People love that show and they've loved it for many years. It's so beautiful that we have the show back. And not only back in London, it is touring again. And it's sending the message of the show: let's all be kind to one another, make space for one another, and accept each other for who we are. I can't tell you when I say that message with everything that's going on in the world - iIt's so important. To be so well-received on tour, it is the most beautiful thing. We've managed to bring theatre to people - which is to bring joy and perspective to people. And that's what we see happening every single night. People coming in numbers to really just support this show has really restored my faith in humanity. I can't believe I'm doing this and I'm calling it a job! Honestly, to be able to bring those four elements of musical theatre - which are acting, singing, dancing and dialogue - it's the most beautiful thing. But I'm surrounded by a cast of phenomenal people. They are phenomenal people. And so talented. With all that's going on in your career, and your memoir Jojo being made into a film, it's a very exciting time for you, isn't it? Listen, everything that's happening is obviously surreal. But at the same time - and please don't get me wrong when I say that - I'm honestly humbled by it all. It takes me back to how much one has had to go through, to sacrifice and compromise. I always say I am living a lovely, beautiful life at the moment. That's me doing it, without my family, my friends, without my tribe and community back home in South Africa. The most beautiful thing this platform has done is that it has given me the opportunity to give back to the community, the community that really helped me, and I wanted my success to be their success. I have always felt guilty for achieving all these things - but with this book being turned into a film . . . my people, for the first time, will have their story told back to them. And I think there's nothing greater I can give back to them - honestly - than doing something that tells their story. And highlights how valuable they are as human beings. I'm hoping this whole process really says to them they are worthy as individuals. Then I think I will have done my job. And then there's the next run of Strictly Come Dancing on the horizon . . . I'm really looking forward to the new Strictly Come Dancing season and I hope to be there for many, many years. And when you realise the reach of it . . . and you're shaking your tush in front of millions of people, and their living rooms are happy places. I'm all in. Honestly John, I'm so happy. And I'm going to finish this tour in Dublin! I've been on tour since December and finish in Dublin and I set it up that way because of what I experienced the last time. And believe me when I tell you that I'm looking forward to being back. We'll be there and I can't wait to part-hay!
